Video: Chasing A FORCE OF NATURE

The Phat Wednesday race series presented by Bud Light is easily the best race series in the world...



From some of the top athletes in the World Cup, to people who's job it is to ride, to local shredders, to weekend warriors, to someone traveling on a riding holiday from the UK, or to someone who has only been on a bike a handful of times, the Phat Wednesday race series is made for you. You can come out and see how you stack up against some of the worlds fastest riders or simply battle it out with your buddies. Either way, it's about having a good time and being on your bike.

Each rider starts within 1 minute time intervals and racers can arrive at the start in whatever order they choose. This line was from the first race of the year which saw over 295 riders.

Although Phat Wednesday's are over for the year, the weekly race series (except for the weeks leading up to, during, and after Crankworx Whistler) in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park stretched from early June to the end of August seeing a total of 9 races. Each week anywhere from 220-250 racers paid their $2 entry fee and were put in the mix to see where they ranked. Some might say that if you're not first you're last, but that doesn't matter here. The last place person may actually be first if they end up taking home the weekly draw prize of a RockShox Boxxer World Cup fork or a SRAM X0 drive train. Along with a ton of other prizes drawn each week from our partners, you're bound to be riding home with something.

The scene at the GLC every Wednesday evening. But the parties last well into the night.

A new track is selected for each week of racing to mix up ability and skill levels. But the series always starts with chainless B-Line and finishes with chain-less A-Line. These races are a true testament of bike handling skill and it ensures who really is the fastest at going downhill. But add a ridiculous costume in the mix on chainless A-Line and the true champions will prevail.

These "guys" won the women's category but for the wrong reasons...

Bears are always seen in the Park but not too often on bikes?

Chainless A-Line has become the F-Cancer Chainless A-Line Classic in honour of local shredder and top Phat Wednesdays competitor, Nick Geddes. Nick battled leukemia a few years ago but has since gone into remission and is back on his bike riding better than ever. Funds are raised annually at this event and go toward teens who are fighting cancer at the BC Children's Hospital. This year raffle tickets and the live auction raised $3,500 for this great cause.

So if you're thinking about getting into bike racing, why not try out Phat Wednesdays presented by Bud Light next summer and see what you think. Or if you just like biking you can come out too. In the meantime, train up because you'll likely be going up against Mr. Phat Wednesday's himself, Chris Kovarik.

Chris is the 2013 Open Male champion.

See the full 2013 series standings here: Full Series Results

A new race called Phat Weekend has been announced for this weekend on Saturday September 15 for those who aren't ready to hang up their race plates just yet. More details are available online here

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Credits:

Video: Goldstein Productions with support from Eimanne El Zein
Photos: Mark Mackay Photography
Appearances by: Peter Matthews, Seb Fremont, Tristan Merrick, Lula Darquier, James McSkimming, and Adam Billinghurst
Additional riding by: Chris Kovarik, Claire Buchar, Remy Metallier, Nick Geddes and Sarah Leishman.

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Special thanks to the Whistler Blackcomb Events Team and to the Whistler Mountain Bike Park partners who make this race series possible - Giant, SRAM, RockShox, Avid, Truvativ, BudLight, GoPro, Decline Magazine, Maxxis, Kali Protectives, Dakine, iXS Garbanzo Bike & Bean, and Pinkbike.com.