Frank Speziale photo

NORWICH – Organizers of the Fatnango Fat Bike Extravaganza are calling their inaugural winter racing event in Norwich a success thanks to ideal trail conditions and a number of volunteers and sponsors who helped make it possible.

About 60 racers participated in three main fat bike races across three age groups on Saturday, beginning and ending in Norwich's Weiler Park and taking place over 2.6 miles of the Greenway Trail.

In order for the event to be a success, Fatnango Fat Bike Extravaganza organizer Jason Miller said the trail conditions needed to be just right and the community needed to show support, both of which occurred on Saturday.

"I just wanted to put together a good event so that people had a fun time and I think we did that," said Miller. "It was a good amount of work to be certain, but the amount of amazing people that helped put this together with me made this possible. This isn't a one-man show; our cycling community and people that advocate for our trails and outdoor activities made this happen."

Thanks to Norwich Outdoor Power Equipment loaning its SnowDog to help with the grooming of the trails, Miller said the conditions for the race were nearly perfect – albeit slick in spots – and only got better as the racing continued.

Bullthistle Brewing Company of Sherburne, Growler Bikes of Rochester, Woodland Cycles of Milford, Good Nature Brewing and Bueno Tacos of Hamilton, and FoJo Beans, Action Cyclerly, Chobani, and Dunkin Donuts of Norwich were each at Weiler Park during the event to offer food, drinks, demo fat bike rides, and bike repairs for racers and spectators.

Miller said the majority of racers travelled to the Fatnango Fat Bike Extravaganza from at least an hour away to participate. He estimated that in addition to the 60 racers, somewhere from 30 to 50 people tested out the demo fat bikes made available at the races.

The winner of the class A male under 40 race was a member of the local Galena Growlers mountain bike team, Stan Baker, and the rest of the racers who earned places on the podium were from out of Norwich.

Shawn Kelly of Colony, NY narrowly won the class A male 40 plus race, beating out former Norwich resident, Q Jones of Richmondville, by just over a second. For the class A female under 40 race, Kim Milton of Saratoga Springs earned the top place on the podium.

In the class B male over 40 race, Ben Rabin of Manlius, NY came out on top, beating out Justin Frontuto of Elmira, who placed second, and Rick Schenosky of North Syracuse, who placed third. Andrew Episcopo of Webster, NY earned the top spot in the class B male under 40 race.

Tamara Tarbell of Afton crossed the finish line first in the class B female 40 plus race. As the only rider in the class B female under 40 race, Emily Cheney of Redfield, NY joined the over 40 race and earned second, and Jocelyn Rabin of Manlius, NY earned third.

After this year's races were deemed a success, Miller said event organizers plan to hold a second Fatnango Fat Bike Extravaganza next year.

"I just want to thank all of the volunteers," said Miller. "I want to thank all of the participants and I want to thank all of the sponsors for their donations and their efforts. And I also want to thank all of the landowners that currently let us ride on their property."

While the next Fatnango Fat Bike Extravaganza is a year away, Miller said cycling is not just a 12-month long sport, but a lifelong sport, and anyone interested in participating in trail rides or joining a team is encouraged to reach out on the Facebook page for either the Fatnango Fat Bike Extravaganza event or the Galena Growlers mountain bike team.