Kane Creek/Harrah Pass/Amasa Back Loop

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I was mountain biking in Moab. This post has just been sitting partially written.

The final ride I did in Moab was the Kane Creek/Harrah Pass/Amasa Back Loop. This loop was the first ride I ever did in Moab. I had never been to Moab and went out to race the Tour of Canyonlands. My friend was working the evening before the race so we left late. We got to Moab about 3 AM and I got a few hours of sleep before showing up for the race. Over the years since then, I've ridden the loop several times both in racing and just riding.

The last time I had tried riding this loop was in 2004 when the Tour of Canyonlands last used this course. I had gotten sick with aches and chills on the way out a couple days before the race. The day before the race, I felt well enough to ride up Amasa Back but was still weak.

I figured I'd start the race and see how I felt. Even when I haven't been sick, I often don't feel good before a race starts. How I feel before a race is never a good indication of how well I'll race.

Within a couple miles, it was clear I'd be struggling just to finish. I considered just riding it easy but was concerned I'd do my body more harm than good. There had been a big rain a couple days before and the first water crossing that was normally a trickle was flowing pretty good. I hung out with some other people and watched some vehicles get stuck and unstuck.

While I was watching, emergency vehicles went by. Then we started hearing that there had been a bad accident with the racers. I would later find out that "Ben" Hall had been killed in a collision with a truck. Although I often saw him at the races and we'd be back and forth sometimes, I never really got to know him. It truly was a sad day in the mountain bike race community.

Although it has been 4 years since the accident, it was on my mind as I set out on my ride. The Kane Creek road is actually pretty boring but makes for a nice warm up. Right about where I thought the accident had happened from what one of my teammates that saw had told me, I saw a simple cross with a chain ring on it.

I always enjoy the views while riding up Harrah Pass. It's also an enjoyable climb for me since it's not too steep and I can power up it. I took a short break at the top before the fun, fast descent down the back side.

It always seems like it's farther than I remember from the bottom of Harrah Pass over to Jackson Hole and the base of Jacob's Ladder. I actually enjoy being back there so it's not that I'm not having fun. Less sand would be nice but it's not all that bad.

Even though I did a lot of work on my bike the first day in Moab, I didn't change my chain because I didn't have a new cassette. I also didn't think my chain had that much wear on it. I was wrong and my chain broke. I carry the Crank Brothers Multi 17 Tool and I really like it because it's small and has almost everything you could need on the trail. I do find that the chain tool can be bit difficult to use but it's still much better than not having one. I had trouble fixing the chain and apparently didn't get it right. About 15 minutes later it broke a 2nd time. That time fixing it went smoothly and it didn't break again.

The first time I raced on this course I had no idea what Jacob's Ladder was. Before the race I kept hearing people talking about it. I asked my teammate that had raced the course before what it was like. He pointed to some high cliffs and said, "It's pretty much like those cliffs except there's a broken section you scramble up."

I only half believed him and thought he was just messing with me. I would find out soon enough that his description was pretty accurate. Unlike most of the other racers, I always liked Jacob's Ladder because I always made up quite a few places on it. It's no harder than doing the Manitou Incline except that you're carrying a bike on your back. It's much easier than doing Gray's Peak in Montezuma's Revenge.

Once at the top of Jacob's Ladder, it's just a quick descent down Amasa Back. The short steep section back up to the Kane Creek road always seem brutal after descending.

Related Links: 7 Mountain Biking Confidence Killers | Saltwash and Sovereign Singletracks | Gold Bar Rim and Portal Trail

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Historic Dewey Bridge on Kokopelli Trail Burns

Picture from MTBR.com

A 7-year-old boy playing with matches ignited a brush fire yesterday that destroyed the Old Dewey Bridge that is part of the Kokopelli Trail from Fruita to Moab. The suspension bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1916 and was the state's longest bridge without supports in the waterway it crossed.

The Dewey Bridge was within sight of the new bridge on Utah Highway 128 so it won't keep mountain bikers from riding the trail. It's still a big bummer since it was a cool bridge and part of riding the Kokopelli Trail. I've driven by it many times and rode across it when I did the Kokopelli Trail lat year. I just saw it when I was to Moab a couple weeks ago.

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Gold Bar Rim and Portal Trail

Today I rode Gold Bar Rim and the Portal Trail. I rode Gold Bar Rim once before and really wasn't struck with it. When I asked for readers favorite Moab rides, 3 readers mentioned it so I decided to give it another try.

The other time I did Gold Bar Rim, several of us had started from our camp at Sand Flats. We took the road over to Poison Spider. We then did Poison Spider, Golden Spike, Gold Bar Rim, back to town, and up to Sand Flats.

I was fit and ready for race season so the distance wasn't bad. The issue was that we had a couple slower riders that we spent a lot of time waiting for. We all ran out of food and water. It wasn't pretty. I was also headed home that day and was very late picking my wife up in Grand Junction. She brought it up again Sunday when we discussed when I'd be picking her up tomorrow.

Today was nothing like that day. I had felt really tired yesterday after just doing Saltwash and Sovereign singletracks. I decided I'd go part way up Gold Bar Rim and then turn around.

I hadn't realized that there was singletrack that followed the rim instead of going up and down like the jeep trail. I copied the directions from my route book on finding the singletrack. Of course I forgot and left them in the vehicle when I started riding. They may not have done much good since I don't have a bike computer or GPS on my mountain bike. The key thing I remembered was always go left and up if you end up back on the jeep trail.

The singletrack was easier to find and follow than I expected based on what the book said. There were a fair number of cairns and blue paint lines. Still I lost the trail several times but always found it again pretty soon. Still there are several places you have to carry your bike so if you don't like getting off a lot, it's probably not a good trail for you.

I got to where I could see Poison Spider Mesa and the rock dome where the Portal Trail drops down. I was having way too much fun to turn around so I just kept going. Of course that was about when it seemed like the rock dome wasn't getting any closer.

The Portal Trail has a lot of exposure. It's not for people that are scared of heights. I have a rule that even if the trail is easily rideable I get off and walk if falling most likely would mean death. I did some walking on the narrow sections of the Portal Trail. It's not something to take lightly because people really have fallen off there and died.

Once I got past the narrow sections, the descent down was fun and I was at the road. I hadn't been looking forward to the ride back to the Gemini Bridges parking lot. It ended up seeming shorter than I had expected. Another fun day of ridng in Moab and I get to ride a part day tomorrow before heading back.

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Saltwash and Sovereign Singletracks

Today I spent more time working on my bike than riding it. It made the the riding I did much more enjoyable though. My bike is now working better than it has in over a year.

When I asked a few days ago for suggestions on where to ride around Moab, I got a few replies for the Sovereign singletrack. I also got a reply for the new singletrack north of town. It might have been for Sovereign but there is a new singletrack that opened very recently.

The new singletrack is called Saltwash. It starts very close to Sovereign and crosses it a couple times with a few other connectors.

I like coming to Moab because of the scenery. I love the red cliffs and big drops. I also like the weather this time of year. The thing I haven't liked has been the lack of singletrack. To be honest, Fruita has better riding and the weather is almost as warm and dry.

Out where Sovereign and Saltwash are there aren't the big cliffs but the riding didn't disappoint. Saltwash is so new it's obvious it hasn't been ridden much and there are some soft spots. It's also still very narrow. There are a bunch of fun sections on it.

The recommended way is to go out on Saltwash so that's what I did. I then came back on Sovereign. I'll definitely be riding them again when I came out in the future.

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7 Mountain Biking Confidence Killers

I got into Moab yesterday afternoon in time to do a little riding. I did some easy spinning and then went part way up the Moab Rim trail. Coming back down, my confidence wasn't very good.

When your bike is totally dialed in, it is so much easier to be confident. When your bike needs some work, it's easy to lose your confidence.

My bike has been seriously neglected for a while. People I ride with would probably tell you that is always the case but it's even worse than normal now.

I haven't been doing much technical riding so the state of my bike has been annoying but not critical. Here in Moab, I need my bike to be working good on the rocky trails. I brought some parts and tools so I'll get things tuned up before I head out today.

I got thinking about what things on your bike can kill your confidence. Here are 7 of them. All but a couple of them need attention on my bike.

Bike That Doesn't Fit

If your bike doesn't fit correctly, you won't be able to control it as well. The way your weight is distributed on the bike affects handling. You might have to slide forward on the seat to brake effectively. Having a bike that fits allows you to focus on getting it to go were you want it to go.

Incorrectly Tuned Suspension

Running low pressure in your fork will make it more comfortable on little bumps. The downside is it can affect how your bike handles when you go over big drops. Low pressure will cause it to compress more and increase the chance of doing and endo. Too fast of rebound on the rear suspension can cause you to get launched after a drop.

Incorrect Tire Pressure

Lower tire pressure increases traction but increases the chance you'll pinch flat if you're not using tubeless tires. Tires with low pressure can also roll over in corners on hardpacked trails. Too high of pressure reduces your traction and causes you to bounce around on rocky sections.

Brakes Needing Adjusting

Precise braking makes a big difference when riding technical trails. If the cables are too loose, it can take a bit to brake. Even worse the brake levers can hit the handlebars before the brakes grab enough. If the angle of the brake pad isn't correct, the brakes can squeal and also not be as effective.

Poor Shifting

Short power bursts are necessary to get over rocks or up ledges. If your derailleur isn't adjusted correctly, the chain can skip and you won't make it. You can also get injured if it causes you to pop out of your pedals and slam your knee into the stem. Another cause of chain skip can be a bent derailleur hanger.

Loose Headset

When the headset is loose the fork will rock back and forth slightly. This does affect handling although I think it's affect on confidence is probably bigger. Riding with a loose headset can end up damaging it too.

Creaking Sounds

In a lot of cases creaking sounds may not mean anything is wrong. Maybe a little bit of dust has worked it's way into some place. It still can leave you wondering if something is about to break and you shouldn't push too hard.

Update: A commenter asked about how to fix these confidence killers. I had thought of adding some links when I first wrote this but Moab trails were calling my name.

For fixing mechanical issues, a couple of really good websites are the Bicycle Tutor and Sheldon Brown's pages. The Bicycle Tutor has really well done videos showing you how to work on your bike.

Although you can have your local bike shop fix your bike, I strongly believe you're better off learning how to do it yourself so you know what to do if something goes wrong on the trail. Many bike shops teach basic bike maintenance classes. I took one that lasted several weeks when I was a teenager and it was well worth it.

For bike fit, the best way to get a good fit is if your local bike shop has someone trained in bike fit. Unfortunately some bike shops fit experts don't know any more about bike fit than your average rider. Peter White Cycles has a detailed page on bike fit to educate yourself so you'll know if you're getting a good fit.

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Happy Easter

I hope you all had a good Easter.

Yesterday we drove to my aunt and uncle's in Grand Junction. Once we got there, the kids had fun decorating Easter eggs. This morning we went to my aunt and uncle's church.

This afternoon I drove to Moab to play in the dirt for a few days. It looks like I should have plenty of sun with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. I just hope I can convince my legs to keep turning hour after hour.

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What Are Your Favorite Moab Rides?

I'm going to be in Moab for a couple days the beginning of next week. I often end up doing the same rides when I go there. Some of my favorites are SlickRock, Porcupine Rim, Harrah Pass/Amasa Back loop and Poison Spider/Portal Trail.

They are all great rides but I know there are other ones I should give a try. What are your favorite trails that I didn't list?

I don't even have good base fitness right now but my endurance is always good. I can ride for several hours but just at a slow pace. Oh and I hurt more after the ride.

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Sick for Riding the Kokopelli Trail

As I mentioned in my last post, I was excited about going to ride the Kokopelli Trail in 3 days. I was also nervous. There were 2 reasons I was nervous. The 2 reasons were I've hardly been riding since the Race Across America last year and only a couple rides were mountain bike rides. Unfortunately I ended up with a 3rd reason to be worried about riding 142+ miles in 3 days. If I had been riding normally for the last few months, I would've just considered it a nice 3 days of riding.

Actually the 3rd thing was something that I at least had thought could be a problem. The week before Cassidy had been in the hospital for 5 days with a nasty stomach virus. We were pretty sure Danielle had it first but only had a high fever and complained about her stomach. I figured if I was getting to get it I would have already gotten it but there seems to be a bunch of similar stuff going around. With all the time Julie spent at the hospital, she ended up with a bad cough.

Tuesday morning I woke up with a scratchy throat. I started taking large amounts of Vitamin C and Zinc. By the end of the day, I definitely felt I had a bit of a cold but it was more of an annoyance than really sick. Wednesday I felt about the same as I had late on Tuesday. I left work early and we headed to Grand Junction.

We were happy to be headed out of town to somewhere hopefully warm and dry. It was pouring down rain and only 37 degrees on the north end of town. On Monument Hill it was snowing hard enough for the trees to be white. Around the Eisenhower Tunnel the road was slushy. The east side of Vail pass had enough slush to require careful driving. Once we got past Vail, the roads were dry and the clouds were clearing.

As I was driving, I started getting chills and aches. We got to my aunt and uncle's in Grand Junction around midnight and crashed. I figured I'd see how I felt in the morning and hopefully be able to ride.

In the morning the chills and aches were pretty much gone but my arms felt weak carrying the bags out to the car. A gland in my neck was swollen and painful. Normally I would have decided it wasn't good to ride but I really wanted to ride the Kokopelli Trail all the way from Fruita to Moab. I figured I'd at least start riding since there were a few spots to bail.

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