'10 Spring Update
Nothing like starting the year off with a bang and heading west to the desert for a spring near-hundred miler. Other than only getting ~3-1/2 hours of sleep the night before the ride, this was the smoothest trip yet. Sans the accidents due to weather on the e-way through the mountains.
After rolling solo to Denver, I met Scott and Shawn for the drive out to Moab. Slight delays had us rolling into town at 11pm and staring down a 4am alarm.
The route is one big loop- heading west out of town on the 'old highway' and returning to town on Potash Road. Rolling out the group split with Shawn in the lead group and Scott and I falling into much more 'tourly' paced group. Scott's leaky bladder happening while it was still dark about an hour in ensured he would be having a solo ride. On the Bar-M trails we picked up Shawn after he fell off the lead group due to lighting. Up and down the lumpy and bumpy of Sovereign, Seven Mile Rim, Deal Breaker and Gemini Bridges, we went for quite some time until Shawn decided to test his restless legs and motor off the front of the group somewhere on Metal Masher. We never saw him again. Gold Bar was a slow creep to get to the top, setting up a bit of hike-a-bike across some sections traversing Poison Spider Mesa. A quick drop down off the mesa to Potash Road and we were pacelining back to town but still not making it before dark.
Ahh, it felt good to stretch the legs, ride some trails and redeem a failed effort to complete the loop last year.
The group I would finish with- Marko, Fred and Jim.
View from Seven Mile Rim. The route touches all the rims you can see on the right side of the picture as we head back toward town.
Looking west from Gold Bar Rim. You can see the 'old highway' path we started out on next to the highway below.
Almost to town, somewhere along Poison Spider Mesa.
14:30.
Sunday we hit up Amasa Back.
Awesome view from the rim.
Shawn back-dropped by desert and alpine. Too bad my bike was in the way.
Scotty enjoys the view from the top.
Granny grind back to the car.
Well, not much more to report. Next up some TT/XC action, gearing up for the Cheq100 and probably a s24o or two thrown in for good measure.
After rolling solo to Denver, I met Scott and Shawn for the drive out to Moab. Slight delays had us rolling into town at 11pm and staring down a 4am alarm.
The route is one big loop- heading west out of town on the 'old highway' and returning to town on Potash Road. Rolling out the group split with Shawn in the lead group and Scott and I falling into much more 'tourly' paced group. Scott's leaky bladder happening while it was still dark about an hour in ensured he would be having a solo ride. On the Bar-M trails we picked up Shawn after he fell off the lead group due to lighting. Up and down the lumpy and bumpy of Sovereign, Seven Mile Rim, Deal Breaker and Gemini Bridges, we went for quite some time until Shawn decided to test his restless legs and motor off the front of the group somewhere on Metal Masher. We never saw him again. Gold Bar was a slow creep to get to the top, setting up a bit of hike-a-bike across some sections traversing Poison Spider Mesa. A quick drop down off the mesa to Potash Road and we were pacelining back to town but still not making it before dark.
Ahh, it felt good to stretch the legs, ride some trails and redeem a failed effort to complete the loop last year.
The group I would finish with- Marko, Fred and Jim.
View from Seven Mile Rim. The route touches all the rims you can see on the right side of the picture as we head back toward town.
Looking west from Gold Bar Rim. You can see the 'old highway' path we started out on next to the highway below.
Almost to town, somewhere along Poison Spider Mesa.
14:30.
Sunday we hit up Amasa Back.
Awesome view from the rim.
Shawn back-dropped by desert and alpine. Too bad my bike was in the way.
Scotty enjoys the view from the top.
Granny grind back to the car.
Well, not much more to report. Next up some TT/XC action, gearing up for the Cheq100 and probably a s24o or two thrown in for good measure.
posted by JimL at 8:10 PM
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