Grand Loop dreaming

[Gimmearaise]

If the weather holds up, I'm planning on doing an ITT next weekend, either Friday or Saturday.

[Adam Alphabet]

If the weather holds up, I'm planning on doing an ITT next weekend, either Friday or Saturday.

Deah Neil! You tracking? been slow around here lately, need some excitement!

[Yagi]

If the weather holds up, I'm planning on doing an ITT next weekend, either Friday or Saturday.

If you can post up a complete .gpx, that'd be swell.  There could be one out there, but I haven't looked too hard.  This has been on my radar for a few years.  Have fun!

[Gimmearaise]

If you can post up a complete .gpx, that'd be swell.  There could be one out there, but I haven't looked too hard.  This has been on my radar for a few years.  Have fun!

I am going to work on that tonight and have everyone look it over.

[Enjoying the View]

Looking forward to how your trip goes. Some day I hope to make this one happen

[Gimmearaise]

Past starters,
Can you assist me in your start location? It kinda sounds like there were a few different start locations depending on the year. I was either thinking Lunch Loops, or perhaps Westwater. Both have their pros and cons. I will be traveling counter clockwise if that makes a difference.
Also, I'm aware that water will be sparse, I'm just wondering if folks know of any reliable water on the Paradox or Tab trails that I should know of.

Thanks,
Neil

[BryanK]

Hey Neil,

I did a fall grand loop several years ago. From what I can remember, Reliable water on the Paradox should be fine. Good spots to fill up would be from geyser creek or buckeye reservoir. Mesa creek before the koski traverse should have water too.  That will get you to Nucla but you can probably find water near spring ranch and also tabeguache creek.

From Nucla, I don’t think you’ll find much water till the Roudideau area. After that good water sources are along the road climbing up to love mesa, when you cross the Dominguez, and at hwy 141(reliable but not good).

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[Gimmearaise]

Very helpful, thank you Bryan.

[the.hamtron]

Past starters,
Can you assist me in your start location? It kinda sounds like there were a few different start locations depending on the year. I was either thinking Lunch Loops, or perhaps Westwater. Both have their pros and cons. I will be traveling counter clockwise if that makes a difference.
Also, I'm aware that water will be sparse, I'm just wondering if folks know of any reliable water on the Paradox or Tab trails that I should know of.

Thanks,
Neil

Neil, would you mind sharing your reasoning for riding counter-clockwise? I'm going to assume it has to do with a potential resupply in Nucla. Or are you gonna rip the loop without resupply?

[DaveH]

Not sure if y'all have seen this, but Neil started this morning and is tracking.

http://trackleaders.com/grandloop17

The route has been dormant of late, should be fun. A bit over 4 hours from Loma to Westwater, he's cooking right along so far.

Compared to late May/early June rides, he'll have great trail conditions, cold ass temps after dark, more darkness, fewer water options, and (ahem) no mud. Every time I descended the Unc it was hypothermia city, long coasting descent in the middle of the night was brutal. In late Oct should be super fun...but maybe he'll have daylight there.

[Yagi]

Thanks, Dave!

[the.hamtron]

Anyone have the gpx file that Neil is riding?

[DaveH]

I don't know if he is riding the route posted on trackleaders with the Nucla reroute, or if he is riding the original race route (no Nucla detour).

The trackleaders KML can be found at http://trackleaders.com/spot/grandloop17/grandloop17.kml. Convert at gpsvisualizer.com if ya must, better yet use google earth.

[DaveH]

Nucla refuel! Neil is in a tough spot - past 5pm still in Nucla and faced with the "all day" climb to the top of the Unc. The first couple hours of the climb are a little techy and hard to follow, then it turns to various road grades to the top. At 10k' it will be darn chilly! From there the route gets very challenging with Roubidoux right around the corner.

He is taking a route never done before - Koski traverse instead of dropping into Bedrock, and taking the new re-route to Nucla. This will likely become the new standard for a GL race/ITT.

[Gimmearaise]

So toast, set expectations that were not reasonable. I also broke a spoke and was mm away from running my frame. But overall, my motivation was just not there for that final dig, knowing but not knowing how tough it is. I’ve never been so hot and so damn cold in a 24 hour period. As far as paradox, it still needs some work, and Paul would be the first person to tel you that, but it’s a great start. It also clearly added a lot of time and mileage. Let’s get a race start for next year!

[prkoski]

It was great meeting up with you today Neil. I'm still trying to figure out the motivation that all of you endurance racers must gather to perform a feat such as the GL. I like bike riding too much to have ever put myself through that. 200 miles in 33 hrs over that terrain will always be impressive in my book. 

[BryanK]

Nice effort out there. Would have to agree on the paradox. The section from tabequache creek to the new single track has got be some of the worst riding I have ever done. If it wasn’t for my gps I think I’d still be lost out there.

[prkoski]

Comments noted. We'll see what we can get done to that section in particular before next spring.

[BryanK]

Thanks Paul.   It’s still better than taking the road into Nucla, just not much traffic out there and the route is hard to follow in areas. I did enjoy the new singletrack, thanks for making that happen. I’d have time in the spring to help if you had a work day then.

Bryan

[the.hamtron]

Got out for a counter-clockwise tour of the Grand Loop starting this past Sunday morning, departing around 8:45am from Dewey. I decided to ride the same route as Neil, thinking that it seemed more reasonable to detour into Nucla for resupply, and I also wanted to get through the high points of the route before moisture/snow moved into the area late Monday/early Tues. I had a blast, mostly(!), fully invested in the experience, enjoying ticking off miles through sweeping and ever-changing landscapes, from the desert to the high desert, to the sub alpine and back, it was wild to ride through the beautifully diverse Colorado Plateau. I'm still being haunted by the specter of my experience on the Grand Loop, but god damn, it felt good to rip and romp around on the bike through such beautiful country. What a blessing to call Colorado home! I packed way too much water (120 oz) and food (2 days worth) from the start, my bike weighing more than I care to remember. Definitely felt the burden by the end of the 100 mile day, succumbing to sleep fairly early, around 10:30. Wasn't motivated to begin riding in the cold and dark morning, so I woke with the sun after laying down for 8 hours. I was less than 2 hours out from Nucla, so I rallied into town for resupply, and was on my way to tackle the Plateau. A long, grind of a climb took me up to Columbine Pass, and then what seemed like endless riding across the plateau, with short shots descending into watersheds and then the steep, chunky climb out. Rode hard on the gravel service road through a snow squall in the middle of the night, snowflakes blazing by in the glow of my K-Lite, loving every second. Got in 140 miles before I laid down to sleep around 2. Woke at 7 having slept poorly, and thought it would be a fairly quick ride into GJ. After descending down a ways and crossing HY141, I didn't realize the extent of the rough and tough stretch of the Tabaguache, before FINALLY dropping into GJ. A quick resupply and lunch and I was off, heading to Loma and then south, as it looked like the route had me riding the Interstate(?). Started on the Kokopelli around 2pm, and was LOVING the views of the Colorado river and canyons from the cliff shelves, and I guess the single track was ok too after mostly 300 miles of double-track and gravel roads. Rode hard this final stretch, mashing away, as I still had a 3.5 hour drive home and work waiting for me at 10am the next morning. In my haste and discomfort, I bailed off the route proper when I hit CR128, opting to ride 5-6 miles of pavement back to where I started. Finished around 11pm, and was super psyched to be done, but not so psyched to drive home.

This route is rad, thanks to everyone who established it!

- Paul H