The California State Fat Bike Championships were held on December 10th, 2016 at the Rim Nordic Bike Park in Running Springs, Calif., just west of Big Bear Lake. It is the home of Rim Nordic Ski Area which is a cross country ski area in the winter season.
The weather was cool & crisp, with temps in the high 30’s in the a.m. warming to mid 40’s during the day…. with little snow this year, compared to last year’s fresh snow the night before. So the trails were interesting, to say the least….with wet dirt, dry sections, snowy patches, ice ponds to dodge & quite breezy at times, the fat bikes were tested as well as the racers.
The Cross country event was a 7.5 mile lap with the Open class racers doing 2 laps. The fastest time of the day went to last year’s winner, Allan Laframboise of Big Bear Lake(#948)….1:30:03, compared to last year’s 1:50:14. He decided to compete in the Downhill event, which consisted of, 2 runs combined, & took first, with a total time of 5:58:55…smashing last year’s 6:31:07 winning time….probably again, because of snow conditions.
The race sponsors awarded lots of great swag, so everyone went home with something as well as a custom made medal by owner, Kerry Brown. The hit of the day was the post race lunch spread that all enjoyed to the max. All homemade: chili beans/ with meat, onions & cheese, cornbread, killer chicken noodle soup, smore chocolate muffins, lots of fruit & granola bars & just about anything else you can imagine on the snack side. Not to mention the continental breakfast offered in the morning. ALL included in the entry fee. This is what fat-bike racing is all about!
Next year’s event is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. Rim Nordic Bike Park hosts cross country & enduro events in the spring/summer season.
Check out the event schedule for 2017 at www.rimnordic.com
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