Farmers Fat Bike Race

I did the Farmers Fat Bike Race today with friend Mike Neimi.  Don Wood and Kimberly Owens were on hand also as our team to beat.  We got lucky with the snow, the week leading up to the race we had no snow and a few 50 degree days, that is until 2 days before the race.  We got hit with a storm which brought about 4 to 6 inches of snow.

We started out the race thinking each of might want to do 2 laps at a time, so Mike started the race.  He did his first 2 laps and boy they seem to go by fast.  On his first lap I was talking to Don about going back to the car and having a sandwich.  When I reached the car Don was yelling at me from the race staging area that the first riders where already completing their lap... wow! really,  you've got to be kidding.  No sandwich, and I quickly changed one of my undergarments to something a little more heavy with a turtle neck.  I also threw my GoPro camera on the bike so I could get some video footage.

Mike and I did the handoff and I started on my first lap, no warmup which was my fault and I felt it.  The first lap went fine until I got back to the pit area.  I tried to tell Mike after this lap that we should probably go to 1 lap each from this point on.  He miss understood and took off down the trail.  Mentally I was just thinking that he was just going out to ride to see the other racers, not thinking he was actually racing a lap.  So, turns out we were both on the coarse at the same time.

Mike got back to the pit area, and of coarse I wasn't there, because I was out on the coarse behind him doing a lap also.  So with a bit of bewilderment Mike started out again.  Then I gtt back to the pit area wondering where Mike is???  It dawned on me what happened and I waited for Mike to return to the pit area after his lap.

All in all, after out initial mess up we had a good time, got 11 laps in as a team and fell 2 laps short of the first place team.

After the race, we hung out a race head quarters for a while, which was I think the race directors garage across this street from the race coarse.  They posted the results as we waited for the customary raffle drawing.  Well our stomachs couldn't wait for the drawing so we headed out to get something to eat and drink.

We ended up at Founders Brewing for some sandwiches and micro-brew.  I have never been there and didn't realize how big the place was. I had a wonderful turkey sandwich and some kind of seasonal beer -  Ziffy Whomper,  that was pretty tasty.

So, my first fatbike race is under my belt and I would definitely do another one!  It was fun, I got outside and more importantly I was on a bike.