DINO Fatbike Friday Race Report

 

 

Glad my expectations weren't too high for this past Friday's DINO fatbike race.  The results were not there for me, but it was still a hell of a fun time.

Despite the threat of a low single digits at race time, the temps were actually around 15-16 degrees.  I didn't want to waste my batteries, so no preriding was done, although I'm quite familiar with Southwestway's trails, even at night. The status of the snow on the trails would be the wild card.

The fatbike field was an Open category, so there were some seriously tough riders in the group )Cat 1 and Pro/Elite), and a large proportion of the lined up bikes were fancy carbon machines.  My 40 pound steel Surly was overmatched, as was my skill level.

The race kicked off at 8 pm and while I thought my right boot was securely clipped in, it was not and as soon as I took a pedal stroke it popped off the pedal, and I ground to a stop. So, 10 seconds into the contest, and I was last. No, worries, this was for fun anyway. I got rolling and found the starting chute a mess of tracks with no clear packed down area.  That, and my handling skills taking their leave of me, resulted in my slipping all over the place. 

The first three photos courtesy of Bryan Wyatt.

The course was set up to climb up Mann Hill via one of a the north flow trail, and then desceidbg the southern flow trail.  I actually made up some time on the climb, and hooked up with Eric Lewis with Spearing and Son Racing. I passed him on the climb, but he nearly caught me on the descent, I then let him pass on a steep downhill to the river bottoms which kind of freaked me out. The course then followed the wide levee trail, although if you got outside the worn groove in the trail, things got squirrely. We dropped onto the horse trails below the levee and right along the river for a bit, and then back to the levee trail before heading back up the ridgeline to a point near the start finish line.

I was right on Eric's wheel prior to the climb up the ridge, when we came up on a rider with a mechanical.  As we passed, he asked if anyone had a pump.  I actually did, and seeing how I wasn't going to be contending for a podium, I stopped and gave him my pump, before setting off in pursuit of Eric. I made contact with him on the climb, but he displayed superior skills once we dropped into the tight SWW single track and got a gap.  After the singletrack, the course led onto the wide gravel pathway which runs through the northern section of the park. While wide, the rideable line was only about a foot wide. Loss of concentration meant you were off into the deeper snow and struggling for control.

Photo: Ultra Event Photo

The second lap started with me on Eric's wheel and things went much better. My handling was much more on cue and my control more solid. I passed Eric and a few other racers on Mann Hill and made it most of the way down the steep downhill to the river bottom. I hit the gas and pushed hard on the levee and the horse trails and back up to the single track. I saw lights in the distance, but couldn't close and the gap, and instead focused making sure no one passed me.

I ended up finishing the in 1:06, and in 10 place out of 16th. Not exactly a dominating performance, but it was a fun ride and a great workout. If DINO decides to do another race next year, I will defitnely be there, perhaps not for glory of a podium, but for the fun of it.