Finally Fat Tire Biking

As you know, my family spent the weekend at Crystal Mountain Resort. And as you also know (if you read my blog which you do because you are reading this) that I'm not much of a downhill skier. Even so, I have been looking forward to this weekend since I scribbled it on my calendar months ago. And not just because I was going to get to eat double peanut butter pancakes.

Crystal Mountain has acquired a fleet of fat tire bikes.

Here's a quick tutorial on fat bikes to catch you up to speed:

What is a fat bike?
It is a mountain (or off-road) bike that has enormous, wide, 'fat' tires.

Why does it have fat tires?
The benefit of 'fat' tires is to allow for greater flotation over soft surfaces (think beach sand or snow) and provide greater traction (larger surface area = more connection to the ground = more traction). This combination allows bikes to roll on terrain that a traditional mountain bike could not.

It wouldn't be all that far of a comparison to say fat tires are a bit like snow shoes. They provide greater surface area and allow for you to "float" better over snow (or sand) where skinnier tires would likely sink.

Fat tire bikes are growing in popularity and all the cool kids have one.

I've spent my winter pouting over my keyboard while reading status updates and blog posts of glorious fat tire snow bike rides! And fat tire rides on the beach of Lake Michigan! And racing in the Great Lakes Fat Bike Series!

(insert juvenile tantrum here)


But on Saturday I finally got to see what all the craze is about.

And it was awesome! Chad, my brother and myself each rented a bike. It didn't take long for us to warm up on a fast cruise down the road in search of the "fat tire trail" which the clerk told us was clearly labeled and yet 3 college educated fully functioning adults could not find it . . . We eventually came to a snowmobile trail through the woods and hopped on!

As long as we could manage a narrow line following the packed trail the bike handled with ease. One slip to the left or right and the tire would sink and slip in the deep wet snow. It was so much fun whizzing and zipping through the trees along a marshmallow packed trail. Crashing into white blustery snowballs was perhaps the most fun. 

For those of us with negative budgets and who are too cheap to pay $30 a month for a dataplan in order to have a smart phone that can take actual photos of said adventures to accompany widely-read and highly-acclaimed blogs posts (as opposed to my 3-minute scribbles) and therefore cannot afford another bike, being able to rent one for the afternoon was a great option to partake in the fat tire experience.

Rentals are $10 an hour or $15 for two hours. If you plan on renting from Crystal Mountain, be warned that they have only 2 'mountain bike' style fat tire bikes (one large and one mall) and at least 6 'cruiser' single speeds with coaster brakes. 

Peak2Peak Race Report 2011

I will be republishing some of my old race reports over the next few weeks . . . 

Peak 2 Peak 2011, Crystal Mountain Resort, Michigan

I did my 3rd mountain bike race this season, the first was way back in early May and then I did a last-minute decision race about 2 weeks ago. I do alright in Sport and so I thought I would test my legs in the Expert cat. Last season I tried Expert for one race and I was DFL. I had low expectations. Furthermore, this race was nearly twice the distance of any xc rides I have done this season.

It rained for 24 hours before the race and there were high winds, gusts regularly 40 mph. And it was cold.

We lined up at the start behind the men, there were approx. 11-12 women racing Expert. We were getting situated when we heard the announcer call out that we were starting with the men! And we had about 60 seconds. None of us expected that. I was not at positioned where I wanted to be for the start, I'm sure all of the other women felt the same way.

Then we were off! The start of the course was downhill followed by an uphill to an open road. One of the women cut me off right at the bottom of the hill and then, she must have jammed her gears because she abruptly stopped right in front of me! I had swarms of people to my left and right. I had no choice but to put my foot down and then try to scootch around her. I lost all of my momentum for the climb not to mention losing the lead group of women.

This has been my experience with xc racing: nothing goes as planned. I was suddenly on my own and trying desperately to pull back some time. The trail was muddy and sticky like peanut butter and the head wind--oh the head wind!--was brutal. Being in a pack would have been a huge benefit.

I kept telling myself to just keep pushing. I passed a couple of guys and maybe 3 women . . . which put me at about 9-7th place halfway into the first lap. And then I was completely alone on the trail. I couldn't see anyone in front or behind. I settled into an easier pace.

Coming into the climb at the end of the first lap I started to see flickers of a rider behind me. She eventually caught me up the climb and finished the first lap about 30 seconds in front of me. I pushed myself once again and caught her about 2-3 miles into the second lap. I asked if she wanted to work together in the open sections, she declined, and so I went on ahead knowing that it was quite likely she would catch me once again at the ski hill.

Which she did. But this time, I just barely managed to keep my lead. And into the 3rd lap we went. I tried to keep a steady pace but it is hard when you're alone on the trail with no "rabbits" in sight to chase.

Coming up to the ski hill for the last climb and I caught site of that woman behind me again. I told myself that she had to be hurting at least as much as I was. I'll admit, part of me wanted to quit--7th place, 8th place, not a whole lot of difference. But, I knew I would be disappointed if I didn't at least try. All I had to do was keep my legs spinning.

I managed once again to hold onto a sliver of a lead into the long descent down the ski hill. At the bottom there was a hairpin turn and we had to ride about 100 feet or so up the ski hill to the finish line. I had some friends cheering me on who all started yelling "You're in third place!!!!!"

Wha??!?!?!?!?!  No way?!? I had NO idea. Apparently there were women behind me from the start, possibly caught in the same jam I was in.

I was blown away and grinning from ear to ear. I never thought I would podium in Expert. I even won some cash. It was a great, great day.

Creating Memories

I have mixed feelings coming into the next cycling season. Last year was great as far as personal achievements go. I blew away my previous PR for the 25k River Bank Run--averaging over a minute faster per mile! My cycling skills improved and I even got a little faster.

But something else has snuck up on me, something surprising and even more fulfilling than reaching my personal goals--my kids aren't babies anymore! I hate to admit it, but I did not enjoy being a mom to infants. They cry, they poop, they spit up food, they need to be carried around in a giant car seat that caused debilitating pain in my back and shoulders . . . ugh. And those big eyes, well, I found them a bit creepy. Babies don't blink! It's just not normal. They just stare and stare, until you are convinced you've given birth to an alien spawn child.

Now my kids are old enough to do stuff. Taking my daughter for her first mountain bike ride this summer was one of the greatest memories I will ever have. It was amazing. This winter I started cross country skiing with my kids. I tow my 2 year old son in a sled behind me while I ski with my daughter. Its good fun. Turns out I really do LOVE being a mom.

I find myself spending more and more time with my kids and less and less time training . . . Which is not a bad thing at all. But it is a different feeling.

Creating Family Memories.
This last weekend we went up to Crystal Mountain with my brother's family, my parents, and my SIL's mom. We had a packed house--grammas, papa, aunts, uncles, cousins, dogs--the perfect chaotic mix for family fun.

We woke Saturday morning to 6 inches of fresh snow. No one in my immediate family has downhill skis. In fact, we had planned to do some sledding, snowshoeing, and swimming at the resort while my brother and his family skied. But with the fresh snowfall, the hills called to me. I really wanted to ski! Fortunately, my SIL had a spa treatment planned which meant her skis were at my disposal!

My husband and I bundled up the two kids and hiked down to the rentals where the kids were fitted and kitted for their first downhill skiing experience. Both kids took to it like naturals. After just a few short runs my daughter was asking to go on the big hills with the chair lift!

Even though I try not to worry, I just can't help but imagine all the horrible things that can happen. I am so thankful to my brother who took her up for some mom-free downhill skiing. Where I would have hovered over her in a panic, he was able to give her some freedom and wings to fly. Thanks bro!

My son, my little 2 year old Evil Knievel--it didn't take long for him to start smack talking. This was perhaps his first taste of independence. He could get on and off the Magic Carpet by himself. He stood an entire inch taller riding up the hill, doing a little dance and singing to himself. Occasionally another skier would smile and wave at him, he'd reply "I'm awesome! I'm skiing by MY SELF!" Or he'd look at me and start in "I'm doing this by my self. Not with you! I can DO this! YEAHHHHH!" and then he'd grunt and dance.

Once at the top of the hill, the race began! He could taste speed. He'd barrel towards the bottom as fast as he could. As he careened uncontrollably down the hill he'd do The Running Man.

Sunday, my husband took our daughter swimming and my son came xc skiing with me. We enjoyed having some one-on-one time with the kids. It was a wonderful weekend. I keep finding myself smiling at memories that bubble-up throughout the day.

As I scroll through facebook and see all the long training rides my friends accomplished, well, I may be getting a bit behind on the schedule, but I have no regrets with how I spent my time.