Awesome Article

Below is Stickboy's interview with Pink Bikes. For the full article please click here

The second race I checked out this past winter was the IditaFAT Bike Race held at the Winona Forest in Lacona, New York. Lacona is located on the Tug Hill Plateau, best known for the tremendous amount of snow it receives every winter. “We get the most snow east of the Rockies,” IditaFAT organizer Tom Hall said.
The night before the race four inches of fresh powder fell, so Tom and his crew were busy grooming the eight-mile race loop all night long. Somehow Tom had the energy to race (and win) the single-lap race.

While some did the two or three lap races, one lap of the beautiful rolling, groomed doubletrack was plenty for me. The temperature at race time was a balmy 10°F, or -12°C, so I wasn’t so keen to do any more than that. After the race, the hot soups, chili, and sandwiches in the warming hut were like gold.

AJ came in second place in the 24-mile race after winning the last two IditaFAT races. “Before fat bikes were around I, like many in this part of the country, struggled with my fitness over the long winter,” AJ explained. “I’m not the type to spend a lot of time on the trainer, so when fat bikes came along I saw an opportunity to have a lot of fun riding on snow. When the lake-effect snow guns fire up, you don’t want to be sitting on the sidelines.”

The IditaFAT Bike Race is one of the coolest cycling events I’ve ever been to, and I highly recommend checking it out. I had an awesome stay at the Tailwater Lodge, located about 25 minutes from the race venue in Altmar. The Tailwater is a converted elementary school that has been reborn into a luxurious rustic lodge. The Tailwater’s taproom and restaurant are great places to unwind after a long day of fly fishing, snowmobiling or, of course, fat biking.

Thanks to everyone made this article happen, including Ray Petro, Keith Miller and Andrew Kobak from Ray’s MTB; Mark Summers, Brayden Barrett-Hay and Bryan Sciuk from Joyride 150; Ethan Johnson and Alex Davies from Campus WheelWorks; and Tom Hall and Patrick McFalls from IditaFAT. Also thanks to the staff of the Tailwater for making my stay so enjoyable.