shelbyfv

I asked this in Touring, with no response, so forgive me for trying once more. Does anyone have experience with this ride? Also would be interested in any opinions about the route. I have driven this area in a car but never biked it. The director obviously has some problems but a group of us are interested, nevertheless. https://www.lagbrau.com/

valygrl

Utah in August? I'm skeptical. Looks like a great route for late September. The way the route section states the temps is misleading the number they are calling "high" matches what I see as the average high daily temp from weather.com, i think his "average" is a whole day & night average.

That said, I think a lot of those roads are on the Adventure Cycling Western Express route, and you can probably find out more about riding conditions by searching for that on crazyguyonabike. I've done the rides around Moab, they are nice, but I wouldn't be doing them in August. In fact, I'm doing them end of March. Utah is beautiful.

What are the obvious problems you refer to?

shelbyfv

Thanks for the input. I guess the issues aren't so obvious for folks who haven't had reason the read about the ride on the internet. Various blogs and comments have mentioned disorganization and lack of SAG support year after year. We have a small group interested and will have a vehicle with us so we may sign up despite the red flags. The food is good by all accounts.

Shifty

I agree, sun and day time heat will be a serious factor during that time. If the organizer doesn't provide enough water and electrolyte drinks that would be a problem. It looks like a couple of rides on I-70, that won't be fun, but the rest of the route should be nice. A late September start would be much nicer.

shelbyfv

Thanks for the reply. We are concerned about the heat as well, but the dates are what they are, as they say. We hope that as we move toward the Bryce and Cedar Breaks area it will be cooler. We may take Camelbaks, just in case.

rpg

I rode in 2010. I would not recommend this tour to anyone unless you are able to provide your own SAG support. Disorganization is not a strong enough word for this ride. Heat was a very serious problem - lack of support left a few riders in danger in Arches and Canyonlands. There were problems with camping, motels, route directions. There were problems with permits, licensing, entry fees, you name it. The food, however, was excellent. You should call to see if Jeb is catering before you make a decision to go. The roads are adequate even though you ride a few miles on I-70. The scenery is outstanding and cannot be duplicated anywhere in the world. SO, if you are willing to pay the price (not cheap), go with the understanding that you have to provide everything you think you're paying for (except food if Jeb is there).

shelbyfv

Thanks rpg. That is the sort of info we found elsewhere, so we don't have high expectations regarding organization. We are a group of about 10 and will have a vehicle available.

Shifty

Shelby, you might want to consider the Moab Skinny Tire Festival in early March. It's four days of rides in the Moab area, rides start in Moab every morning and are beautiful. The usually get 600 to 800 riders, so enough to make it friendly and fun. https://skinnytireevents.com/content/section/4/31/

shelbyfv

Thanks, I bet the weather is nice in March!

shelbyfv

I don't think this ride will be offered in 2012 but I'll post a short review in case someone is searching for info. The LAGBRAU turned out to be really nice. The food was great and most of the routes were good as well. We had some heavy traffic one day coming up from Lake Powell, but otherwise low traffic and great scenery. The rest stops were fine and we had full lunches every day, in addition to the usual breakfast and supper. The tour operator, Les, is a really nice guy but a little disorganized. He has been hit hard by the internet attacks of some former participants. He only had 50 riders this year and that probably is not enough to warrant organizing the ride in the future. I think it was a great opportunity to ride through a very unique part of the country and I would not hesitate to recommend the tour if it continues.