Dirt

The Fruita Fat Tire Festival was founded in 1995 by Troy Rarick and a rag tag bunch of pioneering locals, and has been celebrated in Fruita, Colorado every year since. The original trails built by Troy and his friends in Fruita and Grand Junction nearly two decades ago are still there, and, thanks to the popularity of the festival, the future for world-class singletrack in the area looks bright.

The 19th edition of the festival takes place from 24th to 27th April 2014. Thousands of mountain bike fans from around the world are expected to attend, attracted by the possibility of riding the many miles of pristine MTB trails in the area, as well as live bands, a huge cycling expo, skills camps and the VIP party which kicks things off on Thursday evening.

The expo opens on Friday morning, based in the heart of downtown Fruita. With 50 of the largest companies in the mountain bike industry showcasing their services and products, there should be something for everyone – exhibitors include Pivot, Felt, Niner, Giant, Hayes, Ibis, Kona, Specialized, Diamondback, Rocky Mountain, Scott, Fuji, Trek and Yeti.

The weekend following the festival sees the tenth anniversary of the 18 Hours of Fruita race at nearby Highline Lake State Park. The race follows a 6.69 mile route around the lake, and starts promptly at 12 midnight on Friday. In 2013, the men’s individual winner was Drew Geer, who completed 27 laps totalling a distance of 197.1 miles.