When you think of the perfect ‘all-around’ bike, it’s doubtful that a fat bike comes to mind. In fact, these supersized bikes have historically had pretty narrow use—great for rides in sand or snow, not so great for anything else. But all that’s changed: Some genius event promoters recently started sneaking fat bike categories into cyclocross races, and the trend seems to have caught on.
Cyclocross in the US is a fun-focused, raucous discipline, but has gotten more serious as more money and more professionals flood the sport. That’s problematic for the many people who savor environments that encourage goofing around with teammates and taking hand-ups.
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“CX needs its fun side,” says Chip Baker, a well-known New England racer. “It's great we have so many UCI races, but our heart and soul is always going to be the weird frankenbikes and jungle ‘cross courses. I think people miss those days, to be honest.”
This year, Baker is taking back the fun for himself by fat biking whenever possible. “Fat bikes are like the sprinkles on top of a singlespeed cyclocross cupcake. It is virtually impossible to not have fun racing a fat bike on some weird organic farm with llamas and chickens running all over the place while people scream their heads off and hand you beer in red Solo cups.”
And he’s not alone. Whatever the reason, racers are flocking to fat bike cyclocross events, especially as temperatures drop and people are dusting off their big tires in preparation for winter.
Fat bike categories in cyclocross are most common in areas where fat biking and fat bike ownership are already common, like snowy Wisconsin. The state is home to Ghettocross and the Princeton Valley National Fat-Bike Championship, which takes place on a golf course and features cyclocross-esque obstacles.
The new sub-discipline has also unsurprisingly cropped up at non-UCI races known for uniquely fun cultures, like Ice Weasels Cometh, a classic New England December race.
"Ice Weasels is an end-of-season race that is as much about having fun and celebrating the season as it is about racing, and it's December in New England so you've got tons of people who have brand new fat bikes that they want to play with,” explains promoter Colin Reuter, of CrossResults.com. "Is a fat bike the fastest, smartest weapon for a 'cross race? Of course not. But it's fun, and funny, and the racers are psyched—can't argue with that!"
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But the frankenbike devotees and fat bike enthusiasts aren’t the only ones embracing fat ‘cross. In an exciting twist, the category is showing up in large-scale UCI events like the three-day Jingle Cross race in Iowa scheduled for early December. It’s a new event, and promoter John Meehan says this year’s race is a ‘trial’ run; if it goes smoothly and is well-received, it will come back next year.
"The interest in fat bikes has been growing considerably,” Meehan says. "Even though they are good summer trail bikes, the bikes have a particularly strong following in the Midwest because they're so fun in the ice and snow. We even have a local bike shop, World of Bikes, that specializes in fat tire bikes. In fact, they are sponsoring that division at the Jingle Cross."
Regardless of why people are excited about fat ‘cross, actually getting into the sport requires climbing a bit of a learning curve. Corners are harder to navigate, especially corners designed for tires under 33-millimeters wide, and hurdling barriers (or any time you need to lift your bike) is a lot more taxing. But since you’re racing in a fat bike-specific category, everyone around you is in the same boat. To get out in front of the competition while the sport’s still young, practice lifting your fat bike over barriers, or focus a bit more on upper-body exercises at the gym: No matter what, if you switch back to your regular cyclocross bike, you’ll feel infinitely lighter on run-ups after racing on a fat bike!
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Want to try a race? There are still a few left in the season:
The Ice Weasels Cometh
When: December 12
Where: West Warwick, RI
Info: https://www.bikereg.com/29464
Sea Sports CrossMas Presented by Shepley
When: December 20
Where: Sandwich, MA
Info: https://www.bikereg.com/sea-sports-crossmas-presented-by-shepley
Trashmore Cross 2015 - VACX Finals
When: December 6
Where: Virginia Beach, VA
*This is a beach cruiser category, but fat bikes will fit right in!*
Info: https://www.bikereg.com/trashmore-cross-2015-vacx
The UCI Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross
When: December 4
Where: Iowa City, IA
Info: https://www.bikereg.com/the-uci-carousel-volkswagen-jingle-cross-rock-rock-12--3
BikeneticX p/b Lost Rhino Brewing - 2015 Sportif Cross Cup Finale
When: December 13
Where: Lorton, VA
*Fat bike, fixed gear, unicycle, Brompton, hand-cycle, recumbent, whatever you’ve got, all in one race!*
Info: https://www.bikereg.com/bikeneticx
Can’t believe people actually do this? Watch the weirdness in action here:
