2008 Colorado Adventure Ride - July 2008!

Location - the Crested Butte / Taylor Park area Hundreds of miles of unbelievable riding in the beautiful Colorado mountains, elevations between 9,000 ft and 14,000+ ft. We will be riding a lot of the famous trails and passes that you have read about over the years. This is a trip you will never forget.

Lodging Base camp will be a very large 10 bedroom lodge at Almont Resort, with 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens, 5.5 bathrooms, and a huge deck facing the scenic East River. Almont Resort has a nice restaurant and bar, plus many other amenities, and is centrally located near the areas we will be riding.

Transportation We will drive out and back (10 people max) in a 15 passenger van pulling a trailer, making quick stops for fuel and food, and stopping overnight at a motel to sleep . It will take about 27 hours of driving to get there, and each person will only have to drive a few hours total. Everyone can take turns snoozing on the bench seats in the rear of the van. Last time I did this, we made it in 26 hours, and everyone got a good amount of snooze time.Meals Breakfast in the resort restaurant every morning before we leave for our day of riding, and dinner in the resort restaurant each evening after we return. We will take a lunch break each day, but on some days we will not be anywhere near a store or restaurant at lunch time, so on those days lunch will be provided, carried in our back packs, and look a lot like energy bars and trail mix.

Riding & Rider Requirements We will cover about 500 miles while we are there, riding 80 - 110 miles per day, much of it on or near the Continental Divide at elevations between 9,000 ft and 14,000+ ft. You must be an accomplished rider with some years of riding experience. You don't need to be a Pro rider, but more seasoned than a beginner, and you need to be in good physical shape. The riding will range from single track to Jeep trails to occasional dirt roads. Some trails will be difficult, some will be easy, most will be in between the two extremes. We will ride together as a group most of the time, and split into two groups occassionally, depending on the skill level of everyone and what trails we have planned during each day. I will have 2 satellite phones with us so both groups can stay in communication, and in the unlikely case anyone should need emergency medical help. We will see old mining towns, non stop amazing views, rushing creeks and rivers, and a lot more. Bring your camera and extra memory cards for it!

Money This trip is about as close to all-inclusive as you can get. Almost everything for the whole week is included, and the cost is a very reasonable $1950 per person. A $750 refundable deposit is required to reserve a slot. On April 1st, another refundable $750 deposit is required. On May 1st, your deposits become non-refundable, unless we or you find someone to take your place on the trip, which should not be a problem. If we get a replacement for you, 100% of your money is refundable. On July1st, the balance of $450 is due.

WHAT'S INCLUDED
Lodging at the resort, breakfast and dinner everyday at the resort, organized and planned riding routes, daily trail snacks and energy bars, all transportation costs including fuel and for the vans, fuel for your bike for the week, spare tubes and tools, chain lube and spray chemicals, help with jetting and suspension while in CO, availability of spare parts, and a great deal more. Even your Colorado off-road permit is included. We will also have a spare bike on hand, maybe two, should anyone be unfortunate enough to need one.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Food while on the road to and from CO, spare parts needed for your bike, adult beverages, and lunch on those days we stop at a restaurant or store while trail riding. Bring 2-stroke oil of your choice, enough for 30 gallons of gas. Hotel rooms on the trip out and back. We originally planned to drive out non-stop, but the group has elected to split up the driving and get in some extra riding before we get to our destination. A spare bike, if needed, will be an additional expense, but it will sure save your trip if you manage to ruin your bike on day two.

SCHEDULE:
Friday, 7/25 - I need everyone at Highland Park NLT 7:30AM Friday.  We leave at 8AM sharp! OK to drop off your bike and gear in advance. We will stop late Friday night west of Topeka, KS at a motel and sleep overnight.

Sat, 7/26 - Get up and get moving early, arriving in Colorado Springs around 2-3PM. We will stop and ride at Penrose, a riding park just outside Colorado Springs, near Pike's Peak, altitude about  6000- 7000 ft at the riding area. We will spend the afternoon doing final jetting changes, getting in some good ridig, and getting acclimated to the higher altitudes we will ride later that week. At about dark, we will grab some dinner and another hotel for the night   http://staythetrail.org/maps/files/BLM_RoyalGorgeFO_Penrose_2007-07-05.pdf

Sun, 7/27 - Head out early, arrive at our destination approx 10AM , check into our lodge, take bikes for a 3 hour ride that afternoon to check jetting at higher altitudes, acclimate some more.

Mon – Fri - Ride! Load up bikes and gear late Friday afternoon, prepare to leave.
  
Sat, 8/2 -  Leave Colorado 7AM

Sun, 8/3 - Arrive at Highland Park Sunday afternoon.

NOTES
1.  Everyone is allowed one large gear bag, plus a boot bag if your gear bag is does not have a boot compartment. Space will be limited. You will not need a lot of street clothes. Everything you are bringing MUST fit in your gear bag. We will strap gear bags on the trailers between bikes. We might see rain at some point going to or from Colorado . I will have extra large heavy duty plastic bags on hand for all gear bags. Each van will have a cooler in the back for water and soft drinks.

2.  I will bring a well stocked toolbox, but if you know you need tools specific to your bike, like an unusual non-metric allen wrench that fits only your particular bark busters, then make sure you bring those tools with you. They must fit in your gear bag.  

3.  We will dial in jetting once we get there, but you need to pre-jet your bike so we are close when we get to Colorado . We will not have time for extensive trial and error jetting changes. Starting from your current jetting, go two sizes smaller on the main jet, two needle clip positions leaner (move clip up), and two sizes leaner on the pilot jet. Lean your mixture screw ½ turn from where it is now. I will need to know what your jetting is so I can bring extra jetting to dial in everyone's bike once we arrive in Colorado .

4. Make sure your bike is fully serviced with new tires and new brake pads. Inspect and locktite everything. If your chain/sprockets show any wear, replace them before you go.  I suggest everyone use an EK 520 SRO chain, which we stock here.  They are great chains, and I will have spare EK chain and master links in CO. I you would like to do so, drop your bike off early, and we will go over it with a fine tooth comb and have it prepared and ready for Colorado and already on the trailer when you get here.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
Your physical condition will be very important for this trip. The altitudes we will ride sap your strength due to the thin air, and we have a week of riding to do. If you are not on a work out routine now, start one soon, at least 3 months prior to this trip. Aerobic conditioning is a must, so step up your aerobic routine at least a month before the trip - jog or pedal a bike at least 3 days a week, and do it like you mean it. Don't leisurely pedal around the neighborhood block a few times a week and think that will get you in shape for riding all day at high altitude. I don't expect anyone to show up looking like the cover shot on Men's Fitness Magazine, but physical conditioning will be important once we get to Colorado and you are sucking 60% less oxygen on the Continental Divide at 14,000 ft. You will have a better time on this trip if you are physically well prepared.   

ADDITIONAL INFO
You don't want to miss any killer riding days or have the wrong clothing with you, or no spares.  Have as many spares as possible for your bike, like levers, foot pegs, cables, clutch plates, whatever you can think of that might wear out or get crashed out over the course of a week of riding.  We will log 500+ miles while we are there. That's like a dozen Hare Scrambles races. Think of all the parts you typically replace over a dozen races. Make sure your bike has a skid plate, bark busters, and radiator guards. You will need all of them before the week is over. If you have a late model KTM, I will be putting together a rather large spares kit and bringing it along.

Everyone needs a high quality waterproof enduro jacket and a high quality backpack with hydration system. The backpack will hold spares, trail snacks, camera, etc, and in the warm part of the day, your Enduro jacket.  We can suggest good backpacks and jackets if you do not already have those items. We will be at elevations from about 9500 ft to over 14,000 ft, and weather can range from sunny and 75 degrees to 35 degrees and raining. Typically we will start out with brisk temperatures in the morning, later you will shed your jacket, and then put it back on if we get rain, or late in the day when temps will start to drop again.

SUGGESTED LIST OF GEAR & SPARES
RIDING GEAR
Waterproof Enduro jacket, chest protector, knee braces, elbow guards, 2 riding pants, 3 jerseys, 3 padded seat riding shorts, 2 pairs of new gloves, 3 pairs riding socks, 2 goggles, 3 thermal under jersey riding shirts or other warm upper body wear, spare anti-fog lenses, boots, and a backpack with hydration bladder. We will plan a laundry night at least once while we are there.

SPARES
A small problem like a broken shift lever can mess up a perfectly good day of riding, so I suggest everyone bring some spares. Throttle and clutch cables, clutch plates (or put in a new clutch before we leave), outer clutch cover, clutch and brake levers, rear brake and shifter levers, spark plug, two clean and oiled air filters. If you intend to change your oil/oil filter while there, bring oil and filter. Rather than clean and lube up air filters, I suggest you bring two clean and pre-oiled air filters in heavy duty zip lock freezer bags. If someone does break something we do not have a spare for, we will call it in on the satellite phone to Highland Park, the part will be sourced and sent next day air to the resort where we are staying.

I will bring some common spares for all bikes – front and rear tubes, spare knobbies, handlebars, bark busters, zip ties, duct tape, EK chain and chain parts, grips, spare nuts and bolts, and a large selection of tools. If you have a KTM, you are in luck – I will have nearly every spare part on hand for late model KTM's, and you won't need to bring much in the way of spares.

I think that about covers it! This will be a great trip and a great ride, and you will be glad you went!