the Local St. Norbert Trails did not disappoint

November 29, 2016 gregorycharlesmcneill Leave a comment

If you live in the Winnipeg and surrounding Manitoba area and have the means to get to ride the St. Norbert trails, I hope this post will encourage you if you haven’t done so before. Selflessly maintained by local MTB racer Kevin Braun and friends, the combination of intense serpentine singletrack and off camber ungroomed riverside trails provided the Fatbike Manitoba “Masters of Mud and Snow” a great training area for the skills building clinic last Sunday. Along with local Fat Levels rider Liam Mohan, a special appearance by 2 Wheel Revolution’s David Hamm completed the ride. Local Monster Truck Builder and fatbike rider, Richard L’Heureux, led us through some spectacular scenery. What a great day to spend the afternoon 🙂

Informative, Media

Hey New Zealand – we know you’re watching …

November 27, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

So I did something today I hadn’t thought to do since we started our FBM website last December 2015 … I checked the website STATS. Well now, thanks to Gregory McNeill’s cool pictures and more sharing with our FBM FaceBook group and FBM Twitter account, our visitors and views are SKYROCKETING this month … and hey New Zealand, we know you’re watching! So come on over and join us for some fatbiking fun and adventure! 🙂

* End Nov 16 Update … the “Gregory’s a Star” effect = almost 7000 views!

Fat Bike Race

MB FatBike Race Series – Got my ‘Tee’

November 26, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

Look what I ordered and just got … saaweeet!

Wayne Bishop and the 2wheelrevolution folks are putting on a series of three Manitoba FatBike races this winter … all on sweet groomed trails thanks to the Wildcat Groomer he has recently picked up and a ‘sled’ to pull it ta-boot!

Exciting times for us Manitoba ‘Fatties’ and any fellow like-minded folks in nearby provinces and states!! 🙂

Group Rides

FAT LEVELS SKILLS CLINIC #4 “Masters of Mud & Snow” – SUNDAY 27 NOV 2016

November 23, 2016 Tom Kolesnik 2 Comments

How does the song go? “Let the good (FAT) times roll, Let … !” 😉
Fatlevels Clinic #3 was BIG success last week, onto #4 and here it is:

“Masters of Mud & Snow: Fat Levels Skill Clinic #4
Sunday NOVEMBER 27 at 1:00 p.m. at

IF it is dry conditions: St. Norbert – MEET at Sunrise Cafe & King Express, 3564 Pembina Hwy, on Elise Ave and Hwy 75;

[ IF it is wet conditions, we will go to Burr Oak – decision will be made on this thread next Saturday. ]

[ DO NOT use the train bridge to access the St. N. trails!! CN & RCMP are just about a ruthless as a real train! We will show you the safe access route. ]

Late Comers: Indicate that you will be late on this thread and we’ll set up a text system to let you know exactly where we are. Super late comers may be better off starting from La Barriere park.

Liam Moham will instruct using the St N trail system that awkwardly connects to the La Barriere systems. This area is a main fat bike playground when the river is frozen, so we will explore it when the leaves are down and the riding is a bit easier. Excellent trails for newbie riders, with longer gravel road sections/Brunkild Dike for Actif Epica training too.BYO food, hot drink, and/or cash for post clinic java brew.

Fat bikes only, please (borrow, don’t steal, one if you have to).

Fat Photo of the Week, Fat SKills Clinic, Pictures

FAT PHOTO OF THE WEEK …

November 22, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

Once again thanks to Gregory McNeill for snapping this week’s … FAT PHOTO OF THE WEEK!

Here it is: Liam Mohan, our intrepid Fatlevels Skills Clinic #3 ride leader giving us a sweet demo how to ‘catch some air’ on his fattie and with style no less!

Fat SKills Clinic, Group Rides, Pictures, Uncategorized

Another fantastic Sunday!

November 21, 2016 gregorycharlesmcneill 1 Comment

Liam and ALine Alphonso held another great day of skills development last Sunday. Riders met at the Forks and rode up the Churchill drive trails learning how to tackle steep climbs and general riding through wooded areas. Some of the group went home and others continued back to the Forks via the trails by the Seine River and Whittier Park. Next week’s training will take place at the excellent St. Norbert trails, selflessly maintained by Kevin Braun and friends.

Check the rest of my pictures on flickr: HERE

Event, Global Fat Bike day

5th Annual – Winnipeg Global Fat Bike Day Ride: 11:30AM Sat Dec 3rd 2016

November 21, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

Giddy up, mark your calendars and get ready for our 5th Annual Winnipeg Global Fat Bike Day Ride on Saturday December 3rd 2016 starting at 11:30 AM. We had 70+ rider out last year and we had a blast, so let’s make this year bigger and better!

We will meet at The Forks Canopy/Tower Atrium area at 11:30 AM, organize and head off on our ‘Media Loop’ at 11:45 (led by Jason Carter, David Cobb, Keith Holm, myself and others) to ride across the Esplande Louis Riel Bridge to arrive at 12:00 at our usual Group Photoshoot on the East side of the Red River down from the St B Cathedral, where our very own Gregory McNeill will be waiting to capture our gathering and then we will ride south behind the St B Hospital to the Norwood Bridge and the “Green Bridge” back to The Forks.

Details are yet finalized, but after the Media Loop, their will be a variety of ‘short-slow’, ‘medium’ and ‘longer-faster’ ride route options and opportunity to ride over a period of one to three plus hours, with ride leaders and ‘back of group’ guides.
We also hope to have a social connection aspect to the ride, which can involve venues at The Forks (details pending) and a local ‘Fatbiker Friendly’ home location (details pending).

Here’s our 2014 Wpg GFBD Ride Video:

Here’s our 2015 Wpg GFBD Ride Video:

This is a ‘Fat Bike’ event, so ideally you will be riding a fat bike (3.7 inch tire width +), however if you don’t have one yet, you have a few options:
1. Sign out a ‘Demo’ Fat Bike from a conveniently located Bike Shop – White Pine Bicycle Co (http://www.whitepinebicycleco.com/) located in the Forks Terminal Building. Brendan at WhitePine has offered them for free use in connection with our GFBD Ride and will be there at our 11:30 gathering.
2. Ride your MTB and we will welcome you to see what all the fatbiking fun is about … we know you want one! 🙂

Check out at our FBM FaceBook GFBD Event – HERE
Also check out our brand new Twitter Account – HERE

MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW, BUT TIME TO GET READY!
SEE YOU ALL THERE!! 🙂

Fat SKills Clinic, Group Rides

FAT LEVELS SKILLS CLINIC #3 – SUNDAY 20 NOV 2016

November 16, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

Since 25+ of us had such a good time the last two Sundays, we have called for a third!

Masters of Mud: Fat Levels Skill Clinic #3
Sunday NOVEMBER 20 at 1:00 p.m. at THE FORKS – MEET ON THE GREEN BRIDGE
Late Comers: Go to the Paddling Club on Churchill Drive and Redboine, then follow your nose to find us.

Liam Moham will instruct using the south bound trail route towards BDI, with lots of stopping to “segment” the trails into challenging parts that inhibit the elusive “flow”.

BYO food, hot drink, and/or cash for post clinic java brew. Fat bikes only, please (borrow, don’t steal, one if you have to).

Fat Photo of the Week, Fat SKills Clinic, Pictures

FAT PHOTO OF THE WEEK …

November 16, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

Thanks again to Gregory McNeill’s photographer skills (while riding his fatbike no-less!),we have a winner for our new weekly contest … FAT PHOTO OF THE WEEK!

Here it is: Guy ‘Muddy Guy’ Anthony in the lead as 25+ of us fatbikers are about to cross the Louis Reil Esplande Bridge (Cdn Museum for Human Rights behind) during our 2nd FatBike Skills Clinic of 2016 on 13 Nov 2016. Will that be our last ride before the snow flies??? It’s all good to us! 🙂

Fat SKills Clinic, Group Rides, Pictures, Uncategorized

A nice Sunday afternoon ride with Good People :)

November 13, 2016 gregorycharlesmcneill 2 Comments

Adrian Alphonso took today’s Nov 13th Fatbike Free Clinic riders through skill building techniques and shared his lifetime of experience of riding safely and correctly. Adrian, Tom Kolesnik, and Wayne Bishop from Two Wheel Revolution were on hand to talk about coming events this winter and how we can participate and support the local Fatbike scene here in Manitoba. It was a glorious day weather wise, and the trails in Whittier Park did not disappoint this large crew. Many happy faces out there 🙂

Fat SKills Clinic, Video

FatBike Skills Clinic VIDEO: “An Introduction to Fat Bike”

November 11, 2016 Tom Kolesnik 2 Comments

Check out this very slick video “An Introduction to Fat Bike” which was filmed by Brandon Landgraff (our fellow fatbiker Ken’s son and video enthusiast) at our recent Fat Bike Skills Clinic and which he specially edited for our viewing pleasure – thanks Brandon! 🙂

Fat Photo of the Week, Fat SKills Clinic, Pictures

FAT PHOTO OF THE WEEK …

November 10, 2016 Tom Kolesnik 1 Comment

Thanks to Gregory McNeill’s ‘photo-ambush’ skills and the beautiful weather at last Sunday’s FatBike Skills Clinic, we have a winner for our new weekly contest … FAT PHOTO OF THE WEEK!

Here it is: Gregory’s pic of David Gerrard showing off his newly honed balance skills … thanks Fat Levels! 🙂

fat-bike-skills-clinic-6-nov-2016-greg-pic-4 — David Gerrard ‘riding the rail’ (bonus points for wearing a poppy)! 🙂

Fat SKills Clinic, Group Rides

FatBike Skills Clinic – Sunday 13 Nov 2016

November 9, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

So we had so much fun at our 2nd Annual FatBike Skills Clinic this past Sunday that we decided to do it again this Sunday 13 Nov 2016 at 1:30 PM … this time we will meet at The Forks (Canopy/Atrium Tower).

Good times will be had and we can enjoy food/bevies after at the Forks Market.

Hosted by again by The Fat Levels Biketrials Team:
Adrian Alphonso and Liam Mohan will again instruct, help and cajole us into the groovy side of riding fat – the sweet spot of skills that maximize big tires and gob-smack your significant others.
Things like:
– track standing forever
– hoppity-hop-hops
– wheels to the sky
– Everest-pitch hill climbs
– logs, boulders and blocks of steel
– drop-of-doom
– Jordan jumps
– trick-escape moves
– bad-habit-busting drills
and lots more.

** Fat bikes only, please (bring, borrow or rent from WhitePineBicycleCo – in the Forks Terminal Bldg)

Fat SKills Clinic, Pictures

A Dozen or So gettin ready for Winter

November 7, 2016 gregorycharlesmcneill 1 Comment

Our Sunday afternoon skills education seminar with local trials riders Liam Mohan and Adrian Alphonso was awesome. Liam and Adrian took us through skill developing assignments involving handling the bikes at low speeds, trackstands and balance drills, how to safely dismount from obstacles when things go wrong, and other confidence inspiring tasks including tackling large drop offs. The event was free, and was a great way to spend the afternoon and meet some new local people interesting in riding the local trails this winter. To top off the day we stopped for a cafe by Assiniboine Forest.

Fat SKills Clinic, Pictures

Fun times at our 2nd Annual FatBike Skills Clinic

November 6, 2016 Tom Kolesnik Leave a comment

Well that was a bunch of FatBike Skills learning FUN!

Thanks to our Fat Levels pro instructors Adrian Alphonso and Liam Mohan, who made it fun to learn new skills, Gregory McNeill for snapping pics (look forward to seeing them) and to those who joined us on a wonderful +15C day on November! Here’s a few of my pics.