Thank you Mr. Tripper.  The less death mud the better.  Looking at starting and parking in Superior, or the Picket Post trailhead.  Any recommendation for parking there?

Thank you!

I've got some time at the end of March to do some bikepacking.  I am trying to decide between riding the AZT from Flaggstaff to near Phoenix, or the Gila River Ramble as documented on this site.  I'm leaning towards the Gila River Ramble but wanted to hear from some people that have ridden down there. I'm not sure what the weather will be like in Flagstaff at the end of March.  I'm guessing a little cold, maybe with some snow on the ground. I live in Denver and don't make it riding down south too often.  Any insight would be great!

Thanks.

-Simon

First unicyclist finishes the CT:  http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20150914/NEWS01/150919812/Unicyclist-completes-first-ever-Colorado-Trail-run-

Riding the wilderness areas still isn't legal on a unicycle is it?

Trackleaders doesn't seem to be displaying the updated CTR track. The current track doesn't go right, it stays on 39.

In other words, the riders are doing fine.

That's good to hear.

It looks to me like a lot of riders are missing the right turn at Rock Creek Hills Rd (39)?  The last 5 have missed it, and the current leader.  Is that a legal route?

The Platte River Bar & Grill may be another good option. It is right off the bike path which is roughly a 6 mile ride to the Waterton Canyon trail head and it has a large outdoor patio.

http://www.theplatte.com/

Hey J-wow, just wanted to comment of this, I believe the Waterton Canyon TH is a little further than 6 miles.  I live fairly close and have biked to waterton from home several times in training for the CTR  in '12 and my tracks show it's about 13.5 miles if you take all bike path and trails through Chatfield Res.  No disrespect, just didn't want anyone to be surprised if they did ride from The Platte bar and Grill and the mileage was a little more than they were expecting.

Thanks for the update. Still haven't got a chance to do this one, but it's defiantly on the short list.

I ran into one guy this past Sunday the 18th while coming back from a Kenosha Pass ride.  He had started Saturday and had a spot, but I don't see him on the map.  He was thinking a 10 day tour so his should still be out there.

The Paradox Trail reroute project is still lost in the bureaucratic quagmire of the BLM Uncompaghre Field Office. After providing the required cultural and biological studies last year, the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) has decided to require addition studies on existing and inventoried routes that we have proposed using. At this time we are trying to find about $4,600 to fund these studies. SHPO may have some grants available which we are pursuing. The BLM also wants to make our singletrack proposal an ATV accessible track since the Paradox Trail is essentially a two track trail.
So to make a long story short. Officially, riders are advised to use the through Nucla route between Pinto Mesa and Tabeguache Creek. In reality, the original Paradox Trail  is still there and the signs are still in place. Riders need to decide for themselves which route is best for them.
For riders who find themselves in Nucla, I try to make myself available for trail information plus I appreciate hearing from all riders in our area. I have also begun to stock some bike parts, and tubes should they be needed. My email is :  pdkoski@gmail.com cell. 970 428-2276 

Thanks for the update Paul!  I'll probably hit you up for trail conditions later down the road.

-Simon

If PaulK doesn't chime in with an update, I can drop him an email and see how things are going.  Would be curious myself.

Cool, thanks Scott.

Hi, sorry to bump an old thread but I was wondering if anyone has heard if the Paradox re-route has been installed and ready to ride.  I'm planning on a Spring Paradox ride and trying to get my GPS track mapped out.  Thanks!

-Simon

Congrats to all who finished and even those that attempted it like myself. Still am feeling bad about having to pull out after the ten mile
section, I was feeling good that day and actually enjoyed it. I met Jason Murell during this part and we both did it in around three hours
to the top so I was thrilled after hearing about a possible 4 hr hike a bike. At the top I fell hard after losing my balance while crossing
the boulders and after going to the doc this week I found out I tore my rotator cuff so surgery is in the near future. Even with my mishap
I am looking forward to next year and with a wealth of knowledge gained this year even as short as it was.

Hey Greg, sorry to hear about your shoulder. Heal up quick. I was up early after that first night on Kenosha pass. A mouse bit me on the thumb at 3 am so I decided to get up and start peddling. Looking forward to seeing you out there next year from the comfort of my computer.

-Simon

That finish time looks good for me. Thanks Stefan!

-Simon

Stefan and all CTR interested parties,
My plan for the final push from Silverton to Durango [soon to be the CTR, with an R for retreat]: a Sun ride to almost Hotel Draw, a long day on Monday and then finish Tues AM. I purchased food and fuel in Silverton to support this plan. The day before, Saturday, had been the best day of the CTR so far: up to Spring Creek, along Coney/Cataract, down to Stony and Silverton. Saturday had also been totally rain-free. I had assumed Sunday's weather to be the same.
Ride off of Molas pass [with a late start] was very slow for the first few hours, waiting out thunderstorms to get up and over the 12,500' no name pass next to Rolling Mtn. After the close encounters with lightning on the first day, I had a heightened respect and didn't want to intentionally risk my life. All the waiting, I even advanced and retreated two times, after having the lightning start back up, ate up almost two hours. Once over the pass, it started to rain and rain and rain.
The trail had become a muddy river. I fell three times between 4 and 5 PM, descending the back side of the pass. I was very lucky to not get harpooned by a tree limb after falling on a downed tree. At this point I was feeling fine, but was reduced to walking. From 5-7 PM, most of my progress was just due to walking. I started to think that walking for the rest of the day, and probably 3-4 hours the next morning until the trail dried-out a bit, was going to eat up too much time. Walking at 2.7MPH was not going to work. I was one angry hiking biker at this point, because my situation was becoming very clear - it was over for me - my food supply was going to be 1500-2000 calories short.
I'd immediately cool off if I stopped. I kept putting on more clothes and doubled up on my hourly feeds. At the 17.3 mile point on Segment-25, I saw a logging road below me and decided to take that at a bailout.
I slid and tumbled thru the dead-fall down to the road. I was soon cussing at this road, which I soon named The 11-Mile Road to Nowhere [local knowledge would have saved me hours if I had known about the trail down Cascade Creek]. The next 3-1/2 hours was probably one of the hardest pushes I've ever done. So ironic to be digging so deep, after having officially left the course. Thankfully, I ran into a car coming the other way, which I flagged down [actually blocked his progress] for directions. Sans directions, I would probably have taken a wrong turn, adding even more miles. Every low point in the road had become a small river that needed to be forded on foot, almost knee-deep in places. Puddles were filled with floating mats of hail. I dragged the brakes on descents to keep pedaling [to avoid cooling off when not pedaling]. My headlamp output was ramping down, my glasses were fogging, I had no more clothes to put on. All I wanted to do was break out to 550 and pedal to Durango..
Long story short, I made it to the Purgatory Ski Area at 10:30PM, where I found an open food court bathroom. The bathroom was to be my home until the next morning. It was actually a very clean, dry and warm bathroom. Sand/mud, from my tire spray, was all over my clothing and bike. I cried tears of joy while using the motion detecting hand drier. I spent about two hours that night cleaning up and drying to dry out. I ate up almost all of my remaining food before going to sleep.
I woke up early [after probably the only night I got more than four hours of sleep and wasn't bothered by an animal] and spent another two hours cleaning the bike, restoring the bathroom to it pristine state [the way I had found it] and packing up. My bike and I rolled out of the bathroom at 7:45AM and I waited for the coffee shop, literally15 feet away from my bathroom motel, to open for food and drink. Did the soft pedal down 550 to meet my wife at Carver's for breakfast. Instead I was surprised to be greeted by my daughter, who had flown to Albuquerque and driven up in one of our cars, with balloons and a a Yogi the Barry poster.
Breakfast at Carver's was a welcome feast. I was soon talking to a Jill who worked there. I soon realized that it was Jill the Super Freak [said with utmost respect], who had abandoned the race on the first day, due to a sick drivetrain. I gave Jill a big tip, because she had given me a free CTR beer [BTW, beer is awesome with a waffle, eggs and sausage] and she needed a total drivetrain overhaul.
I could write pages and pages more, but I'll just close with... For me it was about attempting the CTR as a continuous push. If I was retired and/or had a few more days, I could have stopped for a full day to wait out the weather and/or retreated back to Silverton. But I didn't and that's OK. It's only a looong mountain bike ride on a fabulous trail and I just didn't get to complete the final few miles. The sun will continue to rise and life will go on, even thought this was my only CTR attempt.
Mucho thanks to everyone involved. And everyone, even those that bailed the first day, are winners for trying. It's not about getting to the final destination, it's really about the journey in trying to get there...
Barry Ritchey [a.k.a. Yogi the Barry, first place Balding, Left-handed, 55-Year-Old With Unshaved Legs]

Hey Barry, you must have been  just behind me.  I left Silverton Sunday morning also and rode though the rain storm all afternoon and into the night. I'm surprised you didn't hear me yelling and cursing at the rain as it got darker.   I got to Hotel Draw at about 8 pm and didn't have much water so I kept going until I found a place to filter water which was about half way through section 27.  The trail was pretty sloppy and slick, and it was cold out.  Too bad you didn't keep going, I camped right off the side of the trail and had a couple extra ramon noddle packs and cliff bars I would have shared if you needed them, but how were you to know.

Also, did anyone find any sunglasses somewhere about halfway through the long detour from section 18 to section 22?  The were pretty cheap sunglasses, but I bought them the day before the race so I didn't get too much use out of them.

Thanks everyone for making this race happen every year. Everyone I met and talked to on the trail was super nice and good people.  I got to talk to all the leaders as they passed me about halfway between Leadvillie and Buena Vista, asking who was in front and when did they pass.  Jesse passed me around 9 am thinking that Ethan was in front, then Ethan passing me about 4 hours later with Jefe right behind him.  Jefe was the only one that actually stopped and talked, and still got a new course record!  It is one hell of a challenge and forces you to know yourself.  I really didn't comprehend how long and hard the trail would be after Buena Vista.  Happy that I was able to finish, albeit slower than I hoped, it was defiantly worth it.

Also wanted to give a shout out to Greg, Eric on the green single speed, and Robert, who I lost just after leaving Apples tent.  I'm not sure if he missed the turn off for the trail off hwy 114.  He had no GPS and I almost missed the turn even with my GPS.  I hope you guys are doing alright.

Thanks everyone and Peddle on..........

-Simon

My good friend and I are starting our CTR ITT on Saturday, July 28 at 6:00 a.m. We land at Denver International Airport (DIA) around 9:00 p.m. We're working on finding a way from the airport to the Waterton Canyon TH that evening (possibly camping in the parking lot or Chatfield State Park). The only transportation option that we can think of is to take public transit as far as we can and then bike the remaining distance. We figured taking a cab would cost us way too much since it's a 50 mile drive from DIA. Any suggestions?

I'll be leaving the same time.  Maybe I'll see you out there.

Anyone doing the CTR, or an ITT of the CT using a hammock for sleeping or are there some really long stretches where I won't have trees to hang on? Im debating on what sleeping system to use and I am not a good sleeper so need to be comfortable to make my ride a success. Anyone heard of somebody using a hammock to bike the whole thing?

Initially I was going to bring my hammock on the CTR, but after some test runs with it I found it to be a pain in the butt.  It requires more time to set up and take down, and its also harder to get in and out of especially with a sleeping bag.  And if you need to set up the rain fly, that takes even more time.  Also mine weighs about 2 lbs and took up too much room.  It is an Eno doublenest.  I am however going to use the eno rain fly for my tarp tent.

Thanks guys!!  I got the tracking option.

Hello, another question about the SPOT tracker.  I am registering my spot on their website, and one of the options is for Track Progress.  Is that required also, or just a basic spot subscription.  Thanks!

[However, if you intend to challenge the course record, some form of verification is extremely important to legitimatize your effort! This can be in several forms (GPS track, photographs, other racers) but a SPOT is the preferred method.]

Yes, you do need a subscription with Spot and a share page set up.  The $30 is for trackleaders to add your info to the leaderboard.

BTW everyone, Spots and being part of the leaderboard are not requirements for the CTR!  They are encouraged, and it is a good way for friends and family (and possibly stalkers!) to keep track of you, but you are free to do it with no Spot if you like.  There will be a call-in # provided by MTB-Cast that can be used optionally as well.

However, if you intend to challenge the course record, some form of verification is extremely important to legitimatize your effort!  This can be in several forms (GPS track, photographs, other racers) but a SPOT is the preferred method.

Thanks!!

Thanks Stefan.

Noob question here.  If I have my own spot tracker do I still need to get a subscription with spot + the $30, or do I just need to pay the $30?  Thanks!!