CTR2017

The CTR: 500 miles and 70,000’ of elevation gain between Denver and Durango. 300+ miles of singletrack at elevations ranging from 5500’ to a gasping-for-breath 13,200’. The CTR is a monster!

By BIKEPACKING.BE

July 13^th, 2017

GUNTHER @ CTR2017

Those who know me, know that the Colorado Trail Race is/was on top of my bucket list. The Holyland Challenge (I promise I will write a report when I get back!) in Israel earlier this year was a warm-up, and I chose it so I would stop dreaming about the CTR. The HCL didn't give me the satisfaction I was hoping for (mainly because of the physical inconveniences), and so CTR stayed in my mind...

Do.Shit.You.Love.

Why CTR? For a couple of reasons. First of all the route and magical mountain views attract me from the first day I heard, read and saw pictures of the trail. After Tour Divide in 2013 I committed myself the finish the Triple Crown of bikepacking, and so I went back in 2015 for the 2nd part, the Arizona Trail Race. The hardest one I ever did, not only the 36 kms of bike-portage through the Grand Canyon but the track itself is very demanding. Colorado Trail, the 3rd slide of the Triple Crown pizza, will be similar. The closer I get to the start the more I realize it will be a tough race, potentially suffer some physical injuries and maybe a cycling burn-out for the rest of 2017 ... but anyway, looking very forward to it!

The race starts Sunday 23rd of July @4 AM in Durango.

Do.It.Yourself!

Follow the race on Trackleaders: http://trackleaders.com/ctr17

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About the CTR

The CTR: 500 miles and 70,000' of elevation gain winding through the Colorado Rocky Mountains between Denver and Durango. Approximately 300+ miles of singletrack at elevations ranging from 5500' to a gasping-for-breath 13,200'. The CTR is a monster! If the monster is in a good mood, you may experience Colorado's beautiful sunny blue skies and wildflowers blooming as far as you can see! But, be warned — the CTR's mood can change on a whim, and you may just as likely find yourself getting besieged by massive hailstones and lightning bolts. In short, don't come to this race unprepared — no one will be there to rescue you.

The CTR is similar to The Arizona Trail and Tour Divide. There is no entry fee, no support, no registration, and no prize money.

Source: http://www.climbingdreams.net/ctr/

2017

This year the race will be from Durango to Denver, passing a lot of mountain passes, the highest one just under 4.000 meters ...

The elevation profile

Read it from right to left, as the race is from Durango to Denver this year.

A must see video

by Aaron Johnson. Yes, that guy that also made the inspiring video of AZT.

And the 2013 edition

Pre-race

I fly to Denver, 1.800m altitude. The race itself is almost constantly around 3.000 meters, and 3.900 is the highest point. Not a lot of oxygen over there, so I need some acclimatisation.

I will ride from Denver to Colorado Springs and try to reach the summit of Pikes Peak, +4.300 meters .

Afterwards I cycle to Hartsel and maybe take the Tour Divide route to Salida and Del Norte. Or cycle to Gunnison and then towards Durango. We'll see how the body feels, the weather is like , ...