in Fatbike Forum

Two local fatbike races in February.  On the 8th, the first annual Inukshuk at our very own Pleasant View Golf course.

Then on the 14th, the first annual U.S. Fat Bike Criterium National Championships are a part of WinterFest, down at the square.

For the first one, the proceeds are coming back to us, so we are going to need a few volunteers to help out; race volunteers get their entry fees waived, and we will have information table set up in the clubhouse that will need a few cheerful folks.  Let me or Tim Barber know if you are interested.  As far as I know, we have no tie-in with the second, but the after-party at the Brocaugh sounds fun.

The Inukshuk is set now for race volunteers, but talk to Renegade Rick or Tim to help with staffing the info table.

I am hoping to have an official preride before the event, but it's all dependent on conditions. I will post to the forums the details on this. More snow/cold will give us better opportunities for that.

More details to come after the first of February. Can't wait to make this happen!

Just a notice here, in case you are planning to race The Inukshuk. You can pre-reg here: http://www.madcityvelo.com/store/fatbikerace

Save $5/racer if you pre-reg.

$20 for solo and $40 for duo (day-of is 25/50).  And no extra fees! it will be open thru Wednesday 2/4.

No studded tires for the Inukshuk? Yeah, no problem, I'll just take my $200 Dillingers off and put on my backup fat tires... oh wait, I spent all my money on the Dillingers.

Curious: is this 'no studded tires' rule a thing at other races/events or just Inukshuk? Is it to prevent course damage or "a$$munch" (Nokian's word, not mine) in case of a pileup?

I'm not sure how common the rule is.... But you have the main reasons. First is safety. Second is the potential damage to the golf course.

I'm not sure either reason makes much sense. A pair of Nates is going to have more impact than a studded Dillinger or Snowshoe XL due to the more aggressive tread. And while I wouldn't want a studded tire rolling over my face, that is the only exposed skin I tend to have during a fatbike race.

Rules are rules though.

Indeed, rules are rules. It's a bummer that this one will likely keep me from participating though.

You may be right RE: turf damage, but we dont have the ability to test it since the venue is mostly unavailable to bikes. I'm trying to be cautious with the grounds in this first year, given that we have other user groups (golfers and skiers) that are established there. I do appreciate the input, and also any post-event feedback.

The very thin snow cover plays a part in this too.

Speaking of these rules, there's obviously a distinct lack of standards in fat bike racing. Its just too new and everyone is kind of doing what they like. In many ways, that whats cool about racing thats still very grass-roots.

I am not a fat bike or racing expert but have been in the loop regarding developments on the property. Both the city's land manager and the golf course manager have stuck their necks out for off road cycling and have spent a lot of money on it. We sit with the golf course manager up for events and serving bikers in winter months as well as summer. On another front the corridor is cut for a big time multiplication of the trail miles, and there's really cool terrain. The place is a car-free ride for 10s of thousands of metro area residents.

A big thanks to Erik, Jeremy, Penni, and trail steward Aaron for sticking their necks out on this one. Please support and respect all they've done.

I am sure the "no studs" rule is a way to make the hosts of this event (the golf course) feel a little more comfortable with the event, more than it is a practical method of preventing course damage.

However, now that it looks like we will have plenty of snow for the race, could the studs ban be lifted?

The best I can say right now is, we'll see. Conditions have obviously changed. I completed marking 8 big reroute sections yesterday, which had been planned earlier in the week when we were looking at a low-snow event. I put 460 flags in the ground during January with the idea that they would be necessary for riders to follow the course. Now that there's heavy, drifted snow, we have a new issue, which is making sure it gets groomed.

I'm sure there will be people anxious to ride the course next week, but please be patient as we continue to adjust. This snow is a good thing overall, but it's late arrival has added complexity and compressed the final planning.

Once we get things groomed, and inspect the weather forecast for next Sunday (right now it looks warm and maybe wet), we can consider rules changes. It's just too early still.

I was just at PVGC meeting with golf course leadership and the ski groomer, putting the grooming plan in place. First off, Middleton is really rolling out the red white carpet for this event. They are working hard in this compressed timeframe to get it well groomed for bikes. In some places, its over two feet deep, and to get two feet of freshies packed down takes some work. It would be one thing if we had a month to go before the event, but we don't, so they are going to hit it quite a few times this week (far beyond the normal grooming sched for ski). The groomer has already run the course 3x today.


And its looking really good already. The whole thing is 10' wide, so expect plenty of passing space. Its still pretty soft, but the groomer is really good at this, and hes got a plan to cut it, roll it, mark it with a "B" etc.


With this sudden abundance of snow, we really have to share the space well with the ski community. They've been waiting all winter for this too, and PVGC is really the best place in town to train for the Birkie hills, so there will be a lot of panic training from people who havent had much snow time yet.


Given that, we will not be able to have the official pre-ride I was hoping for. Middleton doesnt want us riding when skiing is going on. In other words, you can only ride bikes if its closed to skiing. If we could have gotten a base down in January, and skiers could have been skiing, I would have had the latitude to ask for another closure window. But we are already taking the whole Sunday, so thats going to limit our bike time.


So, if you want a course preview, get to The Inukshuk early on Sunday. The sun rises at 7:15-ish. reg opens at 9:00, racing starts at 10:00. OR snowshoe or ski the course now. In fact, please do that, it will help the course


If you are holding a course map (a few got out in the early planning), dont use that one, since there have been some changes. I'll post the official final map to Facebook probably tomorrow. If you cant wait for that, just go to the east end of the parking lot by the reserved parking signs. Thats where the finish line tent will be. Go north and follow the road towards the park exit. Follow the pink flags (if they arent drifted over). Approx 4.7 miles later, you'll be back at the finish. It crosses/joins the XC trails a few times, so you might temporarily lose your way. I'm going to paint plenty of arrows on the ground for racers on Sunday.


Again, please do not ride your bike on any part of the golf course until Sunday. And even on Sunday, always ensure you are riding on groomed snow. There will be no cutting the course (thats cheating, duh), but also because if you are off the groomed trail, you could be in an area where the golf course doesnt want bikes (greens/tees/fairways).


Thanks for your help, and I hope everyone can come out for the race. I'm trying to make it a really good time.