The van is unloaded, the bikes cleaned and my sunburn is fading into what I call a tan. Just a few weeks ago now and The Moots Owners Camp 5.0 still has us reeling with excitement about how passionate our customers are about our bikes and riding. A common thread we all share.
THE CAMP
For the past 5 years we have co-hosted a 5 day camp in Tucson, Arizona. The main host is THE CYCLING HOUSE (TCH), which owns a house in the east side of the Tucson Valley. They have a super dialed cycling camp that they run in Tucson from January to April each year. Outside of Tucson they also run camps in Montana, Solvang, Mallorca and Tuscany. They focus on the rider experience that checks all the boxes of: epic rides, support, chef prepared meals, knowledgeable guides and outstanding local insight. They leave no stone unturned to make sure you have a great time. The staff at TCH is also full of world class athletes, but all are too humble to tell you so.
This year was our first Moots Owners Camp held in February. In the past THC has hosted our camp in December, which was a tough ask. So this year we moved it to more of a normal time….holidays past and easier for riders to get away. We think we did the right thing.
THE WEATHER
The entire week saw above normal temperatures, which were a welcome sight for those of us coming from the depths of winter. We had a couple of days that reached into the upper 80’s, which really took off the winter chill….but mostly 70’s and light winds.
THE RIDES
DAY 1—Flat valley loop @40 miles to shake out travel and make sure bikes were ready for a week of hard riding. The first ride lends itself to start to get to know fellow campers and with most weeks spent with the same people, we all loosened up even after the first ride. Cyclists tend to to that around each other pretty quickly.
DAY 2—Pistol Hill Loop and back in for laps of Saguaro National Park East @ 65 miles
DAY 3—Mount Lemmon—- @ 65 miles & 6,000 feet of climbing
DAY 4—Gate Pass & Saguaro National Park West @ 75 miles
Day 5—Parker Canyon Lake (to the ‘’wall’’) @65 miles
THE FOOD
3 meals a day, prepared by Chef Drew. Fresh clean food. High protein, lots of fresh veggies, all needs met for quantity and far exceeded quality. You don’t go hungry or thirsty at TCH that’s for sure.
THE COFFEE
I’m that guy. If coffee is around I’m drinking it….this is a dangerous spot to be in while at TCH. They have this little magical machine called JURA….she spits out a beautiful coffee with just one push of a button. Dark, strong, repeat. Too easy for someone like me to over caffeinate. Good thing we rode tons to get that worked out.
THE PEOPLE
The people is what makes the camp tick. Some are repeat campers, some it was their first time around and a “bucket list” event. They came from far and wide, most to escape winter and start putting there bikes and bodies to the test with those first miles of the year. Most of us that came to camp were sporting a pale white skin tone that hadn’t seen sun since fall. Some had been Moots Owners for years, others on their 2nd or 3rd model by Moots. We got to share an evening of pictures and show them how we build and the people behind Moots.
THE BIKES
There were a wide range of bikes at the camp. Mostly Moots road bikes in various models, some road Psychlo X bikes, some on Vamoots DR (disc). The trend of bigger tires on the road is very apparent and much needed for some of the surfaces around Tucson. The roads are good, but think frost heaves but caused by 115 temps during the summer. I think we all agreed that titanium was the best material for a better feeling ride.
NEXT YEAR
Plan now. We are moving forward with dates for Moots Owners Camp 6.0 and can’t wait to be back in the hospitality of The Cycling House staff and the warm Tucson sun. We will post those dates late this summer. Hope to see you there!
You can view the entire Flickr photo set here:
