No end to
up
Part 2
The
Colorado Trail Race 2014
Pre race
This is my second attempt at this race. The first was in 2012 when I
got as far a Buena Vista and bailed there. That year we took the Bailey Detour
for the first detour on the course which is over 50 miles shorter than the
Terryall detour that we took this year. Otherwise the course is the same.
Since this is a point to point race Rich and I drove separately out to
Durango CO. where we had made arraignments to leave his car at a guy’s house.
We got a hotel there than took my car back to Denver the next morning, and
spent another night in a hotel, the next morning we parked my car at the
starting trailhead for the duration of the race.
Day 1
6AM Sunday August 10th
Rich and I arrived at Waterton Canyon Trailhead, Littleton CO at about
5:30 AM, picked up our “Spot” trackers and got ready to go. At the last minute
I had a brain fart and forgot where I put my car keys and had to search for
them so we were actually about 5 minutes late starting.
The first 3 segments went as expected as I had ridden it before. For Rich and other rookies the first segment is an eye opener because it gives you a taste of how much climbing there is in this race. We got some rain and hail but were able to take cover in the trees and wait it out. About 4:30 PM we got to the start of the first detour in a light rain. This was a different detour than I had done 2 years ago, it was much longer. The Terryall detour is 70 miles long with over 8000 feet of climbing! (Info: It is illegal to ride a bicycle in wilderness areas in the U.S. so there are 5 bicycle detours on the Colorado Trail around wilderness areas) We made it about ½ ways thru the detour before night fall and camped at a forest service campground called Goose Creek. Gabe was with us most of the day. And 3 others joined us soon after we arrived including John and Jill H. We had hoped to get water from the pump but it was broken so we ended up filtering water from the creek.
Total for the day 62 miles and 14 hours.
Day 2
We awoke at 6 AM and were on our way by 7 AM.
We had about 20 miles of dirt road and than 10 more miles of pavement
before getting back to the trail just before Kenosha Pass.
About noon we got to the Stage Coach bar and had a great hamburger for
lunch. There were several other CTR riders there also and we got a chance to
visit with our fellow racers. I got a chance to talk to Jill H from Colorado who
I had first met at the Arrowhead 135 in 2013.
A few more miles of gravel and we were back on the trail and than just a few more miles and we were at Kenosha Pass where we talked with several riders again while we refilled our water at the campground pump. We continued on for about 6 more miles of trail and camped at Jefferson Creek with Gabe and
John at about 8 PM. Rich suffered a broken chain about 2 miles before
we camped. We were able to repair it easily by removing a couple of links.
Totals: 62 miles and 13 hours
Day 3
Georgia Pass
We awoke at 6 AM and were on the trail by 7. Up and over Georgia Pass
and a secondary pass. The secondary pass is actually harder than Georgia Pass,
the trail is much worse. About ¾ of the way thru we ran into the leaders of the
“Brek Epic” a multi-stage professional mtn bike race that runs out of Breck. I
saw about 4 or 5 of the top riders go by.
This segment ends by descending into Tiger Run in Breckenridge. At the
base of the trail I ran into Gabe and John taking a break. After a little bit
they took off and a few minutes later Rich showed up (he was behind me) In
Breck we got food (subway) and Rich had almost everything replaced in his drive
train, i.e. small chain ring, chain, and gear cluster. Up until this point he
had not been able to use the small chain ring! I replaced my rear brakes.
Mid afternoon we started up Gold hill out of Breckenridge and the “Ten
Mile Range” segment. We camped at about 7 PM, 4.8 miles into the segment at the
end of a jeep trail and an old log cabin. A place I had camped at 2 years ago.
28 Miles Total
Day 4
Ten Mile Range thru Copper to Tennesse Pass
We awoke again at about 6 AM and were on the trail about 7 AM. The
trail again here is very rocky and tough. We got to Copper before noon and ran
into Ko. He was another racer that we would see many times
during the CTR. He said he had passed us during the night and had gone all the
way thru to Copper. He later told us he liked to sleep late and ride late into
the night. Not a very good strategy if you ask me!
We had lunch in Copper and then it was on to Tennessee Pass. This is
one of the first segments that spends a long time above tree line and up to
12300 feet. Leaving Copper we ran into
Gab again he and John had gone ahead of us last night and rode into Copper
after dark. He was coming back into Copper, he said he had broken his shoe and
wasn’t feeling 100% physically so he was dropping. A few miles further we ran
into John and he was also heading back into Copper and he also said he was
dropping because he wouldn’t be able to make his timeline.
The trail goes over Searle Pass than the high
point of Elk Ridge than over Kokomo Pass all of them above tree line. Once over
Kokomo Pass it’s a nice downhill for many miles. Down to Camp Hale where the
Army trained it’s special forces during WWII. We got lucky and didn’t hit any
thunder storms while above tree line, we did get rained on though. Saw our
first herd of domestic sheep out on the open range near Kokomo Pass. At camp
Hale Rich talked me into to pushing on to Tennessee Pass in the dark and later
the rain. When we arrived at Tennessee Pass about 10:30 PM we were thoroughly
exhausted and cold and wet and it was still raining. At the pass there is a
highway rest stop with large concrete out houses, these were actually very
We awoke again at about 6 AM and were on the trail about 7 AM. The
trail again here is very rocky and tough. We got to Copper before noon and ran
into Ko. He was another racer that we would see many times
during the CTR. He said he had passed us during the night and had gone all the
way thru to Copper. He later told us he liked to sleep late and ride late into
the night. Not a very good strategy if you ask me!
We had lunch in Copper and then it was on to Tennessee Pass. This is
one of the first segments that spends a long time above tree line and up to
12300 feet. Leaving Copper we ran into
Gab again he and John had gone ahead of us last night and rode into Copper
after dark. He was coming back into Copper, he said he had broken his shoe and
wasn’t feeling 100% physically so he was dropping. A few miles further we ran
into John and he was also heading back into Copper and he also said he was
dropping because he wouldn’t be able to make his timeline.
The trail goes over Searle Pass than the high
point of Elk Ridge than over Kokomo Pass all of them above tree line. Once over
Kokomo Pass it’s a nice downhill for many miles. Down to Camp Hale where the
Army trained it’s special forces during WWII. We got lucky and didn’t hit any
thunder storms while above tree line, we did get rained on though. Saw our
first herd of domestic sheep out on the open range near Kokomo Pass. At camp
Hale Rich talked me into to pushing on to Tennessee Pass in the dark and later
the rain. When we arrived at Tennessee Pass about 10:30 PM we were thoroughly
exhausted and cold and wet and it was still raining. At the pass there is a
highway rest stop with large concrete out houses, these were actually very
clean so we ended spending the night camped in the outhouses. We later dubbed
these the Tennessee Pass Hilton.
33 Miles Total and 15.5 Hours
Day 5
Tennessee Pass thru Leadville to Buena Vista
We rose at 6 AM and were again on the trail about 7 AM. There’s only
about 2.5 miles of trail than you start the detour around Holy Cross and Mount Massive
Wildernesses. 14 road miles to Leadville where we had a late breakfast at the
Golden Burro. We picked up a few supplies (Me a pair of rain pants and Rich a
part for his camelback). Hosed our bikes down at a gas station and bought a can
of silicone spray and lubed up our bikes, and were on our way again. 7.5 more
miles of road and then back onto the trail. The weather forecast for this
afternoon was 100% chance of torrential flooding rains and thunder storms. Well
we got a few showers and that was it.
We did the Twin Lakes Segment with a little rain but no other problems.
During the segment we ran into a guy who was marking the trail for the Leadville
100 trail run. We also caught up to Ko again. He told me he had ridden into
Leadville thru the rain and night and gotten there about 1 AM the only thing
open was a bar and a gas station. He searched for a hotel and they were all
full because of the upcoming Leadville 100. He also tried to find a city park
to camp in and that was already full of campers, so he ended up riding up the
road a few miles further and camped. I rode with him into Twin Lakes where he
called a relative in the area for a ride home.
We continued on to the end of the segment and then started the
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Detour into Buena Vista. This detour is very nice
and scenic and almost all downhill, it’s many miles riding alongside the
Arkansas River, so its lots of fun. After some searching we got a room at a
nice mom and pop hotel next store to the grocery store. We had a good meal at a
Mexican restaurant and then did some grocery shopping.
47 miles
Day 6
Buena Vista to the ponds
The next section is 4 to 5 days without resupply so it involves some
serious planning. I was awake most of the night worrying if I had enough food
and supplies etc. In the morning we went out for breakfast and also ordered a
burrito for lunch on the trail. The waitress couldn’t grasp the idea that we
were bikepacking and she brought out this burrito to go that was in a huge
Styrofoam container and covered with gravy. We explained to her that we were
traveling on bikes and could she just wrap the burritos in cellophane, so she
took them and when she brought them back she had wrapped the huge Styrofoam
container in cellophane. We took them back to our room and tossed the Styrofoam
container and wrapped the burrito in the cellophane and tucked them into our
food packs.
I had screwed up in Breckenridge by not buying
more than 1 pair of brake pads so I wanted to visit the bike shop in town
before we left to buy more brake pads, the bike shop didn’t open till 9 so I
made another run to the grocery store than rode to the bike shop. I got there
about 15 mins to 9 and the guy was just setting up and I was able to ask him for brake pads and he
checked and he was all out, bummer. He directed me to a second bike shop in
town (Bone Shaker Bikes) and I got there about 5 mins to 9 and waited a couple
of minutes till the owner showed up and he was able to fix me up with 2 more
sets of brake pads.
I made a call to Rich to let him know where I was but got no answer so
I left him a message and waited for about 15 minutes and then headed out of
town. I found out later that he was having a hell of a time packing for the
next half of the CTR. He decided (and rightly so) to down size his gear and
left a huge box of stuff at the hotel to be picked up on our way back home,
The CTR really gets serious starting here. The easy part is behind you (the
easy part being you pass thru
resupply). It’s a little scary.
Leaving BV there is 10 miles of detour on the road (all climbing of
course) to get back onto the trail. I had a little trouble finding the trail
again but not too bad. Rich was behind me but caught up in a few hours. A great
part of the trip is the other trail users you run into. At the hotel we had
talked to an older couple with a dog who were thru hiking the CT they said they
were only doing about 10 miles a day and it would take them about 60 days to
complete. Most thru hikers were doing about 20 miles a day and it would take
them 30 days to complete. Well I saw this couple again as we were leaving town,
I was riding and they were hitch hiking. Than a couple of hours later I again
passed them on the trail, obviously they had gotten a ride and passed me up.
We finished up segment 13 and started on segment 14. Got 17.5 miles
into segment 14 and made camp near a couple of ponds after dark.
44 miles total and about 12 hours
Day 7
The ponds to Sargents Mesa
Again we got up about 6 and were on the trail about 7 AM. We finished
segment 14 and started on the grand daddy of all climbs Fosses Creek. Almost
4000 feet of climbing in 8 miles. The lower half wasn’t too bad, about 1100
feet of climbing in 4 miles a lot of it was rideable, the next 4 miles were a
bear, all up hill and it got steeper as you went, ending up at the Continental
Divide at just under 12000 feet. We ran into lots of other riders at the top of
Fosses, it’s a popular route to be driven up to Monarch pass and then ride down
to Marshall Pass about half of which is on the Colorado trail.
A few miles beyond the top there is a pipe stuck in the hillside with
water flowing out of it, so we stopped and filled up with water and were on our
way. We finished the segment at Marshall Pass and started into the next segment
to Sargents Mesa. We ran into lots of free range cattle in this segment.
Cameroon Park was very pretty except for the cattle. We camped at the base of
Sargents Mesa right at tree line about 11700 feet. Early in the morning we were
woken by a coyote howling, he ran off when I shined my light on him. It was a
cool night.
33 miles
Day 8
Start of Sargents Mesa to half way thru LaGarita Detour
Not much of a trail head at the end of segment 16 start of 17, just a
4x4 trail at the start of Sargents Mesa
Sargents Mesa was great to see in the early morning.
12 miles into segment 18 we started the LaGarita Wilderness Detour. We
got about ½ ways thru the detour by dark and camped between the road and the
river just over Los Pinos Pass.
62 miles.
Day 9
La Garita Detour to Cataract Lake
We finished up the Detour, did segment 22 which includes the highest
point of the CT at 13371 feet. I’ve wanted to climb some of Colorado’s 14’ers
this is as close as I got. A couple of miles before the high point there is
another bear of a climb that is of course hike-a-bike, rocky switch backs. This
is where we ran into another flock of free range sheep complete with guard
dogs, which were 2 huge white Great Pyrennes. They came at us barking but
settled down after a little bit. Rich tried to give them a treat, one of his
energy bars (I won’t mention the brand) and even the dogs wouldn’t eat it! On the way down we ran into 3 thru riders
going the opposite direction all on rigid frame bikes, hard core. 5.7 miles into segment 23 we camped at
Cataract Lake at nightfall.
47 miles
Day 10
Cataract Lake thru Silverton to 8 miles into Segment 25
It rained during the night and into the morning so we were a little
late getting moving. 10 miles of trail and then it was supposed to be 10 miles
of downhill road riding to Silverton.
Well it was 10 miles of trail to the end of the segment than we started
the Weminuche Detour into Silverton. We were looking forward to an easy ride
into town. But the first 4 miles was a very steep downhill on a very rough and
rocky jeep trail. We stopped ½ ways down to change Rich’s rear brake pads, both
of our rear brake rotors were discolored from the heat of braking.
Well we made it to Silverton which is a huge milestone because you are
probably going to make it to the finish if you make it this far.
We had lunch in a local restaurant and also ordered a Philly cheese
steak sandwich to go, than we stopped at a grocery store to stock up again on
groceries and headed out of town. 7.5 miles up the highway to Molas pass and we
pick up the CT again. We rode 8 miles of trail on segment 25 than camped on the
side of a mountain at a dry campsite.
35 miles.
Day 11
Dry camp on Segment 25 to 4 miles into Segment 27 along the ridge.
The trail as you got further south improved drastically. It seemed
better designed, less erosion etc. We ran into several other riders and hikers
the next two days. The trail for a long ways followed along the edge of ridges
so it was nice riding and very scenic.
A nice day of riding and we even quit a little early and had a nice
camp along the ridge 4 miles into Segment 27.
28 miles.
Day 12
Ridge camp to the finish
Again the trail thru the first part of Segment 27 was along the ridge.
Well the great trail can’t last forever and the trail went up above the tree
line for 7 miles on Indian Trail Ridge and two summits above 12000 feet. The
last of the high summits.
Than it was down to Taylor Lake for lunch and on to the last segment.
Segment 28 was 20 miles long and over 6500 feet of down. There was a
little of climbing of course but it was mostly down. This segment also had a
long portion on a scree slope, that was interesting. Rich and I both were
having a little bit of a hard time concentrating on our riding and we both had
slow speed crashes off of the side of the trail. I guess we were both thinking
of beer and pizza and the finish.
Well we crossed the finish line at 6:30 PM. 11 days 12 ½ hours since
the start. 560 trail miles.
38 miles for the day
We took a few pictures, I was just too tired and beat to feel anything
but relief that we had made it.
We rode the 4 miles into town and the same hotel
we had stayed in before the start of the race. We got cleaned up and we just
couldn’t ride the 4 miles to pick up the car, so Rich took a cab to Andy’s
house where his car was parked. We went out to a local pizza place for pizza
and beer, ended up meeting a guy and his family who had just moved to Durango
from Duluth,
small world. We got a good nights rest and started the long drive home
the next day.
We got delayed in Fairplay CO by a professional road bike race so we
got to see the pelethon go by.
Overall it was a great ride. We got to see parts of Colorado that most
people will never see.
The weather was ok the whole time we were out there, we never got the
torrential flooding rains that they had predicted when we were going thru
Leadville. We did have thunder storms and hail on the first three days but were
below tree line every time. It wasn’t till about the 6th day that we
had a day with no rain. After that it seemed that we had a dryer air mass move
thru because there was a lot less dew in the morning and a lot less
condensation inside the tent. All of the nights were pretty cool. Low 40’s to
high 30’s. I had a 30 degree sleeping bag and was a little cool at night even
wearing all of my clothes.
My feet really took a beating out on the trail with all of the hike-a-bike
(HIB). My cycling shoes are a little big and the Velcro closures make it hard
to close them up really tight so while hiking my feet would move around a lot
inside my shoes and it just rubbed my toes raw and top that off with having wet
feet most of the time. I ended up wrapping most of my toes in duct tape after
about day 7, which helped a lot. The good thing about the big shoes is that
they still fit after my feet swelled. When I went to put on my regular running shoes
after the race I could hardly get them on because my feet were swollen. I had
to drive home without wearing shoes.
I did not have any mechanicals, the closet thing was I should have
brought along 2 pair of spare brake pads. I did have a tire go flat leaving
Silverton but after adding air to it a few times it was fine. (I was running
tubeless) There were a few bruises in the sidewall from hitting rocks but it
did hold air.
Rich had a few problems, I mentioned his drivetrain malfunctions and
also on the morning of day 7 he decided to check the air in his tires with the
new fangled hybrid pump he had brought which advertised that it could be used
for air shocks and tires. When he tried to put some air in his back tire he
broke off his valve stem, and he had left behind his spare tube in Buena Vista.
Luckily I had brought along 2 spare tubes so we got him going with 1 of my
spares. He also broke his rear rack on day 6 so he moved all of his gear to his
backpack and handlebars which made for a front heavy bike, I don’t know how he
handled that front bike on those rough down hills but he did.
For clothes I brought:
1 short sleeve cycling jersey which I wore the first couple of days and
most nights
1 long sleeve T-shirt which I wore the rest of the time including at
night
1 pair of cycling shorts
1 pair of medium wt wool socks (I wish I had brought 2 pairs since the
1 pair was wet most of the time.)
1 pair of long running pants “Sport Hill” which I wore the start of
every day and every night
1 Medium wt cycling jacket which I wore the start of every day and
every night
Rain jacket top, which got used most days….. I bought a pair of rain
pants in Leadville, (It was really cold cycling in the rain)
Hat and gloves
1 pair of arm covers which I never used.
Cycling gloves …..Cycling shoes
My sleeping gear consisted of:
Small 2 person tent, I prefer a tent over a bivy and/or a tarp
30 degree sleeping bag, which was barely warm enough
Z-rest sleeping pad…Not terribly comfortable for a side sleeper but I
haven’t found anything better.
Inflatable pillow
