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Articles by Tom Diegel
Up the Old Road to France’s Col du Galibier
By Tom Diegel — If you’re reading the venerable Cycling West, you are no doubt a cycling enthusiast, and though riding a bicycle has a myriad of applications, one event should be familiar to us all: the Tour de France. For over 120 years, this three-week extravaganza of strategic suffering has annually captivated not only geeky cycling enthusiasts but also fans of all sizes and stripes with its blistering flatlands, rolling farmlands, and epic climbs.
A Bike Tour in Spain - Mountains, the Alhambra, and Panaderias
By Tom Diegel — If you’re into bike packing/touring – or even if you’re not! – eventually you’ll be drawn to ride in Europe. Whether you have visions of leisurely days in rolling hills smelling of lavender with castles on the horizons between stops at great little bakeries tucked into quaint little cobble-streeted villages or long grinds up the iconic climbs you see skinny guys flying up on their way to mountaintop finishes in The Tour, Western Europe has it all.
Bikepacking Crested Butte’s Elks Traverse
By Tom Diegel — It’s no secret that Colorado has more than its share of great riding, from many long road passes that go high into the mountains to a big chunk of the Great Divide Route to a lot of great singletrack.
Bikepacking the Oregon Timber Trail
By Tom Diegel — Like a lot of the Western states, Oregon has not only a lot of backcountry but a lot of logging roads and trails crisscrossing its forests and mountains. It also has a vast desert in the rain-shadowed terrain east of the Cascade mountains, and in 2013, inspired by the Great Divide Route, Oregon bikepacking fans created the “Oregon Outback” trail that runs the length of the state on gravel roads (75%) and paved roads (24%) that has enjoyed plenty of use.
What Shoes Do You Choose for Bikepacking?
By Tom Diegel — So, you got yourself a new dedicated bikepacking rig, or maybe you finally got around to getting a 27.5 wheelset with bigger tires that barely fit into your gravel bike frame. You’ve figured out how to get more water bottles onto your bike despite getting a sweet frame bag, and you’re trying to figure out which gear and how much weight should go into your oversized seat bag or the oversized handlebar bag.
Bikepacking the Arizona Trail
By Tom Diegel — With the exploding popularity of backcountry bikepacking there are zillions of routes to choose from these days. However, there are only a few in the West that stretch for many-hundreds of miles, and most of those are on gravel roads. There are, however, two that sport a majority of miles on challenging singletrack: the Colorado Trail and the Arizona Trail.
California Coast Bike Tour (Silicon Valley to Big Sur)
By Tom Diegel — The California Coast is legendary for bike touring. It makes up a long, critical section of the Pacific Coast route that extends from Alaska to South America. In the fall of 2021, my wife Ashley and I had an opportunity for a longish road trip through California that focused on doing a few bikepack/bike tours by the ocean.
Whose Duty is It?
Typically the pages of the Utah Adventure Journal are filled with inspiring stories of adventures around our fair state and beyond, as it should be. This story is not one of those. Instead, this tale is about one of the driest topics known to man: import tariffs. But bear with me a bit here; whether we like it or not, and whether we try to ignore national/international politics or not, the recent news about tariffs and trade wars has the potential to affect all of us who love to recreate.
Central Wasatch Comission Update
What’s Happening with the CWC? By Tom Diegel If you play in the Wasatch Mountains at all, you know that you are most definitely not alone in your enthusiasm. From resort skiing to backcountry skiing, hiking to mountain biking to climbing, scenic drives to scenic strolls, you know that all of these activities are wildly popular in the Wasatch.
Charging With the Dorais Brothers
If you have been skiing the Wasatch much over the last few years you’ve probably seen them: a couple of tall, lean lads of Asian descent on fairly light gear chattering away as they politely go past you up the skin track…..really, really fast. Andy and Jason Dorais (pronounced “Doe-ray”) have been skiing for less than a decade, but in that short time their speed, creativity, and enthusiasm on skis has already become the stuff of legend.
Hot Local Tours (in Cool Utah Places)
By Tom Diegel — This June was a harsh early reminder that Utah is a HOT place in the summer! And while bicycling is a good hot weather activity since we enjoy the convection associated with our speeds, realistically it’s weather that allows for short rides. But we still want adventure rides! Long days in the saddle, and overnight/multi-day bikepack trips, especially as our summer fitness comes around. So what to do?
Millcreek Canyon: Jewel of the Wasatch
Millcreek Canyon has been beloved by Salt Lake Valley cyclists for as long as people have been riding bikes in the valley; the long and varied stair-step climbs, cool downcanyon breeze, beloved shade in the heat of summer, and proximity to a vast swath of the valley are all attributes that road cyclists love.
Millcreek Canyon: Jewel of the Wasatch
Millcreek Canyon Sees New Singletrack and Pavement Improvements Millcreek Canyon has been beloved by Salt Lake Valley cyclists for as long as people have been riding bikes in the valley; the long and varied stair-step climbs, cool downcanyon breeze, beloved shade in the heat of summer, and proximity to a vast swath of the valley are all attributes that road cyclists love.
Letter: The private sector won’t step up
It’s interesting, but not surprising that Derek Miller, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber, feels that the private sector should lead us out of the mental health crisis associated with COVID-19. Is this because he feels that the state’s leadership (Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, the unseen, unheard supposed head of the state’s COVID response) has failed us woefully as the predicted fall case spike has indeed manifested itself?
A Bike Tour through Ethiopia
By Tom Diegel — When one thinks of great bike touring destinations, there are some big classics: Tuscany, Provence, the Alps, Neew England, the Great Divide trail, Bike Centennial transcontinental, coast highway 101, the Pyrenees, northern Ethiopia…wait a minute! Northern Ethiopia? In Africa?! Riding on goat paths and staying in mud huts?!!? Classic?! Ashley on the road with Zion-esque walls in the background, a typical northern Ethiopian traffic jam.
A Bike Tour through Ethiopia
By Tom Diegel — When one thinks of great bike touring destinations, there are some big classics: Tuscany, Provence, the Alps, Neew England, the Great Divide trail, Bike Centennial transcontinental, coast highway 101, the Pyrenees, northern Ethiopia…wait a minute! Northern Ethiopia? In Africa?! Riding on goat paths and staying in mud huts?!!? Classic?! Ashley on the road with Zion-esque walls in the background, a typical northern Ethiopian traffic jam.
Category: Winter 2020
Charging With the Dorais Brothers If you have been skiing the Wasatch much over the last few years you’ve probably seen them: a couple of tall, lean lads of Asian descent on fairly light gear chattering away as they politely go past you up the skin track…..really, really fast.
Tom Diegel: Rep. Elijah Cummings was the embodiment of integrity
(Julio Cortez | AP file photo) Former President Barack Obama speaks during funeral services for Rep. Elijah Cummings, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, in Baltimore. The Maryland congressman and civil rights champion died Thursday, Oct. 17, at age 68 of complications from long-standing health issues. There are 435 representatives in Congress and, with only a few exceptions, I know very few of them beyond Utah’s congressional delegation.
Category: Summer 2019
The Bridge at Bull Valley Gorge MAY,2019 UPDATE: FLASH FLOOD DESTROYS BRIDGE The bridge at Bull Valley Gorge is gone, swept away by the brute force of flash flooding at the end of March or beginning of April this year. Gone is the narrow, white-knuckle crossing over the deep canyon; all that remains of the infamous bridge is a crumbling fin […] Archives, Summer 2019 | By Barbara Lee | 11/04/19 | No Comments Night Riders of Utahvania The sun sets as I take my bike off the hitch rack.
Commentary: Herbert’s roadless rule petition won’t help wildfire situation
Last year Gov. Gary Herbert surprised the state’s 29 county executives by sending them a proposal to support him in Utah’s formal rejection of the “roadless rule” that was enacted by the US Forest Service (USFS) in 2001. The roadless rule set aside about half of the roadless areas on our national forests that lacked roads and prohibited new road construction and logging in these areas. Some 373,000 miles of forest roads already crisscross the nation’s public lands.
Category: Fall 2018
They Painted in the Canyons: Archaic Artists on the Colorado Plateau from 9,000 years ago Of the thousands of Native American rock art panels in the Southwest, none are older than Barrier Canyon pictographs found throughout the Colorado Plateau and concentrated along rivers, especially the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers.
The World’s Biggest Backcountry Party
On September 13 the tent will once again be raised in the Black Diamond Equipment parking lot to celebrate the 25thedition of the Best Party in Utah: the Utah Avalanche Center’s annual Fall Fundraiser. From its humble beginnings in a house due to a tragic event to a serious hoedown with over a thousand people, the party has a rich history.
Loose Lids and Tight Spots
Since my first introduction to canyoneering I had been telling various friends around the country how great it was and how they should come to Utah to give it a go. Several folks gave me a reply along the lines of “indeed, canyon hiking is great. I’ve done the Bell Canyon/Little Wild Horse canyon loop, and in the Grand Canyon I’ve hiked up Elves Chasm, North Canyon, Silver Grotto, and others.
Bike Beast
A few years ago I went to the Air and Space Museum in DC and was excited to see that they had an original Wright Brothers’ bike there; it was a great reminder that not only did these bike builders use their experience to create manned flight, but also that despite the fact that bikes themselves have practically become space-aged technology themselves – with price tags to match – the fundamentals haven’t changed much.
Category: Summer 2018
From the Silver Dollar Bar to the Bears Ears Education Center The small desert town of Bluff, Utah is experiencing a canyon country renaissance. A dozen new tourist cabins are going up. A 54-unit resort is being built.
The Outdoor Industry and Guns
In the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting there was the expected prayers and platitudes by conservative politicians and strong calls for more stringent gun control laws by liberal lawmakers, but this episode seemed different: kids got fired up, and their speeches and marches made even lawmakers take note of these soon-to-be voters.
Category: Spring 2018
Team Lung Butter I’m not an athlete. But when I strap a number plate to the front of my mountain bike, I sure feel like one. The difference is athletes enter races to win. I enter races for the promise of free beer at the finish line.
Letter: Biskupski’s ‘Funding Our Future’ survey is biased and disingenuous
Recently I received the latest email from the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, and the headline was a “Funding Our Future” survey.
Category: Mid-winter 2018
The Power of Positive Thinking Ok, this is getting real. It’s the first week of January, and we’ve got a 2-foot “base” of unsupportable facets in the backcountry and bulletproof manmade punctuated by rocks and stumps at the resorts. These are the times that test skiers’ patience; will I crack?
The Power of Positive Thinking
Ok, this is getting real. It’s the first week of January, and we’ve got a 2-foot “base” of unsupportable facets in the backcountry and bulletproof manmade punctuated by rocks and stumps at the resorts. These are the times that test skiers’ patience; will I crack? Most of us choose to live in the shadow of the Wasatch for the mountains’ consistency. Some ski seasons start later than others, but – like death, taxes, and political rancor – it’ll snow, and we get plenty of good and great days.
Letter: Where are Utah's states' rights defenders when it comes to pot?
I probably don’t need to point out the irony to Gov. Gary Herbert, but I will. The day after he told middle schoolers that marijuana would soon have some legal status in Utah (“it’s gonna happen”), U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that because marijuana is akin to heroin (according to him), the federal government will reinstate federal intervention against legalized marijuana, despite the fact that 29 states have legalized some form of personal use.
Category: Spring 2017
Walking Over Water- Traversing Stansbury Island There’s a spring in my step as I bound on and off of quartzite boulders, rising as I do above the north tip of Stansbury Island in the Great Salt Lake. Windy conditions have rendered fishing for brine shrimp eggs unproductive, so we fishermen have the afternoon off.
Category: Mid-Winter 2017
Bears Ears is Good Business Well, it happened: President Obama created the Bear’s Ears National Monument! Most of us bleeding heart lib’ral extremist tree huggin’, granola-eatin’ wackos likely raised our too- the threats and cajoling from the likes of Utah Governor Gary Herbert, senators expensive locally-brewed craft ales in a toast to this needed move. Despite Hatch and Lee, and […] Archives, Mid-Winter 2017, Switchback | By Tom Diegel | 05/15/17 | No Comments
Op-ed: Becker deserves a third term as Salt Lake City mayor
The editorial noted Mayor Becker's support for improving air quality. According to the Tribune: "Utahns rank poor air quality the biggest con to living in Beehive State" (Jan. 15), and even as the state legislators annually sidestep this major issue, Becker knows that diminishing air quality will choke not just the residents but the economics of the city.
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