Western Spirit Cycling

This trip has been a dream of ours for quite some time. Imagine having Yellowstone National Park virtually ALL to ourselves?! Well, OK - there will be a few other visitors, but nothing like high season. We’ll be road riding through the park in late May, or perhaps September when the snows are gone, but the temps nice and cool. Yeah you might need your arm warmers and booties, but the reward is very little traffic and incredible wildlife sightings.

We’ll be staying in the grand historic hotels of the park, so hot showers after the rides are definitely part of the program. Milages range from 30 to 50 miles each day and elevations are from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. Will this be the year you do a Yellowstone National Park Bike Tour? Lets hope so!

Thinking of coming to Moab to do some mountain biking?  Think no more.  Just do it.  Spring is springing and it’s time to get on a bicycle and feel the air on your skin.  Carpe Diem!  Why leave till tomorrow what you can do today?  Being happy is a way to be wise.  If you only do what you know you can do - you never do much.  Laugh as much as you breath and love as long as you live.

Have you bought your plane ticket yet?  Are you in your car yet?  Come to the home of Western Spirit Cycling and enjoy some world class mountain biking - Moab style.  See you soon!

How bad can life be if you get paid to go ride some killer singletrack?  I ask myself that everyday.  I am actually pretty darn fortunate to work as a guide for Western Spirit Cycling Adventures — I go to spectacular riding venues and my guests are always happy to see me b/c they are on vacation, I cook for them and keep their beer cold!

My first trip of the season will be at the end of March in Tucson, AZ, on our Sonoran Desert Tour.  This will be my first time there, so I am learning the trip under the tutelage of veteran guides Scott and Rachel.  I’m told the riding will be super fun — a mix of loose, rocky terrain; a flume trail; some rolling climbs — just what the doctor ordered!  Hopefully there will also be some time to train for the Western Spirit Bikini Team.  However, great caution will be taken when riding between the saguaros and cholla.  Any loud exclamations of “ooopsie” will likely be coming from my mouth.

Highlighted on this tour are the AZ Trail, Fantasy Island, and the Link Trail.  These are some of the best trails in the region and will be sure to please all.  Nothing like swooping and zooming, rock hopping and kicking it.  So, if Clint Eastwood asked me do I feel lucky? my Magic 8 Ball and I would not hesitate to respond: without a doubt.

There I was: in the office. I was supposed to be working on the budget the other day…sound familiar???…and I couldn’t keep my brain from daydreaming about going on a bike ride. So, what does any logical employee do?

I quietly closed the doors to the office, opened up my internet browser, and googled “Mountain Biking Video White Rim”.

To my surprise, the Western Spirit White Rim video was #3 in the google search! I went to our site and watched all five White Rim videos. It was awesome. I then proceeded to watch some other videos on our site. I got it out of my system and went straight back to work. I swear.

Yeah, so it may be the middle of winter still and Independence Pass may have just gotten another 24″ of snow, but I’ve got a brand new $8,000 15lb Specialized road bike just waiting to be broken in!

While all of the above is true, the reason I’m writing about road biking in February is because the season is almost upon us. Really. Last week I rode twice. In shorts. Ok, so two days later it was snowing, but we’ve definitely turned the corner here in Moab and you can feel the sun rays becoming a little more intense as the weeks go by. This weekend is Poison Spider & Yeti Bike’s annual Spring Thaw event -which is the 1st kickoff event for the local cycling community. Organized rides, parties and more await the eager riders who give up powder skiing this time of year for some early season miles. Next up is our Skinny Tire Fest in less than a month and after that, it’s game on. Onto the professional scene we’ve got the annual Tour of Califonia starting up this weekend as well. Some of the best professional road teams in the world will converge for what’s promising to be one of the best stage races we’ve seen stateside - possibly ever. With Lance making his comeback with team Astana, and the best of team CSC coming over to compete, there’s sure to be some quality action.

Which brings me back to riding road bikes up high passes in the Rocky Mountains. Is there anything better in the whole USA? Tough question, but I know that come July, one of the funnest things you can do is be on one of our Rocky Mountain Loop road tours in the heart of Colorado’s Elk Mountains. The route was handpicked by yours truly after living in Crested Butte for eight years. It’s combines some of the most challenging climbs with some of the most beautiful scenic byways the whole state has to offer. We stay in an eclectic mix of lodging that’s comfortable and affordable but not overly pampered. The riding is first on the agenda with the wine, cheese & shopping coming in behind. Doing it in July (during Le Tour) is extra fun because every morning before riding, or every evening after riding you can tune into the Versus network for a little extra “motivation” from the guys over in France. Watching Lance do battle with the best of the rest makes you go just a little harder when you’re on your own little vision quest later that afternoon.

This year Western Spirit has one date July 13th-17th with space still available and I’m pretty sure it’s the same week the Tour de France stages go right through the Alps. There’s other dates available as well, so check with our office, but if you want a solid challenge with 4,000-7,000′ of climbing/day over 50-90 miles, then check out ourwebsite for a detailed itinerary.

I really do think that corporate retreats are worth the money.   There is just something about spending time with co-workers away from work that can change your perspective not only about that person, but about the work itself.  People actually do get to know each other in non-work settings and that leads to easier communication.  And of course, the more smooth the communication, the more efficient the organization.

Western Spirit has done dozens of corporate retreats in the great outdoors. We have done multi-sport events where we stay in hotels and do different activities each day, from hiking to golf to kayaking, in addition to biking. We have also done camping trips way out there in the backcountry under the stars away from the grid.  Out there by the campfire, people can actually talk. On this type of corporate retreat more bonding happens in three days than would happen in three weeks in Las Vegas. (Oooo that is a scary image!)

I am working on a few itineraries right now, one here in Moab, one in Jackson, and one in Sun Valley. I think they will all be fun and productive, not to mention down right cheap. They will definitely be much less expensive than renting 10 floors of the Winn Hotel—is that what Wells Fargo had reserved in Vegas before their shareholders had a fit?  Maybe they could have gotten away with it if they had been planning something more down to earth.

Ashley

Check this out! It is a page posted by IMBA, and it defines singletrack and its importance…and it made me drool today…I just want to GET OUT THERE!

The Importance of Singletrack

If you haven’t checked out Bike Mag for March 09 you need to jump on your bike right now and buzz on down to the newstand and get yourself one.  Seriously; stop reading this and GO!!  Allez, allez.

Just looking at the pictures has been enough to get me salivating for my springtime riding.  Another best thing about checking out the best rides in the best bike ‘zine is knowing that we at Western Spirit ride on almost every trail described in the issue on one of our trips.  We are talking hassle free, week long riding on the best trail EVER!  And when I say ‘ever’ we all know it really means: ’so far’.  And as the new best trails come into view you know that Western Spirit will be there re-conning the best flow, getting all the permit paperwork lined up and getting a new ride out there for ya’ll.

Dude’s, I am sooo pumped right now!  Can’t wait for the snow to thaw.  See you out there on the best trails- I’ll be the one with the best smile.

Best,

Sheri

Have you ever waited 9 months for something? A bike trip? A baby?!?!?

I am getting anxious. My baby is due in 2 weeks, and I won’t be on a bike trip for another year at least. Right now my world is full of brand new diaper bags, changing pads, onesies, reusable diapers, and waiting.

Is there such a thing as ‘waiting-phobia’? You know, the fear of waiting? I ask because I have been waiting so long that I fear I might fear waiting from now on!

Otherwise, my desk is temporarily distracted with payroll, taxes, and budgeting!