Ryan and Jeff have been talking for a while about a truly epic gravel ride in the Moody Creek and Kelly Canyon area. On Saturday, Ryan put all of the logistics together and recruited Sam and Bo to drive support. We owe them an extra debt of gratitude on a long hot day. The route started and ended in Rexburg with a big loop to the east end of the Long Hollow Road, a drop to the South Fork of the Snake River from the Y-Junction, and a climb back up to Kelly Canyon and Morgan Summit before returning to Rexburg by way of Lyons Creek and Walker Siding. Jeff mapped out the ride prior to starting to get an preview of the details: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/18992395 The pre-ride map was remarkably accurate in its estimate of the distance at around 72 miles vs 73 miles, but significantly underestimated the climbing at about 4700 feet vs 6000+ feet of vertical. Given the added climbing and the generally soft conditions following road grading, riding time was about six hours.
The ride was everything we hoped it would be, although one warning is in order. We got a reasonably early start and encountered only minimal traffic in the first half of the ride. The second half of the ride was Mad Max Fury Road. Over the past twenty years or so, the number of cyclists, particularly mountain bikers in the Kelly Canyon area has increased steadily. The number of campers and motorized vehicle users of every type imaginable has increased exponentially. If a cyclist cuts the apex of a blind corner, he can count on meeting a Razr moving in the opposite direction doing the same.
The combination of cycling kits Saturday was an unplanned coincidence which Greg has called the TCI, Kelson, and Sled Shed Greatest Hits. Four generations of the local team kit were represented. The photo was taken at Kelly Island following the most difficult part of the day for me. But after significant rehydration and refueling (eating Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms in the photo) I felt pretty good for the climb to Morgan Summit and the remainder of the ride.
Congratulations to Tony, Chris Babb and the other locals who competed in the Pocatello Pedal Fest MTB Race. I also understand that Tony built and installed some bridges in the Moody Creek area this week.
The combination of cycling kits Saturday was an unplanned coincidence which Greg has called the TCI, Kelson, and Sled Shed Greatest Hits. Four generations of the local team kit were represented. The photo was taken at Kelly Island following the most difficult part of the day for me. But after significant rehydration and refueling (eating Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms in the photo) I felt pretty good for the climb to Morgan Summit and the remainder of the ride.
Congratulations to Tony, Chris Babb and the other locals who competed in the Pocatello Pedal Fest MTB Race. I also understand that Tony built and installed some bridges in the Moody Creek area this week.
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