The first ever USA Cycling Fat Bike National Championship went down at Powder Mountain on Saturday, February 14. With fat bikes gaining traction as a legit winter sport, it’s very cool to see sanctioned events like this taking place, especially the big, final event right here in Utah. The inaugural race was a success as national titles were awarded to the nation’s top fat bike cyclists. Ned Overend from Durango, Colorado, and Amanda Miller from Colorado Springs claimed the first ever USA Cycling Fat Bike National Championship titles.
Overend, a former mountain bike world champion, finished the 6.1 mile snow course in 1:09:40. Brad Bingham, from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Travis Brown, also from Durango, rounded out the men’s pro-open podium, finishing in 1:10:12 and 1:11:02, respectively.
Miller won the women’s pro-open category with over a minute and a half gap, finishing the three-lap course in 1:27:05. Perhaps the most famous mountain biking woman on the planet, Rebecca Rusch from Ketchum, Idaho, finished behind Miller with a time of 1:28:37. Amanda Carey from Victor, Idaho, came in third with a time of 1:32:52.
Utah racers also did very well at the event. In the Women Master 30-39 category, Debbie Mortensen from Eden won first place with a time of 55:56.
In the Men’s Junior 15-18 category, Anders Johnson from Huntsville took top prize with a time of 45:43.
Men Master 30-39 saw Christopher Stuart from Park City take first at 48:12.
Men Master 40-49 went to Andrew Kulmatiski from Logan with a time of 48:24.
Rick Morris from Park City took away 1st place in Men Master 60-64 with a time of 1:03:41.
Men Master 70+ went to Joel Quinn from South Jordan at 1:06:53.
Men Senior 19-29 had Zach Harvey from Morgan take top prize with a time of 48:51.
Utah dominated the Men Singlespeed category with Jason Sager from Ogden taking first place at 48:46.
To see the full winner’s list, click here.
In total, sixteen Stars-and-Stripes jerseys were up for grabs at the Valentine’s Day race. Amateurs kicked things off, as they left the start area in waves for two laps. The men’s singlespeed group came next, followed by men’s age groups, women’s singlespeed, and women’s age groups. In the afternoon, around 1:00, the men’s and women’s pro/open categories took center stage for three laps of the Powder Mountain course.
Participants and spectators alike were able to enjoy the race atmosphere, complete with hot brews from The Daily Rise, a tent village, and a top-shelf view of the course from Powder Mountain’s Hidden Lake. Borealis and local bike shops provided bike demos for those looking for a new adventure. Plus, Sierra Nevada was on hand slinging brewskis.
With the inaugural Fat Bike Championships such a success at Powder Mountain, hopefully race organizers will return next season. So if you missed out this time around, keep tabs at www.usacycling.org to sign up for next year’s event.