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The River Bend Winter Ride. A poem by Bill N.

Bill N, winter fat biking, River Bend Nature Center. Photo by John R Bill N, winter fat biking, River Bend Nature Center. Photo by John R Bill N and John R

CROCT member Bill N penned this poem after a recent fat bike ride at the River Bend Nature Center in Faribault. With an assist from John R.

The River Bend Winter Ride

Considerate pause
Today’s bitter cold
For Fat Bikers
Young and Old

Bundled uncomfortably
We ventured outside
With tingly numb thumbs
Hope to warm as we ride

Frost builds on a beard
Or else pink on the cheek
With eyes on the trail
We occasionally peek

In the woods nothing moves
Only crystals and white
The only warm thing
Is today’s sun so bright

No critters are out
And the river is hard
This wind is for sure
Making drifts in my yard

There isn’t much talking
Above the steady crunch
Of 2 Buds and 2 Lous
Packed snow is their lunch.

For over an hour
The pedals we turned
Not to measure this ride
By just miles we learned

One last turn one more hill
Oh goodness we’re done
It’s warm in the shelter
This ride’s memory… fun.

Advocacy

Fat bike Event, Feb. 14 at the River Bend Nature Center: CROCT will be there

The River Bend Nature Center (RBNC) is teaming up with local bike shop sponsors Fit to be TRI’d (Northfield) and Milltown Cycles (Faribault) to host a Fat Bike Event on Saturday, Feb. 14. Here’s the PDF flyer:

Fat Bike Event RBNC

On the RBNC event page:

We will also be doing tours every 90 minutes led by fat tire experts from some of our sponsors. Tours will include biking on some of the best trails at River Bend, a brief history of the grounds, and scenic views. Sponsors will also have booths in the Interpretive Center showcasing their businesses, fat tire bikes, and other biking equipment. The general public is encouraged to come learn about this new and engaging sport. Demo bikes will be provided for short lessons on fat tire biking. If you have your own fat tire bike stop into the Nature Center that day for your riding pass.

CROCT will have a table in the RBNC Interpretive Center where club members will be informing attendees about mountain biking in the area, handing out our new CROCT brochures, and inviting them to become IMBA/CROCT members via our online membership page.

Media

CROCT’s Sechler Park trail now listed on GroomedSingleTrack.com

The peeps at 45NRTH (one of many QBP brands) launched a website recently called Groomed SingleTrack:

Groomed singletrackSimply put, groomed singletrack is your favorite trails manicured specifically for winter trail riding on fat bikes. The broader definition goes far beyond that. It’s the solution for winter cycling—a way to keep some fitness through the cold and snowy months, while having fun doing it. It’s a means to get outside and escape the inevitable hibernation that winter tries to force upon so many of us each year.

CROCT’s Sechler Park trail is now included on their ride page/map. Just plugin in ‘55057’ or ‘Rice County’ or ‘Northfield’ and select  a 25-mile radius and you’ll see a live Google map with a description listed at the bottom. Screenshot:

groomed singletrack map - CROCT Sechler Park trail

Use the Twitter hashtag #ridegroomed or the Instagram hashtag #ridegroomed to see what others are posting.

People, Video

Myrna Mibus, winter fat biking in Sechler Park, smiling & laughing way too much

Today I accompanied CROCT member Myrna Mibus on her first ‪‎fat bike‬ ride on the more challenging sections of the Sechler Park mtb trail. Sections of The Spine can eat you up and spit you out, as she found out. Fresh snow made it tougher than normal:

Myrna Mibus, fat biking in Sechler Park 1

But she owned a challenging line in the Velodrome section of the Figure 8 loop:
Myrna Mibus, fat biking in Sechler Park 2 Myrna Mibus, fat biking in Sechler Park 3 Myrna Mibus, fat biking in Sechler Park 4

Here’s a 40-second video of her various rides. She was smiling and laughing way too much: