The Colorado Trail is a 485 mile trail from Denver to Durango passing through 6 National Forests, 6 Wilderness areas and spreading through 5 major river areas. The trail is steeped in 30 years of heritage as it winds its way through Colorado, the riders will be able to feel the passage of time as other hikers, bikers and riders who have been before them have left imperceptible footprints on the trail.

![nathan-anderson-v6YntOOHPTY-unsplash](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4jnjzWmDB9zlZzcwMfuYcb/92a15044b21ff740aabcff9249abc280/nathan-anderson-v6YntOOHPTY-unsplash.jpg)
*The Colorado Trail, near Frisco, from above by Nathan Anderson*

The route holds unrelenting climbing and descending with over 23,000m to tackle, the riders will either be going up or going down with not a flat section in sight. This is the draw of the trail, the tenacious nature required to make it to the finish however, it isn’t just the climbing that creates a challenge. With a plethora of deadly animals riders will need bear spray, long trousers for the ticks and spiders and a keen eye to spot any rattlesnakes. A rarity, but a sometimes spotted Mountain Lion is also on the cards with Lael Wilcox often recounting the time she encountered one in nearby Montana in a similar race.

![meg-jerrard-f1q4NlVRYSc-unsplash](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3dHL4kbnNLtCrW2PT7r9KY/e3e8170e1b2f177d5fd6e2613769e55c/meg-jerrard-f1q4NlVRYSc-unsplash.jpg)
*You never know what might be lurking by Meg Jerrard*

So why race such a relentless route?

Jefe Branham, AKA Jwookieone, is the custodian of this low-key race. He hosts a brief description of the year’s timings and the longstanding rules of the trail on his website. With little else to go on, the riders sign up to Trackleaders (limited to 74 riders) and make their way along the trail. The winner is greeted, as are the other finishers, by locals and bikepacking aficionados but there is no big sponsor banner or mainstage to keep them ticking over. The riders ride for the trail itself and for the satisfaction of being a part of one of the most prestigious bikepacking events in the world.

The fastest known time on the Colorado Trail is 

Riders:

[Eliza Sampey](https://www.instagram.com/elizasampey/) - we include Eliza as it was not long ago that she was on the other side of the pond racing the Highland Trail 550. You could compare this event to the CTR as a wet and boggy version with the most deadly predator being trench foot rather than a giant colorado ram. We’re interested to see how Eliza does after her impressive journey at the HT550.

[Aaron Ehlers](https://www.instagram.com/aaronehlers/) - Aaron has made it to our preview as this Tour Divide and TramsAm veteran is competing against the trail on a singlespeed! With this much climbing it will be a challenge and a half.

Alexandera Houchin - Speaking of singlespeed, we have the champion of the singlespeed herself, Alexandera. The fastest woman to have ever completed the Tour Divide on a singlespeed is back to the CTR for a 3rd round on her single geared machine. Both times shes competed in the CTR with 1 gear Alexandera has finished in the top 20.

Bryan Klahn - If Bryan has a lucky number, it’s 4. Bryan has finished the CTR in 4th three times! Do we think he has got a 4th 4 in his future? Keep an eye on the tracking to find out.

![IMG 0346](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2DLwPPLLoliLoLTeYNKA4Z/be9001383278cad6b615dc2678fe91e5/IMG_0346.jpg)

[Will Bodewes](https://www.instagram.com/willbodewes/) - Last year’s second place holder (after Neil Beltchenko who has the FKT at 3days, 19 hours and 40 minutes) will be returning to the trail. With a staggeringly fast time of 4 days and 11 hours, will he be able to take the crown? Will has announced his return to the trail with intentions of not only winning but taking the FKT.


Colorado Trail Race Preview

Bad weather out on the trail! After an expected dry spell the riders faced a soaking night last night. Most of the top 10 sheltered overnight, most likely to keep themselves and their bikes dry in the dark on these challenging trails. However, taking a longer stop than most Kevin Conerly is still in 2nd place but has allowed Will to gain a few more miles.

Kyle Peterson managed to jump a significant number of places after leaving a little earlier from rest the the majority of the lead group however, Kevin and Will still remain ahead. Kyle, as some may know, is actually riding the race singlespeed, keeping pace with the leaders is no mean feat on this hilly and technical course.

![Screenshot 2022-08-16 at 21.04.01](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7wKLiFZbWlDI9ovIMBrRhY/5db7503f87238fe23ad0450007bdac39/Screenshot_2022-08-16_at_21.04.01.png)

Will has been mastering the hiker picture as he pushes on aiming for the fastest known time (FKT) on the CTR. It's not all smooth sailing for Will though, with a snapped chain and broken rear mech there's been some issues. He was also suffering with a little sugary palette fatigue, but some rolls sorted him right out! But Day 3 is still rainy for Will as he presses on.

![will](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/19GVvZT1BmKcvLRPTqRamu/e8d46b30e599b3a4a3293dcf30cd5418/will_.png)

Katya Rakhmatulina leads the women's field but has also been caught by the torrential rain. She has been pressing on at a firm pace since leaving Denver but did make a stop as the rain continued to come down. After finding shelter she pressed on and is now a whopping 250 miles into the race.

![kat](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/rzLO3KAW53Hq8ZqVToAgN/a992773aa5440d6b4dbb2d61ee48837e/kat.png)

Second in the women's race is Ana Jager who is actually closing in on Katya somewhat. After a slower period in the rain Ana has an overall lower stopping time so could potentially gain some ground as the race moves on. 

![Screenshot 2022-08-16 at 21.27.52](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6kxgiCuT1UxXgKgUQEeCHH/d95cfccbbca35c6e1e01d008fb47ec3a/Screenshot_2022-08-16_at_21.27.52.png)

Another rider from the women's field, Arly Landry, has been providing some incredible views on Instagram with her custom bike with her own custom bags which she creates at Curiousity Custom! 

![Screenshot 2022-08-16 at 20.57.24](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5xGHnA39jQue3ZLdHI5boK/ddcd5f92620195c95df065dd5a72845c/Screenshot_2022-08-16_at_20.57.24.png)

With such an exciting women's race this year we'll leave you with some words from Ezster Horanyi:

[thetownbicycle.com/faces-behind-the-dots-colorado-trail-race-2022/](https://thetownbicycle.com/faces-behind-the-dots-colorado-trail-race-2022/)

As the riders press ahead it looks like the rain is beginning to clear, if not clear for some which will hopefully lead to a more straightforward press to the finish. On tight technical trails the pouring weather can make the most simple of pedal strokes a mission!

![Screenshot 2022-08-16 at 21.25.52](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2OFTcvO2cSkDp4T3SJifrE/d9035258334de256cd3671b5e9002b15/Screenshot_2022-08-16_at_21.25.52.png)

Colorado Trail Race Update 1

After a rainy start the FKT was off the cards for Will, but he still managed to pull it out of the bag with a drizzly win for this year's edition of the race. With almost 2 full days of stopping time this edition of the race clearly had some significant rainfall to prevent the speedy Bodewes from carrying on. Willgained 15lbs of weight in his ankles and wrists from swelling after the gruelling hike-a-bike route, with extra impassable sections due to the rain.

Alexandera Houchin however, did manage a new record! This year's womens winner bagged the women's North/South record all whilst riding a singlespeed! We frequently see the large uptake of single speeds on the CTR and other USA trail races. Alexandera has proved that often, 1 gear is all you need! Is it the lack of faff, the lighter bikes for the hike-a-bike? Only the heroes who tackle this event with 1 gear will know.

Eliza Sampey posted prior to the race that this was her chance to try an off-road ultra at pace. After finishing the HT550 she knew she could manage distances of this level, but what about at speed? Making great time she unfortunately had to ease off when her seatpost became dislodged and led to a swinging saddle!

Ana Jager came in as second woman and also broke the previous FKT, which as a rookie is a feat that often doesn't come around! Katya Rakhmatulina came in as 3rd woman after leading almost the entire first half of the race. It seems Katya lost her lead after stopping in Mt Shavano for a while where Ana and Alexandera overtook her at similar times.

Kevin Conerly was keeping pace with and bunnyhopping Will for the first half of the race. He took an extended stop to sleep and covered the ground afterwards at a pace higher than Will's but unfortunately it wasn't enough to catch back up and left him taking 2nd place.

Props go to David Scott who seemingly did a misdeed to his ankle at Searle but soldiered on through the pain!

If you've enjoyed watching the CTR and would like to contribute to next year's commentary email us at info@dotwatcher.cc

Colorado Trail Race look back, what happened on the trail?

An original of the world of bikepacking, the Colorado Trail Race is a low-key mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies. Notorious for its tough terrain and elevation, the CTR is not for the faint of heart. 

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