2nd Annual Fat Bike Summit a Huge Success

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Nearly 40 people attended the 2nd annual Fat Bike Summit on Friday, Jan. 25th at the Sawtelle Mountain Resort in Island Park, ID. The Summit, co-hosted by Quality Bicycle Products and Fitzgerald’s Bicycles, brought land managers, tourism professionals, folks from Chambers of Commerce, non-profit trail organizations, fat bike riders, and members of the bicycle industry together to talk about how to increase fat bike access at the regional, state, and federal levels.

“We’re really, really pleased with the turnout,” said QBP’s Advocacy Director Gary Sjoquist, who worked with retailer Scott Fitzgerald to co-host the the event. “Given the treacherous weather conditions, that these folks made the effort to attend shows the increasing interest in fat bike access.”

Attending the Summit were staff from the BLM, US Forest Service, National Parks, and Idaho Parks and Rec. Also in attendance were representatives from Senator Mike Crapo’s office (R-ID) and Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID). Representatives from the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and Adventure Cycling Association, both of whom were sponsors for the Summit, also gave presentations.

A key component of the Summit was a land manager fat bike demo ride, hosted by Presenting Sponsors Surly and Salsa Cycles. “For many of these folks, it was their first ride on a fat bike,” said Scott Fitzgerald. “It was pretty cool to see the grins of these land managers as they brought their fat bikes back to the demo area. Our effort to get them out and experience what fat biking is like was a huge success.”

The 2nd Annual Fat Bike Summit and Festival continues through the weekend, with the focus changing to product clinics, demo rides, races, and thanks to Snake River Brewing, lots of replenishment due to the rigors of riding fat bikes.

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Photos courtesy of Tim Young Executive Director at Wyoming Pathways.

1 Comment

  1. I wish I could have made it up there. It’s great to see progress in these areas. I look forward to being part of the application of the principals and guidelines in my local areas.

    Thanks

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