In spite of what initially appeared to be a cold, rainy morning, our ride was really quite pleasant with very little rain . Merle, Jac and Jim rode out to Richer this morning because of a ESE wind. The usual excellent breakfast was devoured, stimulating conversation and a very fast return ride. It was great to hear that Jac is now starting to commute on his bike to work (8.3 km one way). Ron, what about you? That 29er should be ideal for the 12 or so kms. to Labroquerie.

A 135 mile bike, ski and running race is now on in Minnesota, over a snowmobile trail. This race started 7:00 A.M. Monday and many competitors are still not finished. 3 Manitobans—Hal Leowen, Ian Hall and Dallas Sigurdur are already finished and did well. The following website gives up to date information on how the competitors are doing, who’s finished, times, positions etc. : http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php/results/2012-results

Today we had a very pleasant group ride covering a portion of the Crow Wing Trail, starting at Crystal Springs Colony, and following the trail (mostly) to a few miles northeast of Niverville, then returned, about a 50 km round trip. Pete, Robert, Tony and Jim did the ride, with Pete on his newly self built recumbent fatbike, Jim on his “bought” fat bike, Robert and Tony on their studded tire mountain bikes. Pete, Robert and Jim are in the middle of preparing for the “Actif Epica” on Feb. 18, which will follow the Crow Wing Trail from St. Malo to St. Boniface. If conditions for the race are going to be anything like today, it’ll be “a walk in the park”. But, who knows?
I highly recommend winter riding, especially on a fat bike. Trails, frozen rivers and creeks, dirt and gravel roads are all accessible. The more I ride my “mukluk”, the better I like it. I’m also really impressed with Pete’s recumbent fat bike—-he’s quite a craftsman.
If we can get more local riders interested, it might be a good idea to have weekly or perhaps semi-monthly group rides all through the winter.

Bike Challenge Volunteers Needed!
Are you interested in helping out with the Actif Epica bike race on Saturday, Feb. 18? Volunteering is a great way to be a part of this unique event—your help will make this a fun and safe bike challenge for everyone.

We’d appreciate your help with:

?Course setup – set up a few signs and flags on the Friday before the race
?Checkpoint race officials – timing and communications to race headquarters
?Checkpoint hosting – helping riders with food and water, general oversight
?Roving support – on-course support in a vehicle or on a snowmobile (we’ll cover your gas)
No experience is necessary – we’ll train you up and various shifts and locations are available. Volunteer briefing meetings will be held from 4-5 p.m. on Saturday February 11 (St. Pierre) and Sunday February 12 (Winnipeg), please plan to attend one or the other.

If you are interested in giving a couple of hours or more please contact Hal Loewen or Ian Hall (see Actif Epica website), we’ll find a way for you to be an important part of the Actif Epica experience and have some winter fun.

I just bought a Salsa Mukluk 3 “fatbike” and will give a bit of a report on it.
First, a “fatbike” or “snow bike” is a bike with very thick tires (26” by 3.8”) which is designed to travel through soft stuff such as sand, mud or snow. The tires, whose inflation you can set anywhere from 3 psi to 30 psi depending on conditions, cause the bike literally to float over these surfaces and to feel very balanced and stable. Right now, my tires are at about 25 psi.
With apologies to local bike shops, I purchased my bike in Grand Forks, N.D. and the day after buying it there was 15-20 cm of fresh snow in Grand Forks. Very convenient. I took it out for a 2 hour ride and was absolutely thrilled with its performance. I rode it around G.F. on unplowed streets averaging 16 km/h and felt no fear of slipping . When I ride my mountain bike in ice and snow, I’m always fearful of slipping and have had a couple of wipeouts, despite studded tires. The tires on the fatbike are not studded but have good tread. I took the bike out for another 2 hour ride one day later, also in snowy and icy conditions, and found it performed even better—I averaged 17.2 km/h, despite strong winds.
Comparing the fat bike to my mountain bike by weight—-my mountain bike weighs 34 pounds (might be lighter without the mud) and the new bike weighs 40.6 pounds with a light rear rack I installed. On gravel rds. In winter, I average between 19 to 22 km/h on 2-3 hour rides on my mountain bike, so thus far the average on the fatbike may be 2-3 km/h slower. The fatbike feels very comfortable and stable to ride and seems to roll along quite easily. In terms of geometry, the fatbike has a larger wheelbase (i.e. it is longer than the mtn. bike) and its frame is lower to the ground, causing a lower centre of gravity, hence the stability. The bottom bracket is about 3 inches lower than the one on my mountain bike.
Talk about timing, on the way home from Grand Forks, driving along Hwy #205, just east of St. Pierre, I came across Pete and Robert , who were out on a training ride with their mountain bikes. I stopped and we had a little chat—-hopefully, they didn’t get too chilled.
If you want to see the exact bike I bought, go to http://www.salsacycles.com/bikes/mukluk_3/