2013 Park City Point to Point Preview

The 2013 Park City Point to Point is this Saturday!  Are you ready?  Before you answer, you might ask yourself a few questions:

1. Have you trained hard enough?  
2. Have you rested enough? 
3. Is your bike dialed in and ready for 75 miles of rugged Park City trails at endurance race pace?
4. Have you recently put air in your spare tube to verify that it still holds air?  
5. Are you prepared for Mother Nature if she releases her wrath in the form of a hail-producing thunderstorm of biblical proportions? (That means really fucking scary shit)  
6. Have you washed the funk out your hydration bladders recently? (Recently is not 3 months ago) 

If you answered yes to all of the above, you may proceed to the "Course Preview" section of this post.  There are a few changes in store for us in 2013.  On paper, the 2013 race got a little easier...4 miles shorter with 814' less climbing.  We will find out this Saturday exactly how much easier it will truly be.  Will this translate into 15', 20', or 30' faster finishing times?   

Let's break it on down, shall we?

NOTE: In all maps below, the 2013 course is shown in RED and the 2012 course is shown in YELLOW.  Where the two courses remains the same, yellow is overlaid on top of red. 

Round Valley:

The Round Valley section is unchanged for 2013.  However, we never actually got to race the Round Valley section in 2012 due to heavy rain the morning of the race.  I did pre-ride Round Valley last year and I thought this section flowed really well and allowed for more passing than previous years.  Nice!

Round Valley Loop

Round valley to Pipeline Climb:
This section is also unchanged for 2013.  This is also where the course begins to noticeable go up!

Round Valley to Pipeline

Pipeline to Deer Valley Feed Zone:
Here we find the first changes to the 2013 course. A nasty climb up Devo and Little Stick has been eliminated and we simply go up Pipeline to Outlook to Deer Crest.  We don't lose a lot of mileage here but the trail that was eliminated was pretty steep.

Pipeline to Deer Valley Feed Zone

Deer Valley Feed Zone to TG Water Station:
There are BIG changes to this section in 2013. In 2012, this section was the cause of many racers going off course due to a confusing turn at the bottom of Boulder before Team Big Bear.  Also gone for 2013 is Bow Hunter.  I understand the logistical challenges with using Bow Hunter but I am still bummed it is no longer part of the race. I love that bumpy primitive trail with great views.

Deer Valley to TG

TG Water Station to Empire Link:
Holy Shake-up Batman! This section is very different in 2013.  According to Jay Burke, we are in for a treat as the new route flows extremely well.  I have never ridden Corvair or Sam's so I am looking forward to some new hotness!  On paper, we gain a little mileage here.

TG Water Station to Empire Link

Empire Link to Apex Climb:
This section will deliver the same ass-whoopin' as all previous versions of this race.  No changes for 2013.

Keystone to CMG descent:
The high point of the course returns in 2013 and this section is unchanged. Woohoo!  I love the Shadow Lake Loop as long as I have taken care of myself well enough to enjoy it when I get there.

Keystone to Shadow Lake to CMG descent

Park City Feed Zone to Mid Mountain Trail:
Jay Burke really stirred things up with this section in 2013. One of the hallmark "kick-to-the-nuts" sections of the PCPP, Spiro trail, is gone for 2013.  The Armstrong Trail replaces Spiro and gains the same elevation in a kinder, gentler fashion on our way up to the Mid Mtn Trail.

Park City Feed Zone to Mid Mtn

The Finale - Mid Mountain Trail to the FINISH:
Oh, you thought you were done climbing? Not so fast my friend.  You are about to get "Ambushed"! After descending Rob's Trail and hearing the finish line festivities from Rosebud's Heaven, you still have to climb Ambush (away from the Canyons!) before descending Holly's to the finish line.  This section is unchanged for 2013 and makes for a great finale to a great race.

The Finale

The Profile:
You have to look pretty close to notice the differences.

2012 vs. 2013 Elevation Profiles

One thing is sure to be unchanged in 2013:  We are in for a great event!  The crew behind the scenes at the Park City Point to Point know how to put on a great event and every year they seem to take it up a notch.