March 4-9, 2004 -- When one thinks of Moab, mountain biking usually comes to mind. But no longer, for Moab has some of the best road biking in the world with world-class scenery. It provides a visual delight that surrounds you.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation is a non-profit organization created to both inspire cancer patients with Lance’s own miraculous tale and raise money to help people manage and survive cancer. Using bike rides as fundraisers encourages the spirit of embracing life and helps people to focus their energy toward the foundation’s goal. Last year, the Skinny Tire Festival had 250 participants – this year it had 500 riders – a 100% increase! And they came from all over – as far away as New Jersey and Massachusetts!

A group of 8 of us attended and were thrilled to have joined in this special event. Some did some hiking in Zion and visited Bryce on the way so stretched out this 4 day event to a week vacation. Additionally, by taking the Scenic Byway 12 from Bryce to Moab diagonally through the state, we had the delight of traveling through two other National Parks with spectacular scenery. The weather was interesting as we drove through sunshine, snow flurries, hail, then more sunshine. The Utah evenings were cool, but the days were perfect hiking and cycling weather – high 50s/low 60s.

And the little town of Moab is delightful with cute little shops, plenty of restaurants for evening dinners and the friendliest locals one would ever want. And the sheriff and highway patrol officers blocked off downtown each morning with our mass starts – it made us really feel like VIPs.

The four rides of the Festival highlight Moab’s different riding opportunities. The first two days follow the mighty Colorado River corridor, both up-stream and downstream. The next two days leave the valley and climb the beautiful canyon roads into red rock country.

Day 1 – The River Portal Ride
This is a lovely 43 mile “warm-up” ride with a route that meanders alongside the Colorado River. We are at about 4,000 ft so this is a pretty easy ride that will allow us time to acclimate. We ride past redrock walls that rise hundreds of feet straight up from the shoulder of the road. We saw climbers plying the walls and saw 1,000 year old Anasazi petroglyphs carved into the ancient rock wall. It was awesome!

Day 2 – The Colorado River Canyon Ride
We rode upstream along the Colorado River and had some beautiful views of the La Sal Mountains, which were covered with snow. This was a tough ride and everyone was anxious for lunch. When we arrived, they had a wonderful choice of a Teriyaki bowl with veggies or a turkey sandwich. The Teriyaki bowl was great!