For me, mountain bike racing is not something I’m super into, so I wouldn’t pay much to do it like I do cyclocross, but the Fat Tire Tuesday races had always looked like fun so in 2024 I took the plunge.
- Race 1 2024-05-14: stravalink Started off with steep uphill on rocky surface. I got caught behind a couple of riders who went way slower than I could have, putting me in a hole the rest of the race. I was chasing a Hardcore Bike Club rider for most of the rest of the race. I gained time on the ups; he gained time everywhere else. There was one descent that was steep, kind of muddy and had a turn into a bridge right at the bottom. I had a tough time with it on my practice lap and managed to wipe out on it in Lap 2 (I’m a B-Group rider so I only did 3 laps).
- 5/6 for 6 points
- Race 2 2024-05-281 : stravalink There was a prologue to stretch the group out a little before hitting the singletrack this week. Loads of climbing on this course. I was following one rider for most of the first lap before a pedal strike knocked me to a halt and my lost momentum meant I didn’t see her again until the last third of the third lap. The rooty climb was tough, and I messed up the line on lap 2. In the end I was lapped by a lot of the fast group riders (by two of them in lap 2).
- 9/10 for 2 points
- Race 3 2024-06-182 : stravalink The organizers made this a shorter loop because the Oilers were playing a must-win game in the Stanley Cup Final, so they wanted us to get out of there quickly. I was chasing another B-group rider on the second lap who, when she passed me said “Don’t worry; I’m slow on the downhills.” So as she was opening more of a gap going down I tried to go faster and then a moment of inattention meant I clipped my bars on a tree and crashed. It hurt. I finished the race, but never did catch up with her.
- 4/6 for 7 points
- Race 4 2024-06-25: stravalink This was pretty much the same course as the first FTT race of the year (although for some reason, the segment says it’s longer). I wiped out on that same off-camber descent I had trouble with in May, but managed to hang onto 2nd place in the B-Group nonetheless. Climbing is definitely where I gain a bit of time in these races.
- 2/4 for 9 points
- Race 5 2024-07-02: Missed the race because of my kid’s soccer game. They had a Le Mans style start3 though, which sounded fun.
- Race 6 2024-07-09: Missed the race because I was in Valemount doing a little mountain biking. This was a team trivia race, and I have no idea how that works.
There was no race on May 21 because the radar showed rain, but it never came. I got a ride in that night anyway, since I hadn’t been able to check Strava in time. ↩︎
There were no races on June 4 or June 11 due to rain. ↩︎
The bikes are all lying on the ground and the riders are standing away from them. When the whistle goes everyone runs to jump on their bikes and start riding. ↩︎