Another Great bike event line up will occur in 2011. Equally exciting? The bike news for Moab! An October 2010 ribbon cutting ceremony celebrated another piece of the North Moab Recreation Areas Alternative Transportation Plan with the completion of the paved Moab Canyon pathway. Ride from the Colorado River to Hwy 313 into Island in the Sky of Canyonlands and stay off Hwy 191. The Moab Canyon is a result of the Moab Trail Alliance effort to radiate trails from the predestrian/bike bridge (hub) which was dedicated back in May 2007.
New trail routes are being hand built by volunteers to further expand the non-mortorized Bar M Mountain Bike Focus Area. Poison Spider Bike Shop's manager, Scott Newton, recently promised every Tuesday his employees would get paid, but have to volunteer to do trail work on Deadman's Ridge. The North 40 trail has been approved for the Bar M system, but unlikely to be in place until next fall (2011). Hey why not come ride and set aside a half day to volunteer this year? Meanwhile the city is working, along with volunteers on another new one, the Pipe Dream Trail. Located under the Moab Rim and clinging to the west valley wall over the utility corridor, parts of this trail are ready to ride.
The 2011 YEAR at a Glance for bike related events in Moab:
March 4&5 Yeti Thaw
March 11-14 Skinny Tire Festival
March 26 Adventure Xtreme
May 7 Gran Fondo
May 14-15 Moab Triathlon Festival (NEW)
May 24-28 2011 Mountain Bike Skills Camp with Alison Dunlap
October 5-9 OuterBike
October 8-9 24 hours of Moab Mountain Bike Race
October 27- 30 Moab Ho Down Mountain Bike Festival
October 27-28 Mountain Bike Film Festival
Yeti Thaw
Last winter, well, Moab had winter. Hasn't had winter since 1976. Yeti Thaw, usually a President's Weekend affair was postponed, postponed again. This year it has moved in March. Ride yeti bike demos, enjoy group rides, parties and the vibrant fellowship of three Moab mountain bike businesses: Magpie Adventures, Poison Spider Bike Shop, and Rim Tours. The perfect spring bash. Get this, IT IS FREE!
Skinny Tire Events: March, June, September
Road cycling spans three days, riding through Arches National Park, along the Colorado River and up to Dead Horse Point State Park. The scenery invigorates cyclists. All Skinny Tire events benefit cancer survivorship programs. Ride in the Moonlight a warm June night. It has got to be even better now that the Moab Canyon pathway is in place to reach Hwy 313, eh? And the Century Tour in September is a course up into the La Sal Mountains, wrapping up with yoga that weekend too.
Adventure Xtreme
Adventure racing by Gravity play opens registration January 3, 2011. It is a mix of athletic disciplines: flatwater inflatable kayak, mountain bike, hike, rappel, and navigation. The mountain bike section is particularly challenging in Long Canyon.
Gran Fondo
Riding the pass in the La Sal Mountains, climbing 5500 feet in 60 miles, this event will emulate an old Italian tradition. Road cyclists experience breath-taking views of canyons below and 12,00 foot peaks above. Gran Fondo is NOT a race. The top five riders for men and women will be recognized for reaching the top of the pass. There are NO PRIZES for returning to town first. Safety must be respected.
Moab Triathlon (NEW)
TriUtah bases this two day event out of the Ken's Lake area. XTERRA off-road tiathlon, XTERRA trail run, road triathlon and kid triathlon. We are all watching for details.
Mountain Bike Skills Camp with Alison Dunlap
Ride with Alison Dunlap, World Champion and 2-time Olympian; learn to ride off 2-3 ft drops, get pointed on high speed descents, cornering on single track and more. Skill Camp details.
OuterBike
OuterBIke debuted and gave consumers an opportunity to ride future bike models. New to the biking scene are 29 inch tires. Here is one participants review Big Wheels get their turn at Outerbike. What will be new and innovative at the second annual Outerbike? Put this event on your calendar to find out for yourself.
24 Hour of Moab Bike Race
A temporary citadel flourishes in the Moab desert as teams of athletes converge to pour strength in to a round the clock mountain bike race. Xavier Fane documents this race. Particularly interesting are the night shots. If you do not race, volunteer for this event.
Moab Ho Down
It is a fun mountain bike weekend engage to Halloween. Get your costume, bring all of your bikes. Dirt Jump, Downhill race, do a townie tour, show off your best BMX tricks, enjoy some Pumpkin' Chuckin, watch films and gobble up hot peppers, this event is driven by Chile Pepper Bikes after all.
Moab Mountain Bike Film Festival
Wind down to revel in the talent of bikers on the big screen. You have to get your breath between riding and parties. Open to everyone, not just the registrants for HO DOWN.
