Colorado Trail Race 

Words & Photos: Emma Bateup

Well, well, well, back at it again. Having now raced a whole two bikepacking races, I decided it was time to take another leap into the deep end and try one overseas. A mate suggested the Colorado Trail Race and I was instantly keen.

The Colorado Trail is a 500 mile (850 km) hiking and cycling route running through the Rocky Mountains from Denver to Durango. It seemed the perfect race for me, aside from the altitude (a lot of the trail is over 3000m with parts over 4000m) and all the scary animals. I was excited to go somewhere new and escape at least part of our winter.

I spent months researching and training - more than I've ever done for any previous ultra event (albeit that's a low bar in my world). I even arrived in Denver two weeks prior to the start. Altitude was a hurdle and I spent the those weeks struggling to breathe on rides, as I slowly tried to acclimatise to the lack of oxygen.

Day 1

Race morning arrived with a 4am start. Straight away I felt like I had gone backwards with my breathing, and we were still below 2000 m. I tried to convince myself that I just needed to warm up and to be patient, until I realised I hadn’t researched poison oak and ivy and how was I going to know what bushes to avoid?! This was the tipping point, feeling homesick and resulting in tears within the first hour. I then got myself under control by the first descent and had a blast. I continued to feel rubbish on the climbs but loved the downs, having some sendy trains with other riders.

Day one had a big wilderness area detour and I started finding a rhythm on the road climbs. I tried to get lots of food in but the dental work I’d put off to save money was becoming a major problem, making eating very painful. Then came the big rookie mistake, running out of water in the heat of the day because I skipped a river fill up spot thinking there would be access not too far further along the road. It was all fenced private land which isn’t usually the case in NZ and getting shot from trespassing wasn’t on my bingo card.

Now I actually felt like crap. Things slowed down to a crawl and I just focused on moving forward in a straight line. Eventually I found a spot to get down to the river to top up and cool off. The damage was well and truly done, it wasn’t until the cool of the evening that I started feeling slightly better. This also coincided with the end of the detour and I had so much fun on the singletrack as night fell, getting to Kenosha Pass around 9pm.

After the day I’d had, sleeping here might have been a good option but I decided to continue and try to get over Georgia Pass before I called it. I started getting sleepy a few hours later, partway up the climb, I was too stressed about the wildlife to stop, but when I saw another rider sleeping a bit further along I set up nearby (safety in numbers?). I had two broken hours of sleep thinking about bears and mountain lions.

Day 2

I started the day hoping for a reset and got underway feeling alright but quickly found that my chest kept getting tight and painful, a feeling I’d never experienced. This would linger for most of the race. I initially put it down to the altitude but would notice it wasn’t too bad after eating so maybe the lack of food was the cause (any doctors want to confirm?). I spent most uphills walking, getting passed by riders, and riding downhills stiff with pain but still making progress.

I made it over the next few hills to Copper Mountain Village for a mid afternoon resupply, despite still carrying a lot of food from the start (and I’d given a bunch away to another rider earlier in the day). I bought more savoury and soft foods that cause less tooth pain and a Red Bull in case I got tired early. The chest pain had briefly subsided, and I ate part of a Danish as I walked up the next climb, then as I got onto singletrack I rode bits without pain. I met and chatted with other riders, discussing where we aiming for that night. Someone asked whether I was going over Kokomo Pass and having not looked at pass names I said that if it's before Leadville I am.

The chest pain had returned and I slowed down, again. Eventually made my way up what I hoped was Kokomo Pass (worryingly there was no sign at what I thought was the top). I was delighted to have my first marmot sighting and stood watching them while finishing my Danish. This coincided with sunset so layers and lights were put on before continuing along, down and up until I came across the Kokomo Pass sign a couple hours later. Quite the surprise. Some fun fast downhills followed and I belted out whatever song I was listening to, mostly for fun but partly to scare away any mountain lions. Dad pointed out later that the many riders ahead of me would have done that already.

The remaining singletrack for the night seemed to take forever. I was relieved once I had phone reception to call my parents, and then my good mate Lewis for company as I rolled down towards Leadville. The race route allows to either go through Leadville or take a shorter bypass. I reckoned that my supplies would last until Buena Vista near the end of the bypass, so saved myself an extra mile on the short cut. I found a comfortable pine tree and lay down. It was 4am with only a few hours of darkness remaining. I was after 4 hours of sleep so set the alarm for 8am.

Day 3

I woke up with the light around 6am and slowly got going. I rolled into the gas station not needing extra food but had a freshen up in the bathroom. Bought some baby food packets and a frozen burrito that I’ve heard talked about on many American bikepacking podcasts. The deal with these burritos is that they’re precooked, so once they defrost in a pocket or bag they’re good to eat. However, when I pulled mine out at lunchtime the instructions were not super clear which stressed me that maybe it wasn’t precooked. It was returned to my bag and disposed of at the next rubbish bin.

I finally drank the Red Bull after carrying it all night which kept me firing for the morning. I felt pretty good for a while and enjoyed some cool singletrack and chats with Johnny, until we rode past some conveniently placed portaloos which I made a quick stop at. Deja vu happened and I realised my period had come a week early, the joy of crazy amounts of stress on the body. Luckily I was prepared and added tampons to the resupply list.

A bit more singletrack followed before the road next to the river to Buena Vista. It was smooth and sunny, so I took my shoes and socks off to air my feet, getting funny looks when I rolled into town. I spent a while resupplying, mostly confused by the tampon selection. Then even more time trying to figure out how they worked, not the same as in NZ!

On the road out of town I saw my first snake of the race and squealed. A mid-afternoon thunderstorm rolled in as I got back onto the singletrack and all I had in my head was ‘relentless forward momentum’, feeling in my element for the next few hours. I had stupidly set a campsite goal for the night and kept going after I got sleepy at midnight - spending the following two hours going nowhere fast when I should have just slept where I was. I was pretty out of it by the time I set up my bag at the Fooses Creek trailhead, on grass with a heap of sticks and rocks under it. I couldn’t care less and zonked out immediately.

Day 4

I woke up with numb tingly arms and legs after one of the most uncomfortable sleeps I’ve ever had. And noticed a chipmunk or squirrel had nibbled a hole in my top tube bag, that’ll teach me for leaving loose food in it. I enjoyed a snack and drink from the trail magic box on the side of the car park before slowly making my way up the climb.

I was treated to big mountain views at the top. A day rider offered to lube my chain and gave me heaps of encouragement. Further along I leap froggied a thru-hiker, having a lovely chat whenever she passed me pushing my bike up a hill and stoked hype when I flew past on a descent. I also briefly spent some time with Alex, a Durango local on a singlespeed who was sleeping lots and riding/walking fast. He quickly dropped me on the next climb into the infamous Sargents Mesa.

I was prepared for this section to be slow and frustrating but it wasn’t too bad, mostly because I wasn’t trying to move fast through it. I was treated to quite possibly the most stunning sunset I’ve ever seen as I came over the top. After last night’s faff, I was strict with myself that I would stop and sleep as soon as I started getting tired so I found a nice spot at midnight for 4 hours.

Day 5

I got on my way for a few more darkness hours, making it onto the next road detour just after sunrise and rolled through the chilly valley. I finally warmed up on the climb up to the next small pass and shredded the freshly graded dirt road descent. Great fun until I nearly tucked the front wheel in a soft spot. Thanks to press-ups for keeping me upright.

I arrived at Cathedral Cabins where I’d initially not planned on stopping but decided it would be a good mental reset. I heated up a pizza, smashed back a bunch of food and drinks and bought more nice-to-eat snacks. By this point I should have thrown away the food I’d been carrying since the start but I couldn’t bear to waste it.

The cherry on top was meeting bikepacking legend Alexandra Houchin, whose energy was infectious and I left feeling way better about how I was doing. I rode along in a happy haze until I had to dodge a snake on the road, yes I squealed again. Also concerned cos everyone had said they weren’t this high up.

I made good time up to the pass at the end of the road detour and set off along and up the next ridgeline. I was doing a bit better with eating because I’d picked up more suitable foods and, surprise surprise, it made me feel better. Speedy Alex caught up somewhere along here and I appreciated the company for a bit until my body started protesting as the trail went higher. My energy was replaced by dizziness and headaches as darkness set in.

I had a big break to put layers on and ingest some more pizza, looking across the mountains around me, appreciating the landscapes despite the altitude struggles. Things only got worse as the night went on, with dry reaching starting near the highpoint. I didn’t want to sleep this high up but wasn’t making much progress so after the trail descended a bit I scored a quick few hours sleep, budgeting on more later in the night if needed.

Day 6

After 3 hours I got back underway feeling slightly better. It was an eternity until sunrise but I wasn’t tired (falling asleep) so kept trudging along. Saw a big moose crash off into the shrubs as I passed, that was cool.

The sun finally showed up and I could see the mountains surrounding me, such a stunning bit of country. Once things warmed up I found a sunny spot to sit, eat, and take it all in. It was here that my mindset started to change. Up until that night I still felt like I was racing, and was motivated to chase 2nd place and sub-6 days. I was pretty sure I’d ruined all chances of that with how slowly I had moved during the night, and riding through more of this place during the dark just seemed rude. So with this in mind I turned on tour (party) mode. Giving myself permission to stop and look around, hang out with the marmots, and have a big sit down meal in Silverton for lunch. This shedded a lot of stress and I started enjoying my morning, riding some cool downhill, taking my time even more on the ups, and chatting to my marmot mates.

It wasn't long before I was dropping off the appropriately named Stoney Pass and enjoying a flat section next to the river before rolling into Silverton around midday. I was greeted by Artec who had a cheer station outside his house. Unfortunately his cafe recommendation was closed but I found a nice restaurant on the main street and ordered a burger, chips and variety of drinks. I made it through the chips and drinks but after a few bites of burger I was full so got a takeaway bag. I hadn't practised eating at an American restaurant pre race, so the tipping and receipt bit was slightly confusing and stressful. The people next to me were lovely and explained how to do it. 

I went to the supermarket to hunt out some baby food packets but couldn't find any so settled on a few other soft snacks, aware that I was still carrying heaps of food. I conquered the busy main road climb out of town then turned on to the next singletrack section. I was relieved to get away from the cars and the following hours were bliss, awesome flowy singletrack and views.

At dinner time I found a big rock overlooking the valley to park up on and savour my burger, truly appreciating how lucky I was to be out here. I reached the next pass at sunset and while I stopped and did nighttime admin, a good song played through my headphones so I had a wee boogie before dropping into the next valley. I kept going for another few hours, setting up under some pine trees partway up the next climb to get a solid (5 hour) sleep.

Photo: Artec Durham

Day 7

I made my way up the rest of the climb as darkness was replaced with the rising sun and the following hours consisted of more amazing singletrack and stunning views. I had some funny chats with local day riders, one of them didn’t think I’d make it to the finish in Durango that day and warned me about some “gnarly rocky sections” up near the last pass that I’d need to walk down, (cos I was on a loaded xc bike), jokes on him, I rode them.

The last big climb dragged on, especially because I’d run out of food that I wanted to eat, along with the willpower to eat what I still carried. I spent a lot of time taking in the views/catching my breath as the trail went over 3000m for the final time. It served up a series of climbs, and, as beautiful as it was, I was hungry and ready to be done. As I came up to the final pass I was greeted by some ‘trail angels’ from Durango, hanging out with snacks and chats. I spent a long time sitting there eating applesauce until the next rider came along, their arrival giving me the boost I needed, determined to stay ahead.

We had a big descent, then about an hour of climbing before the final descent into Durango. I had fun on the first downhill and entered the climb motivated to get it done, and not be passed by the fella behind. I was still walking most of it but with a purpose I hadn’t had for days. In typical Colorado fashion, a thunderstorm hit partway up, making for a spicy descent as darkness fell. I ran my light on low power so I wouldn’t need to stop and change batteries.

The final pedal along next to the creek seemed to take forever and the adrenaline I’d been running on for the last 3 hours was starting to disappear as I rolled into the car park. I was overwhelmed by cheering from unrecognisable voices, and greeted by a group including Alexandra, Johnny, and 1st and 2nd women Nic and Karin. Food and drinks were pulled out for me and we shared tales from the trail. Oh yeah and I beat the next rider by nearly an hour, I didn’t completely lose my competitiveness out there afterall.

Photos: Alexandra Houchin