Leadville Big Friggin Loop 2024 September 21st

-Hosted by Rafa The Hispanic Mechanic-

WELCOME TO THE FOURTH EDITION OF THIS GRASSROOTS EPIC!! REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN: GO TO THE REGISTRATION PAGE IF YOU WISH TO ENTER. >>>IT’S FREE AND REQUIRED<<<

-NO MORE THAN 74 PEOPLE ALLOWED FOR THIS EVENT-

This is intended to be a NON-COMMERCIAL, Recreational-Use Activity that is held on parts of USFS lands in compliance with USFS Special Use Rules and Regulations.

Please make sure to read all rules for this.  You will need to be self-sufficient in order to complete the established course.  IN THE SPIRIT OF HONOR SYSTEM,SELF SUPPORTED ETHOS,YOU ARE EXPECTED TO MANAGE YOUR RIDE ON YOUR OWN. The rules are located HERE.

When: >>>>SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21st<<<<

What: Singletrack and Gravel mix, high elevation, back country self supported endurance epic within the San Isabel and White River National Forests.

Registration starts at 5:00 AM @ Leadvelo Bicicasa 719 Harrison Ave. in downtown Leadville. Neutral roll out at 5:30 AM !!

Finish:  TBA

IMPORTANT: All riders are required to submit proof of their ride afterwards (Strava,etc) to ensure the course was followed correctly by posting a “reply” on the main page with a link or screenshot.

Navigation: The recommended way to navigate the route is using a device for following a GPS track. The course is NOT MARKED. The GPX file is HERE. Please holler with questions/feedback about the file by leaving a message (reply) below.

Course description in a nutshell: Figure 8 loop starting and finishing in downtown Leadville with around 115 miles and 15,000+ft of climbing. This course goes above tree line 3 different times in the first 20 miles… and the last third leg of it incorporates the entire segment 8 of the Colorado trail from Copper to Tennessee Pass. Not recommended for riders looking to try out these type of events for the first time. Quite possibly the only event harder than LBFL you can sign up for that is not a bike packing race is the legendary Vapor Trail 125. There are two resupply spots along the way,first in Red Cliff and second in Copper. There are also ample opportunities for filtering water. (*make sure to read the relevant info about water on the course below!) We will make an effort to have a neutral potlock style neutral aid station at about mile 35 again for this year for a total of 3 re-supply options.

Relevant bits:

Resupplying: First chance to resupply (second IF we have the aid station at Wurst Ditch / mi 35) is in the town of Red Cliff at the Green Bridge Provisions convenience store part of the Green Bridge Inn; open from 8am to 8 pm daily. There’s also Mango’s restaurant catty corner from the Green Bridge Inn if a real meal is what you need to keep you going.

Second resupply is at Copper/i70 at the Conoco Gas Station at the junction of i70 and Hwy91 and Camp Hale coffee shop housed in the same building. Convenience store is open 7 to 7 daily but the coffee shop closes at 3pm so most likely only the lead group of riders may make it in. Riders may resupply anywhere in Copper Mountain they please so long as everyone starts on the CT segment 8 from the beginning on Highway 91.

Water filtering: The course goes by water sources several times throughout the day often enough that hydration should not be an issue. IMPORTANT: Avoid filtering in the immediate Leadville vicinity as most water sources may be potentially laden with toxic stuffs that no commercial water filter can remove. A pretty safe bet is to take a look at a good topo map such as Latitude 40 Summit County Trails which includes most of the course and pay attention at the X’s on the map depicting mining sites. If you see lots of these black X’s, particularly above the water source, better skip it!

Parking/Camping: There is free parking behind the Tabor Opera House on the south end of Harrison Ave. as well as along Harrison Ave. itself. Do not park at the visitor center as they have a limit of a couple hours only. For camping close to downtown there’s plenty options on the east side of town up 5th and 7th streets with an easy 2-3 mile downhill coasting into town.

Short days and alpine endings: With the nature of this course and this late in the season it is of paramount importance to plan carefully. Lights may be needed to safely make it to the end. That said,after gauging what time you find yourself in Copper VS how you’re feeling at that point, make the decision to commit to climb that high and that remote that late in the day by jumping on the Colorado Trail. Hopefully it being mid/late September the chance for afternoon storms will be quite lower. Heck,at that time of year a surprise snow dusting is even a possibility… If bailing out is the safer,soundest option,the lake County Link bus coming out of Frisco does stop at Copper’s East Village at 6:00pm but only has a rack for two bikes. Better have a back up plan.

PLEASE USE THE REGISTRATION PAGE IF YOU WISH TO ENTER.