Fat Tire Fever returned on Aug. 10, bringing another year of cross-country mountain biking through Grey Mountain and Miles Canyon.
Organized by the Cycling Association of Yukon, the race spans 60 kilometres through Whitehorse’s trail networks, featuring a total climb of 1,204 metres.
Riders gathered at the Schwatka Lake day-use area, setting off at 10 a.m. Geof Harries, the association president, told the News 33 riders were registered for the time-trial event which was marked by hot and dusty conditions.
This year’s roster included 19 solo riders along with seven two-person relay teams, Harries said. Notably, 40 per cent of the participants were women, a fact celebrated during the riders’ meeting at 9:40 a.m.
Riders navigated around the Hidden Lakes, climbed steeply to Grey Mountain Road, and followed the trail network northwest. They reached Long Lake, circled southeast back towards Miles Canyon, travelled around Chadburn Lake, and returned to the Schwatka Lake day-use area to complete a full circuit.
Competitors raced across two timed downhill and uphill segments, with the fastest combined time determining the winner. The course, primarily of intermediate difficulty, included some easy trails and one short but difficult section, as noted on the event’s web page.
“It was heartwarming to see large groups of diverse mountain bikers riding together, encouraging one other and having fun at party pace... well, except for racing the timed segments,” said Sharla Harries, an organizer for the event, in an email to the News.
Willie Bell rode to victory as a solo male competitor finishing with the fastest overall time of eight minutes and 27 seconds.
Samantha Salter won the female solo category with a time of 12 minutes and 48 seconds.
Michael Arsenault and Evan Wise placed fastest relay team crossing the line with a combined time of ten minutes and 38 seconds.
Jack MacNeil and Bill Parry contributed to the history of relay racing events in the Yukon when the duo first held the annual Fat Tire Fever races in the late 1980s.
The cycling association website said the territory has a history of mountain bike relay races taking place across the region, such as the Golden Loop Relay in Dawson City and the 24 Hours of Light race in Whitehorse.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
