Looks like the date has been pretty much set as August 2 at 6 a.m. There appears to be some debating as to the route now. Obviously all of the designated wilderness areas will still be avoided. The first segment up for discussion is #7. This one takes you over the Ten Mile Range from Breckenridge to Copper Mountain. This year we detoured around it and passed through Frisco. The mileage is the same either way (roughly 12 miles) but I've heard that both the climb and the descent are quite steep so I wouldn't expect there to be much riding.
Stefan may also have us ride segments 22 and 23 this year. These both flirt with the Continental Divide for a distance of about 30 miles and substantial amounts of hike a bike. Not sure how I feel about this. I don't know that I see much point in adding the section that goes from Breck to CM. 22 and 23 would probably be really pretty but if the weather doesn't cooperate it could be very dangerous up that high and exposed for that long. Probably the biggest issue with 22 and 23 is the fact that it makes a trip into Lake City really tough to justify and that means that the racers will have to be very strategic about their food pretty much from Buena Vista all the way into Silverton and that's a long stretch. You can get some things from a small store at Princeton Hot Springs but it's not gonna be a true meal by any means. Quickly glancing at the guidebook, it looks like about 200 miles of complete solitude from the last store by the hot springs until you roll into Silverton. It'd be a real biotch if something like.....oh.....say a rear hub....were to give up the ghost.
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