The Pain

The Colorado Trail Race is almost three weeks past and since then the world has continued to spin. Nothing has changed for anyone else. But for me and maybe a few others this race is drilled in my head. I can't stop writing about it, I can't stop thinking about it, and can't even stop dreaming about it. In my dreams I keep worrying about someone catching me and passing me. I dream about stubbing my toe on every damn rock in Sargents Mesa. I dream about finishing and how anti-climatic it was, but how the feeling was totally awesome. Anyways I should probably stop talking about it, so this is my last hurrah until next year. 

The pain that I endured during the 5 days on my bike has really set me back, as far as getting back on my bike. I have had ridiculous pain in my knees.  From what I'm told my my meniscus is not getting enough blood flow. This happens when muscles around your knee don't have anywhere to go -- which in turn squeezes the veins and cuts blood flow to the meniscus. I'm not quite sure I believe it or not. Ice, arnica, and rest has only recently helped me stop walking like I'm 75. 

My achilles tendon, which creaks like an old rocking chair, has continued to do so, on and off for a good part of a year now. It's fine when I don't hike my bike, but I tend to put myself in dumb situations like climbing Block and Tackle Trail, up Brush Creek Road near Crested Butte, or entering the CTR for that matter. Still rest, stretching, and yoga have yet to cure my ailing achilles.

My hands, ohhhh boy. After the Arizona Trail Race I experienced numbness caused by entrapment of the Ulnar nerve. What I understand is that this is very common for many racers participating in long multi-day races. Slowly the numbness went away with a few hand exercises I was told to do -- but be warned it's no fast fix. For the Colorado Trail Race, I experienced the same thing, but this time, it feels like I'm recovering from a broken wrist. The motion in my right wrist is far worse than the left. The strength in my fingers is very weak, especially my middle three fingers. To top it off, my pointer finger is bent, mimicking the position of gripping my break (this is kinda funny looking). 

My toes were absolutely crushed, especially in the Sargents Mesa section. My bike shoes have too big of a toe box creating lots of movement. They also have very little stiffness and protection near the toe. Those two elements have killed both my right and left big toe nails. Also, the CTR created a wicked blister on my left big toe that had finally stopped pussing a week ago. Oh and the big toes are also numb.

Last but not least, I can't remember eating so much food in a two week period ever in my life. The cravings I am having for junk food are way over the top. Gummy Bears, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Butterfingers........Yum. Then you add Ice cream into the mix, Third Bowl has seen me far too often, Ice cream cookie sandwiches taste far to good for the price I get them for, and I can't even stop eating home made shakes, which in turn keep me up all night because I'm so damn full. The cravings have slowly stopped. Luckily, because it was starting to really put a dent in my already small bank account. 

All of this hardship you think would have me never considering a bikepacking race again. I told myself, "no way in hell am I ever doing this again" when I was on the trail. I'm not sure if it's just me or what, but I seem to just block out and forget the bad times. Fortunately or unfortunately, the reward of such a race is so great, there is no stopping my inner drive from doing the Arizona or Colorado Trail Races next year. At some point throughout the winter, I'm sure I will heal up and be ready to go at it again, thats the beauty of time. You would think being a bit younger, your body would heal up faster? But thinking about it, the strongest riders are in the 30's or 40's and maybe their bodies have already gone through such agony that 'The Pain' is second nature. At any rate, I can't wait feel normal on my bike again!

Gear differences...Colorado Trail Race vs. Arizona Trail Race

Now that I have completed the Colorado Trail Race (CTR) I want to go over my gear difference between the Arizona Trail Race (ATR) and the CTR. There are some obvious differences, I mean one race is in Arizona and the other in Coloado. But there are also many similarities and they are both ridiculously hard adventure races. I'm so very happy to be done with my adventure races for the year, but at the same time I super excited to start planning for next years Arizona and Colorado Trail races.

Arizona Trail Race rig

Colorado Trail Race rig

The gear you bring is so important, especially when dealing with scorching hot days, and freezing cold rainy nights. Lets start with my sleep system. For both races I carried a Revelate Design Sweet Roll. It packs down very small and is waterproof. This prompted me to carry my important dry items in the

My Sweet Roll is stuffed.

front, which included most of my sleep system. I use an older Big Agnes Zerkel 25 degree sleeping bag, the Big Agnes Clearview Pad (which I stored in my saddle bag as it didn't need to stay dry), and a Marmot Alpinist bivy sac. The bag is a bit old and not quite at the 25 degree rating it once was, but it has worked well for both races. I was cold my first night in the Cataract section of the CTR, luckily for me it was the only night I was cold. The pad and bivy sac are extremely light. The bivy sac worked wonders in Colorado when is started to rain on me at night. It also dried very fast, which was important as my rig was already heavy enough. For next year, I think I'm going to get a new sleeping bag, I have to do my research but I'll probably stick with a 25 or 30 degree bag, just something lighter. I also may just go without a sleeping pad. I used my pad every night in the AZT and CTR but one night. I really like not dealing with deflating and packing it that one night. I have a few things to mull over for next year, but in general it was a flawless setup.

The Nuke's Little boy with custom lime green accents.

As far as saddle bags go, I used a Revelate Design Viscacha for the ATR, and a Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks Little Boy for the CTR. I was having issues with the Viscacha hitting my rear tire when I stuffed it full. For the AZT I put little in the saddle bag just a few clothes and my sleeping pad. It worked very well and it cinched down very small. I decided that I would purchase something a bit Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks, near the end of the ATR. We chatted about bikepacks and his side business. I bought a Little Boy Saddle Bag from him in June. It worked great for the CTR, but I didn't really have enough to fill the bag. I cinched it down as far as it could go, however there was still a bit of play. This bag would work wonders if you intend to pack more things but I did not. For next year I think I'm going to ditch the saddle bag all together for a full frame bag. Both bags, however, were very strong and tough, repelled water and held up as they were intended to. smaller for the CTR. I rode with Dave Wilson, owner and seamstress of

The main compartment that can fit a lot of food.

I purchased a partial frame bag from Revelate Design (the Tangle Frame Bag) before the ATR, and also used it for the CTR. I absolutely love this thing. For the ATR I packed food and a full 3 liter bladder in it. Because of the heat in Arizona, it's a good idea to carry extra water. This bag has won me over because of the side pouch which is just so convenient. In both races it carried my maps and cues sheet. My replacement sunglass lenses and my phone. For the CTR I packed a whole lot of food in the main section of the bag. Seriously, I packed way too much food. Near the end of the CTR I assessed my food, I still had 5 Tuna packets, a big bag of precooked bacon, huge bag of trail mix and other little snacks. I honestly never needed to really buy food as I packed the frame bag to capacity. You live and learn I guess. The seams and zippers held up great and I had no issues with water penetration when it rained. Like I said above, I might go with a full frame bag next year. It's more convenient and it should keep the weight more centered on my bike.

The Jerry Can and Gas Tank.

I carried two top tube bags from Revelate Design, the Jerry Can (rear) and Gas Tank (front). I love both of these small bags, as the access is so easy. For both races I carried all my spare batteries, my Ipod Shuffle and headphones, sunscreen, chap-stick, and chamois butter. As for the Gas Tank, I filled that thing with snacks, it can fit soooooooo much... 4 Cliff bars, 4 protein bars, 10 fruit leathers, Emergen-C packets, and more. When the bag got low, I transferred a few snacks from my frame bag to the Gas Tank. They are also great bags for long day rides if you don't want to carry a backpack. I can fit my rain Jacket in the Jerry Can, and I can adjust the Gas Tanks velcro to cinch it smaller. Overall, these are two great products.  I will no doubt be using these two bags again for next year.




On to the debate of the backpack. A lot of people like backpacks for races like these. It's a convenient way to store water, and things you may need throughout the day, arm warmers/coolers, knee warmers, etc. Backpacks are also a convenient place to put a bunch of extra, unneeded crap making it feel like your carrying bricks on your back. I used an Osprey Raptor for the ATR, and I stuffed it to the max. On top of a 3 liter bladder, I put all of my extra things in the large compartment. By the end of the race, my back started to cramp, creating issues for a long time after the race as well. I decided to change it up for the CTR. I bought a Camelbak Octane. It a lumbar backpack that holds two liters of water horizontally around your waist. My thinking behind this was to keep the weight lower on my back. I also knew I would not need to carry as much water as it is plentiful on the Colorado Trail. It's also much smaller and holds very little, alleviating the issue of carrying unnecessary items. I ended up storing my bike repair kit and a few other things. This was a much better option for my back. I will most likely be using this for the ATR next year for water storage. As far as next year's CTR, I'm going to attempt to do it without a backpack.

The lumbar 2 liter bladder. 

 Lights are another very important piece of gear on races like these, if you ride at night you will need lights. I bought two Fenix LD 20 Lights over the winter. I liked them a lot, they are bright enough at 100 lumens on high (which I rarely used), super light weight, and battery operated. However, during both the ATR and CTR, I had one of my lights fail on me. The light wouldn't turn on. I replaced the batteries, took the thing apart, and even threw it. It brought upon negativity which is what needs to be avoided at all costs on a race like this. I even questioned finishing both races. Luckily I had my Black Diamond Spot headlamp as backup. I'm super happy I packed it for both races, if not I would have really struggled in the dark. I have already ordered and received my AyUp Adventure V4 Lighting System. It is a 2 light rechargeable lighting systems that comes with mounts and batteries packs. I know it will work for the AZT next year as long as I carry the necessary amount of batteries. But for the CTR I'll need to figure out something else, in order for the lights to last long enough, I would need to carry a lot of batteries.


I road a Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Carbon HT for both races. I love this bike and it's currently the only thing I have. I have wondered what it would be like if I had a full suspension for both races. I feel like the amount of beating I took was tough on my arms, back, and butt. I did however love it on any of the road sections, I felt like it was a small advantage. With the technology of these new full suspension bikes, I am leaning towards a full suspension for both races. I've been looking at the new Specialized Epics, and the Salsa Spearfish. I'm going to steer clear of carbon, so I'm leaning towards the Spearfish -- especially with it's new split pivot technology. The drivetrain was a 2X10 with 24/38 tooth chain rings. I had not issues other then a chain link breaking in the Taryall section of the CTR. For the AZT I used my stock Roval rims, they worked but I was excited to get a new set. I had Southern Wheelworks build me up a much lighter wheel. Hope Pro Evo 2 Hubs, with DT Swiss Competition spokes and Stans Crest Rims. They held up great and really reduced the weight of my bike. On those wheels I rode only the best, Maxxis Icon EXO 2.2 tires.

To be honest, not much was different in terms of gear for the two races. I carried much more water on the AZT and much more food on the CTR. Both were fit into my frame bag so the weight distribution felt the same. I am really going to try and cut some weight down for next year. Clothes I never used, food I never used, and a lighter sleeps system should all contribute to a lighter rig. I also just received and installed my new XX1 drivetrain that I will most likely be using from here on out. I'll have to play around with front chainring sizes but I'm really looking forward to testing it out in the next few days.

Brand spanking XX1 Drivetrain. 

The Colorado Trail Race, 2013 Race Report

Please click here for my 2013 CTR race report http://wp.me/p3Ozct-3c




The Colorado Trail Race (CTR) had it's 7th annual start this year on July 21st at 4am. There were only two elements that could make this year's race more difficult than years past: a direction change or an alternative wilderness area detour. It so happens that this years CTR incorporated both. As a rookie to the CTR, but having rode the trail last year, I was not certain that the direction change was what made it the trail so taxing, but I knew that the additional 50 mile Taryall detour added a new element of challenge for many.

In any case, my first CTR would include riding 550 miles from Durango to Denver with little idea of how much time it would take. I set a goal of under 6 days, just to make sure I could get back to Crested Butte with a day to spare before work. All of my plans and preparations had been solidified roughly a week before the race, and all I needed was a ride down to Durango. It came down to the wire but Nate Stewart from Gunnison, a fellow CTR racer, volunteered to drive his car down to Durango.

Nate and my bikes in the back of his truck, if only they knew what they were getting into. 

We arrived in Durango on Saturday afternoon, got some food, a hotel room, and made final adjustments to our rigs. It was nice to chat with another rider the night before as it really helped me figure out some final details. I slept well that night, had dreams of beautiful mountain vistas, sunsets, and laughs. I woke up, put on the bike clothes that I would wear for the next 5 days, and headed over to Carvers for a delicious quiche and some coffee. 74 riders all assembled in front of Velorution Cycles and set off at 4:00am after Stefan, the race organizer, said a few words. Eventually we would hit the Junction Creek Trailhead where we were all bottlenecked for a while. I had a good position until I needed to stop to adjust my bike computer sensor. I dropped far back and it was a struggle to get back up front. The sun rose and slowly everyone spread out.

I had no real plan but to keep pushing. I got to Kennebeck Pass and eventually Indian Ridge where I had my first taste of the Colorado Trail hike a bike (HAB) with Jefe Branham and Max Morris.  Jefe eventually took off and I would never see him again. He went chasing after Jesse Jakomait who took off hot from the start. Blackhawk, Bolam, and Molas all passed with my lungs taking a beating. I forgot how high this trail can be. Even after training in Crested Butte, I still felt the altitude. I would eventually make it into Silverton around 6pm where I saw Matt Schiff and Jerry Oliver eating some food. I was certain I could make it to Silverton before the grocery store closed at 8, however I still packed a lot of food in case. I didn't purchase much at all in Silverton, just a few things to eat at the time.

I made my way up Stony Pass trying to bike as much as possible. The sun set beneath the mountains
just as I got to the top. I was getting my lights ready for segment 23 when I noticed my head light, a Fenix LD20, wasn't working. The same thing happened to me on the Arizona Trail Race 300 this year. It just shorted out for some reason. I replaced the batteries, banged it against my hand, event took it entirely apart, but had no luck. Fortunately I was prepared for this and had my Black Diamond Spot headlamp as backup. It emits 90 lumens for a good while on 3 AAA batteries. I rigged it to my helmet and pushed on. I didn't push too far in the dark, maybe 8 miles, before the sleep monster took over. My plan was to sleep a lot the first two nights just to feel rejuvenated. I slept 5 hours that first night. I woke in the dark and started to pack my sleep system. While packing Max and Eric Cutlip passed me. I eventually caught up to them and chatted with them a while. I rode the beautiful Cataract section pedaling harder then I would have ever imagined. It is truly a sight bringing your bike up to 13,000 feet. The views were unbelievable. I finally got to Spring Creek Pass and started the long, hot detour around La Garita Wilderness.

Stony Pass sunset. 

I continued to leap frog with Max as we got scorched by the afternoon sun. We made it to Apples Camp and it was really a treat. I had heard about the legendary camp but had yet to experience it. It was just what I needed, a Coke, chips and shade. I didn't stay long. I wanted to get past HWY 114 and get in towards Sargents Mesa before I would bivy up for a few hours. Both Max and I were counting on water from Razor Creek, but after further inspection we decide against filling our bottles with cow poop infested water. I was nearly out of water and knew I was going to need to detour to Baldy Lake. I road with Max until the sleep monster struck again. I contemplated continuing to Baldy Lake but decided to bivy up with Max. We slept 4 hours that night and it felt amazing.

The alarm sounded and before I knew it Max took off as I took my time getting my things packed up. I eventually got to Baldy Lake around 3:00am, filled up on water, and continued on to the infamous Sargents Mesa in the dark. Man, was I happy to do that section in the dark. Although I don't believe it's nearly as difficult going South to North, it is still so damn rocky. I stubbed my toe so many times that I would eventually bust up my left big toe pretty bad. The sun rose just as Sargents Mesa was behind me. Long descents, like the one to Tank Seven Creek, were starting to take a toll on my body. My feet were beginning to jam in my shoes and my arms became exhausted. After the long and steep hike-a-bike out of Tank Seven Creek, I finally arrived at Marshall Pass which was a welcoming sight as the area is so close to home.

I started to feel real good heading up the Crest Trail. I filled up on water and was ready for the heat of the day. All of a sudden, Travis Wildeboer came cruising by out of nowhere. He passed me so fast there was no time to chat, he was definitely on some sort of a mission. He continued on his fast pace and I followed, we would quickly pass Max making it the last time I would see him for the remainder of the race. I passed Travis on the way down Fooses, near the top, and had a blast on the 3,000 foot descent. It beat me up, but it was still a lot of fun. I stopped to eat some food just off Hwy 50 as Travis rolled up a few minutes later.

We got to chatting and Travis was trying to make it to the Buena Vista post office for a package pick up.  It was already about noon and I told him I didn't think it was very likely to make it before 5pm. He crunched some numbers, as he often would for the duration of the race. He knew it would be nearly impossible and slowed his roll. We chatted all the way from the Shavano Trailhead to Cottonwood Pass. Having someone to talk to made time pass, and I was really enjoying myself on the trail. It also did not hurt that this section of the trail is actually pretty fun and not that rocky. We stopped at the Princeton Hot Springs market quick for a snack and beverage before continuing on. It was a very warm day as most summer days are in the Banana Belt. While riding up the steep road we crossed paths with three southbound riders. It was nice to chat with those guys and get their perspective on the guys ahead. Having the opportunity to chat with other racers is something I will never take for granted.

We finally made it to Cottonwood Road as the sun was setting. Travis and I had planned to make our stay brief as we wanted to get as close to Twin Lakes as possible. We ordered some burgers and sandwiches from Jan's, and went to City Market while the food was cooking. I loaded up on batteries for the rest of the trip and got a few extra Cliff bars and a Powerade. I went back to Jan's, devoured my burger, which I loaded with mayonnaise, and stuffed my fried chicken sandwich for the next morning in my frame bag. After our 40 minute stop in Buena Vista we were on the road again, in the dark, in complete CTR bliss. The detour was fast, I really wanted to push the pace. I felt fantastic, Travis too, sometime during the detour Travis was wondering if we could catch Matt or Jerry. I said no way as I thought they would be pretty far ahead. I think that was great motivation however. We obviously did not want to get caught by Max but we felt we were going at a fast enough pace to catch those guys. We made it to the Clear Creek Reservoir as both of us became delirious. My goal was to push to the top of the initial climb and Travis followed. Not sure if he was seeing things or not but this was the only time I ever felt weird.  I knew I would at some point, but it never got all that bad. We made it to the top and decided to bivy up in a clearing two miles into segment 11.

Details are hard to remember, but I think I woke up around 3:30am packed up my stuff quickly and got on my way. Night riding is difficult, but it's a must in the CTR. The sleep really helped as I had a blast all the way to Twin Lakes. Before I knew it, the sun was starting to rise, and my spirits were high as a kite. One thing I never did on the Arizona Trail Race this April was listen to music. I decided to put in the ear buds for the climb up to Half Moon Road, and man I felt awesome. A little Bob Marley screaming in my ears was just what the doctor ordered. I quickly made it to Half Moon Road. I told Travis I was going to bypass Leadville as I felt I had plenty of food until Copper. He had plans of the same, not before we took a quick stop at the gas station off HWY 24.

At this point my knees started to hurt pretty bad. I became a bit worried but was still focused on the ultimate goal, so I told my knees to "shut up." I climbed up to Wurts Ditch and eventually Tennessee Pass. I was in a funk and expected Travis to gain some time on me, once we reached the downhill and crossed HWY 24 again, I was resurrected. It's funny how emotional a race like this can be. I still can't believe what our bodies are capable of enduring. This was a key moment for me because I really wanted to stick with Travis, and my goal the rest of the way was to keep pace with him. Travis is used to these demands. He is an ultra marathon athlete and his body is trained for grueling races like this. We cruised past Camp Hale and started the long climb to Kokomo Pass. A perfect time for a storm, right? It would eventually dump buckets on us. Not only that but hail the size of nickels fell for a good half hour. The storm made the trail a flowing creek which made it slow moving. Lucky for us, just as we reached tree line the storm had pushed West. Behind the storm brought blue skys, which made the double pass of Kokomo and Searle possible without stopping. Travis took off and I again thought I would never catch him. I started my decent into Copper and to my surprise, ran back into Travis.

Travis near the top of Gold Hill. We were truly blessed with the weather this afternoon.

We biked through Copper Mountain Ski Area and made our way off route a bit to the gas station off HWY 91.  I walked into the Conoco completely overwhelmed, it was not normal. I gathered my self and tried to remember what I needed... Ibuprofen!!!! My knees were really hurting and unfortunately I resorted to Vitamin I, as I like and stay away from pain meds.  I got a few snacks, a coconut water, ordered two sandwiches to-go, and a meatball sub to scarf down quick. My stop was quick, but not as quick as Travis who was always ready to get back on the trail. This was a good thing as it made me hustle whenever I stopped. I made my way back to the trail stuffed but mentally prepared for the HAB up Gold Hill, I nearly hiked the whole way to the top. Luckily the weather had turned to clear skies, and it would last the whole duration of the steep climb. We made it above tree line as I stopped and soaked up the views. Every so often you need to stop and soak in the beauty, and remember how beautiful the Colorado Trail actually is. We made it to the top and started the long descent which turned my arms into Jello. The sun slowly faded just as we reached the the trailhead. Travis and I stopped to eat some food, layer up, and turn the lights back on. The last major climb was in our reach, Georgia Pass. At first the riding was fun, but my body soon shut down and needed to sleep. Travis felt the same way so we bivied up about 8 miles into segment 6. I shut my eyes, knowing this may be my last rest until the finish.

Selfie near the top of Gold Hill

a typical section of the Coloraod Trail, Gold Hill.

I woke up to the crushing sound of thunder as rain drops started to soak through the trees and onto my bivy. It was around 3am and I rushed to get all of my things packed before the rain saturated all of my stuff. Everything hurts, my ass, my knees, my upper body, my mind. It is always so difficult to get back on the saddle after a few hours of rest, especially this far into the race. I got moving a few minutes after Travis and started the long stretch up Georgia Pass. It was raining pretty consistently, making every root as slick as ice. It didn't help that the Georgia Pass climb is a trail of roots. I reached for my sunglasses as rain started to get in my eyes. I usually kept them on my helmet, but when I reached for them, they were not there. I had been in such a rush to pack up my things that morning that I forgot my sunglasses on the ground. I was not happy. We finally made it to the top of the pass as another huge storm came whipping in from the West. I hurried to shelter myself near tree line as the rain really started to fall. Here I would layer up to prepare for the cold wet ride down Georgia Pass. I was freezing, my body hurt with every bounce from a root or a rock. After the pain of the century ended, we finally reached Kenosha Pass, filled up on water and were ready to embark on the unknown Teryall detour.

First we had 6 miles of unknown singletrack that I completely forgot about until it was in front of me. It went by fast and it was relatively fun. We then reached the famous Taryall detour. I now look at it in three parts. Part 1 being lots of ups and downs, a few turns here and there but very bland and uneventful. Part 2 started when Pat greeted me as we turned in to the Stage Stop "you Neil" he said. "Yeah" I responded. Pat was the owner of the bar and convenience store. He was completely into the race following us all on Trackleaders. He mentioned that there was some one right behind us. We went to his computer to find out it was Wayne Keith, who started his individual time trial on the 19th. I was happy to find out no one else was near us. I ordered a chicken sandwich and got a few items for the road. We thanked Pat and quickly got on our way as Wayne rolled in. He was excited as ever and pumped to finish the race, as was I.

Travis on Wellington Road

Part 2 continued until we were greeted by the construction crew. Just my luck, we missed the 10:30am opening and had to wait until 12:00pm. Travis and I were upset at the time because we thought it would hinder our sub 5 day finish. We took the time to sleep in the shade under a truck. Part 2 continued through the construction zone and through the town of Taryall. All in all it was not too bad. Part 3 however was the kicker. It started off fun, a nice climb, a nice descent, another nice climb, another nice descent. It was crazy to see how vast the Hayman burn area actually was. Soon the receptiveness of the climbs and descents became draining and before I knew it a storm with a consistent 35 MPH wind started entering our direct path. Before I knew it I was being pelted in the face and eyes by hail and rain. I really could have used my sunglasses right now. The storm didn't slow us down however,  as we knew the sub 5 day goal was in our grasps. It continued to rain all the way up Stony pass (the not so stony one), and all the way down to Wellington Road where segment 3 began. Taryall...Yes, it was longer then I could have imagined, yes, it was miserable for Part 3, yes, I voted against the detour, but looking back on it I can't say it was the worst part of the CTR. I even remember Travis saying on one of the downhills how awesome it was.

Me on Wellington Road. 

We started segment 3 as the rain finally came to a stop and the sun quickly set. We reached little Scaggy Trailhead. We were making good time and both Travis and I knew we had one more major climb left. We both made phone calls to our pickups stating we would be arriving at Waterton Canyon between 12:30 and 1:30am. We started segment 2 in hopes that it would be super buff singletrack, but with the rain the trail was slow moving. Travis and I talked the whole way down to the Platte River praising each others performances and talking about future plans. When we made it to the river, we sat and relaxed, for the first time there was no urgency. We chilled for about 10 minutes eating a lot of the extra food I was carrying and chatted with a friendly and curious police officer. At that moment I know I had done it, I could have walked the rest of the way and been happy with my performance.

We hopped back on our bikes and continued to talk. The climb was wet and cold but we quickly warmed up as our heart rate rose from the switchbacks. It seemed to last forever, but for some reason my body felt the best it did the whole race. It's funny the way that works. I'm sure if it was not the final stretch I would have felt like crap. We made it to Lenny's Rest and with one more final climb we knew we were home free.  In the final stretch we decided to cross the finish together, it felt right. We arrived to the parking lot where each of our significant others greeted us. We had finished the CTR at 1:30am on Friday morning. Our final time was 4 days, 21 hours, and 30 minutes. Just like that, I stopped riding my bike and I was ready for a shower and a bed.

Time for some pizza, a shower, and sleep!

I started Mountain biking about three years now, and I would never have imagined getting this into it, and doing something this ridiculous on a bike. But this is reality, and I love every bit of it. While I was on the trail, I told myself I would never do this damn thing again. It is amazing how fast you forget all of the pain and suffering. My hand is currently not working, my knees are still killing me, and my back is as sore as ever. Bikepacking is my favorite way of traveling and I can't wait for my next adventure.

I really need to thank everyone who supported me in this endeavor. My girlfriend Lindsay for picking me up at the trail head, and dealing with me working 70 hours a week this summer. Stew Gross for telling me I had what it took to race bikes, and of course for introducing me to Trackleaders. I was so into following those little blue dots, I told my self one day, Ill be a small blue dot myself! Rhett Griggs and Dave Ochs for giving me the opportunity to race on one of the best teams in Colorado. Its also pretty cool feeling being on the same team as Jefe, who has been a main inspiration for my bikepacking. Dave Wilson, thanks for the sweet Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks saddle bag, and your advice on sleeping a lot early really paid off. I'm so stoked to be on Team Go (Griggs Orthopedics), Its a dream come true. Big thanks to The Alpineer my go to Crested Butte bike shop, SRAM (cant wait to be like Jefe with my new XX1, haha), Acli-mate best sports drink out there, Crested Butte Mountain Resort for employing me and for having some bomb singletrack, Rock and Roll Sports, The Go To Guide, Pike Builders, Elk Mountain Lodge, Rudy Project, High Mountain Concepts, Chucks Glass, and Squirt.

The Kokopelli's Trail Trip Report

Last week my friend Mike asked if I wanted to partake in bikepacking the Kokopelli's Trail with him. The trail is approximately 142 Miles from Loma, Colorado to Moab, UT. It takes you through large canyons, over desert plains, along the Colorado River, up to the La Sal Mountain range, and down to Moab. I immediately accepted the invitation and declared it my final hurrah before the ski season ramps up. A few days passed with diligent route and logistic planning, eventually we got everything dialed in. Mike and I would be bikingpacking the Kokopelli's Trail Monday, October 29th with hopes of finishing on Halloween so we could get back home and maybe have some fun.

Highway 50

I work as the Security Supervisor at Crested Butte Mountain Resort and had to work Sunday night until 12:00am. Instead of driving straight after work and sleeping in my car, I decided to sleep at my house for a few hours. I woke up at 3:20am, packed my things and was on the road by 3:40am.  Next stop was Gunnison to meet up with Mike and drive our two cars together. We left Gunnison and made our way to Montrose as the moon light illuminated the road. Eventually we would reach Grand Junction and stop at a City Market around 6:30am for camp food, snacks, and two 3-gallon water jugs. Back on the road to Moab by way of Highway 128.

Up Onion Creek Road

Water is the main issue on the Kokopelli's Trail, depending on the time of the year, some say it is impassible without water drops. After much deliberation and research our hope to do the trail self-supported without a water drop would not happen. It was tough to plan for water as people usually don't ride the trail this late in the season. Our thought was there might be some water due to the the recent snow fall, but with lack of knowledge of the area we really had no clue. We decided to drop our two large jugs where Onion Creek Road and the Kokopelli's Trail meet in Fisher Valley as this was a very easy access point for us off Hwy 128. This however would be our only drop of any sort. As we were getting ready to hop in my car with the jugs of water to drive up to Fisher Valley, we noticed Mike's car was smoking pretty badly. We are no car mechanics but we both knew smoke was not good! When in doubt, add some oil. Both of us had about a quart between our two emergency bottles in our cars. We added the oil and got in my car to drive the 8 or so miles up the road. We got to the junction, dropped the water and drove back down to Hwy 128. Mikes car seemed to be working just fine once we got back, of course, just in time for my check engine light to turn on. Car issues was not the way I had hoped this trip would start. However, my car seemed to be running fine but once we got to Moab I would get it checked out.  I made my way to ASAP Automotive to get a computer test done on my car. Luckily, no issues, just a glitch in the computer system, fewef!

Getting our things together

We dropped off Mike's car and started to head north to I-70 and eventually the Kokopelli's Trailhead in Loma. It had already been a heck of a day and we had yet to get in the saddle. Once we arrived at the Kokopelli's Trailhead, we went through our gear, loaded our bikes, and hit the trail at 2:30PM. Our Goal was to make it to Westwater but with the late October sun setting around 6:00pm it would have been hard to muster 40 miles in 3 hours.

My Setup

Even with the late start and early frustration it was hard not to put a smile on our faces once we got on our bikes! It was our first time bikepacking since the Colorado Trail trip in early September. Mike and I were talking about how amazing the feeling is, it's a whole different style of riding!

Marys Loop Over looking the Colorado River

I'm pretty familiar with the Kokopelli Trail system out of Loma, so it was a fun way to start the trip, Mary's loop to Lions Loop to Troy Built. All very fun single track that eventually brought us down to Salt Creek. We crossed Salt Creek and instantly our pace slowed with a hike-a-bike section until we got to the top of the ridge. 
After the hike-a-bike we got on a fast road all the way to the Rabbit Valley Trailhead.  After taking a quick break, we continued on some double track, which included sand and rock ledges. We had also noticed the Western Rim Trail and how fun it looked. I've heard the riding in Rabbit Valley is great, but the look of this trail convinced me I would need to return. 

Western Rim Trail Area

After wasting some time gazing at the Western Rim Trail and taking some photos we called it a day, overlooking the trail and the beautiful canyon walls! The natural night light of the moon was so bright it created shadows, it was pretty unreal. After some tuna pesto pasta and some other snacks the long day that started at 3:20am was over. We got in our bivys after 30 miles of biking on the day.

spigot with clean water....YUM!

My watch alarm woke me up at 6:00am the desert was cold and still moonlit. I slowly got out of my bivy and started to boil water for tea and food. Both Mike and I understood we needed to crank out some miles today in order to reach our goal. As we hit the trail and started our first climb, a steep and rocky but short climb I had doubts we would reach the goal. I wanted to enjoy myself on the trail but at the same time the ultimate goal was on my mind. Bikepacking makes you think about logistics a lot, at least for me when I'm riding. I have kind of picked up the phrase "not much left to do but keep going" since, it is true until your finished. Once we got to the Westwater paved road we really started to cruise. If the trail calls for paved road while bikepacking, I won't complain. We took a short trip to the Westwater Ranger Station to fill our water at the spigot. We heard about the spigot but we were not sure it would still be on this late in October. It was and we filled up on water and pushed on. The day was getting warmer and we stopped to de-layer. As we did, a Grand Mesa Sheriff drove up to us and asked us if we had seen any vehicles today at all. We had not and told him so. This was the desert, anything goes right? For the next few miles I was thinking what the Sheriff was looking for and hoping we wouldn't stumble upon any vehicles.

Between Westwater and Cicso Boat Ramp there is a whole lot of nothing just plain desert with the occasional nice view,  and the riding was very easy. Mike and I did a lot of chatting. After Cisco we got on paved road again, then some more technical riding along McGraw Bottom. We reached Hwy 128 after some spectacular views of the mountains ahead.

Just before HWY 128

Old Dewey Bridge

Because we were in a bind for time we decided to detour around Yellow Jacket Canyon, we had also heard the riding was a bit sandy and not fun. The detour quickly got us to Dewey Bridge, there we took a left on Entrada Bluffs Road. Spirits were super high at first but what we didn't know was this would be the worst section of the trail, in our opinions. Views were great but around 2:00pm it was like a heat switch turned on. The heat along with the consistent climb up sand and loose rock made it tough going. After the slow climb we finally reached the decent. At first it was a fun little downhill with cool slickrock ledge drops. This got very repetitive and after awhile we made our way to the hardest section of the trail. 

The crux of the trail, Rose Garden Hill.

We were carrying our bikes at one point down Rose Garden Hill. Mike and I were saying how we couldn't imagine a dirt-bike even trying this. We finally made our way down to Fisher Valley and eventually our water jugs. The sun was setting but we both wanted to make it to Hideout Canyon Campground, so we filled up on water and carried our jugs the 2 miles from Onion Creek Road to Hideout Canyon Campground. We had made it to a very nice campsite, with a toilet, fire rings, and picnic tables, all to ourselves. We got a fire going as we knew it would be a little colder then the previous night. We made a tuna pesto soup with ramen noodles and penne, it hit the spot. we got some good coals going in the fire, hopped in our bivys as the moon lit the earth and shut the eyes after roughly 70 miles of biking on the day. Tomorrow, we hit the LaSals, Moab, and hopefully Home!

Mike warming up

Officially entering the LaSal National Forest

I woke to my alarm at 5:45am, my sleep was not nearly as sound as the night before. It was a cold morning and I didn't want to get out of my bivy. I rolled over to my left, grabbed some wood, and rolled back over to my right to put the wood on some buried hot coals. Not until I started a good size fire did I get out of my bivy. My watch said it was 30 degrees. It was slow getting our acts together but if we didn't have a fire to warm not only our body's but our spirits it would have been much slower. We got the water ready for what mike calls "rambombs" which is ramen noodles and potato flakes and the occasional summer sausage mixed, it was tasty! We got our things together, huddled around the fire one last time and doused it with our extra water. We knew we had a pretty long climb ahead but were hoping it wouldn't be as bad as the Dewey Bridge to Fisher Valley section. We hopped on our bikes while our fingers and toes slowly went numb. The sun had yet to hit the north part of the canyon where we were. Once we got to sun the pain from the thaw hurt so good. It had not warmed up too much as we climbed. Ponderosa pines lined the sides of the roads, snow started to fill the shaded areas but the views became increasingly more and more spectacular. We passed paradox trail road and made our way to the top while overlooking Fisher Valley, Surprisingly we never hit any large amounts of snow.

Top of the climb before we descend to Castle Valley Road

We descended from Bull Draw down to Castle Valley Road on a very fast paved road. Just as we were about to start our final climb of the trip we were stunned to see "road closed 1.5 Miles ahead no access to Sand Flats Road." My stomach dropped, confusion set in. We were hoping this wouldn't end our trip early. This was one thing we never thought to look into, but once I saw that sign I thought how stupid I was to have not to! We disregarded the initial sign as well as the one 1.5 miles ahead on the road. Once we arrived to the construction we were immediately greeted by some construction jerk. I asked to speak to the foreman as this guy was not the brightest. The foreman was kind and said he has not let anyone through, but said there was a road at the valley floor that would take us around the construction. We thanked him and right there descended down to the valley floor.

We scaled down this hill.....how funny!

Our so called detour brought us on a very rocky road and eventually back to the paved La Sal Loop Road. Once we got there we knew the top was near so we both pushed it pretty hard. We got to the top and soaked it in! All we had to do now was cruise down Sand Flats Road.  I had done the Whole Enchlada last year, so considering our lack of time, we opted to descend down the road. I have only gone as far as the Slickrock Trailhead, and I was blown away by the cool rock formation and beautiful vistas up Sand Flats Road. We descended past Slickrock Trailhead and past what the Latitude 40 Map says the 2nd most beautiful landfill, we thought that was funny. We got to Moab at 2:30pm and went directly to Zax for a burger and a beer!

Sand Flats Road looking East

After our meal, we still had to bike to Potash Road to get Mike's car which was another 8 miles of road riding. We got to Mike's car pretty quickly, loaded up our stuff, checked the fluids in his car and took off for Loma to pick my car up. After a quick stop in Grand Junction at the Jimmy Johns and Starbucks I hit the road for Crested Butte. I arrived home at 9:45pm put on my costume and went out and had some fun! After it was all said and done we finished the trail in 48 hours, yet we still enjoyed ourselves. I could not have asked for a better trip this late in October. There is something about bikepacking that feels so right; covering so much ground, carrying all the essentials on your bike, it is truly one of my favorite things to do!

I need to thank Rad Anzulovic of 2Pedal Mountain Biking, Rad helped Mike and I with last minute trip planning and convinced us that we needed to do a water drop (so thankful for that). He also sent over his draft of his Kokopelli's Trail Guide book. It was very easy to use and help tremendously. I cant thank Rad enough for the help, Please check out his web site and look out for the Guide book coming out soon! 


Check out all my photos here 

Also Check out this brief video Mike made using his Go Pro Footage.