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As printed on the Premium Site of http://RoadBikeRider.com.
Musings
Fred Matheny
Moab—on a road bike? That’s the question many roadies ask when they hear about the Moab Skinny Tire Festival. The ‘09 event took place March 14-16 in this small Utah town more famous for mountain bikes on slickrock than for great pavement.
But don’t be fooled by the knobby hype. Moab is a mecca for road cyclists.
I began riding in Moab, just 3 hours from my home in Montrose, Colorado, in the 80s when the off-road frenzy was gathering steam. I also coached at a mountain bike instructional camp there for many years. Occasionally I’d sneak away from camp duties and ride my road bike over the La Sal loop, a 65-mile jaunt that features a long steep climb known locally as “The Big Nasty” and a gravel road section (now paved) to keep things interesting.
Moab is unique because it’s surrounded by sandstone slickrock along the Colorado River at the base of the La Sal Mountains. You can see river runners cavorting in the rapids under sandstone cliffs with snow capped peaks framed above them. Moab is home to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks as well as Dead Horse Point State Park. Climbers, rafters, jeepers and mountain bikers drag Main and fuel up at notable restaurants in town.
Eight years ago Beth Logan and Mark Griffith founded the Skinny Tire Festival as a cancer fund raiser. They thought that the road riding opportunities in Moab were under-appreciated. They were right because the event has grown each year as the word spread--nearly 600 riders enjoyed three days of perfect weather this year.
Alan “Uncle Al” Ardizone and I were invited to speak and answer questions on training and bike repair at the Saturday afternoon post-ride social. It’s always fun to talk about bikes to an enthusiastic audience. They asked great questions and enjoyed food and music in the sunshine.
The riding was spectacular. All kinds of roadies were represented from racers in full team kit riding fast pacelines to more casual riders who stopped at every overlook to snap photos. Rest stops were plentiful and well-stocked. Lunch was catered by a local establishment—the hot soup at chilly Dead Horse Point State Park was especially appreciated.
My wife, Deb, and I rode our CoMotion tandem while Alan and wife, Leslie, rode their single bikes. The first day’s easy jaunt meandered on a flat road with the Colorado River on one side and sheer sandstone cliffs crowding the road on the other. Climbers dangled above the road with their belayers standing a few feet off the pavement.
Sunday’s 65-miler to Dead Horse Point involved nearly 3,000 feet of climbing but was rewarded with cliff-top views of the river directly below.
Monday was another climbing day to the end of the pavement in Arches National Park followed by a screaming descent down the switchbacks to town.
Equally as inspiring as the riding was the opportunity to meet cancer survivors and participate in a good cause. For instance Montrose resident Tom Barrett overcame a bout with colon cancer 5 years ago to get back on his bike. He founded the Grin and Barrett Century, a fund raising ride around Black Canyon National Park. The Caring Friends Foundation in Montrose, that helps cancer victims, received a share of the fund raising efforts. Total fundraising for the event was over $70,000.
Cycling events like the Skinny Tire Festival are doubly rewarding— you can enjoy great riding and help eliminate the scourge of cancer. We’ve been invited back next year and the date is on our calendar.
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Skinny Tire Festival 
