Ethan Passant takes second Colorado Trail Race Title

Five locals rally to top 10 finishes

Starting on Monday, August 2 at 6:30 a.m. outside of Denver, Team Alpine Orthopaedics rider Ethan Passant pushed, pedaled and pounded his bike for close to 500 miles and 65,000 vertical feet in four days, 13 hours and 43 minutes to win the 2010 Colorado Trail Race (CTR).

Four other Gunnison Valley riders joined Passant in the CTR event. The 2007 winner and single speeder Jefe Branham came in third place in a time of five days, two hours and 10 minutes. Eszter Horanyi was the first woman, and fourth overall, completing the course in six days, five hours and 25 minutes. Team Brick Oven/Crested Butte Builders was on hand as well with two athletes in the CTR. Team rider Tim Kugler finished in fifth place after six days, eight hours and five minutes in and out of the saddle, and Matt Steinwand rolled across the finish line in sixth place with a time of six days, eight hours and 25 minutes.
Passant is the only person to have competed in all four Colorado Trail Races starting back in 2007; he won the 2008 race as well.
The Colorado Trail Race (CTR) takes endurance mountain bike racing to an entirely surreal level, pushing the envelope for individuals psychologically, physically and metaphysically.
Riders are entirely self-supported from start to finish, carrying everything they need to survive on the bikes or on their back.
They are permitted to make food stops along the way in the towns they ride through, but no food drops or support team stations are allowed.
Organizers refer to the CTR as a “monster.” The course reaches an elevation of 13,200 feet with several long sections above tree line, leaving riders highly exposed to the elements.
This year riders were met with a blast from Mother Nature right from the start. There were occasional breaks in the weather but, for the most part, participants were pounded by the elements the entire time they were on course.
“It wasn’t just sprinkling, it was torrential,” says Passant.
A couple of riders took off from the start but by noon of the first day, Passant was in the lead group with three other riders.
At shorter endurance events, Passant has followed a strategy of redlining and then easing back a half step in his pace. But the CTR demands a different plan all together.
“Don’t sweat, don’t breathe hard, and don’t reach a red line ever,” says Passant. “The more you can conserve early on, the better off you are.”
Later on the first day Passant took over in front and after riding the peaks between Breckenridge and Copper in the rain, he rolled into the base of Copper Ski Area at midnight with fellow racer Jeff Kerkove to find shelter from the storm and a little sleep.
Three-and-a-half hours later, he put all his clothes back on and got back in the saddle bound for Leadville.
“At 3:30 a.m. I had to get up and put all of those wet clothes back on—not cool,” says Passant.
Passant took the lead again and rolled into Leadville in search of food and brake pads. Fortunately, he got both, finding the brake pads he needed at a local bike shop and a sandwich at the Leadville Subway, and set his sights on Buena Vista.
Buena Vista is the last major chance to restock and regroup before a 200-mile section of the course. The siren song of K’s Dairy Delite is hard to resist whether you’re riding or driving through Buena Vista, but Passant has made that mistake before and vowed never to make it again.
“You’ve got a long climb out of Buena Vista and you don’t want that bomb sitting in your stomach,” says Passant.
Instead, he opted for City Market sushi and stocked up on 25 Powerbars, sliced Swiss cheese and salami, two boxes of granola bars, three bags of beef jerky and a pound of salted cashews to carry him through to Silverton. In addition, Passant maintains his strength with the help of sponsor Vespa Power products. Vespa is a Japanese tincture that includes wasp extract.
The rain hit again, and as Passant carried himself up to the Avalanche Trailhead to get back on the Colorado Trail bound for the top of the Continental Divide, things were a bit grim.
“It really started to rain on me and there was horses**t everywhere and the trail turned into a stream of mud,” says Passant. “That was the lowest point for me. It was a frustrating trail because I couldn’t get going.”
But, again, with experience on his side, Passant was well aware of the psychological rollercoaster associated with the race, and pressed on.
With no watch to regiment his sleep by, Passant turned to a sleep plan that got him the rest he needed without giving up too much time to his competitors.
“When I saw the sun was coming up, I would go to sleep and wake up when it hit me,” explains Passant.
The plan gained Passant three hours of sleep early Wednesday morning just before the turn onto the South Fooses Creek trail.
Passant heard the sound of someone going by but stayed in his sleeping bag, knowing there was plenty of race ahead of him.
“I had ridden to the point where I needed sleep,” says Passant. “I knew I had two and a half more days of racing.”
Passant jumped back on his bike that morning and headed into an area he calls “Nowheresville.”
“Nowheresville” consists of hike-a-biking on a disintegrating trail that follows Cochetopa and Sargents Mesas.
He took the lead back on North Pass when his closest competitor folded, letting Passant ride ahead.
Early Thursday morning, Passant was on autopilot as he pressed on toward Slumgullion Pass.