This is all subject to change of course. You know that my wife and I just had another baby and that my hormones are all in a tizzy. I might decide tomorrow that it's going to be a recumbent-only event. In the words of Crash Davis, "I really don't know where the ball's going." As if that's not enough, there's the whole USFS permit approval thingie. Keep in mind that all routes are proposed only – actual routes are subject to town, county and USFS permit approval process. These will also probably be shuffled around considerably - "Stage 1" might not necessarily be Stage 1 if you get my drift. Details on Sunday's seeding prologue are pending.
Stage 1 – Circumnavigation of Mt. Guyot
French Gulch Road to French Pass
French Pass to Michigan Creek TH
Michigan Creek to Georgia Pass
Down Georgia, up American
Out Little French Flume
Down Little French to FINISH @ western parking lot
Stage 2 - Pennsylvania Gulch/Boreas Pass
Begin at Hockey Rink
Up Boreas Pass Rd to Illinois Gulch
Illinois Gulch to BPR to Aspen Tunnel
Aspen Tunnel to Blue River Trail
Blue River Trail to Blue River Subdivision
Blue River Sub to Pennsylvania Gulch
Pennsylvania to Indiana Gulch, down Indiana
Right at bottom of Grind
Up through Dyersville
Left on Boreas Pass Road
Right on Baker’s Tank Trail
BTT to Iowa Mill
Iowa Mill to Nightmare on Baldy
Nightmare on Baldy to Sallie Barber
Sallie Barber to Barney Ford
Barney Ford to Moonstone
Moonstone to finish
Stage 3 – The Gold Dust Trail
Start in Wellington
French Gulch Road to Sallie Barber
Sallie Barber to Nightmare
Nightmare to Iowa Mill
Iowa Mill to Baker’s Tank
Baker’s Tank to Boreas Pass Road
BPR to Dyersville
Dyersville to Indiana, LEFT on Indiana
Indiana to Boreas Pass (Section House)
BPR to Gold Dust Trail
GDT to BPR
BPR back to Baker’s Tank
Tank Trail to finish at BTT Lot
Stage 4 - Wheeler/Peaks Trail
Begin at Peak 8
Climb up access road, then Peak 8 to Peak 9 Trail
Peak 9 to Wheeler
Up and over Wheeler
Return to Frisco via recpath
Pick up Peaks Trail in Frisco
Peaks Trail back to Peak 8
Finish at Peak 8
Stage 5 – The Colorado Trail
Begin in Wellington
Up Gold Run Road past the McLeary’s
Out the Side Door, hang left at first intersection (past snowmobile)
Sharp left up to Prospect Way
Right on Prospect Way to Lincoln Meadows
Climb road from Lincoln Meadows to top of American
American Gulch to Great Flume
Great Flume to Georgia Pass CT section
Descend CT to Middle Fork
Middle Fork to North Fork (Westridge)
Westridge to Soda Creek
Soda Creek to Horseshoe Gulch
Horseshoe Gulch back to dredge and Tiger Road
Tiger Road to Discovery Ridge Trail
DRT to Preston
Preston to Slalom
Slalom to Upper Flume
Upper Flume to Recycling Center & Finish
Posts
6 comments:
That's it?
Those are 5 of the 10 routes that I'm submitting for permit approval to the USFS, Summit County and Town of Breckenridge Open Space folks. 90% of what you see there is above 10,000 feet...and a lot of it above 12,000 feet. We'll also add the prologue - I just need to see what they'll allow me to use. All in all I think it's pretty representative of what the race will look like regardless of what stages we end up chossing. We'll average about 50 miles per day - some days less, some days more obviously.
Your thoughts?
MM
its nice to see so many races here. but the one thing I do see is overuse of trails, damage, widening, etc..... The firecracker course used to be quiet little single track, it's now over used, everyone knows about it, it's in every guide book..... Now you guys are going to destroy the cirq guyot trails, which are little used and rugged. once you publish the route every sucker will be out there getting lost on the magically disappearing unused single track. I'm sure black gulch is next then the rest of the game trails. bummer bro
Hey Anon - I agree with you that the F50 has had an impact on trails like Moonstone and Barney Ford. Jeff from Maverick would also agree with me there. It's not a stretch to say that the same race actually improved some of the trails out there as well by applying a bit of rider pressure to them (the old Nightmare on Baldy, Rich Gulch, Little French.) I also know that Jeff has devoted a significant portion of his time and resources to giving back to the community in the form of actual trail work and with his MTB Little League program. If you aren't familiar with the gist of that program, it's an environmental education program for juniors that's run through the Summit Mountain Challenge. The kids race of course, but every Friday throughout the summer a there's a morning ride and an afternoon ride where the curriculum is the education of a new group of trail users in the proper way to adopt a stewardship role in our backcountry. There are few promoters who've gone to such lengths to attempt to altruistically justify their commercial backcountry permit.
If you take the time, you can scroll down on this page and familiarize yourself with some of the goals of this race, namely the support of BOSAC, Summit County Open Space and the Dillon Ranger District of the USFS with hard dollars. This money is to be specifically used for trail improvements, maintenance and upgrades.
A couple of other things -
1. I respect your viewpoint, I really do, but if it's not us then it'll be someone else promoting races here, most likely someone from outside of our community. At least with us you get a promoter with a conscience.
2. Black Gulch isn't a system trail, therefore it'll never be allowed to be used by a backcountry permit holder. Technically, a large part of it is private property, therefore none of us are actually allowed to ride or hike it whether for private or commercial use.
3. It's probably safe to assume that the folks who're geared up for the circumnavigation of Guyot and its 4-hour time commitment enjoy an enlightened view of backcountry ethics. That's not really a route for tourists. The folks that ride it pretty much know what they're doing.
4. "Destroy them?" I think that's s stretch, especially with the field limit that we're imposing and the fact that it's an ultra-endurance race. There aren't going to be people dicing for position like it was a short track. This format is about as low-impact as it gets.
5. One of the great attributes of the Summit and Park County networks is their mineral content - the trails really are pretty bulletproof. I realize that that sounds a little self-serving, but it also happens to be true. Trails who's beds are made of stone and rock can sustain quite a bit, and that description is pretty accurate for most of the Epic course and Summit County in general.
A big part of this event is the national and international showcasing of the relationship between the three open space entities mentioned above. I think that there's value in shedding a little light on what incredible things can be done when the proper resources are allocated and likeminded folks collaborate. The other thing that I'd mention is that we're well above 10,000 feet for most of the route. It's not exactly low hanging fruit for "every sucker out there". Those folks will overwhelmingly stick to the Peaks, Burro, Flume and easier sections of the CT.
Feel free to give me a shout - I'd be happy to buy both you and me a big cup of coffee so we can sit down and discuss your issues.
Thanks for taking the time to comment,
Mike
mikemac@breckepic.com
ok ok I know I cried alittle river back there, didn't mean to. I also know you take good care of things. I'm just being a pain in the but because more and more people are using my private trails. The bottom line is many of the routes outlined are pretty brutal and for the average rider to jump on a bike and tear them up isn't going to happen. in the mean time it's only eight more months until good riding in summit starts again.
Only 8 more months, huh? Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks Anon - I was hoping that you'd come back and check things out. The offer for a big foofie coffee still stands. You know how to get in touch.
Mike
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