F.A.Q.
What type of bike should I ride? Personally I like to ride a 5 or 6 inch traibike with powerful stoppers and a dropper seatpost. However both of the overall winners in 2010 and 2011 were riding single speeds, and the winner in 2010 didn’t even have a suspension fork!
Am I going to have to walk? Probably. Adam Craig and the like might clean it all, but most of the field is going to have to dismount on some of the steepest pitches, both up and down
Will I have to navigate my route? No. All the corners are marked and staffed by volunteer corner marshals.
Why should I pay to do this ride when I can just come ride these trails on my own? We provide all the food, hydration, and navigation, plus a good meal, a cold beer, and live music at the end, so all you have to do is ride your bike. The idea is to get as much Oakridge adventure in as possible. No need to carry a heavy pack, worry about getting lost, you don’t have to wait for anyone in your group, and they don’t have to wait for you. Just go ride your bike!
What does FAT 55 do for the community/area? The FAT 55 organizes trailwork parties to brush back the undergrowth before it takes over the trails, maintain the tread, repair damaged areas of trail, etc. In 2011 we did a combined 200+ hours of trailwork! We also work in the community to get kids out on the trails, in addition to working with the GOATS to coordinate our efforts.
Where does the money go? So far the FAT 55 hasn’t turned a profit. All the money has gone back to the riders in the form of food, prizes, permits, park rental, swag, tools, etc. When lots and lots of you sign up, and we do turn a profit the event organizer will be happy to take a modest sum home in return for efforts made, and 10% of any profits will be donated back into trailwork in the form of tools and trailwork party goodies.
I’m a beginner, can I do this race? It is really up to you to determine your ability level, but generally speaking, this is definitely not a beginner’s race. However more than a few people have taken this event on as their first ever mountain bike race, finished, and had a lot of fun doing it. If you are up for a challenge give it a shot. We highly recommend pre riding the course bit by bit to get acquainted with the trails, and the difficult sections.
Is this the “Marathon National Championships”? Not by any official definition. We just like to kid around about that, as the official Marathon National Championships have been in Bend the past couple of years, the week before the FAT 55, and we like to think that our course is more fitting for an event with such a lofty title.
