Day one
Your Alison Dunlap Adventure Camp begins at the Rim Village Condos, where we'll convene for registration and a reception between 4-6 p.m. After checking into your room, we'll enjoy appetizers, followed by a buffet dinner prepared by Western Spirit Cycling's chefs (otherwise known as guides). Alison will provide an orientation of your trip's events and an informal introduction of the participants and staff, as well as answer any questions about our upcoming activities. Expect to spend some time with Alison individually as she'll want to know exactly what skills you came to Moab to work on. Alison will also hand out the swag bags full of amazing sponsor goodies. Sorry we can’t reveal the contents. After a relaxing evening we'll head off to bed to prepare for our early start the next day.

Day two
After a hearty breakfast, Alison and the staff will give you an introduction to Moab mountain biking. Learn the basics about riding in the desert:

• what kind of terrain you will ride on,
• how hot it will be out there,
• the kinds of food you will eat on the ride,
• safety on the bike,
• how to avoid dehydration, and
• everything you need to know to start your first trail adventure.

We'll begin our day with a skills clinic in Moab's City Park, where we'll test your balance and coordination on the bike with several types of obstacles and drills on the soft grass -- where spills won't hurt. This may sound like a walk in the park, but you'll be surprised by the difficulty of such challenges. Alison and the guides will observe and offer suggestions on how to improve your skills. After a few hours of challenging skills and drills, Western Spirit guides will prepare a delicious lunch under one of many large shade trees in City Park.

After loading up the van, we’ll venture up the road to the famous Slick Rock Trail. Here we’ll split into groups and begin our first real trail ride. Even though it is a challenging trail, our goal for the afternoon is to practice the skills we learned in the morning session. We’ll stop and talk about the technical sections, demonstrate, and practice as much as you want so that you begin to feel comfortable with your technical skills. The Slick Rock Trail is unique in that it winds up, down, and around beautiful sandstone domes known as petrified dunes. The trail is almost entirely on rock. Don’t be fooled by the name Slick Rock, the traction is incredible. The views are spectacular today and you’ll want to be sure to bring your camera. Riding distance: 3-4 miles

We'll return to the condos mid-afternoon, in time for massages, swimming and some free time. After a yummy dinner, Alison’s husband, Greg, will give the all important talk on bike maintenance and what to do if something breaks on your bike and you’re in the middle of nowhere. Pay attention to this one!

Day three
Enjoy the morning as you watch the landscape come to life while enjoying fresh coffee, blueberry pancakes and crispy bacon. On the lighter side there will also be yogurt, fresh fruit and cereal. The sun will rise over the La Sal Mountains and start the glow on the towering sandstone of the Moab Rim to the west.

Today we start the day back at City Park. After reviewing what we did yesterday, we’ll move on to some of the more advanced skills and techniques of riding. After a mid-morning snack we’ll head out to a Moab classic: Poison Spider. It's a technical jeep road and will be the perfect media for testing what Alison has been teaching. On this ride you'll learn to climb and descend on loose rocky terrain and steep slickrock drop-offs. Don't worry; your only goal is to improve. By this time, you'll begin to feel more comfortable on your bike and will start riding sections you didn't think you could.

If time and weather permit, we’ll enjoy our lunch next to a gorgeous pothole arch that looks down over five hundred feet to the Colorado River.

The ride back is stunning, so you’ll want to bring plenty of memory for your digital camera because you’ll be taking lots of pictures. The majority of the ride back is flat to downhill with a few short climbs thrown in to keep the heart pumping. Of course we’ll stop and work all of the difficult sections of the trail. Practice practice practice! Riding distance: 18 miles

On our way back to the condos, we’ll stop at a stunning petroglyph panel high up in the desert varnish of the Wingate sandstone. Petroglyphs are pictures etched into the rock by the ancient Indians that used to live in the Moab valley 800-1000 years ago.

Once we’re back, you know the drill, time to get a massage. After your massage, you can check out downtown Moab. It's about 5 miles from the condos and Main Street is a fun place to cruise around.

Moab was founded by the Mormons in 1855, but before that date Native Americans, including the Sabuagana Utes, had long occupied the valley and used the nearby crossing of the Colorado River. The town underwent a boom in the 1950’s thanks to the discovery of Uranium and in the late 1980’s the town became known worldwide for it’s mountain biking. Did you know there are more bike shops per capita in Moab than any other city?

After a delicious dinner of grilled salmon, pesto pasta, and chocolate fondue, Alison will talk about racing, training, nutrition, hydration, training and anything else you want to know about cycling. She will talk about her career as an elite cyclist with stories from the Olympics, World Championships. It’s an exciting opportunity to learn the inside scoop on the crazy life of an athlete. Hanging with Alison will give you an opportunity to find the personality in racing, a personal connection, and most likely, some inspiration.

Day four
After a yummy breakfast of French toast we’ll load the van and head up the Sand Flats Rd to the start of another Moab classic: Porcupine Rim Trail. Today’s ride is about continuity and flow, and trying to put everything together without stopping as much. The trail begins with a vigorous four mile climb through the Navajo sandstone, getting steeper and more challenging toward the top. The view from Porcupine Rim at 6,800 feet is breathtaking as you look out across Castle Valley, Castleton Tower and the Fisher Towers off in the distance. After briefly following the rim, the trail goes down in earnest and you’ll experience one of the best descents in the country. We’ll have lunch part way down, and then finish the ride with a spectacular four mile single track that follows an angling ledge back down to the Colorado River. Depending on the ability of the group, some of you may instead ride Klondike Bluffs, a challenging but much less intimidating ride than Porcupine Rim. Our number one goal is rider safety and we want everyone to be comfortable with the rides we do. Riding distance: 14 miles.

Tonight will be our final night together, and we'll celebrate it with an in-condo dress up dinner party where we'll get a lot of laughs. After a gourmet white linen dinner we’ll relax and laugh to the funny stories from our week of riding. But there’s still more to come!

Day five
After a hearty breakfast, we’ll load up in the van and drive north out of town to the area’s only true single track, the Sovereign Trail. Built by motorcycle riders, the trail snakes around slick rock domes, ledges, creek bottoms, and open valleys, giving us the chance to practice our skills on every kind of technical riding found in the Moab area. The trail is convoluted with lots of twists and turns, so be sure to pay attention to the white dots painted on the rock that keep you from going off trail. The views again are gorgeous, and we will stop often for pictures and lunch at one of the many spectacular overlooks. Today is an out-and-back ride with plenty of opportunities to practice what you’ve learned this week. Show us what you’ve got! After a van ride back to town, we'll have lunch at the pool with group pictures and a farewell from Alison, Greg, and Western Spirit. Riding distance: 15 miles

Then it's time to pack up, shower and depart. You may enjoy staying another night on your own and then enjoy a leisurely mountain bike ride Sunday morning before traveling home. Whatever your plans are, we hope you leave Moab with a tool box full of new skills, a camera full of pictures, and a smile on your face.

Please note
Itineraries are subject to change due to weather, road conditions, rider safety, overall group ability and other factors which may affect the logistics of the adventure. We will do our best to follow the above itinerary but if a change is necessary we will make sure to accommodate everyone and make our “Plan B” just as exciting as the original ride.