by Mary Cokenour

On Saturday, August 1, mountain bike enthusiasts took to Monticello’s local mountain range for the second annual Abajo Enduro Race.

Organized by Andy Platt (husband of the San Juan Record’s Merri Allyson Platt), and with the aid of fifteen sponsors from both Grand and San Juan counties, the race was, once again, a huge success!!!

Using the Monticello Welcome Center as a staging area, racers were afforded a shuttle service to the 13.3 mile start of the Roberson Pasture Trailhead. The race ended at Foy Lake.

Racers endured terrain of a hard-packed, dirt trail twisting and turning throughout the majestic Manti-La Sal Forest.

With the recent rains the mountains had been gladly receiving, no biker was spared a mud-free experience.

A fall here and there? No major mishaps thankfully; and I bet a good excuse was “taking time to admire the beautiful, natural plant life along the trail”.

The racers may have been exhausted, but the happiness on each rider’s face was beaming! On to the food tent they either continued to race, or at a leisurely speed.

Peace Tree Juice Café (of Moab and Monticello) provided a well-deserved meal of five different wraps; plus five fruit-packed smoothies.

The volunteer servers for this day were employees Kaitlin and Brandin; with help from a friend, Andrew. Give these three a round of applause.

Exhilarating mountain bike racing, great food, awards, and sharing the experience with family and friends; the Abajo Enduro Race has a long life ahead of it. Ride On!!!