Thanks to some hard work and tireless efforts from promoter Chris Locke and his volunteer team, this weekend’s God’s Country Fat Tire Festival went on despite cold temperatures and another massive snowstorm that moved through the region. All of the riders enjoyed the festival, and according to the trail director, the trails remained in excellent condition. The races were well attended, with participants coming from as far away as Fargo, North Dakota.

Chris was very appreciative of all the help he received to pull off this event, “What really stood out is all the support I received from my friends and team. The Lawrence Mountain Bike Club, The Mountain Bike Patrol, The Wheel Cyclery, and The Lantern Rouge all stepped up and helped make these events happen in some very trying conditions. It took a lot of teamwork to pull these events off. I would really like to thank them for their support.”

Saturday’s duathlon was held in cool conditions, but the impending snowstorm held off until late in the day. Chuong Doan took the top honor on the short course with the men’s overall fastest time of 1:04:41. Randy Murdock took the men’s overall title on the long course with a time of 1:55:00. In the women’s field, Angela Redfern came in with the overall best time on the short course at 1:15:25. The long course saw two women battle it out with Cathy Riedy taking the win with a time of 2:43:00.

Two riders, Black Coffee and Adam Burns, decided that racing on two wheels was just too easy and showed up with their unicycles. They finished the short course in shockingly fast times of 1:42:05 and 2:04:07, respectively.

Short Course Results

Long Course Results

Sunday was a different story. Seven inches of snow fell overnight Saturday and through the day Sunday. This did not deter most racers from showing up; many riders thoroughly enjoyed the conditions. This race served as round #1 of the UFD West Series. The snowy and icy conditions raised the difficulty of the event. Many riders had their gears and chains caked with a mixture of mud and ice, making shifting difficult, if not impossible. Several riders were down to one or two gear choices by the end of their races. Jeff Arnaud took the win in the single-speed class with a time of 1:06:40. Karen Brocket took the category one women’s win. Those riders who chose to race the marathon category were on course for 3 hours, completing as many as 11 laps. Micah Gordon took the win, with Seth Carlson coming in 2nd at 10 minutes behind him.

God’s Country MTB Race Results

 


Photo Credit: Micah Gordon