The Fat Tire Festival, a three-day event comprised of all things mountain biking, will roll in Eureka Springs this weekend. The festival (aka Fatty Fest) features short track, downhill, Super D and cross-country races as well as noncompetitive events for children and off-road cycling enthusiasts in general.
The competition begins Friday with short track races. Short track features a circuit course that all the racers will loop for a set amount of time and then, depending on their skill category, for a number of laps. The event is fast-paced and spectator friendly.
The course contains fewer corners than in earlier years and has more sections that demand the riders show their power, although elevation changes throughout are minimal. The first category of riders will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Lake Leatherwood City Park.
Saturday morning lays claim to speed and jumps with the downhill races beginning at 10. The course is a one-way trail that features many technical sections such as rock gardens, berms, ledges and jumps, including an 18-foot jump at the end. Less experienced racers will be glad to note that the course offers a roll-around option for the technical sections; with basic skills they can pedal around the obstacle.
The downhill course is about a mile long and composed mostly of loose gravel and hard clay. Racers will be separated by one-minute intervals. All racers must attend a pre-race meeting at the top of the course at 9:30 a.m.
Saturday also features the Super D at 4 p.m., a mixture of cross-country and downhill racing. The 1 3/4-mile course is predominantly downhill, but it has one climb in the middle of the course. The finish uses the gravel-and-clay downhill race course but full-face helmets are not required. All racers must attend a pre-race meeting at the top of the course at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday brings the cross-country race, which begins at 9 a.m. downtown at Basin Park. The first three miles use city streets and alleys, and this is Eureka Springs, so there are several steep climbs before the pack heads toward Lake Leatherwood City Park. The park course comprises mostly single-track trails with long climbs and descents.
This is a point-to-point race that ends at Lake Leatherwood; racers in different skill categories will do different distances.
Fatty Fest's races are USA Cycling sanctioned, and so a license is required to participate. In addition, the races are part of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series, which requires racers to have a hard plate license. Both can be bought during registration. Registration times vary according to the race. Information about registration costs, times and dates can be found at fattirefestival.com.
Those who are not into racing can enjoy a guided tour of the city's backstreets and alleys beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Big Town Ride begins at Inn of the Ozarks, 207 W. Van Buren St, where an "advanced" and a "leisure" group will set off separately. Both are no-drop rides, and they'll converge during the ride for beverages.
Parking is available at the sports fields in Lake Leatherwood City Park, 1303 County Road 204, with shuttles taking racers to the top of the downhill and Super D courses. Cross-country participants will have to get themselves to the starting line in Basin Park, 36 S. Main St. Shuttles will take cross-country racers from the finish line back to town after their race.
Visit fattirefestival.com for more information about the festival or call (479) 422-7654.
Wampoo Roadeo
The seventh annual Wampoo Roadeo Ride begins at 7 a.m. Saturday at All Souls Church, 4601 Walkers Corner Road, in Scott.
The ride is presented by RevRock Cycling Club to raise money for the Marilyn Fulper Memorial Fund. Fulper was an Arkansas cyclist killed in 2010 by a vehicle that ran a red light at Rodney Parham Road and Arkansas 10 in Little Rock. The fund promotes bicycle safety and education in central Arkansas.
Riders will choose between three different routes: 62 miles, 50 miles and a new 35-mile ride. Although distances vary, the courses' profiles remain the same: flat.
All riders will head south on Arkansas 161. The 35-mile riders will split off and continue toward Keo. The other two groups will take 161 to England, then north to Keo. The 35-mile and 50-mile groups will take U.S. 70 from back to the church, while the 62-mile riders will continue north of Interstate 40 to Lonoke before turning around at Arkansas 15 and heading back to the church.
Courses will be marked with signs and arrows but not closed to auto traffic. Four rest stops along the way will offer drinks.
Registration opens at 6 a.m. at All Souls Church and costs $10. Beverages and snacks will be available at the church for participants after they finish.
For more information, see the Facebook page "'Wampoo Roadeo'-Metric Century Bike Ride" or call (501) 590-9525.
Glo Run
The Glo Run, a nighttime 5K, will start at 8:50 Saturday in North Little Rock's Burns Park Soccer Complex. The 5K features glow-in-the-dark accessories with a Safari theme: The event is on national tour, with Safari Tour as its theme. Participants will run around the soccer complex through a series of tents set with lights to suggest the ambience at a rave.
Registration is $29 and can be done online at theglorun.com. Race-day registration is available from 7:20 to 8:20 p.m. at the soccer complex on Tournament Drive in Burns Park. Packet pickup will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Fleet Feet Sports Easy Runner, 11525 Cantrell Road in Little Rock or on race day from 7:20 to 8:20 p.m.
This is not a timed event. Runners are encouraged to carry their own lights for the run. More information is at theglorun.com.
ActiveStyle on 07/13/2015