by Ryan Kuhn North American and Canadian Championships, BC Cups and the Rubberhead Classic – Rossland was once lauded as a premier destination for mountain bike racing in Canada. With infamous, technical courses and spanning single track, the small mountain community located in the southern Kootenay region of British Columbia was auspiciously dubbed the “Mountain Biking Capital of Canada.” After a hiatus from the competition scene, Rossland is pleased to announce the town’s first annual
Fat Tire Festival September 5 and 6, 2009. The Festival will feature three events: the Dreadhead All-Mountain Challenge, Huck en Berries Bike Jam (slopestyle) and the
7 Summits poker ride.
Saturday, Sept. 5, will see the Dreadhead and Huck en Berries Bike Jam kick off at the base of
Red Mountain Resort. This will be the start/finish line for all the day’s events. There will be DJ’s mixin’ beats, beer and burgers on the Red Mountain day lodge deck (where you’ll have a primo view of all the happenings), and tons of swag given away. Here’s a quick run down of what these events have in store:
Dreadhead All-Mountain Challenge –
Ready to ride to your limit, both up and down? The Dreadhead All-Mountain Challenge is a two-part race utilizing the new Red Top trail to the top of Red Mountain (405 meter climb) and the revitalized, classic Red DH trail to the bottom. The climb and the descent times will be recorded separately, points awarded based on placement and combined to determine the overall "all-mountain" champion. Riders must use the same bike/equipment for the up and down. Full face helmets are mandatory for the descent and will be shuttled to the top the morning of the race.
Max number of Riders:100; first come, first serve. Start time 9 a.m.
View more pics of the
Dreadhead course here.
Huck en Berries Bike Jam –
Jumps laid out sweet and landings spread out smooth…the Huck en Berries will be a jam (rider judged), slope style competition with multiple age categories. The course will be built to cater to intermediate and advanced tricksters and is located adjacent to the finish/start line of the Dreadhead Challenge. The Huck en Berries will start early afternoon coinciding with the Dreadhead finish.
Sunday will see the 7 Summits Poker Ride, a non-competitive, always-fun poker ride on the IMBA Epic designated trail. The 7 Summits is a 36km alpine and sub-alpine ride over the peaks and ridges of seven peaks. The ride includes shuttles to the trail head from Rossland and a pick up at the finish, taking you to the after party where prizes, food and bevies will be in abundance.
Details on the races, registration and accommodations will be updated on our event website,
www.rosslandfattirefestival.com. Riders are encouraged to register soon through
Revolution Cycles and Service (250.362.5688 or toll-free 1.888.296.5688 ) as space is limited.
For more information, contact Ryan Kuhn at 250.231.0157 or jahosafats@hotmail.com.
