Western Spirit Cycling

While fully half of the country is still shoveling out from last weeks snowstorms it seems Spring has finally arrived here in Moab. I’ve been wrong about this before, but I think we had three consecutive days that broke into the 40’s! Roadies we’re out in full force over the weekend and friends from Colorado have started to call for weather reports. While the pumptrack is still a bit too muddy, Kip & I brought out the trail a long for to test it’s mudbog capabilities down Mulberry Lane over the wknd. The results were surprisingly positive, but I’m glad we had fenders and ditch boots on.

Since early December it’s felt more like Gunnison, CO than Moab, UT. It’s been such a cold & snowy winter in fact in the Moab valley that folks are really going to get after it as soon as the sun comes out in full force. I think it will be hard to keep us here in the office when spring fever really hits. Good thing I got that new smartphone.

One of the more exciting things that all this snow will bring is an awesome Spring wildflower display. If you can’t wait until it happens in the Moab area, check out our Tucson based Sonoran Desert Tours in mid March. http://www.westernspirit.com/tripinfo.cfm?id=1198805643203 Super fun singletrack on the Arizona trail with blooming cacti everywhere! What’s not to like about that? The 1st two leave on 3/15 & then again on 3/22. The last one 3/29-4/2 is a family itinerary so grab the kids and come on down.

It’s that time of year again where Western Spirit sells off their fleet of bikes. For this year it’s not just the mountain bikes either. It’s our entire lineup of Specilized’s incredibly popular Roubaix road bikes as well as many of our kids bikes - all which are in top notch shape.

A used bike is one of the best investments you can make. They’re watched over by our trained guides all season and babied compared to all other rentals out there. All that and at a fraction of what you would pay at retail.

After the season is over our ace mechanic goes through each and every bike with a fine toothed brush, bringing them all up to snuff before boxing them up and shipping them to your doorstep. If you’re not 100% completely psyched (which you will be) all you have to do is send it back to us within a week for a full refund.

These are the same bikes that consistently rank #1 in not only virtually all of the cycling publications, but in such non-biased periodicals as Popular Mechanics and Consumer Reports.

They’re priced to sell, so they’re going to go fast this year. Call us for more details and to reserve yours today. Or if you’re in Moab this fall, stop by to pick yours up in person and save $50!

http://www.westernspirit.com/used-specialized-mountain-bikes.html

Wow- Can’t believe it’s been over a month since the BC Bike Race wrapped up. Since then I’ve “participated” in BIKE Week, sat on the beach for a week with family, held down the office for almost 3 weeks and most recently just got back from guiding a Colorado Singletrack trip. Now it’s back to Moab to endure the dog days of summer. “How can you live in Moab during July & August?” my Crested Butte friends ask me. Well my friends, you have to be smart. And well hydrated. I think I have about a dozen water bottles strewn about my office, garage, truck etc. Basically any time I feel even remotely thirsty, I can reach for some type of liquid. H2O & gatoraide are probably my two favorites, but I’ll mix up a high tech Clif recovery drink if I’ve gone out for more than a couple of hours.

To answer those CB folks with more detail, I guess I would say that you need to be flexible. Flexible as in getting up @ 6am to ride before work, or to not ride at all if it’s in the triple digits. Swimming is a lovely option for a little exercise (and refreshment) during the heat of the day. Triathalete, I’ll never be, but I’ve been known to ride 10 miles out to Ken’s Lake on the road bike, swim for 20 minutes and ride back in to work during a lunch break. If the 9-5 thing wasn’t part of the equation the logical fun hog would go up to the La Sals to ride the beautiful singletrack 5,000′ above town. Burro Pass to Shuman’s, Moonlight Meadows, The Trans La Sal Trail  - just a few of the classics you can attempt if you’ve got the better part of the day. The temps are at least 20 degrees cooler and the mountain streams, aspen trees and wildflowers make it worth the drive. If it were not for the LaSals it would be pretty hard to make it through the summer months here in town.

After all that fun is over, one of the best parts of Moab in summertime is the outside cocktail hours and late night dinners. When it’s still in the 70’s at 9pm you can relax on the porch in short sleeves mix up an icy cold G & T and enjoy the comfortable evening temps - while your CB friends are bundled up in their down sweaters. Checkmate.

So while I’m looking forward to the cooler temps of September, I’m in no rush to lose those delicious heirloom tomatoes, fresh organic peaches and warm summer nights that only the dog days of summer can deliver.

So after a heinous flight from Moab to DIA with the “bag at the ready” and an aborted landing, I finally made it to Canada. Only problem was my bike & gear ended up in San Fran. WTF?! United… I guess the measly $30 charge for my oversize XL bike was too good to be true, so I had to pay up somehow.

Thankfully the good folk at Vancouver International tracked it down and got it to me here at the host hotel in time for a quick build and short shakedown ride in Stanley Park before handing it off again to be “checked in”. After transferring gear from one Dakine bag to the new Dakine BCBR bag I was ready to exhale and go find some grub. Unlike most other race venues, the BC Bike Race is one host city you can comfortly indulge in the freshest sushi the night before a big race and still sleep soundly. With a few pints of Stella to wash things down and a fat dessert to top it off I’m finally ready to tackle the north Shore course of Day # 1 tomorrow.

Not sure if I’ll get any other chances to blog during the week, but rest assured, the fine folks at bcbikerace.com will have you covered with race results and beautiful photos of this special part of Canada. By next Sunday, 4th of July, we’ll be up in Whistler toasting another journey complete. The forecast looks good, the legs are (over)rested and the S-works Stumpy is GTG. The rest is up to me.

Wish me luck. Over & out

sevy

Happy 2nd day of summer !

Can’t believe it’s been so long since any posts! WTF?!!! I guess we’ve all been super busy around Western Spirit World HQ’S. Ain’t that the truth. Late May into June has been a whirlwind of wrapping up Canyonlands season and getting everything in place for our busy summer season.

Take last week for example. Three different rigs getting ready to leave Moab for almost 3 months. Besides the obvious rig with tents, coolers stoves, groovers, etc. we need to rig for our satellite locations spread out over the west. That means getting hundreds of water bottles, Western Spirit Cycling tee shirts & of course our lovely Western Spirit coffee mugs into the trucks, vans & trailers getting set to go. Not to mention any number of our 80 plus strong fleet of rental bikes. Logistics…. that’s the name of the game these days.

To make it even a little more fun, I’m prepping to leave town for three weeks myself. I’ll be flying out of tiny Canyonlands airport this Friday for Vancouver, Canada and the 3rd edition of the BC Bike Race. My friends Deane Payne & Andreas Hestler made it possible to trade a Western Spirit Cycling trip for a free number plate in their race. I raced it in their 1st edition and had the best time so I’ve wanted to go back ever since. Turning 40 this September was just the catalyst I needed to make it happen, so now that I’m four days from leaving, it’s really sunk in. The training and miles are in the bag - too late for any more fitness at this point. Really I just need to dial in the Stumpjumper, pack the bags and make sure I’ve got enough chamois butter to get me through 35 hours of racing.

After that I’ll be roadtripping with Dre from Whistler down the coast to Ashland, OR and the start of our annual BIKE Week trip with the fine folks from Bike Magazine and some of their best friends & advertisers. That will be a super fun trip I get to help guide and it’s turned into a reunion of sorts now that we’ve done it for so many years. This years edition is on the Umpqua River Trail which just happens to be some of the sweetest track anywhere. After 11 of 12 days riding singletrack I’ll be ready for a little R&R on the beach with family, so a trip out to CT will wrap up the three weeks before coming home to Moab in late July. Whew! Kinda tired just thinking about it, but can’t wait! More to come on the race if I get a Internet connection.?

Just got back from the FOX Shox 2010 Media Launch. While not one of the “official media” I was in charge of catering, shuttles, 1st aid and many other logistics. The darling Miss Elayna Caldwell (FOX Marketing Queen) organized the rest of the event at the beautiful Chamberlain Ranch in Los Olivos, CA from March 31st-April 2nd. In years past Western Spirit has supported the FOX press launch, but only for their mountain bike offerings. This year they stepped it up and brought in all their products from the moto cross world, quads, side X cars and even the awesome new Ford F150 Raptor complete with the coolest FOX shocks I’ve ever seen.

Western Spirit guides have been sponsored by FOX for years now and we can’t imagine riding anything else. Their suspension is just light years ahead of the competition. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, with such reliable product, it takes my mind off the hassles of maintenance and helps me concentrate on my # 1 priority - my guests. The suspension just does what it designed and helps me concentrate on just having fun.

While I did have my top secret belt buckle spy cam, you’ll have to wait a little while longer to see any spy photos. I can assure you though, that if you thought 09 stuff was hot, 2010 will really take it to the next level. Having FOX involved in so many motor sports from snowmobiles & moto cross, all the way up to Trophey truck racing at Baja gives them the upper hand on R & D and consequently what trickles down to the mountain bike lineup. Meeting some of their engineers and hearing how time and energy they put into these designs truly gives you a new appreciation of the product. One of the coolest parts of the week was actually meeting Bob Fox - the man that started it all, and hearing his story of the beginning. Little by little he just kept going and has built the company into the suspension powerhouse that it is today. the other coolest part was the rides in the Raptor with a professional driver behind the wheel - but I leave that story for another time.

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!

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.

So another weekend is upon us and the choice is offered up once again - to bike, ski, hike or skate? Ahhh… the many choices of living here in Moab. While many places I’ve lived offered similar diversity, none have it with so many quality options. Let me explain. So, it hasn’t snowed in a couple of weeks - right? Backcountry skiing in the LaSals is usually a pretty solid option this time of January, but it could be challenging to find much soft snow. Think I’ll wait til the next storm for option # 1. However, skiing on the groomed tracks from the Geyser Pass T.H is about as good as it gets right now. Our local nordic group L.U.N.A - The Lower Utah Nordic Alliance has been up there grooming twice a week and their efforts have really paid off. There’s no better exercise than XC skiing to work off all the extra rum cake from the holidays - that’s for sure. Definitely a strong option during our continuing high pressure. Biking and hiking are in similar states these days - really beautiful down here in the valley - just don’t into too many shady spots where the holiday snows have not melted off. Rides such as Slickrock, Klondike Bluffs, etc. which have a bunch of Southerly exposure are good to go, but be careful if you venture out under the Moab Rim. Hiking has similar challenges -especially if you go up in elevation near Canyonlands National Park. Now skating is one activity that’s really a special treat here in the desert. We get about a month of good ice, if were lucky and if you miss it - it’s gone. Ken’s Lake has had a solid 6″ of ice since Christmas time and it’s only recently that the higher temps and incoming water has softened the edges. Still plenty thick to support a 300lb ice fisherman, but I wouldn’t drive my F350 out there right now. The pick up hockey games have been quite competitive and offer a hack like myself a unique challenge to chase a puck around for an hour or more. Did I mention it’s an incredible workout while also often times being piss your pants funny  (when your buddy falls on his face). 

So there you have it. Lots of options and not many excuses. So roll the dice, pick out the right gear and go out there and get some.

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Happy New Year everyone out there. Hope everyone lived through the holidays and got exactly what you wished for.

Being in Moab during the holidays was unique to me in that I usually travel back East to see family. With single digit temps in the AM -there wasn’t much desire to go riding, but a few days before New Years I got a wonderful invitation to participate in a great New Years Day tradition - riding the world famous Slickrock Bike Trail - which happens to be right here in my backyard.

Some friends from here, Fruita and Grand Junction were all getting together at high noon on New years Day for a mountain bike ride and start the year off on two wheels. Sounds like a more fun version of the polar bear club -right? As I checked the weather over the remaining 48 hrs I hemmed and hawed looking at the daytime highs of low 30’s. Then as I reached for another beer and hanful of chips, I realized I must get out of the house. Hell, I’ve lived in some of the coldest places in the lower 48 - VT, WI, - Gunnison, CO - can you say 30 below?!  I’ve got enough layers to cloth a large family and it’s a DRY cold here anyways - right?

So after living through New Years Eve and a decent nights sleep I rose to the New Year with something I usually take for granted, but yet have never done on Jan. 1st. I packed some extra layers in my Western Spirit Dakine guide pack and threw in my lobster mits and balaclava just in case. Most folks drove up to the trailhead, since they we’re travelling from I70, but I just pedeled up Sand Flats road for the perfect warmup. Twenty minutes later we we’re all doing the meet and greet while wishing eachother a Happy New Year and getting psyched to hit the trail. With a little snow to add to the challenge the trail kept us all on our toes - especially after not riding for three weeks! Sometimes at speed it was tricky to tell which white dots were marking the trail and which ones were actual snow! The sunlight this time of year is so beautiful you want to take pictures around every corner. The LaSals are bathed in alpenglow not just from 5-6pm but for hours before sunset. It was hard to just follow the trail and not check out every little viewpoint, but we knew we didn’t have tons of daylight left, so we kept on going. And a few hours later it was all over…. Sad, I know, but it was so awesome to participate in such a fun tradition. Apparently some of these oldtimers have been riding it on Jan. 1st for 15 of the past 17 years! I know- amazing! So hangover or not, it’s a great way to bring in the new year and any time I find myself right here at home in Moab - on Jan. 1st you can bet I’ll be right back up there - pedeling up and down those amazing slickrock domes.