Perfect four-for-four in 2017 for Jorden Wakeley and Susan Vigland, and the two tied Master’s races went down to the wire.
Under brilliant sunshine in and with a very appropriate chill in the air, the Short’s Brewing Fat Bike Series comes to a close with a thrilling day of racing at Timber Ridge. With some long sections of the course skimming the event fencing at Suds’n’Snow, some surprised, confused and inebriated spectators were treated to fast and aggressive racing.
While both Wakeley and Vigland had the Series titles all but wrapped up, it was with a certain point of pride that both punctuated 2017 with convincing wins. The pair both earned their second SBFBS titles, the only two to have done so in Series history.
On the Master’s side, Dave Hoyt and Hal BeVier entered equal on points and with ‘the tacticals’ in mind. Hoyt decided to try to put the pressure on BeVier, and the pair rode within spitting distance for the entire afternoon. For the women’s Masters race, Cindy Duby and Bonny Hall were also level at day’s start, but Duby’s handling skills paid dividends early. She snuck out to an early lead and was able to tip-toe through lapped traffic at her leisure, ultimately taking an impressive win ahead of Laura Webb and a tough Hall, who never gave up. The win gives Cindy the Master’s title, and her husband, John, also left with a bit of a skip in his step. John won the Series prize of some Bearclaw Bicycle Co. wheels.
The race was hot from the gun, with Cody Sovis offering up his trademark leadout into the first few turns, a gambit that paid off in the tight and technical singletrack. Gaps opened early, with a dozen or so riders in touch at the end of a lap. Wakeley’s first move of the day was briefly parried, but the gap did finally start to go out, with Sovis offering up resistance on the second lap. Kyler Bradley was next to the fore, putting down the #WATTS and putting the nail in the proverbial coffins for a few riders, leaving Sovis and Master’s leader Paul Olson as the three-man chase.
Vigland, by this time, had pulled back a 15 second deficit to Lexxie Mapes and was beginning to feel her engine warmed up. Her first six laps were all under 12 minutes, ceding 14, then 30, then nearly a minute in the final half of the race. She rode strong the line for second, followed by a strong Micheala Teravest in third, with Velvet Batteiger putting in a great ride for fourth, where she also finished on the final Series points.
That Hoyt and BeVier battle went all the way to the bitter end, with Hoyt eeking around BeVier to the line, sealing his title by a single point in a sprint finish. It was good enough for third on the day, with Craig Webb coming home behind Chef Paul for second.
Cody Sovis rolled home second in the Men’s Open after a strong move with a lap and a half to go. The ride of the day, however, has to be Kyler Bradley confirming his place as one of the top fat bikers in the area with third in a tough field. His podium was good enough to take advantage of some rough luck for Nick Wierzba, who flatted and finished down the results to cede his second place in the points standings.
You can see the full results by Endurance Evolution here.
You can see what it takes to get second here.
Check back SOON for a full photo gallery of Beckwith’s #CHOICECUTS tomorrow or Monday or whatever.