This coming Saturday, I'll be embarking on a new adventure. I'm setting out to ride the entire length of Kokopelli's Trail from Moab to Loma. About 140 miles and 16,000 feet of climbing, hopefully in less than 24 hours.
I've never done anything like this before. The closest that I've come is the Colorado Trail Race (CTR) last year, which was a multi-day bikepacking race. While I put in some long days on the CTR, I've never even come close to riding a mountain bike for the 140-mile distance of Kokopelli's Trail in a single push. Dozens of other riders have completed it successfully, so I know that it's possible. One guy, Dave Harris, set a record of 12:41 hours a few years ago (but I'm not sure that Dave is human). I'm pretty damn human, so I don't know if it's possible for me--which is a big part of the excitement.
Joining me will be Andy and Peter, a couple of solid riders and all-around good guys. While Andy and I finished the CTR last year, this will be Peter's first long-distance mountain bike adventure. Andy and Pete are bringing sleeping gear, while I am hoping to ride through the night without stopping.
Setting out for a new adventure is a great feeling. There's only one first time, and I'm looking forward to giving it my best effort!
I'll have my Spot tracker with me, so you can see how I'm doing. The page will give an error until I actually turn on the Spot and start riding, so keep checking on Saturday.
Click the map to see a larger version, and then use the magnifier to make it even larger:
Hey Toby, how long did it take you?
ReplyDeleteHi Lucas,
ReplyDeleteFour minutes less than 24 hours. I'll write up something and post it soon. It was a great adventure--and Andy is already dropping hints of heading back out there in October to do it again!