Get Phat With Pat Winter Fatbike Races Return to the MN River Bottoms in January

Penn Cycle & Fitness will hold the Get Phat With Pat Fatbike Races for the fourth year at the Minnesota River Bottoms in Bloomington on January 23rd and 30th.  They are co-sponsored by and are a part of the Bloomington Winter Fete.

The Details: 

Both races will be held at the Russell A Sorenson Landing at the end of Lyndale Ave. S. in Bloomington, MN underneath the 35W bridge.  Registration will start and 9 am the morning of each race and closes 30 minutes prior to race start. Registration will require a $10 entry fee and also a $5 donation to MORC (Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists) which will help the non-profit volunteer organization pay for trail maintenance, equipment and fund their 2016 season.

Fat bikes (3.8” tires and wider) are recommended. Depending on course conditions and entries, there may be a separate class for non-Fat-Tire bikes. Spectators are encouraged and welcome!  There will be three race classes for each race day; Beginner, Recreational and Advanced.  The Beginner class race will start at 10:15 am and consist of one lap, the Recreational class race starts at 10:00 am and is two laps, the Advanced class race starts at 12 noon and will be three laps.

The race course will be similar to last year's race with a new section in the East segment that lies between Lyndale Avenue and Cedar Avenue.  Start and Finish will be under the 35W bridge with the course heading West before turning around near Nine Mile Creek for an additional loop East of the Lyndale Ave. parking lot.  The lap will be a loop of about 6 miles with one section of trail heading out and another heading back.

An agreement with the City of Bloomington will allow many temporary sections of trail for the races.  The race course will be groomed and ready to ride one week before the first race.  Riding the temporary course once established is encouraged to pack down the trail.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in each category.  There will be plenty of swag given away to race participants at the conclusion of each day's races.  A Grand Prize Drawing for a Trek Farley fatbike frame and fork will be held at the January 30th race for race participants*.  All prize winners must be present to claim their prizes.  *To be eligible for the Grand Prize you must race in both races.

Get Phat with Pat will not only be fun but the weather will also make it challenging as we saw at the second race last year.  Thanks to Pat Sorensen and Penn Cycle & Fitness for organizing these races and the City of Bloomington for allowing them to take place at the Minnesota River Bottoms.  I'll see you there.

Facebook Event Pages

Get Phat With Pat-Race #1

Get Phat With Pat-Race #2 

Fatbike Group Rides in Minnesota

Fatbike group rides are happening all Winter long and to help you find out the what, when and where so you can join in, I have put together a list of bike shop rides, regular weekly rides and links where others are regularly posted.

Shop Rides

On Sundays from 12:30 to 2:30 pm the Hub Bicycle Co-Op has their Weekly Fat Bike Ride that meets at their store at 301 Cedar Ave. in Minneapolis.  Ride Description:

The ride will be a moderately paced 10-15 mile ride going to places such as the Minnesota River bottoms, Theodore Wirth Mountain Bike Trails, exploring the Mississippi River Bluffs and Minnehaha Creek.  Our definition of a fat tire bike is loose. You just need to be able to ride in snow on a variety of terrain. We will adjust distance due to weather conditions and will not ride if it's below 0 degrees F. Our goal is to create community, have fun, and stay riding during the long Minnesota Winter.

On Sundays at 9:00 am at Wirth Lake Beach in Minneapolis, Erik's Bike Shop hosts their weekly Sunday Morning Fatbikes at Theo ride.  The ride pace is set by the group each week and ride distance is usually 5-10 miles.  Ride description from the Erik's website:

*STARTS NOVEMBER 9th!!!!* This ride will start before the snow flies and carry through the thaw of Spring. You'll meet and ride at Theodore Wirth Park Mountain Bike Trail as long as conditions permit. Due to the initial wetness leading into Winter and the thaw in the Spring, expect to have various route changes and ride paces because they will be chosen by you, the riders! Fat bikes are strongly recommended, but 26+, 29+, and 2.4+ may get the job done. The goal is to have a blast and talk about all things bike related with a bias to all things Fat.

Freewheel Midtown Bike Center holds their Sunday Funday Ride at 2:00 pm on Sundays led by Jacob Haskins.  Ride description:

Departs Midtown at 2:00pm. Goes to the River Bottoms or other fun places. 20 - 30 Miles, speed is dependent on the group, always no drop. Check Facebook or call the store (612-238-4447) to get the most current information.

Milltown Cycles in Faribault holds its weekly Fat Tuesday shop ride every Tuesday this Winter from 6:30-8:30 pm.  Ride description:

We'll head out from Milltown Cycles by 6:30 - bring your lights!

Image Credit: Nicollet Bike Shop

Nicollet Bike Shop in Mankato has its weekly Fat Bike Mountain Bike Ride every Tuesday during the Winter at 5:30 pm.  For more details visit their Facebook page or call the shop at 507-388-9390.  Ride description:

Ride will leave the shop at 5:30. Lights required. Ride will be a mix of single track, ATV trail, and pavement. Once we have snow on the ground this ride will switch to Fat Bikes only.

Michael's Cycles hold a Wednesday night ride usually at the MN River Bottoms or Murphey-Hanrehan at 6:30 pm.  They also have a Saturday morning ride out of their Chaska store at 8:00 am.  See the Micheal's Cycles Facebook page or the Michael's Cycles-Chaska Facebook page for updates on weekly rides.

Group Rides

COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores) holds its weekly Monday Night Fatbike Ride at various locations in and around Duluth.  Rides start at 6pm and take place at locations like Hartley Park, Brewer Park, Lester Park, Piedmont and Minnesota Point Beach.  Keep up-to-date on each week's ride details by visiting the COGGS Monday Group Ride Fourm  or the COGGS Facebook page.  Ride description:

The MNR is an easy-paced, no-drop mountain bike ride. The ride starts at a different trail each week. Please call the shop (218-724-8525) to get the starting location. From 9/15/14 until 4/6/15 – weather dependent – the MNR becomes a Fat Bike ride. COGGS will run the show during this period. Please check their Facebook or website for location.

The Carver Lake Slow & Fat Ride takes place on Mondays at 6:00 pm weather permitting.  This is an easy pace ride and lights are required.  See the MORC Group Rides Forum for weekly updates.

Faturday at the MN River Bottoms happens weekly on Saturdays at 10:00 am.  Riders usually meet up at the Lyndale Ave. parking lot or the Bloomington Ferry Unit parking lot.  Check the MORC Group Rides Forum or the MN Fatbike Group Rides group on Facebook for weekly updates.

Join the public group, MN Fatbike Group Rides on Facebook to view group rides throughout Minnesota or post up your own ride.  And finally, you can always check the MORC Group Rides Forum for new ride postings in the Twin Cities.

If you would like your fatbike group ride listed on this post, send me an email with the following details:

• Day and time of rides

• Ride schedule continues through (date, month, etc.)

• Ride start location

• Duration and distance of ride

• Type of ride (casual/fast - drop/no drop)

• Type of trails or terrain for ride route

• Helmets and lights required?

• Fatbike rentals available?

• More information on group rides can be found at...(Facebook page, website, calling the shop, etc.)

New Fatbike Trails Opening Up Around Minnesota

With the ever-increasing popularity of fatbikes, Winter trail access in Minnesota is growing.  The Minnesota DNR issued a News Release last week adding 58 new miles open to fatbiking in Minnesota State Parks and on State Trails.  These are not the only new places to ride in Minnesota this Winter, more are popping up around the state.

Twin Cities Area

The City of Golden Valley has partnered with the Three Rivers Park District and will groom two multi-use trails at Brookview Golf Course that will be open to fatbiking.  Trail lengths will be 3/4 mile and 3 1/2 miles of unlit corduroy that will be maintained through late February.  The Brookview Grill will be open for food and cocktails Friday through Sunday until February 16th.  For more information see my post Brookview Golf Course Opens to Fatbikes This Winter.

Lake Elmo Park Reserve has 2.5 miles on the Big Bluestem Trail that will be packed multi-use and includes fatbiking.  A Washington County Parks Vehicle Permit is required on all vehicles entering the park.  More information can be found in the Washington County Parks Winter Trails-Lake Elmo Park Reserve Brochure.

Cleary Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake grooms trails for cross-country skiing and according to Explore Minnesota it also has a "fat tire" trail with bike rentals available during the winter.  Call Cleary Lake Regional Park (763-694-7777) for more information.

As part of the announcement from the Minnesota DNR last week, Fort Snelling State Park has added 6 new miles of packed multi-use trails.  The Luce Line State Trail is groomed for multi-use including fatbiking from Vicksburg Lane to Stubbs Bay Road.  The Gateway State Trail is plowed from Cuyuga Street to Jamaca Avenue opening up 11.9 miles of trails to all winter biking.

Southern MN

CROCT (Cannon River Offroad Cycling and Trails) opened their first mtb trail at Sechler Park in Northfield on November 15th.  The 1.2 mile two-way singletrack runs through the wooded floodplain along the Cannon River and is open to Winter biking.  For the latest trail conditions follow @CROCTconditions on Twitter.

Sechler Park River Bottoms Trail

The Mankato Area Mountain Bikers (MAMB) have finished the two loops of mountain bike trails at the Kiwanis Recreation Area and they are open for Winter fatbiking.  The short loop is a 1 mile beginner-rated trail and the long loop is a 4 mile intermediate-rated trail.  For updated trail conditions at the Kiwanis MTB Trail, visit the MAMB Facebook page.

Kiwanis Mountain Bike Trail

The Winona Area Mountain Bikers (WAMB) will be grooming the trails at the top of Cherry Hill and portions of Holzinger Lodge this Winter.  According to a post on the MORC Trail Conditions Forum for Holzinger Lodge, "WAMB has come to an agreement with the City of Winona to groom portions of the trail that are accessible by snow machine. This will include the Low Rollers and the Wildwood Loop at the top. Cistern, Horse Trail and Quarry will not be groomed due to the rough terrain."  For updates on these two trails, visit the WAMB Facebook page.

The Minnesota DNR has opened 13 miles of groomed trails from Pine Island to Rochester on the Douglas State Trail to fatbiking as well as 6 miles of groomed trails at the Blazing Star State Trail/Myre-Big Island State Park.

 

 
Central & Northern MN

Isanti County Parks has added over 15 miles of multi-use (hiking, snow shoeing, fat tire biking or cross country skiing) groomed trails this Winter.  These include 5 miles at Springvale County Park, 3 miles at Becklin Homestead County Park, 3 miles at Irvin and John Anderson County Park, 2 miles at Vegsund Family County Park and 2 miles at Wayside Prairie County Park.  For the latest trail conditions, visit the Isanti County Parks Facebook page or call 763-689-8220.

Image Credit: Stearns County Parks

Stearns County Parks has opened up fatbiking on its multi-use (Winter Walking/Dog Walking/Snowshoeing/Fat Tire Biking) trails in five parks. These parks include Kraemer Lake–Wildwood County Park, Lake Koronis Regional Park, Mississippi River County Park, Quarry Park & Nature Preserve and Warner Lake County Park.  For more information contact Stearns County Parks at 320-255-6172 or by email at parkinfo@co.stearns.mn.us.

Soo Line West

Soo Line East

The Morrison County Board of Commissioners recently reviewed its rules for recreational trails including the use of fatbikes.  The Recreational Trail Rules and Regulations Ordinance that will affect the Soo Line East and Soo Line West trails would allow snowmobiling, fat-tire bicycling and cross country skiing from December 1st through March 31st as long as there is snow cover of three or more inches on the trail.  This will provide 36 miles of trail for fatbiking.  The ordinance also states “the trail is closed and may not be used for any purpose (hiking, biking, skiing, ATVing or snowmobiling) from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30 of each year.”  For more information or questions regarding the use of these trails should contact the Morrison County Public Works Department at 320-632-0121.

COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores) will be grooming six miles of newly completed trails at Mission Creek and “purposeful snowshoeing” the trails at Brewers Park in Duluth to pack the trails for fatbike riding.  Brewer Park consists of Brewer Park (beginner), Homebrew, Lollygagger and Kissing Booth and links up with Piedmont across Haines Road.  For trail conditions at Mission Creek visit @COGGSMissionCrk and Piedmont/Brewer Park visit @COGGSPiedmontTC.

Maplelag Resort in Callaway announced last week it will have their snowshoe trail and the three miles of Twin Lakes Singletrack packed and open for fatbiking.  Forest roads in the area will also be another option for fatbike riding.  For more information or questions contact Maplelag Resort by calling them at 218-375-4466 or sending an email to maplelag@tvutel.com.

The Minnesota DNR has 20 miles of groomed trails at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.  New trails include 5.4 miles of groomed trails at Jay Cooke State Park and 8.7 miles of groomed trails for fatbikes and ski skating at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

Remember to always follow IMBA's Fat Bike Best Practices and help give our sport a good name to gain more trail access in the future.

MN DNR Issues News Release on New Fatbike Riding Opportunities

Minnehaha Trail-Fort Snelling State Park
Image Credit: Bonnie Moebeck

The Minnesota DNR issued a News Release on December 15th that details the expansion of fatbike riding opportunities throughout the state.  These opportunities include 58 new miles open to fatbiking in Minnesota State Parks and on State Trails.  This is in addition to the 20 miles already in use at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area near Ironton.  Minnesota State Parks and Trails has also implemented a Winter Fat Biking Pilot Project to assist in finding places to ride and they would also like rider feedback that includes comments, suggestions and ways to improve these new winter fatbike trails.

The Minnesota DNR has maps of these new fatbike-friendly trails available for download.  These maps clearly detail fatbike/multi-use trails from snowshoe/ski/hiking only trails through the use of color to distinguish use (see each map's legend).

Image Credit: Minnesota DNR

In Northern Minnesota, Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area has 20 miles of groomed trails, Jay Cooke State Park has added 5.4 miles of trails to be groomed and Split Rock Lighthouse State Park will groom 8.7 miles of trails for fatbikes and ski skating.

Twin Cities Metro Area fatbike trail opportunities include Fort Snelling State Park with 6 miles of packed muti-use trails, the Luce Line State Trail has 7 miles of groomed multi-use trails and the Gateway State Trail is plowed from Cuyuga Street to Jamaca Avenue opening up 11.9 miles of trails to all winter biking.

In Southern Minnesota there are 13 miles of groomed trails from Pine Island to Rochester on the Douglas State Trail and the Blazing Star State Trail/Myre-Big Island State Park has added 6 miles of groomed trails.

Image Credit: Jake Hawkes/IMBA

Other opportunities for fatbiking from the MN DNR include:

Winter fat biking is allowed on trails that are signed and identified on DNR maps as open to fat biking, such as:

• State forest roads or trails that are identified as allowing bicycling, unless they are groomed and tracked for cross-country skiing or snowmobiling only.*
• State park and state recreation area trails designated for bicycling, including some non-motorized multi-use trails that may be shared with skiers, walkers, or snowshoers, unless they are groomed and tracked for cross-country skiing or snowmobiling only.*
• State park roads, where motor vehicles are allowed, except those posted closed for biking.
• State trails, except those groomed and tracked for cross-country skiing or snowmobiling only.

*NOTE: Most ski and snowmobile trails do not allow other uses. Skier and snowmobiler user fees pay for grooming and maintenance.

Areas to avoid riding fatbikes from the MN DNR:

While groomed snowmobile and ski trails can be an appealing ride option, most of those types of trails are not open to other uses due to concerns regarding safety and trail grooming costs that are paid through user fees. Please remember to be thoughtful and courteous as you seek out opportunities to enjoy the sport of winter fat biking.
Winter fat biking is not allowed on:

• Most snowmobile trails, including the grant-in-aid (GIA) trail system. As a general rule for everyone's safety, please avoid fat biking on any snowmobile trail.
• Most groomed and tracked cross-country ski trails, which are for skiing only
• Any trail that is not specifically identified as open for bicycling, including hiking or snowshoeing trails in state parks or state recreation areas.

For more information on where to ride fatbikes in Minnesota, contact the DNR Information Center at info.dnr@state.mn.us or 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Remember to always follow IMBA's Fat Bike Best Practices.

Get Phat With Pat Winter Fatbike Races Coming to the MN River Bottoms in January

Penn Cycle & Fitness will hold the Get Phat With Pat Fatbike Races for a third year at the Minnesota River Bottoms in Bloomington on January 17th and 24th.  They are co-sponsored by and are a part of the Bloomington Winter Fete which runs from January 17-25.

Flyer Link

The Details: 

Both races will be held at the Russell A Sorenson Landing at the end of Lyndale Ave. S. in Bloomington, MN underneath the 35W bridge.  Registration will start and 9 am the morning of each race and closes 30 minutes prior to race start. Registration will require a $10 entry fee and also a $5 donation to MORC (Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists) which will help the non-profit volunteer organization pay for trail maintenance, equipment and fund their 2015 season.

All bike styles, fat or skinny are welcome to participate.  There will be three race classes for each race day; Beginner, Recreational and Advanced.  The Beginner class race will start at 10:15 am and consist of one lap, the Recreational class race starts at 10:00 am and is also one lap, the Advanced class race starts at 12 noon and will be two laps.
 

Nine Mile Creek Crossing

The race course will be similar to last year's race with a few areas that will be different.  Start and Finish will be under the 35W bridge with the course heading west past the railroad swing bridge before returning.  There will be an ice crossing for Nine Mile Creek but if the ice is deemed unsafe due to warm weather, the cottonwood tree crossing will have to be used.  The lap will be a loop of about eight miles with one section of trail heading out and another heading back.

An agreement with the City of Bloomington will allow many temporary sections of trail for the races.  The race course will be groomed and ready to ride one week before the first race.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in each category.  There will be plenty of swag given away to race participants at the conclusion of each day's races.  A Grand Prize Drawing for a 9:Zero:7 fatbike frame and fork will be held at the January 24th race for race participants*.  All prize winners must be present to claim their prizes.  *To be eligible for the Grand Prize you must race in both races.

Top 3 Advanced Class Women - 2014

Pat was recently on Mountain Bike Radio and talked with host Ben Welnak about the upcoming Get Phat With Pat races.  Click here to listen to that segment of the show. 

See all of my photos and some video from last year's Get Phat With Pat races on Flickr.

Race #1

January 18, 2014 

Race #2 

January 25, 2014

Get Phat with Pat will not only be fun but the weather will also make it challenging.  Thanks to Pat Sorensen and Penn Cycle & Fitness for organizing these races and the City of Bloomington for allowing them to take place at the Minnesota River Bottoms.  I'll see you there.

Facebook Event Pages

Get Phat With Pat-Race #1

Get Phat With Pat-Race #2 

Facebook Group Brings Minnesota Fatbikers Together for Group Rides

Last Saturday night I came up with an idea that would help bring those that love to ride fatbikes together for group rides of their own.  I figured creating a Facebook group would be the easiest way to get the word out to a lot of people in short amount of time because riding fatbikes is more fun when done with others.  Thus, the MN Fatbike Group Rides Facebook group was formed.  I posted it at around 11pm that night and by noon the next day there were over 100 members.  The group continues to grow and rides are being posted.  If you like riding with the well-endowed tire crowd then I invite you to become a member of the group and post rides of your own or join in on those posted by others.

 Group Description

I created this group to make it easy for my fatbike friends and their friends to get together by posting their own group rides.  Minnesota has a lot of fatbikers with riding schedules that may not include the weekends.  This is a place where they can organize their own rides with friends and new acquaintances any day of the week.  My work schedule keeps me from joining in on Saturday group rides but I'm available on Sundays and Mondays.  Others of you may have other availabilities, that's why I created this group.  Are you looking for some Tuesday afternoon ride partners at Murphy or Thursday night ride companions at Elm Creek?  This group is designed to get fatbikers together for rides that fit their schedules.  I miss out on so many fatbike group rides because of my work schedule that I wanted to create a Facebook group that was open to the public and would allow other members, not just those with weekends off to connect and ride together.  Invite your friends and let's ride fatbikes together this Winter.

Already there have been rides and pictures posted and activity in the group is bound to increase as more members join and snow begins to fall.  Although many members may be from the Twin Cities Metro Area, I encourage those in Greater Minnesota to join as well.  My goal for this Facebook group is to see group rides from all over the state being posted on a regular basis.  Become a group member today and tell your fatbike friends about the MN Fatbike Group Rides Facebook group.