With winter here– whether I want to admit it or not–the time has come to plan some shenanigans for the next couple of months to half year that makes up a Michigan winter. I have said goodbye forever to cross-country skiing (not that I ever did it that much) and will be spending as much time as I can (baring crashing and jacking myself up) riding my fat bike or at very least snowshoeing (under the pretence of making singletrack rideable).
I will also be trying to get between one and twenty fat bike races in, and as you can see below, greater Michiganderburgh is ripe with possibilities, with races going down from Fun Promotions, the Great Lakes Fat Bike Series, the Northern Michigan Short’s Brewing Fat Bikes Series and the Winter Rush series from late December through March.
Shenanigan Possibilities of the Winter Sort
- Winter Rush – December 7 – TBA Grand Rapids, MI?
- Fun Promotions – December 20 – TBA – Augusta, MI
- Winter Rush – December 20 – Indian Trails Golf Course, Grand Rapids, MI
- SBFBS – December 21 – The Thirst Mutilator Fat Bike Race – Timber Ridge, Traverse City, MI
- Winter Rush – January 3 – Indian Trails Golf Course, Grand Rapids, MI
- GLFBS – January 4 – Fat Chance Fatbike Race – Crystal Mountain, MI
- GLFBS – January 10 – Farmers Fatbike Race – Grand Rapids, MI
- Fun Promotions – January 11 – Pando – Rockford, MI
- Winter Rush – January 18 – Window on the Waterfront, Holland, MI
- Fun Promotions – January 31 – Rolling Hills – Ypsilanti, MI
- SBFBS – February 1 The ControversiALE Fat Bike Race – Timber Ridge Traverse City, MI
- Fun Promotions – February 7 TBA – Holland, MI
- Winter Rush – February 8 – Bostwick Inn, Rockford, MI
- GLFBS – February 21 – 906 Fatbike Race – Marquette, MI (tad too far!)
- Fun Promotions – February 21 Addison Oaks – Leonard MI
- Winter Rush – February 28 – Meijer State Games – Indian Trails Golf Course, Grand Rapids, MI
- Fun Promotions – March 1 – Pando – Rockfor, MI
- SBFBS – March 7 Beard of Zeus Fat Bike Race – Timber Ridge, Traverse City, MI
- Fun Promotions – March 14 Series Finals – Grayling MI
I am sure I won’t do more than a few of these races, but knowing that they are there for winter survival is pretty awesome. Add in riding on snow-covered dirt roads, a 5 mile fat bike loop that Hanson Hills will be grooming this winter, that Crystal Mountain is apparently opening up their groomed trails to fat bikes this winter and that I’m getting wind of a possible groomed trail down near Alma, Michigan this winter (details on that are still being ironed out on that). All I know, is that as much as I detest being cold and winter, this winter looks to be pretty active, possibly more active than my summer was!
In other nonsense…
I took today off the bike in honor of the first day of rifle deer season here in Michigan. Actually there was no honor involved but as heavily hunted as the woods are around here I did not want to ramble around the woods or on the dirt roads too much for fear of taking one meant for Bambi right in the chest. Hoping to brave the bullets tomorrow.
Note: the photo above is from last winter at Hanson Hills NOT this season (yet). Also, the list above was thrown together pretty quick, don’t take my word for any of this, check out the website for real, factual information.
Shenanigans!
Later.