Gears and Beers, Wine and Wheels and the End of Winter Celebration

The WSI Cycling team joined the Trek Bicycle Store for the annual End of Winter Festival February 23rd-25th. With fun in-store events and sales galore, it was an all hands on deck event for the team. Members played various roles from working the sales floor to working the runway. Here’s a glimpse of the fun that was had by all. Now, let’s hope that the End of Winter Celebration really does mean the end of winter is near!

 

The Traveling Circus, Episode #1 of 2017

After a last minute trip to the Trek Store of Battle Creek for water bottles and a spare fat bike tube, my neighbor Nick and I took a trip to Marquette Michigan for the 2017 Polar Roll Fat Bike Race.  Part of the Great Lake Fat Bike Series, the 45NRTH, Upper Hand Brewery and 906 Adventure team sponsored event promised groomed trail, 2000 feet of big climbs and a brutal experience. Continue reading “The Traveling Circus, Episode #1 of 2017”

Fat Fest Relays

Here in Michigan, snowy winters and fat tires go hand-in-hand. Unless, of course, your February has record breaking 60 and 70 degree temps. Although the lack of snow on the ground was disappointing, apparently mother nature has a sense of humor. 60 on Friday then snow, 37 and 40 mph gusts on Saturday. Perfect racing conditions, right? Continue reading “Fat Fest Relays”

Ringing in the New Year… Fatbike Style

Snow Snake Fatbike Maps
Map of the Snow Snake trails. Click for bigger image.

I don’t know about you, but this time of year I’d like to thank the genius that decided to put 4″+ tires on a mountain bike that allow cyclists to ride through the winter months. As the snow piles up, my workouts this time of year typically involve either a trainer and Spinerval videos in the basement or possibly the XC skis if I wanted to get in the woods. But 2017 is off to a very different start thanks to the folks at Snow Snake Ski & Golf in Harison, MI. They’ve created almost 6 miles of super-fun trails for fatbikes and spent both the 1st and 2nd on my Salsa Beargrease with good friends from Alma (my old college stomping grounds).

One of the best parts about the trail is that it’s only a 30-minute drive from our cottage at Houghton Lake, so getting down there for a ride is an easy trip (just about the amount of time it takes me to get to the trails at Fort Custer in Battle Creek from our home. On my third visit, I decided to pay up for a season pass and look forward to several more rides on the trail this season. Best 40 bucks I’ve spent in a while.

Eric and Jeff at Snow Snake
Jeff and me enjoying a break for a quick photo sporting WSI Cycling colors.

While it’s a pretty long video, I managed to capture all three loops (twice) on my GoPro yesterday and likely will substitute it for a Spinerval video in the basement at some point this season. And, unlike my January 1st ride, I managed to keep the wheels down and didn’t crash this time!

Enjoy the video below and hopefully it will inspire you to get out for a ride. Or, at the very least, it should give you something different to watch while you’re on the trainer this season. If you’re looking for a good excuse to ride with a bunch of other fatbike riders, be sure to come on out to Fat Fest Relays on February 25th in Battle Creek at Binder Park Golf Course. I’ll be there with my fattie and hope to see you on the snow!

Disclaimer: Enjoy the cheezy music on the video. Figure it was better than listening to me heavy breathing for an hour and twelve minutes. 😉