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Race Recap: Colorado Trail Race 2024
By: Nicolette Jones
The Colorado Trail Race is a self-supported, unsanctioned race on the Colorado Trail bike route. A group start of no more than 74 people keeps the event under the forest service limit for permitting. Jefe Branham maintains a webpage, facebook group, and shows up at the start to send everyone off, an impressive one man show.
This year I was the first woman to cross the finish Line and 10th(ish) overall (there were a couple of DQ's in the men's field, but I'm counting them as finishers).
You can find more info and see results from the 2024 CTR here.
Nicolette’s Race Stats
Why Race?
One of the biggest draws to the mountain bike –coming from running and hiking–was the distances you can travel in a day on the bike versus a day on foot. That’s not to say that when I got my first mountain bike my senior year of college that I knew where it would take me, but I was always aware that longer rides were possible. My first experience with long distance travel was not on the bike, but on foot: thru hiking the CDT in 2020. That experience opened me to a whole new community and reality of what my body could do day after day. Bikepacking was a natural progression for me because (don’t tell my thru hiker friends I said so), but biking is way more fun than hiking!
I had been missing the competitive environment since I stopped playing soccer in college, and when I realized you could race bikepacking events, I knew I would have to give it a try. When I got my second (current) mountain bike, I sewed bags for it, took it out on its inaugural ride on a small off road route in New Mexico and officially added the CTR to the goal list.
Preparation and Execution
While racing the CTR has been in the back of my mind for several years now, it was not until this past winter that I knew I would have a go at it. I was ready to take a break from raft guiding anyway, and I decided I wanted a summer job that would let me ride my bike more. When the chance came along to coach for Roaring Fork Cycling I was excited to make the opportunity work. My goal this summer was to get better technically, and put in as many hours as I could on the bike. I attended as many of the local mtb races as I could, and took part in one 100 mile grassroots race in Salida. Before this summer, I had never participated in a bike race, and I was very nervous to show up to even the local races. But I was received with a lot of support and encouragement from other riders here in the Roaring Fork and quickly felt like I was a part of the cycling community.
I tried to go into the CTR with a racer’s mindset. I had traveled the trail several times before, on foot, skis, and bike, and had made my best guess of what was possible for me (less than six days), but my goal was to win the women’s field. I knew that this would mean pushing myself physically and mentally, and finding the balance between enough self care to sustain me, while also maximizing my time on the bike.
I slept between 5-3 hours a night during the race, which was a lot more than some of my competitors around me. On the mornings I had service I would check Trackleaders and see the two women closest to me already moving and gaining on me. A few times I had to take quick naps during the day; in the warm afternoon sun a soft patch of grass or pine needles would beckon to me and I would lay down, helmet and backpack still on, set a timer for 10 minutes and drift into a glorious nap before I kept moving. My overnight sleep system consisted of all the clothing I brought, a 20 degree Marmot Sleeping bag, a groundsheet and a flat tarp which I would only pitch if I thought it might rain. I left the sleeping pad at home because I find it to be a little cumbersome on the bike (especially in the wind), and except for the night I spent on the wooden cot in the Marshall pass snowmobile cabin, I did not miss it.
Fueling Strategy
Eating might be my least favorite part of thru travel. I would like to say that over the last five years I have figured out exactly what works for me, but that is just not true. I have a few basic guidelines that I try to follow that usually keep me from getting sick: eat often, not too much, and not too much fat. Anytime I have an inclinking of hunger I try to act on it, and when I am at a resupply, I try not to overeat. There are a lot of resupply options on the CT, one almost every day. At the start I carried too much food, but I was not sure how the first two days would go for me, so I wanted to be prepared to get to Buena Vista in case I rolled through Copper and Leadville while the stores were closed.
I ate a lot of gummy candy, sugary granola bars, and apple sauce on the bike. Energy gels were not in the budget this year. I usually drank 2-3 Tailwind drink mixes a day, but I much prefer drinking plain water. At resupplies I could usually down about a half a soda and a serving of prepared food: a veggie sandwich at Copper, potato wedges and salsa in Leadville, a vegan breakfast burrito in Buena Vista, two bean burritos at Cathedral Ranch, and a donut and smoothie in Silverton. I usually packed out some sort of sugar/caffeine drink in my bottle too. This food was a huge mental boost and helped make up for the lack of nutrients in my on the bike diet. I also had a big vinegar craving on this ride; a pickle once made its way into my frame bag, and I ate a mustard or hot sauce packet about once a day. Okay the vinegar craving is not unique to this race, that is pretty much a standard part of my diet.
Being vegetarian is easy for me on trail, especially since my body does not do well with high fat foods, I would be struggling to eat meat even if I wanted to. The high carb diet is tiresome, but it keeps the fire burning. Like most folks at the end of the race, my mouth was covered in sores from eating so much sugar, and if I ever make it back to the dentist I am sure they will have a few words for me about the impact on my teeth.
Gear List
Bike
I rode a Vassago Optimus Ti 2019 frame, Shimano XT 1x12 drivetrain, fox stepcast 34 120mm fork, bike yolk revive dropper, Oneup handlebars, Shimano SLX brakes, Reserve 28 rims with DT 350 hubs, 29 x 2.35 Specialized Ground Control Grid Casing tires. I started this bike build two years ago when I bought the frame and transferred most of the components from my first bike. The new drive train, dropper, handlebars, fork, and most recently new wheels, have basically made this a dream bike for me! I run heavy, knobby tires, compared to many of my fellow racers, but they work well for me and after wearing through the sidewall on several lighter tire casings I decided to stick with the beefy grid casing.
Bags
I sewed all of my own bags except for my hydration pack. I used the same EVOC Hydro Pro 1.5 that I use on almost every ride, but I managed to cram a few more snacks in there than I would normally. I ride with a frame bag, a saddle bag (small enough so I can still run my dropper), a handlebar bag, and a small toptube bag. Sewing my own bags means that they are lighter and more simple than most bike packing bags, and I get to make them in fun colors!
Repair Kit
I did not have any major mechanicals, so I did not have to dip into my repair kit much, but compared to the other riders I talked to, I think I was a little skinny on my repair kit, especially when it came to tubes. I only brought one Tubolito, but I think a more sure bet is to bring two or at least a patchable tube.
First Aid/ Medical/ Emergency Kit
*My instructor for my most recent WFR recertification was big on trauma first aid, pointing out that it is one of the few life threatening instances where you can actually do something to save someone’s life in the backcountry. She is an ultra runner, an EMT, and a great instructor; after her course was the first time in years I had bulked up my first aid kit.
Clothes
I love wearing long sleeves for mountain biking, especially in the alpine, because I despise the feeling of sunscreen but do not like wasting energy on sunburns. The Skyline Tech worked great as a breathable option even on hot days. The Ridgeline shorts are my favorite baggies, being much lighter than others I have owned, and still having two usable pockets. Riding with baggies is most comfortable for me, and I find it helpful in keeping my chamois clean especially when I am riding for multiple days. On that same note, I much prefer wearing shorts to bibs, because it makes peeing and emergency poops easier, and I find them to be more breathable.
I wore the same set of clothes everyday, not wanting to carry the weight of an extra set (and I find more clothes to be too much to manage), but I did alternate chamois every day.
For a ride like this where I know I might be encountering cold alpine rain, I prefer my rain jacket to be like a trash bag: totally waterproof, I am not worried about breathability. And I brought a synthetic puffy in lieu of a wind breaker to ensure I stayed warm when the temperatures dropped.
Scenes from the CT
Great views and good weather this year.
Can you identify this spot?!
Bubbly for all great podium celebrations.
Author Notes
I am currently based out of Carbondale, CO where I live with my husband and a few roommates. This summer I have been working as an xc mountain bike coach and I am usually a ski instructor in the winter. Last winter my husband and I spent 7 months on our tandem bicycle riding from my parent's house in Albuquerque, NM to Bariloche, Argentina. I love spending time on my bike, touring (on foot or on the bike), kayaking, and skiing. You can read more about my adventures at https://walkskicycle.com/ and follow me on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/98952989
