BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (BRAIN) — Quality Bicycle Products has announced a schedule of four Fat Bike Summits for 2017. The events will bring together land managers, ski resorts, chambers of commerce, Nordic associations and other parties interested in fat biking to discuss topics including growth of the sport and land access issues.
Content at the Fat Bike Summits will include industry data on sales, rider demographics and best practices for the coexistence of fat biking and Nordic skiing on common trail networks. Panel discussions with federal, state, and regional land managers will examine how to resolve user conflicts. The summits also examine grooming techniques, proper equipment to groom singletrack for fat bikes, and appropriate signage for multiple user interaction on groomed trails. Demo rides for land managers are also planned.
The 2017 Fat Bike Summit schedule includes:
- Jan. 19, Des Moines, Iowa. Fat Bike Summit in conjunction with the Iowa Bike Expo. For more information, contact Mark Wyatt at mark@iowabicyclecoalition.org.
- Jan. 20–21, Northstar California Resort, Truckee, California. Tahoe Fat Bike Summit and Festival: Fat Bike Summit on Friday; presentation by Salsa/45NRTH pro ultra-endurance athlete Jay "JayP" Petervary on Friday evening; and short track races and demo rides on Saturday. For more information and registration, visit tahoefatbike.eventbrite.com.
- Feb. 17–19, Ottawa, Ontario. Northeastern Fat Bike Summit and Festival: Fat Bike Summit on Friday; Fat Gat Race and post-race party on Saturday; and recovery ride on Sunday. For more information, contact Kent at info@phatmoosecycles.com.
- Feb. 24, 25, Anchorage, Alaska. Fat Bike Summit on Friday, and Big Fat Ride on Saturday. For more information, visit bigfatride.com.
"By choosing to collaborate with new and existing fat bike festivals, we're building a strong agenda of topics related to fat biking that will bring the right people together to talk about the important factors associated with making this sport a success: land access, trail grooming and getting riders on bikes," said Gary Sjoquist, QBP's advocacy director.
