A Weekend Retreat in Moab by Marley Blonsky

Going into the Shredly x Momentum MTB Retreat in Moab, I had a few hopes and expectations for the weekend. I hoped for good vibes, beautiful (yet challenging) rides, and new friends, while of course wearing the cutest SHREDLY clothing. What I didn’t expect was for all of that to happen, plus so much more. I seriously leveled up my mountain bike skills, rode on some of the most incredible terrain I’ve ever seen, and walked away with friends for life. 

Let me tell you a little about it.

I arrived a day early to get settled into our base camp at Field Station Moab. Nestled into the north end of town, the hotel was a perfect homebase for the retreat, with an alluring hot tub, cozy rooms, and a perfect space for our group. I especially loved the outdoors theme of the hotel - perfect to get into the mindset for a weekend full of mountain biking.

Thursday was arrival day for the rest of the retreat participants, with all of us meeting at the hotel for a fun meet-and-greet and shopping time in the SHREDLY trailer. Creativity was a big theme of the retreat, starting with a watercolor activity. Each of us chose a word to focus on for the weekend - mine was confidence - and wrote it on a piece of paper. In forty-five second increments, we each took turns adding to a collective watercolor piece. As the papers rotated around the table to each participant, each word became embodied by our collective art. When my piece of paper made it back to me, I was blown away by the beauty we had made. I taped my new artwork to the mirror in my hotel room and was greeted with it each morning and a reminder of my intention.

Friday was our first day of riding bikes, but first we woke our bodies up with a yoga session led by an incredible yoga teacher, Starr. She led us through a number of poses intended to open our hips to prepare for riding and I’m so grateful for her grounding presence. After yoga, it was time to ride bikes!

Our group headed to the Bar M trails to review fundamentals and start our biking adventure. After going through the ABCs of bike riding, checking our suspension pressure, and reviewing skills like body position, braking, bike-body separation, we hit the trails. Because this was an MTB skills retreat, we stopped frequently to both learn and practice new skills. Even though I’m an experienced rider, I found myself continually learning new techniques. A new favorite is using the chest to bars technique for hill climbing - let me tell you, it makes a world of difference! After a few hours of riding, it was time to head back to Field Station for some downtime, dinner, and a Body Love Workshop led by yours truly.

During the workshop, retreat participants were asked to critically examine their relationship to their body, and to challenge themselves to practice both body love and body neutrality. I’m a little biased, but I think it went well, with folks taking away nuggets of truth and action to carry on their journey.

Saturday came bright and early, starting with another yoga session. After limbering up, we loaded up for Day 2 of bike riding, this time at the Klondike trail system. Similar to Friday, we started with new skills - this time front and rear wheel lifts and bunny hops. I was surprised to find myself able to get both wheels off the ground - after years of trying, I can bunny hop! I continued to surprise myself, attempting more challenging climbs and scary descents than I ever thought possible. I was embodying confidence and it felt so good. 

Our third day of riding proved to be the most challenging yet, with a cold, rainy forecast proving true. We bundled up and headed out to Navajo Rocks, for what was intended to be the most picturesque yet technically challenging ride yet. Despite the sleet, we had a great time and took on new challenges on the slick rock trail. (Did you know that slick rock doesn’t actually get that slick? It’s just named that! How confusing!) After a few very cold and wet hours of riding, our group made the decision to cut our ride short for safety reasons. As we took shelter in an outhouse while waiting for our shuttle, Anna, our coach, kept our spirits high with silly songs, group hugs, and laughter. Despite being cold and wet, we all ended the day with smiles on our faces, red sand on our bikes, and the satisfaction of having done something really hard.

The end of the riding meant that it was unfortunately time to say goodbye. With promises to keep in touch and soulful hugs, we said our goodbyes. The retreat team packed up the SHREDLY trailer and I headed to dinner with a new friend. Over a bowl of steaming hot pho and deep conversation, we relished in the joy and community of the weekend, wishing it could go on forever.

I’m so grateful to the team at SHREDLY and Momentum Mountain Biking for cultivating this remarkable weekend, and inviting me to be there. I am so lucky to get to work with SHREDLY as my apparel sponsor and partner, and wish for everyone to get to experience a weekend like this in their lives.