trail conditions update...

So I marked most of the course today and rode all of it,

As was expected the trails got a nice covering of snow overnight. Also they have frozen in the last week, which completely eliminated the threat of mud. With that came a few slippery spots, though. The run up near the beginning is going to be a bit of a struggle (but worth the nice single track at the top!) Two normally rideable climbs got a bit more technical because of the hard frozen ground. They will probably now require at least a little bit of walking from most riders, which should help warm the toes back up :)

All in all the course seems even a bit nicer with the cold and snow. Some spots are a bit slower, some are even faster with the frozen ground, but everything is even prettier than before, and the views are even more dramatic with the hills covered in snow.

A couple of short steep or off-camber downhills are pretty slippery (not icy though, just snow covered leaves and roots), and everyone will need to be careful. But they are pretty easy to see from a ways away; so they shouldn't sneak up on you.

We would recommend wearing shoes with metal toe-spikes (if you have them) or at least good traction for the few hike-a-bike spots. It was -7°C; and I was quite warm today, actually (sweating with a thin wool base tshirt + a medium weight long sleeve shirt + a wind proof softshell; single pair of smartwool ski socks + winter bike boots - no shoe covers.)

99% of the course is sheltered from any wind, and our 2 support spot are both out of the wind, too. If you want to bring a small bag with an extra warm layer or jacket to the start, we'll drive it to the finish for you (just put it in a bag that will be easy to pick out of 25 others, ie. no Tesco plastic bags!)

Also bring the widest tires you can with low pressure to maximize traction. If you have studded tires, they certainly wouldn't hurt either :)

Plus I stopped in the hospoda at the airport again today. It's only 450 meters from the finish, well heated by a nice wood stove, with a friendly staff, and they confirmed that they'll have some warm soup or something on Saturday afternoon, if you can stand the outside temperature with us other racers and our fans!

See you soon!

-Cory