Jeannie Dreyer is also tearing it up!  She looks like she will set a new women's record (that includes the Tarryal detour)!

After I turned around after Los Pinos Pass, I enjoyed seeing all the riders coming the other way. Most seemed to be enjoying the dirt road and lower elevation (a lot said they really suffered up high, especially getting/keeping calories down). While chatting with JayP, Jeannie and Martin rolled up. They seemed to be sharing gear and food. Interestingly, they ate the last of their food (!!) right there and said that they were going to resupply from Apple since they ran out of food so far before BV. So yes, Jeannie is really flying but under a different strategy than the rest.

Hey all...I'm back in Durango, sadly no longer on my bike. I had to call it quits...my body seems to be telling me that too many little problems have been accumulating but not entirely healing. Hand pain had me dreading descents and now nerve pain in my back has me flinching even 36 hours after stopping. Oof. It sure was beautiful out there, though! And I'm a bit envious of everyone that's still out there cruising toward Denver.

No, the stealing hasn't happened, the vehicle pulling over unexpectedly right in front of me in the middle of nowhere has...

On the whole spectator thing...

It can get a little creepy when you're riding down a dirt road at night, a truck passes you, and then skids to a stop up ahead and a couple of people jump out. The immediate thought that comes to mind: "Are they superfans or are they about to knock you off your bike and steal it?" That sort of thing has happened to me more than a few times on the Divide. It's less likely on the CT, but I think as long as people want to come out and cheer, that's fine. They just should be careful not to do anything to spook racers (as Matt says, the mental state can be a bit tenuous at times) and shouldn't expect racers to necessarily do anything more than nod as they pass.

For myself, I'm prepared as I can be and excited to push myself as hard as i can to make it to Junction Creek on Thursday.

What!? Are you starting from Denver? Or have you been doing all your planning backwards ;-)

the reason I asked is because someone told me there was a gas station real close to the ct in breck but its not listed

Matt, there's a 76 station that I *think* is open 24 hours a day right off I-70 just north of where the route cross the highway that heads south to Leadville. It's on the I-70 frontage road maybe 3/4 mile off route. Maybe this is the one that you heard about? There's nothing close to the CT crossing on the highway to Breck.

Edit...this is no longer open 24 hours a day. It looks like the hours are 7 am to 8 pm daily.

Marshall, I'm not sure if you still are looking for advice on your Achilles, but I've dealt with that same problem quite a bit. Swing by a drug store and get some 2" wide athletic tape. With your sock off, flex your toes down so the angle of your ankle/shin is a bit greater than 90 degrees (maybe 110?). Run two strips of tape on top of one another from mid-calf, over the back/bottom of your heel, and then under your foot as far forward as the ball. Then do a few wraps around your calf and mid-foot to hold those two long strips in place. The long strips, if taut enough when you pedal, will effectively take the stress off your Achilles as your foot moves through the downward part of the pedal stroke. If you can't feel the tape doing that, redo the tape job with your toes pointed a bit more to increase that angle. This has gotten me through weeks of ultras and even allowed my Achilles to recover in the TD before being able to remove the tape and ride without it again a few days later.

Also, as a few others have stated, move your cleats as far back on your shoes as they can go. I would not lower your saddle unless taping and repositioning the cleats don't do the trick.

Good luck!

Angler, tell Connor that spending a day resting and trying to recover isn't the end of the world! There have been plenty of racers in past years that have managed to recover from injuries and push on, finishing strongly. He might not be able to meet his initial goal if he slows up a bit, but he can still have a great experience on the route and come back next year to make use of all he learned.

This is turning into one of the most exciting editions of the race so far, with a LOT of fast men AND women.

You could almost predict who was going to win just by seeing how different riders loaded their bikes.  Those in front invariably pack extremely lean.  It's indicative of overall strategy and preparedness IMHO.

This seems to hold true in almost every mountain bike ultra these days. But there is a fine line between being prepared and going too lean. There have been a few races in recent years in which the weather went south quickly, and cold and wet/snow weather put a lot of racers in a bad place. Early in last year's TD was a good example of this. Personally, I feel that a lot of riders carry a bit more gear than they need, but there are also always a few that carry unnervingly little gear.

And they're OFF! It looks like as usual, the leaders are FLYING right out of the gate. Every year, there are a few of those front runners that blow themselves up on day one and a few that continue pushing an astonishing pace for the first few days (or more). Best of luck to everyone out there in that long line of dots!

Yeah, Matt, those rumors are true, at least regarding my participation. Unless plans change, I'll be there! I'm excited since I haven't done the CTR yet...just a fast-tour of the route a few years ago. Are you going to be there again, Matt?

As far as the sweet side of things goes, I've also been trying to minimize the amount of dried fruit I consume, too. The concentration of sugar in a lot of dried fruit (especially sweetened dried fruit, which is quite common) is incredibly high. But I'd sure rather have that than gummy bears...

I've been experimenting with different diets during ultras recently. For the past two editions of the Arizona Trail 300, I carried all my food from the start, tried to reduce the number of calories I took in from sugary, high-glycemic foods, and I tried to increase the diversity of my diet.

What did this look like? I planned for 320 calories per hour, so for an anticipated 48-hour ride, I carried 15,600 calories. Roughly 3,400 calories came from nuts, 1,800 from meat products, 1,200 from coconut products, 600 from potato chips, 1,700 from fruit/nut bars, 3,300 from cookies/candy, 1,300 from CarboRocket recovery drink, and 1,600 from sucrose/dextrose-based drink powder.

My stomach felt great the entire time both years, my energy levels seemed more consistent, I had food that sounded good all the time, and the inside of my mouth didn't get nearly as sore as when I ate more candy bars and sugary, sticky snacks.

Where are all the prog metal people?  Between the Buried and Me, Scale the Summit, Russian Circles, anyone?

Ha! I'm not sure about prog metal, but for the AZT300, I had a most excellent mix of Nitro/Noise, Wumpscut, The Retrosic, Red Cell, In Flames, Die Sektor, Aesthetic Perfection, Chrysalide, and Blutengel. I should have skipped the Blutengel, but the rest was so perfect.

I'd also recommend the Ikon 2.2 EXO. I've used them a TON and they are quite reliable and last quite long (even on the Arizona Trail, which says a lot about their durability). Conti sidewalls tend to be a bit problematic set up tubeless unless you go with the heavier tubeless-specific versions. Their rubber also wears much more quickly. But as usual, the best way to know what works for you is to try out the options.

I haven't been to Flag in the last couple weeks, but I was in Williams on Saturday, and everything on Bill Williams Mtn was dry and dusty. I think you'd be fine up on the AZT below Snowbowl, the high point on the Coconino Loop.

Have a great ride!

Hello all! Looking forward to getting back out on the Divide in 52 days!

You're heading back, Ryan? Awesome...you're going to crush! Good luck!

On another topic, with all the talk of awful weather/conditions in recent years in the northernmost section of the route, here's my suggestion: Show up in Banff armed with reliable rain gear, waterproof mitts and insulated gloves, an extra layer of warm clothes for your torso, and waterproof socks. Yes, it's extra weight, but man, it is so important to stay warm, especially in the remote Flathead section when it's snowing and raining. And then as you get into central Montana, ship your extra warm gear home if you don't want to carry it any farther south.

That's my two cents.

Awesome video, Aaron! Thanks for putting that together. It really makes me want to come out and explore in the Sierra. Perhaps in June!

I agree with all the rule changes...good calls in my opinion.

As for gates, I came across quite a few that had been left open ahead of me by hikers apparently. Every gate I encountered out near Chiva Tank was opened with no obvious bike tracks. So there were definitely a few other trail users out there leaving gates opened.

I remember from when I did the 750 encountering some gates across dirt roads north of the Peaks that were so tight I could barely open them with my exhausted arms. And I failed miserably getting them closed. And I *hate* the gates with barbed wire loops. That's just not cool if you're not wearing thick leather work gloves.

Yeah, I'm going to be disappointed if Oracle Ridge turns out to be easier than, say, 10-Mile Range.

The nice part about the Tenmile Range is that you can coast all the way down after hiking all the way up. The Oracle Ridge "descent" leaves a bit to be desired...

Rincon Market remains closed.

Food: Patagonia, Sonoita, off-route in Tucson (2 mi west on Tanque Verde), Summerhaven, Oracle.

Reliable water that I would personally count on: Patagonia, Sonoita, Kentucky Camp, La Sevila Picnic Area, Saguaro NP Visitor's Center, tank right below and east of Molino Saddle hike-a-bike, Summerhaven, Oracle, Gila River/Kelvin.

I wouldn't put faith in any other water sources/caches this year.