Salida Big Friggin Loop 2021

-Hosted by Rafa The Hispanic Mechanic-

***Thanks Tom for your efforts to keep grassroots endurance racing real all these years of SBFL!!***

BIG THANK YOU TO ALL SBFL 2020 PARTICIPANTS for coping with the date change and other last minute stuffz; we had us a successful race and as far as I know no major hiccups and very few DNF’s. We’re sorting out the results and will be posted soon. In the meantime, if you know or think you placed top 5-ish please submit a link to your Strava or equivalent by leaving a “reply” on the registration page.

I was a dingus and should’ve had them stickers at registration so that everyone who showed up got one… oh,well. I’d love to get them to you tho, just text me your address (719) 221 0205 I’ll include a sticker from the highest bike shop in the USA too! (or stop by LeadVelo next time you come thru Leadville) I’m sure I’ll see some of you at other events later this season. Cheers, Rafa.

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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.  This is fully UNSUPPORTED and you will need to be self-sufficient in order to complete this.  The rules are located HERE.

When: >>>>SUNDAY JUNE 7TH<<<<

What: Singletrack and Gravel mix, high elevation, back country self supported endurance epic. Ride the base loop or the long loop. The long loop passes through the ghost town of Futurity (with brief hike-a-bike).

Registration starts at 6:00 AM @ Cafe Dawn, 122 E. 1st St. in downtown Salida. After registering and grabbing espresso, snacks, etc. all riders must go over to Riverside Park for our socially distanced roll out at 6:30 AM !!

This way participants are still able to access caffeine,carbs,restrooms,etc. but then wait until roll out at a much bigger space easily keeping safe distances but still able to catch up with old friends for a few or meet new like minded riders.

When in Buena Vista: Our friends at Black Burro Bikes will host a neutral aid station; they are located at 807 South Main.

Finish:   Benson’s Tavern at 128 N. F st. in downtown Salida. Record your finish time and reflect on your own mortality with a cold one.

What else will be different this time around?? Cafe Dawn is requiring masks inside their building so let’s please respect that; also: they are opening a full hour earlier just for us so please support them if possible. Mask wearing highly recommended at the start on Riverside Park, Let’s show Salida we visit and support their town in a respectful manner.

Out on the Course: Avoid drafting and passing on single track sections. You may feel fine doing it but the rider you’re passing may not. So this year more than ever it is crucial to place yourselves based on your abilities/experience level early on before we get into the Colorado Trail.

Lastly: All riders will be required to submit a screenshot of their ride afterwards (Strava,etc) to ensure the race course was followed correctly.

Navigation: The files below may not work for everyone but both base loop and long loop courses are available on MTB Project which can be used for navigation but riders may still need to record their ride on Strava or somfin to submit after the race.

GPS Route:  The long loop is 104.8 miles with 12,422 ft of climbing. LONG LOOP GPX HERE. The base route is 89.3 miles with 10,526 ft of climbing. BASE ROUTE GPX HERE. For Garmin Edge users, BASE ROUTE CRS FILE and LONG ROUTE CRS FILE.

Once again for 2020 you will have the Cottonwood Singletrack Option! Here is the GPX for Cottonwood to Salida from the route (here is the CRS version). The Beasway trail links CR175 (the gravel road into town at the end of the SBFL) to Rhumba Trail to Cottonwood Gulch. It will be an option, not required for a finish. The turn is a mere 7 miles from the finish, 20 minutes or less of coasting downhill. Instead, you’ll be riding singletrack that could take as long as 2 hours to complete (more likely closer to 90 minutes). You will get a 100 minute premium if you ride the Cottonwood option, but be aware, it is a technical trail. You will probably be kind of tired, so choose wisely when it’s time to decide on taking the option or just rolling for another 20 minutes with minimal effort.

Course Description:  We will ride south on G Street to turn right on 3rd, staying left on westbound 3rd Street to Poncha Blvd, to CR140, to CR250. We will be branching left on 252 up to Blanks Cabin/Mt Shavano TH. Ride north on the Colorado Trail all the way to Cottonwood Creek, then down into Buena Vista at the half-way point where you can restock with food and water. Then we head into the Arkansas Hills via the Midland Trail. At the end of the Midland, climb Shields Gulch to the Lenhardy Cutoff.

From there:

The Base Loop will go up Lenhardy to the intersection with McGee Gulch, down McGee to Hwy 24 to a straight crossing and up the Mushroom Gulch Road, up the Castle Rock Gulch Road, crossing Bassam Park to Aspen Ridge. Here is a cue sheet for the base loop from BV to Salida in pdf format.

The Long Loop will continue up Lenhardy Cutoff to Chubb Park and then Trout Creek Pass. Then it will descend Mushroom Gulch and briefly join the base route. Then it will climb up to an intersection of roads call Black Dumps, then up to Futurity. After Futurity it will rejoin the base route. From that point both routes head over Aspen Ridge, and down Ute Trail into Salida.

PLEASE NOTE:  The recommended way to navigate the route(s) is using a device for following a GPS track! The course is NOT MARKED. The first half following the Colorado Trail is pretty obvious, since you are following the Colorado Trail. But after you leave Buena Vista you will be following a course that can be confusing. Especially the long loop is particularly difficult to know. I strongly recommend not attempting the long loop without a GPS that you have used before. I have provided a cue sheet for only the base loop from Buena Vista to Salida, for those who intend to ride with no GPS or to use as a backup to get back to Salida in the event that your GPS malfunctions.

PLEASE USE THE REGISTRATION PAGE IF YOU WISH TO ENTER.