Why Moab?

Why these trails?

About this time last year Jeni and I were sitting around talking about dream locations for clinics or events. My dream locations are of course my favorite places to ride! Moab and Whistler! Where else? Right? She responded with,”Cool, when should we go? We should do Moab first because it’ll probably be easier.” I think my first response was some laughing and a big fat, yeah, NO. Not ready. Need a couple of years. We don’t have the man power, money or the time to spend out on location, planning an event like this. 

Fast forward a year….here we are….permits have been granted, routes have been planned. Major amounts of stress has been added to shoulders. We are going to Moab with a group of mostly never been to Moab’ers.  

While planning this event we had to decide what we wanted out of this event and in turn what we hoped our participants would get out of this event. 

Would we take people just to do a clinic there and earn a paycheck? No….because fact of the matter is, when it’s all said and done, we’ll be stoked to break even. Plus, Moab deserves better. No..for me, what I really wanted out of this was for people to discover the Moab I know and love. The part that will forever hold a big chunk of my heart. 

To me Moab is liberating. It’s freedom. It’s raw and majestic. It is scary and welcoming at the same time. It’s the most challenging, yet fun riding you’ll ever see. It makes you feel like a superstar then makes you feel like you’ve never ridden a bike. It is the reddest of reds, greenest of gorgeous greens and most amazing, expansive blues. I want others to find all the courage, self esteem, hard work and independence that I’ve found in Moab over the years.  I wanted them to discover strengths they didn’t know they had. I wanted to see them smile like a kid in a candy shop (the way my own kid did) the first time they rode Slickrock. I wanted to be a part of people riding new stuff they SO want to ride, but are a little intimidated by, but at the same time, really have the skill and just needs a little extra support! Stuff they wanted to ride, but didn’t want to ride with friends or spouses or people they felt might drop them or leave them feeling stressed in a vulnerable situation. I wanted to take people who may have been riding Moab for years, but could get more out of their rides with just a little help and some skill building. 

Yeah, Moab is challenging….this will not be a beginners weekend. You will need some fitness behind you. You will leave tired. You will leave with red sand in lots of places. However what I really hope is you leave exhilarated and excited! I hope you leave knowing you can take on new challenges and learn new skills! 

My goals? Keep you safe, help you learn something new and give you the strength to know you CAN go ride other trails in this area and have a blast. In just the few days we will spend together in Moab, we don’t have time to hit the hundreds of miles of trails. But, we will hit the classics, ride a variety of terrain and see some of the most beautiful surrounds imaginable. 

 

See YOU in May!! I can’t wait!