I’ve had a fat bike for a couple of years now. It is a Specialized
But I mostly used it in the dirt, some muddy sloppy conditions in places that were not trail systems, and a little bit of loose sand and some neighborhood snow. But never for what it was obviously intended – groomed snow.
These machines are incredibly capable in places bikes don’t typically belong.
When Larry proposed taking our fat bikes to a race in WV I was all on board, as were several other folks in our bike club.
Having planned the weekend well in advance we had no idea how the conditions would play out. We could be headed to just more mud and dirt, or the stars could align and we could get snow. Groomed snow on a cross country course.
Well, the stars aligned.
As we headed to Davis, WV for the Mountain State Fat Bike Champs Race the snow was coming down pretty hard as we crossed the mountains. It was 9 degrees with almost a foot of snow on the ground covering the highways and icing the truck windows. But we made it without any problems.
Seven of us piled into a cabin made for 2 and made plans for a great weekend.
We spent time in Davis at the Hellbender for killer burritos and Stumptown Ales for some great beer.
Several folks in our groups had rented bikes for the weekend from Blackwater Bikes in Davis at a great deal – only $40 for the whole weekend.
I caught up with Zach Adams and interviewed him for the Mid-Atlantic Gravel, Travel & Dirt podcast – the interview is in Episode #004 if you are interested in hearing it.
His advice was to air the tires down, stay loose on the bike and have fun and it was spot on.
I can honestly say I wasn’t too sure what I was getting into headed out to Davis and the pucker factor was high for a first timer in the snow entering a race.
There were 2 races – a 10-mile and a 20-mile course. We all entered the
I’m not big on long point of view videos on YouTube as I would rather tell a story, but as I filtered through the video clips I feel like it is pretty cool to watch the course change as the laps progressed.
So I hope you enjoy the video and if you ever get a chance to ride a fat bike on some groomed snow make sure to take advantage of the opportunity.
Until next time thanks for riding along and you know what to do.
Do Good. Be Nice. Go Slow. Respect others.