Bummer to hear about Chris. Didn't he have Achilles issues in one of his tour divide attempts?  Sounds like he may be of an age where gears are your friend. .

Looks like a small field this year.
Go Chris!

Alright I didn't manage any new pictures but this is basically my rig. 32x22 rigid singlespeed, dyno light, 2.35 Ikons, Relevate bags. It ought to be faster than the 26" Monocog I did it on last time??

Good luck Chris. I'll be keeping track of you. I'm pulling for you. What frame is that?

Sorry, but is this guy racing a true ITT or touring? He does distinctly say 'we' several times...

And indeed - he definitely needs to explain that scream, he hardly even misses a beat!

That scream was weird. Sounds like a monkey.

Wow! Chris! Good to see you on here!  How's the family?

I just got off the trail. We were mostly lucky with the rain. I bailed off sargents Mesa with bad lightening overhead. Picked the trail back up in silverton. Good luck and be safe out there.

Thank you! 

Can anyone tell me if this link is where one crosses Co 114 to pretty much start the Cochetopa hills bypass?  My wife is going to be there to give me a drop, but I want to make sure this is where we cross.  I vaguely remember it and looking at the CT Trailbook I think this is the place.  
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=CO-114+E&hl=en&sll=38.223394,-106.591952&sspn=0.00236,0.004823&geocode=FeM9RwIdt4ml-Q&oq=Junction+Creek+&t=h&mra=ls&z=18

I remember there being a big pull out (which would be perfect since my wife will be pulling the travel trailer).

Edit:  I realize this is the CTR thread.  But I've started threads in the Q&A and got no responses in the past.  This was my only other way to get a response.  Thanks.

I've got a pretty good idea as to where it is. I remember seeing it after crossing Jarosa, but I also remember seeing it when looking backwards. That would be inline with what others stated.

Thanks for the tip Joey.

And another question, and this is a very important one. Where can one find a good burrito in Frisco, Buena Vista, and Durango?

So is the yurt on seg 22 kosher for anyone to sleep in that is trail traveling during the summer?  Just read Scott and Ezters blog and they stayed there. I'm not necessarily planning on camping there, but if the timing worked out, that would be pretty cool.

Interesting. I thought I saw Jefe training on the El Mariachi.  That's cool though that he is using something different. In the end, he could ride most anything and still kill it.

Yeah, I like that rule!  It's called TOURING. 

I'm a fan of TOURING.    It hurts way less.

quick side note.  Pete, please give us a write up of your adventure.  i'm assuming it was the one in Italy that you mentioned on the Salsa blog. 

I love bikepacking.  It's got to be the only sport where us normal people are able to interact with the top dogs of the sport. 

They have worked amazingly well. Stiffer than the 5.10'freeriders in the arch and just as grippy. Not sure which rubber compound they are using but they are super sticky. They hike good too. I don't think they have as much sole padding as some approach shoes bit they have enough to be comfortable. Plenty of toe protection too with a roomy toe box. I'll be using these on my Colorado trail thru ride next month. 

I wore a 10 in both and both fit just fine. I found the Scarpa flexed a bit more than I liked in the arch. So I took them back and got the Addidas Terrex Stealth Solo. They have the 5.10 stealth rubber and were stiffer in the sole. They are not as good looking of a shoe but performance wise I'm really happy with them and they walk really well. I'm doing a big ride this weekend and that should tell me if it is a shoe to use or not.

I'm currently riding with cages on my Reba using hose clamps. They have stayed put on even the most technical of trails. It's a great solution for extra water.

As far as the seatpost pack. I put on a Thudbuster seatpost and had some small rubbing. I solved that problem by adding an extra webbing strap that I thread through my seat rails and wrap around the seat pack. I cinch it down real tight and it has stopped all rubbing.

Good luck!

I may be up there next summer Vik. It would be good to meet you. I look forward to your trip reports.

Shoe covers 

Plus one for approach shoes being the bomb on flats.  Approach shoes are way smaller and lighter; the difference would be significant if copious HAB. Current fave is Scarpa Crux, but I've run Sportiva Boulders and five ten approach shoes in the past. Any approach shoe by a company with climbing or mountaineering roots will have sticky rubber and is probably a good pair with flats.

pedalad, you won't be the only approach shoe wearer on the trail this year ; )

OK, so this comment had my interest peaked.  I did a fair amount of research on them and the more I read the more I liked them.  Then, today I got a gift card to REI from one of my students as an end of the year gift.  So I headed over to the local REI and tried on both the Addidas Terrax Solo Stealth and the Scarpa Crux.  The Scarpa just felt better from the get go for me even though the Addidas had the Stealth rubber sole.  I figured I'd give the Scarpa a shot and if they don't work I'd take them back.  Just riding them around the neighborhood I was very happy with how well they held and how sticky they felt on the pedals.  They will be put through the training ringer the next 3 weeks but man, I'm pretty excited.

I had put a 6 hour ride on my 5.10 Freeriders the other night and by the end the arch of my foot hurt.  They were just too flexy for such sustained hard effort riding.  I needed a stiffer sole, hence the Scarpa. 

I'm pretty happy to find out about these.

No harm, no foul.  There are two different beliefs for sure.  Those who are an open book, and those who hold the cards tight.  I'm not really asking any of this for me specifically, I was just hoping to open up a dialogue.  It seems the TD get's all the forum love year round.  My heart is the CT.

I made the mistake my very first attempt to skip getting water at the end of section one.  I had started one at 10 with 3.5 liters and had a good amount of water after one left in the bladder.  Problem was that it was around noon when I started two and HOT.  I ran out of water a solid 45 minutes or so before getting to the fire station.  Never made that mistake again (nor do I start my ride so late as to time the ride on Seg 2 at the hottest part of the day!).