Stickboy Coffee and Fast Eddi's Cycles are proud sponsor of the Festival of Flakes weekend which is a fund raiser for the Winona Forest Recreation Association (WFRA) a non-profit organization that maintains and grooms Winona State Forest trails on the Tug Hill Plateau near Mannsville, N.Y. On Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7, 2021, these trails were the site of Festival of Flakes that features both our annual IditaFAT bike race and the annual SnoFatShu race, offering winter enthusiasts and families an unparalleled opportunity to compete in a weekend of fat biking and snowshoe running.
The IditaFAT offers distances of 12k or 25k “ish” or 50k "ish” depending on conditions. The Snofatshu consists of a snowshoe leg of approximately 5km, arriving back to the transition area to send the partner racer out with the fatty for 10-20 KM of fat trail heaven. Distance will depend on snow conditions. Once back, the snowshoe runner will head out for the final 5K lap. Team or solo, it is your choice. The SnoFatShu also hosts a 5k snow snow run and a 12k bike race as well.
Below is the race recap:
Saturday IditaFAT
IditaFAT 12K – Hillari had never ridden a fat bike but that did not stop her as she took on the 12k race. Not only was this the first time Hillari had ever rode a fat bike, but she also won the race! Congratulations to Hillari on your success!
I signed up for the 12k as well. Being that I am the race director, I had been up late and I was truly exhausted. I had a good start to the race, but I was starting to bonk out and slow down. I think it was around Alice’s Alley when Rich passed me and I started working with him. I grabbed his wheel and drafted off him as much as I could. Rich also kept me awake by talking to me. I turned on to Bargy and finished the race. To my surprise, I had won the race. I cannot thank Rich enough or the help. I do not think I would have won that race with Rich. Thank you so much Rich!!!
IditaFAT 25k – Nate has made some improvements on the bike and he’s hard work has paid off. Nate took on the 25k and it was an extremely competitive field this year. But Nate still had an amazing race and he met his goal of getting a better time than last year. Nate went on to take 6th place overall! Congratulations on your success Nate!
Rich also joined Nate in the 25k race and he will tell you the conditions were phenomenal! Rich was able to run 10psi in his back tire and went 8psi in the front and had no issues with traction going up the hills on the course. Rich thought he would never be able to average a little over 10 mph on the snow but he did it. Rich went on to take 12th place overall all and he took 9th place in the men’s category. Congratulations to Rich on your success!
IditaFAT 50k – Justin took on the 50k race. The day before the race Justin got a flat. Justin seems to always have bike problems the day before the race and Eddie had to come and save the day. Eddie got his tire all fixed up and got Justin ready to rock and roll for the race. This was the second year Justin took on the 50k and he was with the lead group the entire race. Justin finished 4th place. Congratulations to Justin on your success!
Sunday SnoFatShu
Fat Bike Race – Nate came back for the second day to take on the SnoFatShu fat bike race. The conditions on Sunday were super-fast. I mean it was stupid fast. It was like white concrete. As the course marshals are radioing in, Larry who does the scoring says to me “They are flying. The winning time will be about 39 minutes.” I thought he was nuts. I really did. But Nate was flying. He was hammering it. Nate won the race and his finishing time was 38 minutes and 12 seconds. That’s amazing! Congratulations to Nate on winning the race!
The 5k Snowshoe Run – Mr. Lewis took on the 5k snowshoe run and again the conditions were fast! Mr. Lewis had another amazing race. He took 3rd place overall and took 2nd place in the men’s category. Congratulations on your success Mr. Lewis!
Hillari showed up for the second day. Two days. Two races. That’s awesome. She went on to have a great race taking 4th place overall and took 2nd place in the women’s category. Congratulations to Hillari on your success!
The team duathlon – Justin does the team duathlon every year with his nephew Luke. They had another great race this year and they grabbed a top 3 finish taking 2 second place. Congratulations to Justin on your success!
Beast Mode Matt and I were a team as we do almost every year. We went on to take 3rd place. Congratulations to Beast Mode Matt on our finish!
The SnoFatShu Winter Duathlon Solo – Shaun was hardcore and took on the duathlon solo. That is such a hard race and yet he took in on fearlessly. Shaun stayed in the moment and did not let his emotions rattle him as he took this on and had an amazing finish. Shaun grabbed a top 5 finish taking 4th place overall. Congratulations on your success Shaun!