The great citizen race events in skiing and biking are made great by a special combination of the trails or routes they use, the people that participate, the volunteers, organizers and staffers, and of course, the weather! The 2018 Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, the “Fat Tire”, certainly lived up to this standard.
After a hot and dry August, the Chequamegon faithful were gearing up for what could be potentially one of the fastest races ever with firm and dry trails buffed out for maximum speed. Well… then it rained. It rained a lot. Most of the course for both the long, “40” and 16-mile, “Short & Fat” races were doused with several inches of rain over the first week of September. But there was hope – a full week of sunny and rainless weather locked in for the last days before the annual fat tire pilgrimage.
The tranquil September weather didn’t last.
In the early hours of race morning, the skies open up, to the tune of an inch or two, while a nearly constant strobe of lightning illuminated the clouds above. 3,000 racers were poised. Thick tropical air directly from the Gulf of Mexico settled over the area. Glimpses of blue sky teased the racers amassed in the start corrals… Skies darkened again and more rain fell. Fate of the race was now sealed – our sandy, glacial soils drain quickly, but unfortunately, not that quickly.
“Swimming is the new riding.”
Let’s just say, this was one to remember. A few elite racers were treated to reasonable, although very wet conditions. The other 2,800 or so slipped and slid their way to the finish in a variable slurry of sand, mud, and grass. Bikes and bikers alike were coated indiscriminately and completely with this gritty goo. Chains seized, gears ground, muscles cramped.
New Moon staffers, Ian and Dustin each experienced their first Chequamegon 40 races this year. Dustin double-double-dipped on race day celebrating his birthday alongside his twin brother, Dakota, each racing in their first 40. Brotherly competition helped drive both to coveted, top-200 finishes! That’s some good racin’, boys! Dustin, a seasoned mountain bike racer, recounts the difficult day, “Swimming is the new riding.”
For some, the Fat Tire can be a transformative event. It was for Ian, “Legs are sore, but my heart is full. First Chequamegon 40 is in the books! An overwhelming thank you to all who sent messages of support, were out cheering on the course, and those volunteering their time to make this great event happen…”
Others lucky enough to keep their bikes rolling eventually found their way to the finish at Telemark Resort. A few walked in. Some abandoned. Dehydration and exhaustion from the July-esque weather took its toll, too.
This is where the great event thing kicks in – as the Telemark finish venue filled with battered riders, it also quickly filled with smiles. The Chequamegon, post-race smile is the annual telltale of a great event. Rain or shine, fun and euphoria is the norm at the Fat Tire finish celebration, always. 2018 was no exception. While this year was not as “epic” as the infamous, mud-bath, Chequamegon years of the early ’90s, this will go down as one of the toughest!
More than anything else, the key to success behind this remarkable annual ritual is soon-to-retire Director, Gary Crandall. After racing in the inaugural Fat Tire Fest back in 1983, Gary since has overseen each event from ’84 and will hang up his director’s badge this fall once all the gear is packed up and stowed for 2019. He is a remarkable person behind a remarkable thing. He has rallied armies of passionate volunteers and staff to help make it all happen. The community has, in-turn, rallied to play host to one of the greatest bike events anywhere. So, thanks, Gary, and thanks to all that have been part of the Fat Tire. Peter Spencer will soon take the reigns as Chequamegon Fat Tire director. Good luck, Peter, and here’s to another 36 years of fat tire fun!
Check out this cool video of the 2018 CFTF!
Story by Chris Young
