Fat Tire Bike Week

June in Crested Butte, Colorado means one thing—Fat Tire Bike Week. Sponsored by the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce, the 24th annual event held June 23-27 featured fun-spirited competition, tons of riding, and of course, over-the-top craziness. This year's event saw record attendance, with participants ranging from kids to senior citizens.

The mayhem began with the Chainless Race from Kebler Pass, which is home to a descent of more than 3,000 feet, for which the competitors zip-tie their chains so they can't pedal, yet still pick up immense speed as they descend the course. Categories were divided into men's, women's, and townies, which included bikes meant for round-town riding. This year, the race began a new tradition: the townie division winner, Jack Gubard received a green jacket with a custom 'FTBW's 2004 Chainless Race Champ' patch. According to events coordinator Sally Palmer, the race is one of FTBW's highlights and always gets a lot of participants. Other interesting events were the Bike Rodeo, with a log pull and bike limbo (exactly what you're picturing: maneuvering underneath a limbo stick, on a bicycle), and the Clunker Crit, a race for townies whose participants included a woman in a pink wig and rainbow stockings and a man riding one-sided handlebars sporting an orange, horned monster on his back.

Other cool activities throughout the week were bike maintenance clinics and guided tours, from beginner to expert level, which gave visitors a chance to experience Crested Butte's trails through the eyes of those who know them best. Local hero Steve Inzalaco provided a trials demo, where he showcased his skills on a large truck and industrial sized cable spools. Aaron Tomcak of Gunnison, Colorado was the lucky of winner of the Bike Magazine/Salsa Cycles frame give-a-way. He was selected out of the pool of participants in all of the week's events and went home with a 2004 Bandito hardtail.

The week wrapped up with a NORBA cross-country race around Mt. Crested Butte on Saturday, which was part of the Mountain State Cup Series, and a downhill race on Sunday. Promoters considered the event an overall success, as it drew around 300 people over the five days. Palmer stated, "So many people were so enthusiastic about it. It's unique and brings people from all over the place." To read more about the event, check out www.ftbw.com

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