The 4th annual Valdez Fat Bike Bash brought together riders from around Alaska and the Lower 48 for a weekend of competition and celebration. Organizers with the Valdez Adventure Alliance emphasized community involvement in this year’s event, which ran from April 5-7. KCHU’s Shahmeer Azmat has this report. Click on the photo to hear Shahmeer’s story. (that’s Shahmeer on the right) A written transcript appears below.
With Valdez’s average annual snowfall of just over 300 inches, fat bikes are a common sight around town. Tires on these snow-and-sand-friendly craft are up to five times wider than standard road bikes. Each April Valdez Adventure Alliance brings together enthusiasts from around the country for glacier races, downhill events in Thompson Pass and community engagement.
Lee Hart is the founding director of the Valdez Adventure Alliance. She described the success of the 2019 event.
LEE HART: “Oh, I thought it was spectacular. Yeah, we had more people doing the cross country race, more people doing the downhill race. Everybody having fun. The parade and rodeo was fun, especially all the little kids that did some of the rodeo games. So I’d say it was a big success.”
Warm temperatures in recent weeks led to a last-minute change of venue for the cross country race. Normally held on top of Valdez Glacier, the event was moved to Thompson Pass on Saturday morning to take advantage of colder weather. Valdez resident Rich Loftin had prepared several alternate race sites with warm weather in mind. 29 racers took part in a nine mile course with a winning time of 44 minutes. Betsy Woolford from Arvada, CO took home first place among the female competitors.
BETSY WOOLFORD: “The race today was really exciting. I was actually really nervous when we were doing the pre-ride because it was so socked in and you couldn’t see and it was almost like whiteout conditions.”
Woolford said she made special memories this weekend on her first trip to Alaska.
BETSY WOOLFORD: “I have always wanted to come to Alaska and just to put Alaska and fat biking together was just kind of like my big dream. I actually told my husband before we left, I was like like, ‘Man, I think we’re going to go up there and then I’m going to want to move up there. What are we going to do?’”
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Valdez Adventure Alliance also organized a series of community events including a bike-and-bark gathering for dog-owners and a family-friendly bike parade with over 40 riders. Valdez resident Gianna Gusti-McCune brought her family to the parade to share in the fun.
GIANNA GIUSTI-McCUNE: “My huband Ryan and my son John Carlo, we bike all the time and it’s good to have a family-friendly event that we can all be a part of. We’re a fat biking family and, well, he might get one for his birthday [laughs].”
Giusti-McCune credited organizers and volunteers for the success of the weekend’s events.
GIANNA GIUSTI-McCUNE: “I just want to thank everyone for putting this on. I think the more events here we have for the community and for people to have the chance to come and visit is wonderful. It’s a great place to be and who can beat Valdez?”
Valdez residents and visitors have access to a variety of festivals in early April. The 12th Tailgate Alaska event, an annual freeride festival, wrapped up this weekend. It overlapped by one day with the start of the 11th annual Snowkite Festival, also in Thompson Pass.
Reporting in Valdez for KCHU, I’m Shahmeer Azmat.
