UT: Moab - Capt. Ahab

 The HyMasa - Capt. Ahab Loop is a classic ride. It's only about 9 miles in length, but man, it packs a punch. The first half is mostly climbing, then the downhill is littered with technical rock features and exposure. I rode it last year on the singlespeed, but had a 30x20 setup, this year I swapped cogs for this trip and was rolling a 30x22. I really liked how it rode during the Navajo Rocks Loop and was interested to see how the climbing would go on this one. I walked a bunch last year.

This ride would be a really good measuring stick to see where Kara was at and if our planned routes along the Whole Enchilada and Mag 7 would need to be altered at all. I really wanted her to ride some technical stuff, but also enjoy it. 

There were quite a few cars at the trailhead when we arrived, although it was later in the day. We figured most of the riders would be finishing up their rides as we climbed.

The ride starts out with a nice mile of singletrack, then a bit of the Cliff Hanger jeep road.

These jeep roads are a different animal in Moab.

We caught up to a group of 5 on the jeep road and they were amazed I was able to pedal some of the chunk. I do take pride in at least attempting the hard stuff as I like to see how far I can make it. A few of the climbs, I surprised myself!! I didn't have to walk much before the HyMasa split. Now the real test.

It's not steep, but it's a steady uphill most of the way.

A rare bit of downhill during the uphill.

Near the halfway point of the climb. So far, riding most of it.

Cool rock ledge near the top of HyMasa.

Nice place for a quick break in the action. Photo by Kara.

Not quite at the top yet, but you get an early reward for your effort.

Doing great!! Colorado River, potash ponds, Canyonlands NP and the White Rim all pictured here.

We took a few minutes to soak in the views, it's quite the spectacular viewpoint. The famous White Rim ride follows below the far cliffs, but across & above the Colorado River.

A couple of others guys rode up and also took a break above us. As we were getting set to continue on, they got rolling. There was a solid punchy climb approaching and I was catching up to them, I went around the first guy and as I passed the second the guy, the first guy yelled out: Holy shit!! He's on a singlespeed!! That made me smile, but now I had to clean the climb. I dug deep, but made it. I held them off for a bit, but by the next uphill burst, I needed a break. As they rode by, they told me how impressed they were. Thanks!! That climb right there proved to me, that switching to the 22t cog was definitely the correct choice for me. I know I walked most of that climb last year.

I'm really embracing and enjoying the singlespeed riding, probably more than I thought I would. It really hasn't limited my rides whatsoever. I don't really walk much more than before. I'm stronger for it and so far this year, at least since early February, I've been healthy. Something that didn't happen for an extended period last year. I'll stick with the one gear as long as my body allows and I still enjoy it. If you haven't tried it, why not? Give it a go, if anything, it's another reason to have an extra bike. :)

Kara eyes up the line.

What an amazing place to ride bikes. Kudos to the route finders through this maze of boulders.

Yeah!! Let's GO!!

I love the bottom part of this route. Photo by Kara.

Heading into the exposure section.

The trail hugs the cliff's edge.

I'll say it again, this is a 'must do' ride when here.

Fun photo collage of a rock slab section. Yeah, they are out of order, but they look better this way. Photos by Kara.

Slickrock, singletrack and slabs...repeat.

Kara providing a sense of scale for those boulders.

She was definitely getting her Moab ride style going, confidence building. I knew by this point of the ride, she'd be fine the rest of the weekend.

We caught up to a large group of riders at the end of Capt. Ahab, including the group we leapfrogged on the early sections of the Cliff Hanger jeep road.

Back on the entry singletrack section.

Kara putting the final touches on the loop.

What a fun, challenging ride. I try to ride this loop every time I'm here. Late in the day is nice too, so much less trail traffic. Kara loved it. We briefly had thoughts about adding the Slickrock trail after this, but we were done and it was now getting late. Not sure if we'd have time to fit that one in or not. I guess there's always a reason to come back.

On our way out, we drove up the road a bit farther to find a petroglyph site.

It's a giant boulder, covered in petroglyphs.

Right off the road too, so easy access.

Impressive.

Some smaller scenes around the base.

Brooding skies over the La Sals as we return to town. Photo by Kara.

Back at the house, Max was awake from his nap and suggested a place to eat within walking distance.

The Broken Oar Restaurant really hit the spot.

When we returned home, Karin had arrived!! She was trying to swap out rear wheels, but running into hub issues before our scheduled Whole Enchilada ride the following morning.

Mountain biker kitchen.

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