303-475-6053 
info@desertgravel.com 
Happy 2023 from Desert Gravel
December 30, 2022 |by morganmurri@netscape.net | 0 Comments | Uncategorized
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Holiday Special from Desert Gravel
December 30, 2022 |by morganmurri@netscape.net | 0 Comments | Uncategorized
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Rexy Rider Tracking and Race Results 2022
October 7, 2022 |by morganmurri@netscape.net | 0 Comments | UncategorizedHowdy Gravelers,
We’ll have very periodic aid-station-to-aid station results posted from about 2pm on and live finish results.
Use this link to track your rider.
https://www.itsyourrace.com/results.aspx?id=14815
Full event schedule is posted in an earlier blog post.
Peace, Love, and gravel on!
We’ll see you at the finish line!
The Dino Wranglers
KEEP READINGREXY 2022 Full Schedule and Locations
October 1, 2022 |by morganmurri@netscape.net | 0 Comments | UncategorizedFull Schedule and locations Rexy 2022
Aid station locations and maps are in the crew support manual
Friday 10.08.22
8pm Rider Meeting and Welcome. CBB Bike Shop. Address above
Saturday 10.08.22
4:00 a.m.- 4:25 a.m. 200 Bike drop, for shuttle Fruita Civic Pavilion Park
4:30 a.m. – 200-mile Shuttle to Moab Fruita Civic Pavilion Park 325 E. Aspen Avenue downtown Fruita.
6:15 am – 6:45 a.m. 200 miler Day of packet pick up and mandatory 200 check-in Moab Giants Intersection of highways 313 and 191. 11 miles north of Moab.
8:00 am –8:30 am 100-mile bike drop for shuttle. Fruita Civic Pavilion Park 325 E. Aspen Avenue downtown Fruita
8:30 am 100-mile shuttle to Cisco departs Fruita Civic Pavilion Park
9:45 am – 10:15 am 100 miler Day of packet pick up and mandatory 100 rider check in. Cisco
1:15 – 1:45 pm 50 miler Day of packet pick up and mandatory rider check-in, Starting line
2:00 pm – 50 Mile start. 4 Road and Prairie Canyon
3:30 pm – Beer Garden Opens – Finish line Civic Park, 325 E. Aspen Fruita Fruita Civic Pavilion Park
3:30 pm – Expected first finishers 100-mile
4:00 pm – Expected first finisher 50-mile/Food Trucks open
Riders will receive a “food coupon” good for exchange at a food truck or $10 off your order at Hot Tomato or Base Camp restaurants.
5:00 – 5:30 pm – Expected first finisher 200-mile
6:00 pm – 50- and 100-mile awards Civic Park finish line.
7:00 pm – Bonfire and smores begin. Finish line
7:00 pm Live Music begins, Finish line
9:00 pm – Overall 200-mile awards Civic Park finish line
9:00 pm – Hot Tomato and Base Camp Provisions close
10:00 pm – Beer Garden closes (beer will be kept on hand for late finishers)
11:00 pm Food Trucks close – (warm food will be on hand for late finishers)
Sunday 10.09.22
6:59 am Course Closed – Game over.
10:00 am – Base Camp Provisions opens for Brunch
REXY 2022 Must Read Riders Manual
October 1, 2022 |by morganmurri@netscape.net | 0 Comments | Uncategorized2022 Rexy and Moe and little t Riders Manual
A “Must Read”
Welcome
Rexy, Queen of the Desert, was created in the spirit of adventure, self-discovery, competition, and challenge, with yourself as much or more than with fellow riders, doing so across an incredibly rugged, beautiful, and unique desert region of western Colorado and eastern Utah. We call this region home and welcome all of you to join us on this adventure through our backyard.
With distances of 50, 100 and 200 miles, we’ve done what we can to provide challenging options for riders looking to ride medium, far and very far! Regardless of the option selected, we anticipate almost all of you will find this challenge more difficult than expected. We hope for you, ultimately the challenge, and overcoming it, is the point. For this reason, we ask you to take your preparation seriously. Your physical fitness, mental preparedness, equipment, nutrition plan, navigation systems, and clothing choices should all be dialed in and ready for race day.
On our end, we are working hard to keep you safe, making it fun and fine-tuning each course to reward you with a beautiful adventure. Below is information that applies to the entire event. Please keep in mind we reserve the right to change the rules, courses, routes, and guidelines or cancel the event at any time before or during the event to keep you safe.
Working together
In the desert we all rely upon one another, It is desolate out there. You get stuck, and someone comes along and pulls you out. Out of gas – same thing. Rexy lives with this same spirit – While this is technically a race, for most of you it will be an odyssey. Be there for one another. And if you need beta, have support to offer or need a ride to the start of the 50 (or back to Moab or Cisco afterward) team up. We’ve created a Facebook Group to help you connect with one another in advance. Find it here
Weather
As of this writing, the course conditions are ideal. Recent, regular rain has reduced the sand, firmed the dirt and made the route much smoother than usual. There are a few (as compared to last years hundreds) rain ruts in the bottom of several drainages and down a few of the steep downhill sections – use caution and take any danger signs seriously.
The weather is almost always great here. Early October especially is generally ideal for riding. However, when it isn’t great, it can be bad. Rain is a blessing here and always needed. A little rain makes riding incredible, with no dust, firm sand, and excellent traction. A lot of rain, and it is game over. Period. If it rains significantly, the roads are impassable. At this time the forecast looks great!
Traffic This event takes place on 100% open, public roads! Road rules and laws must be followed. Zero tolerance from us in this situation. You will be disqualified if we find you running stop signs, crossing yellow lines, etc.
Once in the desert, it is remote, and you may feel all alone. Trust us; there could be a big Mac truck hauling ass right at you coming over that hill or around that corner. STAY ON THE RIGHT ALWAYS!
Race numbers, tracking, and timing
Your race plate number must be mounted on the front of your bike and visible at all times. Your number needs to be logged in at each aid station. Please, for us to keep track of you, let your crew, family, and friends stay updated on your progress; take 10 seconds at each aid station to pull in, get your number logged and head out.
Each aid station will update our timing HQ at 30-minute intervals with your rider number and the time you passed through each aid station. This data will then be updated to the semi-live tracking results allowing your fans and family to follow along. The better you are at helping us ensure we’ve collected your information at each aid station, the more accurately we can post your progress.
We will provide you with the website for this tracking function race week.
Lights
All riders, in the 200 and 100, must have a functional and ON lighting system after 6:30 pm. No rider will be allowed to leave any aid station after 5 pm without lights attached and ready to go. Period.
Navigation/Signage
ALL riders are required to carry and use GPS navigation for this event. Either a GPS-enabled computer or a smartphone. Our maps are created in Ride With GPS, and this app works very well on your Phone if you choose not to use a bike computer. If relying on your Phone, please carry an additional power supply. GPS navigation consumes significant battery. You do not want to be without navigation or your Phone in case of an emergency!
Final and official GPS files are included below. The course will be marked regularly and at major intersections. Look for large hot pink arrows at significant junctions and smaller red arrows at minor junctions. Double X’s XX means the wrong way. Any Caution or Danger sign is to be taken seriously! This signage will be BACK UP to your navigation. We cannot guarantee those course markings will remain in place, as they could be interfered with by cows or desert dwellers.
Course Routes
Rexy 200 Official Map as of 9.25.22 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38667516
Moe 100 Official Map as of 9.25.22 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40480153
Little – t 50 Official Map as of 9.25.22 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39194293
Do not use previously posted maps as changes could be made. We reserve the right to change, adjust, amend any course due to weather, safety, or environmental concerns at any point before or during the event.
Aid stations
Gravel is about adventure and self-reliance. In the spirit of this, many gravel events don’t provide aid stations. That’s cool, and we ride many of those events. But we want to add this support so you can focus less on what to carry and more on the views. Skratch Labs provide primary race nutrition bars, crispy cakes, and hydration electrolytes. Additionally, you can expect pickles, salty options (various chips), sweet options (various cookies), bananas, and Pepsi.
Aid stations will be at the following mileage.
Rexy #1 Thompson Springs Desert Moon Hotel Full aid – Mile 55.
Rexy #2 Cisco Mile 100
Rexy #3, Moe #1 – Water drop only Rexy mile 126, Moe mile 26 (team and crew support ok, but no aid or staffing)
Rexy #4, Moe #2 – Full aid. Rexy mile 143, Moe mile 43 2rd and BLM 194.
Rexy #5, Moe #2, little -t #1 – Full aid. Rexy mile 174, Moe mile 74, Little t – mile 26. Highway 139
Drop bags
We will take drop bags to aid #2 – mile 100 (Cisco), aid #4, Moe aid #1 – Mile 143 and 43 respectively, aid #5 Rexy, Moe aid #3, little t aid #1 Highway 139 miles, 174, 74 and 25 respectively.
Drop bags need to be a reasonable size (small duffle, daypack, etc.) No suitcases, coolers, tents, sleeping bags, etc. You MUST label your bag(s) with your name and bib number.
*** Drop bags will be taken to the finish line, and while we will do what we can to make a trip or two Saturday evening/night, likely, they will not make it to the finish line until early Sunday morning.
Awards
Custom, hand-painted “overall” awards will be provided to the overall woman and man in each solo division and overall team open and women in Rexy and Moe. All distances will have age-group awards for women and men in each 10 yr age bracket, such as 20-29, 30-39, etc. The two team divisions will have 1st, 2nd,and 3rd place awards and Tandem and SS will have 1st, 2nd,and 3rd place awards. All finishers will receive an official survivors award. We anticipate presenting survivor awards as you finish. We will have an awards ceremony for little t and Moe at approximately 6 pm and one for Rexy at about 9 pm. Age group winners after those times will receive their award as they finish.
Beer
A nice cold beer from New Belgium Brewing will be provided at the finish area. Don’t forget the 21+ ID band supplied at registration. Additional beers for you, family, and crew are available for $5 ID required.
Finish line food and celebration
Food trucks will be Onsight at the finish line. You’ll be provided a food ticket to exchange for your meal at a truck. The trucks will have food for sale for friends, family and crew.
Start Location
Rexy will begin under the giant T-Rexy at Moab Giants. The intersection of Utah highways 313 and 191.
Moe will begin in the parking area of Buzzards Belly General Store Downtown Cisco, UT
Little -t will begin on 4th and Prairie Canyon 24 miles from Fruita
Map link/directions are in the Maps link files
Start Time
Rexy 7:00 a.m.
Moe 10:30 a.m.
Little t 2:00 p.m.
Shuttle Bus– Rexy 200 and Moe 100
A bus will be available to the starts of the 100 and 200 – You must register in advance.
Both buses depart the finish line 325 E. Aspen Avenue, Civic Park in downtown Fruita.
200 departs 4:30 a.m. Bike drop off 4 am – 4:20 am.
100 departs 8:30 a.m. Bike drop off 8 am – 8:20 am.
Event Parking.
Parking for Rexy is available at and around the park in downtown Fruita if you are shuttle, or at Moab Giants, Gravel Lot only, if you are leaving a vehicle at the starting area.
Parking for Moe is available just east of the store in Cisco, or around the park if you are taking the shuttle.
Parking for little – t is available at the start
Packet Pick-up
Packet pick-up will be from 5 pm – 8 pm inside the CBB bike Shop downtown Fruita Co. in Fruita. Or, day of packet pick up will be at your start location 45 minutes prior to the start time for each event. You do not need to come to Fruita Friday night if you would prefer day of pick up. If you don’t come – Please review the welcome and update informational video link that will be sent to all riders late in race week.
General Rules
1. The event organizers, promoters, staff, volunteers, and sponsors, including but not limited to anyone having anything to do with this event, are not responsible for your safety or well-being; please commit to safe riding. You are responsible for yourself. If you have an emergency, call 911 from your cell phone.
2. This event is a non-stop bicycling marathon event that will require participants to travel on paved, gravel, and dirt public roads. Participants must carry all necessary food, water, and equipment to make it from aid station to aid station.
3. Each participant is solely responsible for himself/herself, themselves including any accidents in which he or she may be involved. No responsibility can be accepted for participants becoming lost, stranded, or injured.
4. Participants must obey all city, county, state & federal laws and “Rules of the Road.” Participants must watch and yield to traffic as the roads used on this course are open to public traffic. Commit to safe riding and make wise decisions.
5. Participants must use the centerline rule. On the pavement, there is a centerline, stay to the right of the centerline. On gravel, there is no centerline, stay to the right as if there were a centerline. Do not ride in the opposite lane; this is especially dangerous on hills or corners where you cannot see oncoming traffic.
6. Participants must wear an ANSI-approved helmet while operating their bicycle. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
7. All participants must have a red taillight for the duration of the event. 200 mile Riders will not be allowed to start the event without proper front, and rear lighting mounted and on at the start. No rider will be permitted on course past 6:30 pm without rear AND front lights, and doing so will be grounds for disqualification. No rider will be allowed to leave any aid station after 5 pm without functional lights.
8. 200-mile riders will have 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds to officially finish the event. 100-mile riders will have 12 hours to finish the event.
9. Race numbers must be placed on the front of the bicycle and must be visible at ALL times. Relay Team riders see your rules book for number placement and exchange process.
10. The primary route must be followed at all times. No shortcuts or alternate routes are permitted. Failure to abide by this, including accidental route deviation, will result in disqualification. (The course may be altered by the promoters in the event of inclement weather or other unforeseeable circumstance. Should this occur, participants will be sufficiently advised at a checkpoint).
11. Participants must remain within the primary boundaries of the roadway at all times. If fences or ditches border the road, riders must stay between them. If the route is in open range, remain on the roadway. Leaving the roadway or climbing over a fence is considered shortcutting the course and will result in disqualification.
12. If you exit the course for food, supplies, or any other reason, you must re-enter the course at the same spot at which you left. If you get lost, you must backtrack to the point you left the course, and failure to do so will result in disqualification.
13. Participants may not advance along the route by any means other than by bicycle or foot. All other means of advancement, including towing, tethering, or hitching rides, are prohibited and will result in disqualification.
14. Drafting on another event participant is allowed. Drafting in any other manner is prohibited, including but not limited to drafting a non-participant cyclist or a motorized vehicle, and will result in disqualification.
15. Participants must start and complete the entire course on the same bicycle frame. All other components and equipment may be repaired or replaced during the event. Participants in the Single-Speed class shall have only one gearing combination installed on their bike and complete the entire event using the same gearing combination. Failure to use the same frame will result in disqualification.
16. All bicycles, including fixed-gear bicycles, must be equipped with front & rear fully functioning hand-operated brakes. Coaster-style brakes do not satisfy this requirement. Failure to start the race with front & rear working hand brakes will result in disqualification.
17. Participants may help other participants with mechanical support, navigational assistance, and sharing food or water. Participants may not assist other participants with their forward propulsion.
18. Participants may purchase food, bike parts, and other supplies at stores and businesses along the route. Always be aware of the distance to the next checkpoint, and be prepared to travel that distance with the supplies you have.
19. Participants may receive assistance from any registered competitor in the race. Participants may receive assistance from any unplanned source that would be available to any other racer in the competition (for example, stores, bike shops, faucets on the side of a building). Participants may receive assistance from the general public, defined as unplanned assistance from people who have no connection or affiliation with the race or a competitor in the race and that is freely & equally offered to all participants from a fixed, non-movable location (for example, assistance in the form of mechanical help, food, water, bike parts would all be acceptable). Participants MAY NOT receive outside assistance from spectators, team managers, or friends viewing the event, from event staff, or from support persons on the course who have planned to assist teams. Any violation will result in disqualification.
20. Participants may be assisted by motorized transport in an emergency, mechanical failure, or other unforeseeable problem. By accepting such motorized transportation, you will be automatically disqualified from the event.
21. There may be one or several checkpoints along the route where all participants must check-in. Failure to check-in will result in disqualification
22. Riders should call out obstacles, dogs, cracks in bridges, cars up or back to fellow riders.
23. Demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times. Foul, abusive language, or unsportsmanlike conduct will result in immediate disqualification.
24. Respect the environment. Littering or any similar behavior will result in immediate disqualification.
25. No alcohol or illegal drugs shall be used by participants during the event. Athletes who are currently serving bans for doping will not be allowed to compete in this event.
26. Challenges to event results may only come from a participant registered in the category for which the challenge is being made.
27. Support Crews, family, or friends are NOT allowed on any portion of the course (except the 4.5 miles of paved road from Thompson Springs to Sego Canyon rock art for viewing this historic area). Except to pick up a rider who is abandoning the event, if a support crew vehicle is spotted on course for any other reason, their rider will be disqualified from the event. Providing support to a rider while on course violates the self-sufficiency spirit of this event and is unfair to other participants.
Support crews, spectators, family, and friends are allowed at all aid stations and the finish area.
REQUIRED GEAR
1. Front and rear lights for any rider on course after 6:30 pm
2. Cell phone, fully charged and available to use in case of emergency or distress.
3. Cycling computer or GPS with route downloaded and printed maps, of course. Additional power source if using Phone.
4. Minimum of 2 bottles of water or sports drink
5. ANSI approved biking helmet
6. Race numbers must be placed on the front of the bicycle and visible at ALL times
7. Positive attitude
SUGGESTED GEAR
1. Back up batteries for lights system and back up charger for Phone
2. Cash/credit card (for food, water, supplies)
3. Food (bars, gels, etc.)
4. Chamois Butt’r
5. Sunscreen
6. Chapstick
7. Eye protection
8. Maps
9. Spare inner tubes
10. Bike pump or CO2
11. Chain repair tool
12. Thermal top
13. Waterproof/windproof jacket
Last but not least. Whatever distance you’ve decided to face – This is going to be tough. That is the point – We want you to test yourself, suffer, and ultimately overcome. IF you find yourself in the pit of despair, try this…. Look up. Take a big breath of this fresh, clean air. Relax those shoulders and then… Look around you, all around. Take it in—the blue in the big open sky, the purple hues tucked in the layers of the hills, the stunning colors one upon the other. The cliffs, stacked like books as far as you can see. Once that all settles in, remind yourself of this. You are healthy, alive, on your bike riding through the desert, and you are strong enough to get it done. Repeat often and enjoy the journey.