I live in the mountain bike heaven of Flagstaff, AZ. A little ways down the road is buff singletrack that winds through Ponderosa forests. The Arizona Trail is just up the hill and the red rock biking of Sedona is not too far. I love to ride. But I don’t ride often enough, and I don’t ride fast.
Several years ago I was introduced to bikepacking. What an incredible idea! It combines two of my favorite ways to spend time, mountain biking and backpacking into one amazing activity. I soon found my way to Bikepacking.net and discovered that one of the signature routes was right out my back door…the CocoMingoBob. Two hundred and forty miles of mountain and desert riding.
I read more – Chad Brown and Scott Morris had posted the route. Mike Curiak posted a wonderful slide show, and I knew some of the trails around Flagstaff. The fast guys rode the loop in four days or less. They race the loop (now referred to as the Coconino 250) every fall. Maybe I could do it in six days? Three years ago I gave it a try, and failed miserably. I was too slow, I was too heavy, not my gear…me. I was exhausted. I made it to Cottonwood, Arizona and had to be rescued by one of my boys.
But I don’t give up easy. I tried again the next fall yet failed for other non-biking reasons. The fall of 2014 seemed like a good shot. I got 8 days off of work, so it was time to take the maps out. The route works pretty well for a slow rider, with good camping that is evenly spaced. Water is a problem, but not insurmountable. Below is a brief day by day summery of my trip(s)
One Comment