Event Procedures and Pre-Ride Report

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John Lee Ellis

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Jul 5, 2021, 6:24:15 PM7/5/21
to Colorado High Country 1200k

I have updated the event procedures for 2021, so please review, and let me know of anything that's missing or unclear!

CHC'21 Event Procedures

On Saturday, our intrepid pre-riders rolled into Louisville looking good, for a successful finish. Here are useful observations and tips from our friend Mark Thomas:

Mark Thomas Pre-Rides CHC'21

Next will be a final pre-event survey, so keep an eye out for that, and an updated cue sheet with more annotations.

-jle


John Lee Ellis

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Jul 5, 2021, 6:43:45 PM7/5/21
to Colorado High Country 1200k

The links weren't the links I'd expected, now corrected below ...

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Mark Thomas

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Jul 6, 2021, 8:20:39 AM7/6/21
to Colorado High Country 1200k
After reading my pre-ride notes, a friend asked me "How much riding did you do that required lights? I'd prefer to get my dark riding in the morning vs. in the evening, especially if I can get good sleep.”

Here was my overly detailed response:

At the risk of too much information/advice . . . ..

I think sunrise was about 5:40 and sunset was about 8:40 (with light until a bit after 9). So we started in the dark (just getting some light) on Days 1 - 3 and in daylight on Day 4. There is a picture on the CHC blog showing our Day 1 start - brevet-chc-pre-ride-start.jpg - needed lights / reflective, but it was getting light. I rode with lights on all day and night, but if I wasn’t using a generator, I’d have probably run the lights until 6am and turned them on again at 8:30pm.

On Day 1 we arrived at Walden in daylight. 

On Day 2, it got dark after the hill between Laramie and Walden. But it was sort of slow riding (flat to gently up) into Walden, so it was easy dark riding for an hour or two. Leaving an hour earlier would basically shift the same section of road from nighttime dark to pre-dawn dark. A reasonable trade, especially if you get into Walden in good time on the previous night. (Although it’s a bit faster going north than going south, it wouldn’t be at all sketchy in dark).

It takes 4-5 hours to get to Saratoga in the morning of Day 2. I doh’t think you’d find anything open there before 7am (certainly not without going extra distance), so I wouldn’t leave before 3 and leaving at 4 should be fine. You need to get stuff in Saratoga, because it’s a long way to Centennial over the top of the Snowy Range.

On Day 3, I got to summit of Willow Creek Pass in the dark (a bit before 9:30pm). I think the faster climbers got there with light. It would have been nice to have light for the steep part of the ensuing downhill, which is why I think a 4am start would be a little better choice than 5am as we did. Once off the steep part it was nice enough riding in the dark.

On Day 4, I see no reason to do any riding in the dark. Leaving with the sun by 6 gives you 17 hours to cover the 240km remaining. Even with an hour off the bike having breakfast in Rustic, we only took 12. The climb up to Cameron is pretty scenic, so enjoy it in the daylight. The first bit out of Walden is not the prettiest, so if you’re eager, maybe leave at 4:30-5:00, especially if the weather forecast down through Fort Collins, Loveland, etc shows high temperatures. But definitely not before 3am - it takes about 3 hours to top of Cameron and you really want to enjoy the downhill in full daylight. (Enjoy and also be able to see tire-slashing rockfall).

FWIW, the chart below shows my times. And here are links to each day of ride as I rode it. I was the slowest of the pre-ride group, so this would look a little bit different for the others.


Mark



Leave Louisville
5:00am

Arrive Walden
+14:52 - 14:52 - 7:52pm


Leave Walden
+24:09 - 9:17 - 05:09am

Arrive Walden
+41:26 - 17:17 - 10:26pm


Leave Walden
+48:04 - 6:38 - 05:04am

Arrive Walden
+66:37 - 18:33 - 11:37pm


Leave Walden
+73:08 - 6:31 - 6:08am

Arrive Louisville
+85:01 - 11:53 - 6:01pm


62:35 - daytime on (and off) bikes
22:26 - nighttime at Walden

Total ride time - 52:54
Day stop time - 9:41
Night stop time - 22:26
Total - 85:01


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Mike Sturgill

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Jul 6, 2021, 9:03:28 AM7/6/21
to Colorado High Country 1200k
Thank you, Mark, for the detailed report.

John Lee - Is the current RWGPS route now the final version? https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36074743

Thanks,
-Mike

John Lee Ellis

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Jul 6, 2021, 1:34:02 PM7/6/21
to Mike Sturgill, Colorado High Country 1200k
Mike,

The route shouldn't change, but I am adding cues for services, summits, etc.

-john lee

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John Lee Ellis

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Jul 6, 2021, 3:34:25 PM7/6/21
to Jack Nicholson, Mike Sturgill, Colorado High Country 1200k
Yes, Excel and PDF versions will be posted on the website, as in years past.  However, this year, they will be based off the RideWithGPS route, which will have custom cues for checkpoints, services, etc., as I just mentioned. (The RWGPS cue sheet is inspired by the standards for Permanent routes in the new Perms program.)  You can also go directly to RWGPS and export their cue sheet to PDF.  

Also, a print-out will be included in your rider packet, as described in the Event Procedures.

I am working on this now. May be another day or so until everything is finalized.

-john lee

On Tue, Jul 6, 2021 at 1:27 PM Jack Nicholson <jack.nic...@gmail.com> wrote:
Will cue sheets be distributed via the website as is shown for the 2016 event?

Jack

On Jul 6, 2021, at 1:34 PM, John Lee Ellis <jell...@gmail.com> wrote:


Message has been deleted

Rob Tulloh

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Jul 9, 2021, 7:10:58 AM7/9/21
to Mike Sturgill, Colorado High Country 1200k
Thank you Mark, This is useful information as the amount of daylight/heat/cold does make a difference in how you experience the ride.

Regards,

Rob

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Jack Nicholson

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Jul 9, 2021, 7:11:02 AM7/9/21
to John Lee Ellis, Mike Sturgill, Colorado High Country 1200k
Will cue sheets be distributed via the website as is shown for the 2016 event?

Jack

On Jul 6, 2021, at 1:34 PM, John Lee Ellis <jell...@gmail.com> wrote:



Eric Peterson

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Jul 13, 2021, 5:08:54 AM7/13/21
to Mark Thomas, Colorado High Country 1200k
Hi Mark,

Looking at the route, I don't see much in Hot Sulphur Springs - just a Shell, a candy store, and Dari Delite.
There's also the Rocky Mountain Outfitters & The Bait Shop Grill.
Where did you find to stop there?

Eric 

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Mark Thomas

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Jul 13, 2021, 5:08:54 AM7/13/21
to gwin...@gmail.com, Colorado High Country 1200k
I’d go with “not nearly available enough for tracking purposes”

Mark



On Jul 6, 2021, at 8:59 PM, gwin...@gmail.com <gwin...@gmail.com> wrote:

Q for pre-riders (or locals): What sort of cell coverage did you have?  T-Mobile in particular, which I need for Wahoo live tracking.

In case the answer is "bad", does anyone have a spot tracker they'd be willing to rent to me for the event?  Reply via PM if yes.

Thanks, George (RUSA#3319)
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