Nov 24, 2014

The Colorado Trail Race 2014 No end to up part 2


 
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
 
 
 
 
 
 


Mar 14, 2014

ARROWHEAD 135 1/27/14


ARROWHEAD ULTRA 135

JANUARY 27, 2014

After a giant snowstorm last year while on the trail I was ready to try the AHU again on a skinny tire 29er.

The weather forecast was calling for clear and cold. Looking back on my other attempts at the AHU 135 I realized that I seemed to do better in the cold years. We’ll see if that holds true this year. I also had my new TI 29er so maybe that will help also.

Gear List: -20 degree sleeping bag (synthetic) with a double layer bivy on the handle bars. My sleeping pad was in the triangle. On the rear rack I had the bike bag with down jacket, Lined wind pants, spare gloves, 2 pair of spare socks, a few tools, spare parts and heat packs.  I carried a fanny pack with some food in it and I wore a 2 liter camel back under my layers for water. I carried a bar mount flashlight and a head lamp plus a blinky light front and back. I believe my sleeping rig and spare clothes, tools, and parts weighed about 16 lbs. This did not include my water or food.

For clothes I wore a pair of tri shorts than a medium weight pair of running tights than my pair of Sport Hill pants and finally a pair of bike shorts. On my feet I had on 2 pair of heavy socks and my Solomon boots. On top I first put on a vapor barrier which was an old full zip wind breaker, than I wore 3 layers of medium weight full zip synthetic jackets. On my head I wore a light balaclava, than my DXC cap, than a face mask that covered my cheeks and nose, than a medium weight fleece balaclava with a draw string face opening. And a heavy pair of snomo mitts for the hands. And of course I have a pair of bar end gauntlets on the bike.

The event always starts with check in and then the racers meeting and dinner the night before the start. Saw lots of old friends and even won a blinky tail light which ended up dying on me 20 hours into the race. The race director Ken’s words held true that you were much more likely to win a prize at the pre race meeting than you are of finishing the race! Ken also showed us a graphic that showed the historical chances of finishing the race fell at exactly 50%. That number will be a little lower after this year’s race is added in.

The weather at the start was no surprise, about 25 below zero with a light wind. Luckily the prevailing winds are from the North West and the trail goes mostly south east. I almost missed the start, I was taking my time in the warming house adjusting my gear and at about 5 mins to 7 headed out to the starting line, I had just got up onto the trail when the start signal was given. I think they were a little early with the start.

The trail early on was hard packed as expected with these temps and the riding was good. When we made the turn at mile 9 we hit freshly groomed trail (it must have been groomed the night before because it was set up hard) so the going got even better. A quick stop to eat and drink and back at it. The trail continued to be in good shape all day although it was deceiving that it wasn’t especially fast.

 I was about 15 minutes faster than last year getting into check point 1.Arriving at 12:26.  My problem? I thought it would be a good idea to try and dry some of my clothes so I spent the time waiting for my clothes to come out of the dryer and in the process lost my balaclava, luckily I was able to buy a new one, and then the clothes really hadn’t dried much they were just warm and wet. I spent 1 hour and 45 minutes here where as last year I had spent 30 minutes.

I left chp #1 at 2:13 the next section is where the hills start, nothing really big but lots of rollers, it’s a very scenic trail and I really enjoyed it. I stayed pretty warm, at chp 1 I had put 2 heat packs in each boot rather than just 1 and that really made a difference. I rode most of the day with my hands out of the gauntlets because they were getting to warm. Sometime during the afternoon my front shock collapsed (I knew it would because I was having troubles with it) this caused my sleeping bag which was hanging from my front handle bars to drag on the front tire. Luckily I was able to reposition things so that it wouldn’t drag. I also lost my back brake, but again I knew that was coming, I think I got some air in the lines or the pads are just worn down, any how ya don’t need brakes much on the Arrowhead.

I pulled into chp #2 the halfway point at 8:53 PM about 40 minutes behind last year’s pace. Last year when I was here the place was nearly empty but this year it was nearly full. Where last year it was fairly warm outside and I stayed for 2 ½ hours, this year it was headed for 30 below so my plan was to get my clothes good and dry and rest and head out in the morning. I accomplished all of the above. It is kinda interesting at this check point because you finally get to meet and talk to some of the other competitors instead seeing them as you pass one another on the trail.

 I tried to sleep twice while there and both times I only slept for about 15 minutes. The first time I snagged one of the beds but it was so hot up in that loft I couldn’t stand it so I had to go down stairs. The second time I laid on the floor and it was a little cooler but less comfortable. I did get a little to eat here but wasn’t terribly hungry.

As planned I got out of checkpoint 2 at just before 5 AM. I was cool outside to say the least but the trail was nice and firm and I felt good. The next leg of the race is the longest and the hilliest at about 40 miles and some of the biggest hills. I walked a lot of the hills but not all of them. Passed and got passed by several other riders. A few of the riders had left about 2 AM and ended up getting so cold that they ended up bivying along the trail till it warmed up a bit and I passed these guys just as they were getting moving again.

It’s a long haul getting to chkpt 3 but then all of a sudden it appears out of nowhere right in the middle of the trail. All chkpt 3 consists of is 2 ice fishing shelters set up on the edge of the trail. There is room for about 6 people there and if they get overcrowded they start kicking out the ones who have been there the longest. They do serve ya hot chocolate and you can fill up on water .I arrived at 12:45 and left at 1:52.

The next obstacle is “Wake’um up hill” The biggest hill and the highest point on the trail. All of the other years I had done this part of the trail at night so it was nice to see it during the day. Wake’um up hill is a lot less daunting during the daylight. It also is getting a lot more tree cover over the years. The first couple of times I went over the top it was a bald knob but now there’s quite a few trees up there.

After descending Wake’um up the trail crosses the highway goes thru the woods for a couple more miles and then enters the giant black spruce swamp which goes on flat as a pancake with no trees taller than 20 feet for over 20 miles. I kind of enjoyed this area in other years but this year it was drudgery. The trail was starting to get soft, the wind was blowing causing drifting and I was tired. There was a biker just a few minutes ahead of me and their tracks would disappear under the drifting snow before I got there. There were a few more snowmobiles here which also made the trail softer.

Well I did make it to the end. I crossed the finish line just before sunset at 5:27 PM for a total time of 34 hours and 27 minutes

Total time at the checkpoints equaled about 11 hours so a riding time of 23 ½ hours divided by 135 miles equals an average speed of just 5 ¾ MPH. Ya that sounds about right. The winner averaged about 6 ¾ MPH and the record holder from last year (who this year was pulled from the race at the first checkpoint because of frost bite) averaged under 10MPH.