Moab 2005

Thanks Ken, good advice! Of course minors are generally a bigger worry
than adults, especially when those minors come to the event without
parents. And especially when those minors are some of the most daring
riders! Something we have to keep in mind as organizers.

As to questions of what rides/activities are likely, the last two years,
the Sunday ride was figured out on-the-fly. That is, based on what
riders discussed and generally agreed to on Friday and Saturday.
Sunday's details were announced at Saturday's dinner.

I imagine Saturday will remain the Slickrock day, and contain any
competition events that awards can be given out for. This leaves Sunday
for a group ride somewhere else (Friday has generally been hanging out
at the campsite and practice loop).

So if you have to leave Sunday, you will miss a group ride, probably
somewhere scenic. But you probably will not miss the famous Slickrock
Trail. Depending on your schedule requirements, you can shoot for a late
flight out of SLC, and possibly do some riding Sunday before the drive
back up. But don't forget to leave time for unicycle disassembly,
packing, and possible traffic or other problems getting you to the
airport.

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johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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John, I know you probably don't know this, but about when would the
sunday ride be? I think I have to leave sunday afternoon 🙁

--
Fuego - Unicycle Ninja

"Unicycling is more about the center of concentration than the center of
balance."

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I have to leave Sunday 10am. I wonder if there will be time for a ride
before leaving?

-grant

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It's not a super-structured thing. It all depends on the ebb of the
tide, phase of the moon, direction of the wind, temperature of the
hottub...

The Sunday ride can be any trail at any time with anyone who wants to
go. No rules. Last year, everyone just happened to want to go on the
trail that the big names rode. Something that wasn't really decided
until late Saturday or maybe Sunday morning. I expect the same to
happen this year.

--
Ed Hansen - You know you want to be me.

"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to
have been only a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in
now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than
ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before
me." (Isaac Newton)
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tennisgh22 said:

*I have to leave Sunday 10am. I wonder if there will be time for a
ride before leaving?*

My personal recommendation if you need to leave by 10 is to forget
riding. Get up really early, load up some food, head into Arches
National Park, and hoof it out to Delicate Arch to have the place to
yourself for breakfast.

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tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

Tailgate at your own risk.....

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If I make it I'll have to come back Sunday too. We'll need to fire up
the ride/roommate thread soon.

--
UniBrier - Its Time to Ride

Steve

Do your feet smell? Does you nose run?...You may be built upside down.
-Old joke I found in a Mad Magazine many moons ago.

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hey, any other girl unicyclists on here going to moab?
what is the slickrock ride like on sat.? I've never been to moab
before, but am looking forward to it!
lindsey

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The Slickrock ride is one of the most distinctive and fun rides on the
planet. The surface is almost all bumpy rock, which requires quite a
bit of concentration and effort to ride. The "trail" is just a bunch of
white dots painted on the rock; there are opportunities all along the
trail to make the ride easier or more challenging, as there are dozens
of rideable lines.
There are a few places where the trail is tight, but there's not a whole
lot of exposure.

There is not a whole lot of elevation gain or loss, but the ride is
almost all up and down. Most people walk most of the uphills; the
downhills are usually steep, but short enough that you can try them
without worrying about getting killed.

The entire trail is 12 miles, and it's pretty grueling; a typical rider
will take 6-7 hours to complete the ride.

The other characteristic worth noting is that every time you stop and
look up, you'll be treated to one of the most absurdly beautiful views
you'll ever see on a ride.

--
tholub - Kinetic Sculptor
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Lindsey, check out the pictures from previous weekends to get a visual
idea:
http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/112380
http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/112983
http://tinyurl.com/wm5y
There are many others but you'll get the idea.

It's a great educational experience because it forces you to concentrate
more than riding on other surfaces. Just as riding on grass makes you
work hard due to the extra friction, and not knowing where the bumps
are, slickrock makes you pay attention every inch of the way, while
being oxygen deprived from the altitude (unless you live at 4000+
feet).

The scenery and comeraderie are the best. Having a group from Denmark
should only make it more fun this time!

Sunday rides:
As Ed pointed out, we usually figure things out on-the-fly. Some people
have to leave early, which usually means finding a shorter ride,
depending how early. Since there will probably be many people with
similar restrictions, it should be possible to set up a shorter,
possibly earlier ride.

For a 10:00 departure, I like Tom's advice of going to Delicate Arch.
Allow at least an hour to get there. Though the park entrance is just a
few miles up the road from downtown Moab, there's a lot of miles in the
park to drive, plus a bit of a hike. An hour may not even be enough; I
haven't been there. By not riding on Sunday you can kill yourself even
more on Fri. and Sat., and pack your uni Saturday night so no worries on
Sunday morning.

--
johnfoss - The wilder Wilder

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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Lindsey, check out the pictures from previous weekends to get a visual
idea:
http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/112380
http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/112983
http://tinyurl.com/wm5y
There are many others but you'll get the idea.

It's a great educational experience because it forces you to concentrate
more than riding on other surfaces. Just as riding on grass makes you
work hard due to the extra friction, and not knowing where the bumps
are, slickrock makes you pay attention every inch of the way, while
being oxygen deprived from the altitude (unless you live at 4000+
feet).

The scenery and comeraderie are the best. Having a group from Denmark
should only make it more fun this time!

Sunday rides:
As Ed pointed out, we usually figure things out on-the-fly. Some people
have to leave early, which usually means finding a shorter ride,
depending how early. Since there will probably be many people with
similar restrictions, it should be possible to set up a shorter,
possibly earlier ride.

For a 10:00 departure, I like Tom's advice of going to Delicate Arch.
Allow at least an hour to get there. Though the park entrance is just a
few miles up the road from downtown Moab, there's a lot of miles in the
park to drive, plus a bit of a hike. An hour may not even be enough; I
haven't been there. By not riding on Sunday you can kill yourself even
more on Fri. and Sat., and pack your uni Saturday night so no worries on
Sunday morning.

--
johnfoss - The wilder Wilder

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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johnfoss said:

*Though the park entrance is just a few miles up the road from
downtown Moab, there's a lot of miles in the park to drive, plus a bit
of a hike. An hour may not even be enough; *

Rule of thumb:

30-40 minutes to get from Moab to the trailhead

45 minutes to get from trailhead to arch at moderate to energetic pace.
I've done it in under a half hour but I was power-hiking.

Minimum 1 hour to sit in awe, explore around at arch

1 hour to get from arch back to the main entrance of the park. If you
fly into Salt Lake and pack up your car in the morning, no need to head
back to Moab from there. Just head north out of the park and you're on
your way.

--
tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

Tailgate at your own risk.....

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johnfoss said:

*Though the park entrance is just a few miles up the road from
downtown Moab, there's a lot of miles in the park to drive, plus a bit
of a hike. An hour may not even be enough; *

Rule of thumb:

30-40 minutes to get from Moab to the trailhead

45 minutes to get from trailhead to arch at moderate to energetic pace.
I've done it in under a half hour but I was power-hiking.

Minimum 1 hour to sit in awe, explore around at arch

1 hour to get from arch back to the main entrance of the park. If you
fly into Salt Lake and pack up your car in the morning, no need to head
back to Moab from there. Just head north out of the park and you're on
your way.

--
tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

Tailgate at your own risk.....

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uniprincess said:

*what is the slickrock ride like on sat.? *

All I can say is that we need to get some training rides in before going
there.

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uniprincess said:

*what is the slickrock ride like on sat.? *

All I can say is that we need to get some training rides in before going
there.

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Hey,Im going to moab too!!(after all)

Is the slickrock really that hard?or is it like riding in grass?

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The easiest way to do somthing is wrong.
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Hey,Im going to moab too!!(after all)

Is the slickrock really that hard?or is it like riding in grass?

--
forrestunifreak - Doer of unicycle stuffs.

The easiest way to do somthing is wrong.
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Gilby said:

*All I can say is that we need to get some training rides in before
going there. *

Just the trail distance would require training for me 😄

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'nf7-s ~ xp2400mobile'
(http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=21988)
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my will to live was stronger than my will to die. - iggy pop
that which does not kill me, makes me stronger. - friedrich nietzsche
1899

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Gilby said:

*All I can say is that we need to get some training rides in before
going there. *

Just the trail distance would require training for me 😄

--
DigitalDave - scabless

'nf7-s ~ xp2400mobile'
(http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=21988)
'20,124 3dm01' (http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=8399731)

my will to live was stronger than my will to die. - iggy pop
that which does not kill me, makes me stronger. - friedrich nietzsche
1899

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forrestunifreak said:

*Hey,Im going to moab too!!(after all)

Is the slickrock really that hard?or is it like riding in grass? *

It's not like riding in grass at all, except that both take extra effort
and concentration. Rock is just a lot less forgiving than dirt; the
whole trail is little bumps and divots, and you spend energy dealing
with every single one. Combine that with the distance, the altitude and
the dry air, and you have a long day ahead of you.

I think almost all of the flat and downhill sections are rideable by a
good unicyclist; there are just a lot of them, and they take a lot of
energy to deal with over a period of 6 hours.

--
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forrestunifreak said:

*Hey,Im going to moab too!!(after all)

Is the slickrock really that hard?or is it like riding in grass? *

It's not like riding in grass at all, except that both take extra effort
and concentration. Rock is just a lot less forgiving than dirt; the
whole trail is little bumps and divots, and you spend energy dealing
with every single one. Combine that with the distance, the altitude and
the dry air, and you have a long day ahead of you.

I think almost all of the flat and downhill sections are rideable by a
good unicyclist; there are just a lot of them, and they take a lot of
energy to deal with over a period of 6 hours.

--
tholub - Kinetic Sculptor
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