Posted for Nicholas Robitaille at WCW:
Had a pretty great Fatbike club ride tonight … until I snapped my chain… twice in a row! 😦 Besides that, all the trails were in great condition and we gave the singletrack in the Royalwood Forest a good shred! Another cold one, but this group doesn’t let it stop them!
Posted for Dan Lockery and the Actif Epica Trail Crew:
With registration closing tomorrow night (friendly reminder if you are still thinking it over) and a little over one week to go. That means we are planning our last recon ride for this year’s event:
Date: Sunday, February 11, 2018
Time: 9:00am
Location: St. Malo, we will meet at the checkpoint location (in the parking lot at the arena)
Purpose: To scout the trail conditions and put up some course marking from St. Malo to the Senkiw suspension bridge along the Crow Wing Trail (note: this is part of the longer courses, 162km and 200km).
Who: The trail crew will be (mostly) riding at a slow rolling pace (on fat bikes) and would love it if you brought ANY type of bike and joined them (bring friends on bikes too!).
The Plan: To put up course marking materials, take a few pictures of trail conditions and enjoy a fun, sociable ride from St. Malo to the suspension bridge (and just beyond). We will return along the same route and the distance estimate is about 37km to the bridge and back, adding in a short bit of planned extra south of the bridge might push that up to 40km round-trip at most. We will roll out at 9am from St. Malo and as always, if you happen to be late, you can follow our tracks and the Crow Wing Trail signs (white arrow on blue background) to catch up with us as we will be stopping periodically to take pictures and put up course marking. We estimate the total riding time to be approximately 3-4h. Also, there will likely be a post ride discussion over coffee/food at a local establishment should you feel so inclined and have the time to join us. In addition, if you would like to come out but have a shorter time budget to spare, with the out-and-back route planned, you can join us for however much time you can spare and then double back the same way.
Important Note: All participants join us at their own risk (e.g. please be safe, wear appropriate winter riding clothing, a helmet, bring blinky lights for improved visibility, enough food and water for the ride and a basic repair kit). Citing a famous quote, “YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU”, so please respect the nature of a winter riding adventure, it can be unforgiving.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
Actif Epica Trail Crew
Here’s the Winnipeg “Winter Bike To Work Day” poster for this Friday, 9 Feb 2018: Giddy up Fatties – Lets Roll! 🙂
FAT VIDEO TIME: I decided that last night was a perfect night (-31C/-42 windchill) for a campover on the river beside my “2018 Fat Tom K Red River Fatbike Crossing” here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – Eh!
Yes – it was crazy cold, but I was cumfy in my North Face sleeping bag on a good combo sleeping pad and snug in my Big Agnes 4-Season tent!
Here’s a bird’s eye view (aheam – my new DJI Mavic Pro Drone’s 4K camera) of my crossing and campover site!
Check out my video below:
For those not aware, this campover was partially as a test for the upcoming “2018 ‘Alfred Barr’ Lake Winnipeg Fatbike Crossing & Campover” Adventure Weekend planned for 2-4 March 2018 …
Here’s the plan for our campsite out on the middle of Lake Winnipeg (my Big Agnes 6 Person tent is located on the left and is planned for five persons on the lake):
Editor’s Post Update (7 Feb 18):
Thanks Gregory ‘G-Mac’ McNeill for this picture taken down by my tent on the Red River after six of our nine leaders of the 2018 ‘Alfred Barr’ Lake Winnipeg Fatbike Crossing & Campover” adventure had a great Leaders Team Planning Meetings …
L-R: G-Mac, Tom K, Chris Black, Keith Holm, Jon Letkemann and Keith Champagne
Cheers, Fat Tom K
A huge shout out and congrats to all our fellow Manitoban Fatbikers who took on the challenge of the 2018 Arrowhead 135 Ultra Race which is super tough!
How tough is it? Well … “The Arrowhead 135 is recognized in the book “The World’s Toughest Endurance Challenges” by Richard Hoad and Paul Moore as one of the 50 toughest races in the world. It is a human powered Ultra Marathon taking place in the coldest part of winter in the coldest city in the lower 48 states.”
Well done Dan Lockery, David Ristau and Pete McAdams!
Live Tracker Details HERE
Special congrats to Dan Lockery, who as the 1st Place (Unsupported Category) Fatbike Finisher – WOW, super tough rider indeed!
Cheers, Fat Tom K
WOW!!!!!!!
Our very own ‘Honorary’ Manitoba Fatbiker Nina Gassler (actually she is German, but is a ski instructor and fatbike tour operator in Geilo, Norway) has just accomplished a ‘for-real’ EPIC fatbike race accomplishment worthy of a VIKING!
She was the only racer to complete the full distance of the long course of the Fat Viking Winter Endurance Race in very difficult conditions (bad enough snowfall that most racers had to pull out or be re-routed to the finish via a short-cut)!
Congratulations Nina, you truly are my German-Norwegian Fatbiking Hero!
Cheers, Fat Tom K
Posted for Nicholas Robitaille of Woodcock Cycle Works:
Another great Woodcock Cycle Works Fat Bike Group Ride! The trails were fast and hardpack, but not too icy. We avoided the rivers for the most part and rode the monkey trails, and hit the Seine right at the end … 10 riders braved the daunting -3c conditions this evening! 😉
Posted for Adrian Alphonso:
I was able to clean Stairway To Heaven (the rocky switchback ascent out of the treeline) today. Bison Butte is in amazing shape today. Get out and enjoy it.
Posted for WCW’s Fat Bike Club Ride Coordinator (say thanks to Nic!):
Man, this weather’s got us stoked. So stoked in fact that Marcus couldn’t help but practice his technical maneuvers in preparation for Thursday night’s Fat Bike Club Ride (6 Bells – 25 Jan 2018 – meet at the shop).
Posted for Adrian Alphonso:
On Saturday February 10th 2018, I will be hosting a Fatbike workshop and 2 group rides in Riding Mountain National Park. Come join in!
Posted for the Actif Epica Trail Crew:
Meeting in St. Pierre-Jolys this morning, six of us set off to scout a bit of new trail for this year, along with some favourite stretches that we don’t get to see often enough. Temperatures were mild again at -7C (20F), with a light wind from the North East.
The recent warm weather with temps above freezing and the previous extreme wind conditions left the fields and roads scoured with minimal snow/ice cover except for spots with shelter where drifts tended to accumulate. That made for a mix of mostly ride-able surfaces for wider tires and the odd stretch where the crusts were thin, finding us punching through and walking for a bit to break up the ride.
One of the usual roads near St. Malo (Goulet Rd) that has been un-plowed in years past appears to now be included in regular clearing. This happened last year as well and racers might find this to their liking as it certainly sped up travel from St. Pierre to St. Malo and back for us today.
On our return trip we opted for a slightly shorter route to be respectful of everyone’s time. That left us a chance to revisit the short section of new trail that is being used this year on the dike around St. Pierre-Jolys. The approach to the dike is off Parenteau St. In St. Pierre and it wraps around town, crossing highway 59 and Provincial Rd 205, before turning in toward the checkpoint location at the Museum (Cabane a Sucre).
Thanks to those that came out and joined us! Not to worry if you were unable to make it out, we have plans for a couple more scouting trips yet. That being said, next week we are taking a break again as another of the triple crown events is happening (the Arrowhead 135). Good luck to all taking part!
Actif Epica Trail Crew
Posted for Dan Lockery and the Actif Epica Trail Crew:
After a short break for some fun with the 2WR crew at Falcon Ridge last weekend, we’re heading back out to scout the trail, including one of the changes to this year’s route. Come join us:
Date: Sunday, January 21st, 2018
Time: 9:00am
Location: Meet at St. Pierre-Jolys (in the parking lot of Le Routier restaurant).
Purpose: To scout the Actif Epica course heading South from St. Pierre-Jolys to St. Malo along the Crow Wing Trail.
Who: The Trail Crew (Dallas, Pete and Dan) will be riding at a slow rolling pace (on fat bikes) and would love it if you brought ANY type of bike and joined them (bring friends on bikes too!).
The Plan: To go have a look at this section of the route (which includes an update for this year), take a few pictures and enjoy a fun, sociable ride-out from St. Pierre-Jolys to St. Malo along the Crow Wing Trail and then time permitting, either return the same way or take a shorter route back. The total distance will be approximately 40-50km. We will roll out at 9am and estimate the total ride time to be somewhere between 3-4 hours. In case you are late setting off, you can follow along with the blue-and-white-arrow, Crow Wing Trail markers (and look for our tire tracks!) to catch up with us along the route as we will be moving at a comfortable pace and stopping to take pictures now and then. Also, there will likely be a post ride discussion over coffee/food at a local establishment should you feel so inclined.
Important Note: All participants join us at their own risk (e.g. please be safe, wear appropriate winter riding clothing, a helmet, bring blinky lights for improved visibility, enough food and water for the ride and a basic repair kit). Citing a famous quote, “YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU”, so please respect the nature of a winter riding adventure, it can be unforgiving.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
Posted for the Actif Epica Team:
Just a friendly reminder folks, if you are planning to come join us next month for Actif Epica, the earlybird deadline ends tomorrow (end of the day, January 15th). You can register at the following link:
https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=120594
Almost 90 racers took part in an awesomely successful and fun race out at Falcon Ridge Resort … all thanks to Wayne Bishop and his 2 Wheel Revolution Team of members, volunteers and a the good folks at Falcon Resort. Check it all out on social media and here:
Editor’s Later Addition:
I had the pleasure of using my new drone and my trusty GoPro camera to capture the all the action and fun of the race … here it is:
Cheers, Fat Tom K
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