Colorado Trail Race

*** Alternate Start Location AND time due to work in Waterton Canyon ***
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 - 6:30am
Start: Hwy. 67 & Rampart Range Rd. (near the Indian Creek Trailhead) - Denver
Finish: Junction Creek Trailhead - Durango
2010 CTR Pre-race - Bikepacking.net thread

Past Results and Records


The CTR: 470 miles and 65,000' of elevation gain winding through the Colorado Rocky Mountains from Denver to 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 300 and The Great Divide Race. There is no entry fee, no support, no registration, and no prize money. It is a self-timed ITT (Individual Time Trial): all that is provided is a route description, a suggested start time, and a list of results. However, all individuals participating are strongly encouraged to donate time or money to the Colorado Trail Foundation. Without them, we wouldn't have this trail!

Race Rules:

  • Race from Denver to Durango, self-supported, under only your own power, along the entire CTR route.

  • No pre-arranged support, with the exception of maildrops to a post office and only a post office.

  • Don't break the law.

Not clear enough? Read the CTR rule FAQ.

Colorado Trail Info:

For the most part, the Colorado Trail is very well marked. However, The Trailside Databook is a must-have for a breakdown of each segment with mileages and elevations. Unfortunately, the biking detours are not marked. Any shortcutting or deviating from the course, intentional or not, will result in a DNF, so please study the route and know it well! You may, of course, ride off course to resupply/sleep/eat as long as you return to the exact same spot you left.

The 2010 CTR follows the same course as the 2009 CTR with four minor exceptions: 1.) an alternative start location, 2.) we will ride FSR-109 from Bailey to Shawnee to avoid some of the worst of no-shoulder and high traffic Hwy-285, 3.) there is new single track descending the final 2 miles to Twin Lakes instead of the old jeep road, and 4.) the Twin Lakes dam is opened to bikes again, avoiding the confusing bit of trail east of the dam. See the Course Description and GPS files for more details.

There are many, many segments of the CT with prodigious amounts of hike-a-bike, and also segments with miles on end of high alpine riding. In particular, the Cataract Ridge segment is not a good place to be during an electrical storm. So come prepared to do some hiking and to exercise good judgment regarding the weather.


Course Overview:
NOTE: The mileage and elevation gain in this graphic are underestimated. To generate this graphic (and much more!) yourself, download Topofusion, and open the supplied .gpx file.

GPS Files:
CTR 2010 - 10000 point .gpx file with waypoints
CTR 2010 split 500 - Same file, pre-split into 20 x 500pt tracks for loading into most GPS units

Course Description:

Hwy. 67 & Rampart Range Rd. (Indian Creek TH) to Wellington Lake Road - Ride the alternative start (Indian Creek Trail #800, West Leg) to Segment 1. Ride Segments 2, and 3.
Lost Creek Wilderness Detour - From Wellington Lake Road, head right for 8 miles into the town of Bailey. In Bailey, turn left on FSR-109 for 5 miles, join US-285 at Shawnee for 15 more miles to the summit of Kenosha Pass and regain the Colorado Trail there.
Kenosha Pass to Wurtz Ditch Road - Ride Segments 6, 7, and 8. Ride the first part of Segment 9 to Wurtz Ditch Road.
Holy Cross / Mount Massive Wilderness Detour - Left on Wurtz Ditch Road, left on FS-100, right on US-24 to Leadville. South of Leadville, turn right onto Hwy-300, then left onto Halfmoon Creek Road. Regain CT @ Halfmoon Creek TH and start of Segment 11.
Halfmoon Creek to Clear Creek Road - Ride Segment 11. Note: Do not ride the alternate old Hope Pass route.
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Detour - Left for 3 mi. on Clear Creek Road, right for 5.9 mi. on US-24, left on Rd-371 for 10 mi. on old railroad grade to B.V. Right on Main, across US-24 at light which becomes Rd-306 (Cottonwood Pass Road for 10 mi. to Avalanche TH. This is mile 6.6 of Segment 13.
Avalanche Trailhead to Saguache Park Road - Ride the remainder of Segment 13, then ride Segments 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. Leave segment 18 at Saguache Park Road to start the La Garita Detour. Note: The guidebook starts the next detour at Cochetopa Pass Rd., but you will ride an extra 6.5 miles along the CT to Saguache Park Road
La Garita Wilderness Detour - Go right on Saguache Park Road for 2 miles, left on NN-14 for 5.8 miles, left on KK14 (Los Pinos Pass Rd.) for 24 miles, left at Cebolla Rd intersection for 15 miles to Hwy-149. Left on pavement for 7.6 miles to Spring Creek Pass and start of Segment 22.
Spring Creek Pass to Stony Pass Road. - Ride Segments 22, and rerouted (Cataract Ridge) segment 23. Note: This reroute is included in the latest Guidebook, 7th Edition "Revised", as well as the CT Databook, 4th Edition. Pay close attention to the Trailside Databook at the start of Segment 22!.
Weminuche Wilderness Detour - Go right on Stony Pass Road and descend to Silverton. Climb the pavement up to Molas Pass and the start of Segment 25.
Molas Pass to Junction Creek Trailhead - Ride Segments 25, 26, 27 and 28.

Training and Preparation:

If you've never done a multi-day endurance ride, don't start with the CTR! Training and prepping for this beast is daunting and all-consuming. If you're looking for guidance, Dave Harris and Lynda Wallenfels have put together a 12-week CTR specific training plan. Dave and Lynda are well known in the multi-day endurance mountain biking circle, and best of all, they are donating 10% of all proceeds from the sale of this plan to the Colorado Trail Foundation!


To whet your appetite...

Race Contact & Links:


Main Tracking webpage with links to individual racers
2010 CTR Pre-race - Bikepacking.net thread
2009 CTR Update Thread - Bikepacking.net thread
2009 CTR - Final Route Selection - Bikepacking.net thread
2008 CTR roster, pictures, transcribed audio updates and commentary - MTBR thread
2008 CTR Discussion Board - MTBR thread
2007 CTR Results and stories - MTBR thread
2007 CTR Thread - MTBR thread

2009 CTR Results: US-285 Detour and Coney/Cataract Segments
4d03h20m - Owen Murphy
4d20h24m - Doug Johnson
4d23h13m - Stefan Griebel, Jefe Branham
6d13h29m - Scott Morris
6d16h03m - Dave Harris
6d16h38m - Brian Taylor
6d18h43m - Jeff Oatley
7d08h07m - Rich Otten
7d13h06m - Marshal Bird
7d13h23m - Cat Morrison
7d13h58m - Alex Platt
7d18h53m - David Goldberg
9d05h43m - Mark Caminiti

CTR Course Note: In 2009, both the GPS track and data/guidebooks indicated the CT as following a jeep road from above Twin Lakes down to a campground before rejoining a ST. However, new CT markers indicate the trail as following some older ST and newly built trail instead of the jeep road. Because of this discrepancy, either route was deemed acceptable.

Course Deviation:

5d13h38m - Ethan Passant
Ethan missed a short 3 mile section of trail over Jarosa Mesa on Segment 22. This is the same section that Owen missed, but then somehow realized it, and backtracked to the actual CT.

10d12h38m - Dan Joseph, Nick Thelen
11d09h45m - Tom Jensen
Dan, Nick and Tom all rode Cinnamon Pass instead of Coney's + Cataract (Seg. 22/23) Similar mileage, but perhaps 4000' less elevation gain and no hike-a-bike.


Did not finish:

Joe Bagley - Silverton, after course deviations on Coney's + Cataract Ridge segments
Steven Garrett - Silverton, after course deviations on Coney's + Cataract Ridge segments
Jason Shelman - Silverton, after course deviations on Coney's + Cataract Ridge segments
Tegan Davis - Spring Creek Pass
Andrew Carney - Hwy 149
Chuck Ray - Hwy 149
Tim Stern - Hwy 149
Chris Neumann - Los Pinos Pass Road
Todd Johnson - Marshall Pass
Max Morris - Marshall Pass
Karl Wilcox - Hwy 50
Greg Bachman - Chalk Creek Segment 14
Kevin Montgomery - Chalk Creek Segment 14
Robert Kranz - Mt. Princeton Hot Springs
Lee Blackwell - Leadville
Dave Nice - Copper Mountain
Kurt Ireland - Copper Mountain
Dan Montgomery - Frisco
Ryan Scalva - Kenosha Pass
Steve Stalgren - ??

2008 CTR Results: Tarryall Detour and Cinnamon Pass
5d02h26m - Ethan Passant
5d06h27m - Chris Plesko
5d23h47m - Jeff Oatley
6d04h06m - Brad Kee
7d01h46m - Trish Stevenson
7d06h45m - Dan Montgomery
7d07h00m - Dennis Helton
8d03h14m - Matt Fusco


Course Deviation:

5d03h49m - Jason Shelman
Jason inadvertently skipped the middle of segment 18, starting the La Garita Wilderness detour at Cochetopa Pass Rd. instead of Saguache Park Road, only realizing this almost a year later.


Did not finish:

Marshal Bird - 40 miles from Durango
Eddie Turkaly - Just before Durango
Chris Neumann - Salida
Doug Johnson - Hwy 114
Pete Basinger - Hwy 114
Curtis Burge - Cottonwood Hot Springs
Tim Graczyk - Buena Vista
Chuck Ray - South of Leadville
Jim Ishman - Leadville
Dave Nice - Copper Mountain
Keith Eckstein - Frisco
Alison Gannet - Frisco
Kyle Stone - Kenosha Pass
Travis Butler - Tarryall
2008 CTR ITT Results:
4d08h45m - Owen Murphy
Owen inadvertently skipped the end of Segment 3, thus riding 5 miles and ~800' less than the actual CTR route. He only realized this upon closer inspection of the detours for the '09 race. Clearly, he still would have crushed the course record.

2007 CTR Results: Tarryall Detour & Cinnamon Pass
5d05h30m - Jefe Branham
5d05h50m - Stefan Griebel
6d00h17m - Ethan Passant
6d04h51m - Jason Trimm
6d21h55m - Fred Wilkinson
7d05h15m - Matthew Lee


Did not finish:

~475 miles - Mark Caminiti
~275 miles - Dan Montgomery
~100 miles - Dave Nice
~30 miles - Jim Ishman

Colorado Trail Records
Another Running FKT (Fastest Known Time) Page


Complete Traverse, supported

1999 - Buzz Burrell runs/hikes the CT in 11d16h13m

2003 - Betsy Kalmeyer runs/hikes the CT in 9d10h52m

2003 - Hal Koerner runs/hikes the CT in 9d10h19m
another link

2006 - Jonathan Basham runs/hikes the CT in 8d13h28m

2006 - Stefan Griebel hikes/bikes the CT in 7d20h (east to west)

2008 - Paul Pomeroy runs/hikes the CT in 8d12h14m (west to east)


Complete Traverse, unsupported

2004 - Demetri Coupounas hikes the CT unsupported (no resupply of any kind) in 20 days

2006 - Paul Pomeroy hikes the CT unsupported (no resupply of any kind) in 14d9h30m


Biking with Detours

2006 - Paul Hooge bikes the CT (detouring all Wilderness Areas) self-supported (resupply/sleep in towns) in 9d7h.
The 2009 CTR used the same route as Paul. Hwy-285 instead of the Tarryall Detour, and then the CT Coney Summit segments instead of the Cinnamon Pass detour.


CTR Course Records - Biking with Wilderness Detours, solo, self-supported

Male: 2009 - Owen Murphy, 4d03h20m
Female: 2008 - Trish Stevenson, 7d01h46m