Vasa Newsletter  Fat Bike Edition   November 2017   
Haley's Comments:                                                                       
                     
                         

Greetings, Vasa Nation!

I know that many of you recall the Vasa course map from 1979, depicted at left. Ah, those were the good old days, am I right, my friends? I think the course maps were prepared after the races
 


Well, you know Team Vasa is cutting edge, so we thought we would get our maps together before the race. Cool, huh? So our Fat Bike Race special counsel, John Roe, has worked hard fine tuning the race courses for each of the two races which will be held on Saturday February 10, 2018.                                                                                                  
      
                                                                         
       Map shows either western Afghanistan or the 42K "Grand Fat" Fat Bike Course
 
John took some time out from his chores at home to be interviewed: "The King Vasa Fat Bike races are the first races in the Short's Fat Bike Series, and are part of the Vasa Festival of Races held on Saturday, February 10. You won't want to miss these premiere fat bike races."
 
John promises that the 42K Short's Grand Fat will be a fun fast course again this year. (Only in the United States is a "Grand Fat" a cool thing.) "Riders will find new sections of singletrack throughout the course, including our new winter-only trail, Yeti's Revenge. Of course, riders will still encounter the old favorites such as Loggers Run, The Vasa Trail, and the Hills of Riley's Loop combined with sections of the Winter Sports Singletrack. A race course with this much variety is uncommon."
 
The partnership of the North American Vasa, Traverse Area Recreational Trails (TART) and Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association (NMMBA) bring together an unbeatable trail network groomed to perfection. This year will feature a slightly longer course reaching a full 42K with more hills and new strategically placed singletrack. "Racers will be hard pressed to find a better fat bike race course in lower Michigan." So says the Man.



Map shows either John's family vacation or the 18K Short's-n-Fat race course

The new
18K Short's-n-Fat will be one lap of the popular 42K course with a shortcut to bring it down to a manageable distance for most mortals. With plenty of singletrack and wide open trails for passing, this will be one fun course for both racers and fat bike wanna-be's (yours truly) who want to grab the chance to tour the best of Traverse City fat bike trails.  
 
Total entries for both races are capped at 200.
So don't miss out. Sign up NOW at:   vasa.org/register/.
 
A couple of reminders for y'all:
 
Midwest Nordic Rendezvous (like a tryst in the woods, only with a whole lot more people): January 6/7, 2018 at Timber Ridge Resort. This is a great opportunity to improve your skiing (and your French). Vasa Ski Club is bringing this back after a successful event in 2017.

And check this out: our pals at the Vasa Ski Club are putting together a Stokely Creek weekend January 12-14. Sounds like fun, eh? Eh? Details at vasaskiclub.org.
 
 
That's all for now, Vasa Nation. Happy Trails...
 
 
Mike Haley
President, North American Vasa
 
 


  
 
 
42nd North American Vasa Festival of Races