THE 3rd Annual, Unofficial, Unorganized, Rocky Mountain MonkeyButt 500 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pablo83]

This first post will get lots of updates over the next couple of months...
The Basics:

Dates: August 10th-12th

Requirements to join the ride:

1) Lots of riding experience
If you haven't tried a ride like this before, try riding BreckTrek first. If you can COMPLETE BreckTrek, then you're ready to try the MB500.

2) Membership to COHVCO
Last year we gave more options, but COHVCO does much more to keep Colorado trails open than any other group. I still support all the other trail groups, but COHVCO membership is required this year.

3) Trail work
Find a local trail work day, or gather some buddies help fix our trails. Spring is a great time to go our an remove downed trees.

4) An appropriate bike
The most important aspects of you bike are that they need to be Plated and have a Functional Headlight. By “functional headlight” I mean you need to be able to ride unfamiliar technical trails at night.

MB500 History:
2010 - http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=534143
2011 - http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=651369

FAQ

What is your failure rate on people that start and not finish and is this just a group of friends that ride?
How do meals work?
What supplies should I bring on my bike?
What kind of camping gear should I bring?
I hear there are a lot of flat tires on this ride, what can I do to prevent them?

Route:

When I say something is "new", it's just new for the MB, not newly created trails. More trails are getting shut down than opening, which is why we'll be requiring membership to COHVCO.

ST=singletrack

Day one:
717 trails, Tarryall trails (new), 15 miles of asphalt on Hwy 285 from Como to Fairplay, Sheep Mtn ST, (new, 12,000 ft elev), TBD, Four Mile (maybe 1425 ST and Chinaman), Tincup Pass, Timberline ST (all of it). Camp near the end of Timberline. 220 miles (I don't have complete tracks, so it will actually be longer). Day one will be no joke.

Day Two:
Doctor's Park ST (14 miles), Deadmans Gulch ST (new), Block and Tackle ST (new), Pearl Pass (new, 12,000 ft), Express Creek (new), Taylor Pass (new), and some other new singletrack that I can't remember what it's called (new). Camp in either Pitkin or Ohio City. 100 miles, this may seem short, but we only have about 5 miles of non-technical trail, so this will be a real workout.

Day Three:
Quartz Creek ST (new, 12,000 ft), Canyon Creek ST, Wanita ST, Quakey Mtn ST, Agate Cr ST, Crest ST, Poncha Creek, Rainbow Trail ST to Salida, CR53, 39 mile mtn, 717, Woodland Park. 172 miles, lots of unscouted sections so it will be a real adventure.

[MountainsandRivers]

In!

[Raul Duke]

Out.






Just kidding.

[Sir Denis Eton-Hogg]

Lbw

[MountainsandRivers]

Lotsa Badass Woodsriding? Yep...otherwise, I'm lost, whatcha mean?

[Raul Duke]

How about....

Laser Beam Welding?

Leg Before Wicket?

Lil’ Bow Wow?

Little Baby Wanda?

Lord Browne-Wilkinson?

Low Birth Weight?

Lutheran Book of Worship?

[mylsmkj]

Love Beautiful Women
Launch Before Winter (Good advise for you, that ride would be challenging in snow)

I'm tired I give up.

[MountainsandRivers]

Lesbian Box Wrestling?
Leprechaun Beach Wear?
Linny Brings Whiskey?
Lonely Beached Whale?

Love Ballis-Tech Wear? Isn't that our new clothing sponsor for the ride?

Lovely Ball Washing?

Ok, i'm still confused...not a big surprise!
So, Pablo, give us a a few hints at what hides behind door number 1 this year? is it a later start date? Does it involve the mythical, elusive Pearl? All of Rainbow?

Will Tiko schedule his pills this year so it doesn't fall on his time of the month so he can make it?

Will Raul find some new improved tube setup that can handle high speed flat roads?

I am mentally ready for more abuse. I promise i will actually check the clutch fluid this year before starting. Still working on the ankle, but it should be good enough by then, plus i don't plan on falling this year!

If you can't tell, been looking forward to this, such a brutally awesome suffer fest!

[Sir Denis Eton-Hogg]

Come on Lads, Leg before Wicket

In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket (LBW) is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances^[1] which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body (usually the leg) when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's wicket (here referring to the stumps and bails). The LBW rule is designed to prevent a batsman simply using his body to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket (and so avoid being bowled out) rather than using his bat to do so.
LBW is commonly referred to as the most complicated rule in the sport

[MountainsandRivers]

Well cheerio mate! Problem is, there are no rules in Monkeybutting and we bring home our dead..closer to a rugby team than cricket! But have no fear, we will have a good piss on ya anyway!

[Pablo83]

Originally Posted by MountainsandRivers

So, Pablo, give us a a few hints at what hides behind door number 1 this year?

This years route will be counterclockwise with more elevation. We should get above 12,000 ft every day (Sheep Mtn, Pearl Pass, Granite Mtn), Timberline start to finish, but in the opposite direction that we've done it in the past. 717 in daylight on the way out and again at night on the way back.

Originally Posted by MountainsandRivers

is it a later start date?

Yes, probably August but I need to get the West Fest dates finalized first.

Originally Posted by MountainsandRivers

Does it involve the mythical, elusive Pearl?

Yes, which is why I'm pushing it back to August. This means our days will be shorter, so we'll be doing more night riding than normal.

Originally Posted by MountainsandRivers

All of Rainbow?

I wish, but I don't see that happening considering the rest of the route. In fact there will be less Rainbow that previous years.

[MountainsandRivers]

whoa, that's like a mind blower right there! Backwards? so we will be doing Timberline in the easier direction, and i can see what 717 actually looks like in the daytime. Cool! Are you planning to go out as far as Westcliffe and up Schultz (i'm game but that would suck if towards the end of the day) or would the route be more of a central out and back? A night time descent down Captain Jacks would be pretty cool, in my opinion, but i am up for whatever you want to throw at us really, just morbidly curious!
Went skiing yesterday for the first time, calling it rehab! Sore but happy!

[Pablo83]

No Jacks or Tanner this year. To access those trails I think they require too much time on wide open dirt roads in 100 degree heat. I'm pretty much taking out all of day one and in it's place we will have an extra day loop in Taylor park consisting of Doctor's Gulch (what we tried to do in the dark last year), Deadmans Gulch, Block and Tackle, Pearl Pass, Express Creek, Taylor Pass... Hell, let me see if I can put this whole thing together for you...

[Pablo83]

717 trails, Tarryall trails (new), 15 miles of asphalt on Hwy 285 from Como to Fairplay (sorry Colin, I can't find any way around it), Sheep Mtn ST, (new, awesome, 12,000 ft elev), ???, Four Mile (maybe 1425 ST and Chinaman), Hancock Pass, Timberline ST (all of it). Camp near the end of Timberline.

NOTE: when I say something is "new", it's just new for the MB, not newly created trails. More trails are getting shut down than opening, which is why we'll be requiring membership to COHVCO. ST=singletrack

[Pablo83]

The “???” in Day One is the last section of the route that I need to work out. I need to find the best route from Weston Pass (east or west side, it doesn’t matter) to Johnson’s Corner (next to BV). If anyone thinks they know a good route, I’m all ears. Or, if you don’t know one, but want to go try and find one for me, I’m cool with that.

I’ll probably have Bobby scout out that route. Speaking of Bobby…