by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Foresters Falls) — Saturday was the perfect weather for Global Fatbike Day and several cyclists took part in an event hosted by Beachburg Off Road Cycling Association (BORCA).
The event started and ended at Whitewater Riverside Brewery with a ride behind the brewery for those who wanted a challenge and in the nearby Renfrew County Forest for those who weren’t ready to be so challenged.
Before heading out on the first ride, Cameron Dube of BORCA said there was no set schedule. They could ride when they wanted to and enjoy a potluck lunch when they were ready. There was also BORCA swag, such as hats and socks, to be purchased.
“Today is pretty open, there’s nothing set,” he said to the 30-plus riders gathered. “Ride as a group if you want or go on your own.”
Pointing to the area behind the brewery, Dube noted it was “more technical” and was comprised of 50/50 snow and dirt.
“If it’s your first time here, let alone riding in these conditions, it might not be the first place to go,” he said with a chuckle.
For those who preferred a not-so-technical ride, the trails in the Renfrew County Forest were groomed, he noted.
“If (the trail) is groomed, then it’s part of the trail,” Dube said. “You’d be hard press to get onto the other trails that aren’t groomed.”
It would be hard to get lost on the forest trails, as they eventually lead out to a road or the parking lot.
“On behalf of BORCA, the Brewery and Gearheads, thanks for coming out today,” Dube said.
Prior to gathering for the morning ride, Jennifer Dick of Beachburg was trying out a fatbike courtesy of Gearheads, a business from Pembroke specializing in cycling and who brought four fatbikes for people to try out.
With fabulous weather, Dick said she couldn’t resist coming out and trying a fatbike.
“I’m a cyclist outside of winter, so this would be a great way to keep going in the winter,” she said. “Cam has a series of fatbike races in the new year and I’d like to participate, so thought, might as well give it a go today.”
Mark Johnson of Gearheads was pumping up tires and explaining how to determine the tire pressure.
“When the trail is groomed, depends on how pumped up the tires are,” he said. “If it’s a freshly-groomed trail, the psi (pounds per square inch) should be lower so you won’t leave as much of an impression (rut).”
He suggested a newcomer might want to check behind to see how much of a rut he or she is leaving and then if necessary, let out some air.
Chris Hinsperger of Eganville was participating in Global Fatbike Day for the first time.
“It’s fun,” he said of fatbiking.
His son has a fatbike and he borrowed it a few times last year and enjoyed it.
“You can get out at night with the headlight on the backroads,” he said, noting the night before he was on the backroads for two hours “and did not see one car. You have the whole back roads to yourself.”
Hinsperger said not many people are fatbiking yet, so it’s like being on the edge of a new sport. He believes there’s about five fatbikes in Eganville.
“No other bike can handle the snow except one of these,” he said, noting he purchased one for himself and another for wife Val earlier this year.
Laughing, he said, “It makes us a little bit of a badass. At age 61, you need a little edge of badass.”
It can also be used as a mountain bike in the summer on backroads as it’s more stable since there’s more rubber touching the ground, Hinsperger explained.
After the day of riding, he said, “It’s another reason to get you outside in the winter. Because all the leaves are off the trees and the fields have been harvested, everything is visible, so you can see all the wildlife that would normally be hidden by leaves and fields of corn.
“And, even though there is less daily sunlight and the sun, when it is out is low in the sky, it seems you are always in the sun because of the lack of shade from leaves on the trees.”
Blair Carroll of Kanata likes the idea of year-round cycling while 13-year-old Joshua Belanger of Petawawa decided to fatbike for the first time with his father, Victor.
