Closing out the fat tire season on a high note

After a summer of racing and riding mountain bikes around Colorado and Utah, Josh closed out his mountain bike season on a high note by taking first overall in the Midweek Mountain Bike Series, including five wins over the 12 races throughout the summer.

"I was really excited to learn about the Midweek series here in Utah and made it a goal this summer to try and take the overall," said Josh. "Having created many great memories through a similar weekly series in Boulder, the CU Short Track races, it was great to see a similar program and community vibe here in Utah too."

With the geography and climate of the Wasatch as a varied backdrop, the Midweek Series takes a different spin on your average weekly series. Tuesday night racing starts up in late April and runs through mid-August, but with six different venues that are used as the snow melts and the temps rise. And instead of the blood-curdling pace of a 20- to 30-minute short track race, Midweeks offer up an hour of racing, with just the perfect dose of single track to keep everyone honest, sharp, and happy. "Being able to race multiple venues and courses throughout the Wasatch, all within a 30 minute drive of home, was one of my favorite parts of doing the series. They start in Draper at the Corner Canyon trail system where its usually dry by April, then head up to Round Valley in Park City, a lower-lying zone full of sage and super flowy trails, and then the races alternate between Deer Valley, Solitude and Snowbird for some thin air suffering in the alpine. The courses are usually set up the best parts of the local riding areas, and are often four to six miles in length." The best part is seeing the 'little rippers' — an actual category — go off 30 minutes before main groups start. Striders and wide eyed kids fly through a mini course to the cheers of the crowd. Each race ends with a big raffle from local sponsors, a BBQ and even a few Upslope beers (if you BYOB that is)!