#kokopelli-trail

tag

Radar

Why Wait? Attempting a Kokopelli and White Rim Trail FKT

310 miles, 25,000 feet of climbing, one ride, what could go wrong? Ryan Standish linked two iconic trails in one massive FKT attempt – the Kokopelli and White Rim. Why take on a journey like this? Ryan Standish found inspiration and motivation to embark on a journey like this for those who no longer can, especially his Dad because of his battles with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). His Dad’s journey with MS made Ryan realize that we have to make the most of the time we have. So ‘Why Wait?’

Radar

Hannah Otto Sets New Kokopelli Trail FKT: Watch “Kokopelli Strong” Here

The Kokopelli trail runs 137 miles from Moab, UT to Loma, CO and the women’s time to beat is 13 hours and 7 minutes. For professional mountain bike racer Hannah Otto, failure is not a common occurrence. She’s constantly pushing the sport and finds herself toward the top of the podium during her race season on a regular basis.

Last year, Hannah had great success clocking the FKT (Fastest Known Time) on the ascent and descent of the Whole Enchilada trail. But this year, she had her sights set on a more challenging route. The Kokopelli trail is an unforgiving beast that most skilled riders would consider completely ludicrous to ride in one day.

Hannah’s hunt for the FKT drove her to extreme temperatures resulting in a frozen hydration pack, frostbitten fingers, hypothermia, and moments of failure—but that only added fuel to her internal fire.

After sleepless nights, early mornings scouting, and a failed attempt, Hannah Otto holds the fastest known time on the Kokopelli trail at 11 hours and 53 minutes.

Bikepacking the Kokopelli Trail Helped Me Grieve

Reportage By: Eric Arce

Bikepacking the Kokopelli Trail Helped Me Grieve

Still reeling from the loss of my father in February of 2020, I was in the depths of grief and drowning in the weight of his absence when I decided to accept my friend Jalen’s offer to go bikepacking for the first time. In his youth, my father loved spending time moving across mountains, and since I loved being outside too, I felt like going on this bikepacking trip was less of a pure adventure (although adventure would ensue) and more of a way to honor him by doing something that he enjoyed when he was young. I felt like doing something productive with my grief, to move my body forward and look back on all our memories together while observing how much he shaped who I am. In his youth he rode through Mexico on horseback transporting cattle between ranches and, while I was pedaling my bike on this trip across the land, I often thought about similar experiences we might have shared. As I rode through the Kokopelli trail on my first bikepacking trip, I took in the scenery and imagined what my dad felt when he was in the Sierras of Mexico every time I stared off into mountains or observed the star-filled night sky. I envisioned him looking at similar things as if we were sharing a moment.

Radar

Fastest for now: Temporary Records in a Timeless Place

This video from Kuat, featuring Kait and Kurt from Bikepacking Roots‘ records on the Kokopelli Trail is so well done!

Spanning 138 miles of the rugged landscape between Moab Utah, and Loma Colorado, the Kokopelli Trail is one of the original great bikepacking routes of the American West.

In November of 2020, Kait Boyle and Kurt Refsnider set out to explore the possibilities, testing their endurance against the current FKT (Fastest Known Time) records. Their journeys began long before the starting line, and the progression of record times on this trail is far from over.

Stay tuned for the release of Faster For Now later this spring 2021!

Ornot Ornot
Mondraker Mondraker
Endura Endura
Flagstaff Flagstaff
45NRTH 45NRTH
State Bicycle Co State Bicycle Co
Paul Paul
Gravel Adventure Field Guide Gravel Adventure Field Guide
Leatt Leatt
Rivendell Rivendell
SimWorks SimWorks
Quad Lock Quad Lock