“Very little roads, and even less pavement – about 1/4 mile – are mere blemishes on this mostly pure singletrack loop around the lovely Mount Crested Butte. Stunning views of Teocalli, White, Whetstone, Avery and Gothic Mountains stand out amongst the other subtle beauties, and will dictate that this will be a race for the thrill, as well as the divine scenery to be soaked up.”
- Official race description
Sounds pretty enticing huh? That’s what I thought. After having to pull out of the Gunnison Growler with a Moab induced clavicle injury I was looking for something to fill the void. The 1st running of the Fat Tire 40 looked perfect. I had never ridden in Crested Butte and figured this event would provide a pretty good tour. So, registration fee paid (very reasonable) and truck packed I headed to the Butte. The five or so hour drive from Boulder passed quickly and after a covert bivy somewhere near the start line I found my self straddling a bike with 95 or so others ready to ride some epic singletrack as fast as the engine would allow.
At 8 o’ clock sharp, after a brief rundown of the course and some words of encouragement, organizer Dave Ochs led the pack out on a neutral start which immediately crossed a nasty cattle guard. Before the guard a couple of riders right in front of me touched wheels which caused some excitement but fortunately no one went down. Once everyone had crossed the cattle guard safely Dave let the pack go and the race was on. The road section was done with in maybe 400 yards max and we funneled into a switchbacked climb of some smoothly buffed singletrack. All this changed as we entered an aspen grove at the top of a small ridge. The trail turned to rocky ,root infested ,up and down technical fun. Everything was still slick with morning moisture and precipitation from the previous day’s rain. This turned the pack to mayhem. 
I have never seen more mechanicals in the first mile of a bike race! The grove echoed with the grinding of gears and the yelling, both excitement and agony, of those privy to the knowledge that 42 more miles of this brutal perfection lay ahead. After the brief initial section of singletrack we were spit out onto a dirt road that would get us to the next stash of sweetness. At this point I had some time to recover from red-lining it at the start and take stock of the situation. Observations/realizations: This ride is going to be a beast! It is going to hurt bad with a rigid fork and single gear. Bad call there grasshopper! I am about to ride some of the best singletrack I have ever seen! All of the above proved to be true on many levels. From here on road sections were short and few as promised. I got lost in a world of amazing terrain and views while enjoying the cool shade of the pain cave. The course had a little bit of everything from open gradual climbs, ideal for the rigid singlespeed, to steep technical descents, not so ideal.
After the madness of the start I was able to settle in at a pace I deemed acceptable given my current lack of fitness and healing collar bone. Excuses, excuses!! I fell in with a group of guys that I would leap frog throughout the race. I would make up time on the climbs and they would blow me away on the descents leaving me struggling to remain in contact. Fun stuff! Some battles were won and some were lost but a hell of a time was had. Upon reaching the final singletrack section the race which lead up and over the Crested Butte ski area I found my self maxed out. The legs were done and my hands could barley hold onto the bars after 40+ miles of only the suspension travel provided by my 2.3 Exiwolf tire. I made it up the climb by the skin of my teeth and started the singletrack decent down to the finishing road. At this point I was trying to hold off a couple of guys who were chasing. I knew there wasn’t much chance with my descending the way it was. Sure enough they got me near the end of the singletrack section. They were gone for good as my 34×20 gearing would have me spun out on the flat finishing straightaway. After nearly laying the bike down on a sharp gravely turn transitioning from trail to road I was on the final push. I was able to find the strength to put in a good, though goofy looking, singlespeed sprint to hold off a few challengers at the line.
Quite a ride! Much harder than I expected but the most enjoyable race I have ever done for sure. 4 bottles, 4 GUs, a bunch of Honey Stinger Chews and no cramps. At the end my computer read 44 miles and change. I was later told that the overall vert. gain was pushing 8600 ft. I’m not sure if this is accurate or not? It sure felt like a lot of climbing either way. After some cold New Belgium Mighty Arrow and Pizza from the Secret Stash I began to feel human again. Thanks to those I rode with as well as Dave Ochs and Scott Still for putting this thing on. I hope this is the beginning of a long running event. I am now amped for the rest of the season and confident that the collar bone is good to go. Thanks for reading. Now get out and ride!
All photography courtesy of Joanna Nasar.
Looks like a sweet time. Good photos Joanna!