Western Spirit Cycling

How do you know when it’s spring break in Moab?

When all the cars license plates turns green.

It’s true, the Colorado invasion has begun. Even though the ski season is still alive & kicking for another solid six weeks, Spring Break has begun here in the desert. Our Colorado friends who have endured their own long winter are starting to come over to enjoy the warming temps and drying trails.

In my last post I believe I proclaimed “Game On”. Well, I ALMOST had to retract that statement in that Ol Man Winter just kept givin er! We would get a nice day or two followed up with another snowstorm in the valley. Thankfully the last few storms have been rain in the valley with the snow falling mostly above 7,000′. Recent reports are saying Amasaback & Jacksons are GTG. YES!

In addition to Poison Spider hosting the YETI Spring Thaw event out at the Amasaback T.H. this wknd. we also have the Skinny Tire Festival in town this wknd.  Western Spirit is setting out an extra special lunch for the top fundraisers ride this afternoon which should be a spectacular ride on the Needles Overlook road.

http://skinnytireevents.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

So if you’re headed our way be sure to check lodging options 1st - it’s going to be a busy wknd. here in town. Camping is always an option, just be sure to bring a toasty sleeping bag since it’s still dipping below freezing at night.

It’s always a challenge to decide whether to go for a backcountry ski in the LaSals or a bike ride in the valley this time of year. Our mtns. are close to 150% of average for snowpack and the skiing is really good up there right now. But at the same time our trails are finally opening up after a long cold winter. Ashley likes to call this a “high class problem”. I guess she’s right - and that’s what makes living in Moab so aweome - all these choices and none of them are bad. I really hate this phrase, but TGIF!

Enjoy your weekend - I know I will!

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.

Wow  - the days sure are getting shorter! Every day it’s colder, darker and feels a little bit more like off season. We’re still in a full on drought, but our latest weather reoprt;

“A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE REGION MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL

MOUNTAINS”

Well……

It seems positive to say the least. Rode A Rockstacker to Jackson’s loop yesterday and didn’t see a single

person! Even on a Saturday. granted the high was like 35F or so.. but the trail was dry, the skies we’re … kinda blue and the skiing pretty much everywhere STILL sucks.

That should(hopefully) change soon, but all those signs point to the depths of off season.
Western Spirit has sold it’s entire rental fleet, the guides are all off at the ski areas and those left are thinking of Holiday X-mas parties or soon to be deep dayz @ ALTA.
Well it’s time to stick another log on the fire & refresh my cocktail, so until next time keep those wool knickers close by and the skis waxed.
And since it was Der Kaiser’s b-day a few days back… Have a braut or three for the Holidays

I’ve been on vacation this past week, which was fantastic, but I came back into the office this morning and see that we still have a few 2009 Specialized Mountain Bikes for sale.  We don’t have any more Small sizes, but if you are a Medium, Large or X-Large size frame you should give us a call.  We are motivated to sell these bikes, so let’s talk!

Wow - just got back from a recon camping trip last weekend over in the four corners area and am really excited about a new family trip we’ve got coming up for next season.

It’s going to meet in Durango, CO and explore the best of Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park over the course of a week.

I could go on and on about all the amazing discoveries we had, but you can read the details on our website right here;

http://www.westernspirit.com/tripinfo.cfm?id=1256329684915

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

Ride into the depths of oh, oh, Mexico.  Have you ever been there?
Here’s video from a Western Spirit Cycling Copper Canyon mountain bike trip.
Enjoy!

Wondering what kind of bike you should buy next?  This video should help.
Just remember - it’s all about performance.

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.

Hot off the presses - a video of our Telluride to Moab mountain bike trip.
Enjoy!