Mindset Pre-CTR

Last year I didn't even know if I could finish the CTR or not. Hell, by the time I crawled into Silverton I was still having grave doubts. Thankfully, I learned some things and caught my rhythm after leaving Silverton and finished in a sorta decent time of 7 days & 22 hours.

So going into this year, I know I can finish this thing because I've done it once already. I wasn't even in that great shape after coming out of ski season fat and injured and unable to really train until April 1st. I just didn't want to miss another year so I took a leap of faith and it worked out.

This year I aim to actually race the course, and that is exciting but also a little scary.

I'm not going to articulate an exact goal, and despite Jefe (& Jesse?) sitting out this year, I have no delusions about winning or racing near the front at all, but I'd like to chop 24 hours off and have a 6 day & change finish if I can.

There are many things in my favor for that.

I weigh about 10-12 pounds less this year. I'm riding a 29-er carbon hardtail that comes in at least 7 pounds less than the Yeti SB-66C I rode last year. And with more packing & gear experience I should be dropping 3-5 pounds there pretty easily. So I'll be chugging 20-25 pounds less along the trail this year and that's bound to count for something.

I know I'm in better shape and significantly faster on the bike as well. I've crushed all my local-ride PRs on this hardtail this summer and beat my best Firecracker 50-miler time by 21 minutes.

I've done lots of evil HAB training in an effort to prevent the achilles problems that plagued me last year starting day 2 and all the way to the finish.

Plus I have much more actual bikepacking experience. Last year I had only done one loaded overnighter in my life. Now I've got one CTR under my belt plus many other training rides and bikepack fun rides that I've been able to learn from.

I'm even using a cue-sheet with splits to guide me along towards my goal.

I'm so freakin' excited to start and I feel confident that I can reach my goals if I have a smooth run and most things go right.

Ahhhh..., but that's the big wildcard we face. What if things don't go right?

Last year my bike was flawless and I only had to rinse and lube the drivetrain the entire way. Bike maintenance and repair is a weakness of mine, and although I'm somewhat crafty in the field, this weakness could pose a problem.

I've only got 2 months on this hardtail, so I'm not totally sure how my body will react after taking the beating day after day. My Yeti wasn't the best climbing tool last year, but it sure was a plush descender. My body came out of the race pretty good; well, everything except my thrashed achilles tendons.

But there is no sense on focusing on any of that stuff. If I have a set-back, I will deal and move on. If I have a mechanical disaster that I can't repair then I guess I'll find a way to a bike shop somehow and get some help. If I have to relegate myself and continue on with a tour then I know I will have fun with that.

This is just a big excuse for Adventure anyways.

Good luck to everyone lining up this year. May you all have a beautiful time on the trail and I look forward to meeting and riding with as many of you as I can.