photo courtesy of Action Shots

The Moab Century Tour brings a thousand plus road cyclists to ride the diverse and spectacular back roads of Moab Utah. The road bike tour is a benefit for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), a cancer research and survivorship organization made famous by its founder, 7 time Tour de France Winner and cancer survivor, Lance Armstrong. The weekend of October 5-7, Moab will be a sea of spandex as brightly attired “roadies” pedal through the canyons surrounding Moab and Castle Valley. Moab, known for it’s mountain biking terrain, has become extremely popular for road bikers because of the hundreds of miles of remote roads available for scenic cycling.

Arriving Friday cyclists warm up on several routes around Moab including Spanish Valley Drive, Kane Creek Road, and Highway 279 to Corona Arch. A pasta dinner will warm the event that evening with short commentaries from road cycling icon Ron Kiefel (US Olympian and Tour de France and Giro Italia competitor from 7-11 and Motorola racing teams). Saturday cyclists begin at 8am with a mass start escorted by law enforcement spinning north on Main Street to Highway 128. Turning upstream, all riders enjoy the gentle contours of rolling terrain along the Colorado River. At the Castle Valley turnoff some riders choose the challenge of riding to Fisher Mesa Overlook before turning around. Other cyclists continue along Highway 128 to historic Dewey Bridge before turning around. All riders return via Highway 128 ending at the Moab Valley Inn.

photo courtesy of JD Thompson

Event organizers appreciate Castle Valley and Moab resident’s courtesy toward cyclists. Sharing the road safely with motorists and cyclists is a combined effort. “Many of our riders put purpose to their cycling; they are cancer survivors themselves or have been personally touched by a cancer situation. Aside from their support of The Lance Armstrong Foundation, they choose they choose this event because of the awe inspiring beauty of the landscape and the generosity of our community,” says Event Director Mark Griffith of Moab. Utah law requires motorists to leave 3 feet from the widest point of their vehicle when passing cyclists. This is usually a side mirror or trailer hub. Some motorists may not know that Utah law also allows cyclists to ride two abreast except when impeding traffic. Event organizers encourage residents to allow extra time to travel to/from Highway 128 and Moab’s Main Street on Saturday, October 6th..

For more information go to www.SkinnyTireEvents.com.

To volunteer contact Karli Lewis, 259-7226