This last week was the annual "guys who ride bikes in moab but are getting slower each year" trip
The plan was to bomb down Thursday night, camp, ride MAG 7 and then grab a bite to eat before Wade, Tom and I leave for our big Maze Adventure.
As you may or may not remember my blur has been ill all season with rim exploditius a condition I chalk up to a bad batch of aluminum, as you can see here. Well credit to WTB, they sent me some new rims when they heard what happened and I spent the last few days before the trip building up the rear wheel again. It was getting close to the wire to I had planned to just chuck it all in the car and air up down there.
Only when I went to get my back off the hanging garage rack I saw this. Yup, same issue. bear in mind i haven't been riding this bike, it hasn't even been on the ground. Yikes. So, nuts to that plan then.
Instead of trying to get my S-works into shape I just took off planning to rent a bike down there. I took the oppurtunity to rent a 6 inch Santa Cruz Bronson from a woman called "smiles" to see what a laid back all mountain bike would feel like; in a nutshell? Meh. You could go faster and harder but the experience was dull and exhausting. Trying to manual or whip a wheel was an exercise in...well...exercise.
Anyway, Wade, Tom and I decided that instead of each of us paying the sand flats rec area fee we would camp for free on willow springs road, a decision I don't regret except for not enjoying the company of my fellow bikers as the site was lovely and the view sublime.
Back to the trail, by the time we got my bike and got loaded up it was nearly lunch time, and then by the time we got to the parking lot it was mid day. However, that doesn't mean it was warm, it was actually amazingly cold. I guess this ridge is pretty high after all. Once we got riding it warmed up a little and we had a great ride with literally no mishaps. I know Rob shot some video and Im hoping to see some footage of that soon. All in all it was a great ride.
