Our mercurial Minnesota winter won't slow 300 fat tire cyclists Feb. 6 on the Cuyuna Lakes mountain bike trails near Ironton, Minn.
"Hopefully we can maintain the base we have. The timing is good. … The beauty of this now is we have a good base. We can pile up snow and repair sections easily because of the snow base," said Ron Plinske of the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Crew, on the 45NRTH Whiteout winter race. The race, which is sold out, has three different lengths (30 kilometers, 20K and 10K) on the trail system in the state recreation area.
In its fifth year, the race is capped at 300 riders. It is part of the Great Lakes Fat Bike Series, which includes races in Iowa and Wisconsin. Last year's uneven weather conditions forced closure of part of the original Whiteout course in advance of the race. All of the money made from the Whiteout goes toward expansion and stewardship of the trails. More information at cuyunawhiteout.com.
