Tahoe Fat Tire Festival, which at one time was hailed as the largest mountain bike event on the West Coast, is returning to Squaw Valley Sept. 13 to 15.
In an effort to promote recreational trails and to raise money for new ones, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association is putting on the three-day festival filled with events for the whole family. You might recall this event from the years 1989 to 1999. After a 13-year hiatus, last year was the premier of this revamped event.
The film festival kicks off the event on Friday evening with a free showing of Anthill Films’ mountain bike movie, “Not Bad,” on the tram promenade. Other events include a cross-country race, the final for the 2013 Sierra Cup Series, and a downhill mountain bike race, which will take place on one of the toughest trails in Northern California with a vertical drop of nearly 2,000 feet. This race is also part of the 2013 Nor-Cal State Championship. All of the races are sanctioned by USA Cycling. Saturday features a BMX jump show complete with aerial stunts. Children get their turn to ride for free in the children’s strider and bike races. The Sunday morning poker ride will take bikers throughout the trails of Squaw, with various stops for snacks and card games for prizes.
For those who are not into riding bikes, there will be live music and beer from New Belgium Brewing Co.
Spectators are welcome to enjoy the festival and watch the races from the Village. To see the action up close, $40 gets attendees a one-day cable car pass, two free beers, a raffle ticket, T-shirt, and pint glass. An additional $10 includes the poker ride or the Tahoe Mountain Guides ride.
All proceeds from the festival will go to Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association and the Truckee Bike Park Project, which built the Truckee Pump Track.
