After the Winter & Spring months here on the Santa Cruz coast a group of us got a wild hair recently and took off for a few days of warm weather and sunshine in Utah. Todd called me (James) up and made the suggestion, courtesy of his having been laid off recently, I then threw the idea around with the Mike and Matt and the plans were laid. Todd was going to an investment show in Vegas so he drove out with the bikes and gear. Mike, Matt and I flew in and met Todd there.Friday morning we all met up and packed up to head out of town... After a food stop, we headed for CostCo for beer. Much to our surprise CostCo in Vegas does not sell beer. We were a litte worried about "Utah Beer" and our snobbish tastes for the fermented grain. After a lot of running around and stopping at the state line, suffice it to say, our worries were not justified. You can buy great micro brews at the grocery store in Moab. So, don't sweat it!
Saturday morning found us at the Moab Cyclery loading up for the 9:30 shuttle up to Hazard
County Trail. 50 minutes in the van and we were at 9,300 feet up in the La Sal Mountains. With the weather forecast for Moab pushing 100 degrees, it was somewhat foreign to be chilled and be up near the snow line. The ride started with a short 200' climb up to 9,500 feet. Yes, the air was thin...We then proceded down Hazard County, I'm guessing the terrain reminded someone of the historic TV show and the sharp rock gardens certainly provided a few hazards. Hazard was fun swoopy singletrack with plenty of hip jumps and small gap jumps (1-3 feet) to get us warmed up and having fun right off the bat. Hazard County descends down to hit the legendary Kokopelli Trail.
This is the first real "All-Mountain" trip with the new Cannondale Moto 1, with the exception of some trial runs in the Demonstration Forest, at home in Santa Cruz. As the shuttle driver handed down the bikes he said "I like this one, it's light and holds the current record for this trail." I guess I chose the right bike for the trip. On this terrain, the Moto sucked up the rock gardens with ease. I did have to slow down the rebound both front and rear to prevent the bike rebounding to quickly and pushing me onto a different line. But, that was simple enough. I've found, as the Hatchet Drive utilizes both sides of the shock, it creates a very supple and active compression stroke. On the rebound stroke the shock is pushing the swingarm down at an increased rate, again thanks to the utiliziation of both sides of the shock, so the rebound has to be slowed down to compensate. Not a negative, just a point...
As we crossed the pavement and bid farewell to Hazard County, Kokopelli presented us with a fast rolling double track / jeep trail. I hit the handlebar trigger, raised the Crank Brothers Joplin to full height and hammered through Kokopelli with ease. Honestly I don't remember much of Kokopelli, the trail was simple enough and we were going pretty quick, so my attention was glued to the 30 feet in front of me. We did stop for some gawking at the incredible scenery and a quick photo. 
Notice the knee and elbow pads. If you ar not a regurlar Utah rider, wear them. Everything out in the desert will hurt you. One little tumble can leave you bloody and screw up a great trip. I think of them as cheap insurance. After Kokopelli, we had the privilege of hanging a right onto the UPS (Upper Porcupine Singletrack) trail. This trail was just legalized for bikes 3 weeks before we arrived. Thank you US Forest Service. UPS took us out to the rim of the Porcupine Mesa and presented us with our first taste of slickrock. This area was tight and twisty, with short ups and downs through sections of slickrock connected by short hardpack with some sand in the corners. It reminded me of Gosseberry Mesa. The views from UPS were nothing short of spectacular. We felt like we were on top of the world and could see forever. In fact in the distance we could make out Arches National Park.
UPS led us to more of the same on LPS (Lower Porcupine Singletrack). Through this section of trail the Moto handled great. The suspension allowed me to flick the bike through the tight turns and the slackish head tube angle made short steep drops a piece of cake. Matt started calling my line the "Moto Line" and opted to find a somewhat safer route around / down some ledges and rock gardens. LPS shot us out onto the actual Porcupine Rim Trail. PRT is very similar to Kokopelli. It is a fast multiuse double track, with a couple of short climbs. There is nothing too technical, unless you are on a hardtail. Don't be surprised to come across 4-Wheelers or Jeeps on PRT.
The end of PRT found us cruising through some more slickrock and eventually back onto another singletrack dedicated to mountian bikes and hiking. The final single 
track would take us from the rim, down to the Colorado River. This section of trail was by far the most technical section and comes late in a long ride. So, we were tired and there were a couple of mistakes and tumbles, but thanks to the pads, no major bloodshed.
track would take us from the rim, down to the Colorado River. This section of trail was by far the most technical section and comes late in a long ride. So, we were tired and there were a couple of mistakes and tumbles, but thanks to the pads, no major bloodshed.Day one ended with us riding back along the Colorado River to town. After a quick clean up we headed across the street from the campground to the Moab Brewery for food and "recovery drinks". Day 1 was complete and we were all super stoked to be riding in Moab and having fun with friends. Join Bike Station Aptos on Facebook. Join our group so we can keep you posted on upcoming trips and rides.
