Grand Loop
Friday, May 30, 2008.
Start: 6pm
Tabeguache Trailhead, Grand Junction, Colorado
For those that want a true on-dirt wilderness experience, but aren't yet ready for the GDR, there is only the Grand Loop.
Mile for mile, the Grand Loop is a route of incomparable difficulty. There is no entry fee, no support, no caches permitted, no sag wagons, and no cell phone service. There are zero services offered. There is no prize money. By design, you are emphatically on your own on this course.
This event is for the experienced wilderness rider that knows how to prepare, and what to prepare for, on a 3+ day unsupported ride.
If you have any doubt about whether the above sentence describes you, it's probably best if you skip this event for another year.
Many, many people have come to 'race' the Grand Loop over the past 5 years. None of them have finished. The route is difficult and remote enough that merely surviving and completing it are reward enough. In short, come prepared to ride it, and don't worry about how long it takes.
The course covers some of the most remote country left in the west, crossing roads infrequently. You will spend significant time each day in both the desert (4500') and the alpine (9000'+). You will climb in excess of 48,000' to complete the route.
There aren't many people who've completed this event, mostly because it's very difficult to plan for in a self-supported mode.
The route is @ 360 miles, with 1 tiny store (in Bedrock) for possible resupply. In other words, with the exception of what you may be able to get at the Bedrock Store, you must carry what you need to survive for 360 miles, or about 3-4 days, as you travel through the mountains and desert of this remote corner of Colorado and Utah.
The Grand Loop starts from the Tabeguache Trailhead just outside of Grand Junction, Colorado. Starting at 6pm sharp, riders do an untimed (all together, medium pace) 20-mile prologue on pavement out to Kokopelli's Trailhead at Loma, where they regroup briefly before taking off on the 'official' start, heading west across the desert towards Moab.
About 120 miles from the start they'll intersect the Paradox Trail, high up in the La Sals, and turn southeast onto it. Riders navigate that route through the LaSals, down across the Paradox Valley, then up onto the Uncompahgre Plateau where they'll top out at 10,000'. There they intersect the Tabeguache Trail, which they'll trace north back to Grand Junction. Total distance on trail is ~340 miles, plus the 20 mile pavement prologue at the start.
Many participants have attempted to circumvent the "on your own" part of this ride by having a sag vehicle waiting for them "just in case" at road crossings. This is NOT permitted.
This event is one of the last true, pure, wilderness, on-your-own events left. It is that way BY DESIGN. It is possible to ride this entire route over 3-4 days and only see a smattering of vehicles, if any at all. Having a crew out there detracts from the wilderness experience for other riders, wastes fuel, creates bad feelings (from your crew, who would much rather be riding their bikes than sitting in a car and waiting for your stinky, whiny self to show up) and is 100% contrary to the spirit of the event.
One final word about crews: accepting anything from (or giving anything to) a crew is grounds for banishment from future events. Yes, we're serious about this. Come to the ride and play by the rules, or wait until you're ready. 'Nuff said.
Late in 2005 COPMOBA rerouted a portion of the Paradox Trail. While there are arguments for and against using this new section of trail, for 2008 (as with '06 and '07) you'll follow the old route (through Bedrock and Uravan) before climbing onto Spring Creek Mesa.
In 2001 Gary Dye set the Grand Loop course record at 3 days, 3 hours, and 3 minutes. In 2003 Mike Curiak barely bettered that record: 3 days, 2 hours, 37 minutes. In 2007 Dave Harris obliterated both of those times, scorching the course in 2 days, 19 hours, and 47 minutes.
* * *
2007 GL results:
Dave Harris 2:19:47
Fred Wilkinson 3:04:00
|
