The First Few Hours at Moab

Early Friday morning, we pull over to a lookout in western Utah. It seems like we should be able to see Moab from here. 13 hours down... a few more to go.


First stop in Moab; the legendary Poison Spider cycles. We stock up on all the little things we forgot in the packing chaos the evening before.


We pull off rt 191 and travel a few miles down a rough dirt road. As we crest a peak we can see the festival spread out below us, with tents, campers, and cars all collected in a flat spot like a puddle of water. We park the rv and get the bikes ready for our practice loop. By the time we hit the trail it's already 5:30. About halfway through the preride we see the sun dipping below the horizon.


Everyone rises early on Saturday to help set up the Google Earth tent. I import my GPS data from the night before into Earth. It's an instant hit with the crowds as people come by to watch the course play through in 3D.


John takes the first loop and Dylan takes the second. Before the race even begins the skies open up and rain starts coming down. The festival grounds turn into a a mud fest that would make Woodstock jealous. I take the third loop and the rain lets up a bit. I decide to ride the single speed, based on the conditions being so hostile toward derailleurs, and the fact that the guys in the single speed category are turning out lap times of 1:10. I make it back in 1:36. Not too bad for a computer geek.

I'm sitting inside our nice and warm, but incredibly dirty rv. Wet clothes are sprawled over the furniture in the meager hope that they'll dry before our next lap. Tasha's out now riding and Dave waits in the race tent as the rain comes down and the sun sets on the desert landscape.

Until next time...