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Fruita FTF - Bust?

2K views 33 replies 23 participants last post by  co_biker 
#1 ·
Was it just me or did the Fat Tire Festival have a less than "PAR-TAY!!" atmosphere this year?

Group rides seemed to be scarce (I think I saw three the entire three days?) and the mood in town seemed to be business as usual rather than festive.

Dare I blame the economy? There seemed to be no lack of ridership on the trails...
 
#4 ·
Wow, back to the good old days. Sounded perfect.


Was the tent area dead? How was the band?

I don't recall a lot of buzz this year on it. It can't be the economy cuz if I wasn't so busy at work, I would have been there. $25 is a great deal for the unemployed with a tent and lot of time.
 
#5 ·
The tent/expo area had lots of vendors and a ton of bike demo's but I wouldn't say it was swarming. Maybe I just caught it on off times but we were in town a couple of times a day going between 18 road and other trailheads.

Bands were pretty good, but it wasn't as packed as previous years. Saturday's band *I think* got rained out. Weather turned nasty Saturday, later in the afternoon.

Campgrounds seemed full, but there were a few open spots up in the Monument, but they did open Loop C for camping.

What I thought was odd was that not a lot of people working the event seemed to know anything about what was going on and when.

Again, maybe I just was in town at the wrong times. Just trying to get an impression from other attendee's.
 
#10 ·
it was my first time at the fest, but i had a good time even though it wasn't what i had expected. good riding in the mornings but cold, rain and 75 mph winds in the evenings put a bad feel to it. the band/party on saturday was rad once we stumbled onto the party at the bar, although the feel at the bar was that "we" were intruding even though they proboably doubled their business for the entire year. already looking forward to next year!!!!!
 
#19 ·
This was my first year to go to the festival and I was kinda disappointed. I think I had it built up too much in my head and just expected more. I hit up Mary's/Horsethief on Saturday morning and was first on the trail there. Unfortunately after the last portage area I was going up a rock and didn't make it. Fell to the right and got a huge gash in my leg right by my shin. Started riding again and had a flat! Once I got back to the top of the horsethief portage I stopped to patch my tube. It seemed to be holding air until I started riding and it just went flat again. I pushed back to the car, went over to OTE and bought some socks, and then went to the doc and got 12 stitches. Only got in 5.5 miles. Regardless I still had a great time as I always do in Fruita! Can't wait to get back over for some more riding.
 
#20 ·
feltbee said:
I pushed back to the car, went over to OTE and bought some socks, and then went to the doc and got 12 stitches. Only got in 5.5 miles. Regardless I still had a great time as I always do in Fruita! Can't wait to get back over for some more riding.
How did those socks do with the flat? :D

_MK
 
#24 ·
cruiser crit was pretty funny

A 5 or 6 year-old girl won the first few heats. Troy came up with some pretty funny rules for the ride - lots of direction changes, bike swaps, general hootenanny. At one point the contestants had to "hydrate" with a bag of powdered gatorade. fun stuff. Oh, and the devil lady was a babe on wheels.

Fun time, but definitely not as good as last year. The riding was great though.
 
#25 ·
Fruita FTF has run it's course and needs to die a quiet death. Festivals should create exposure to someplace new or help get people to places that are remote and offer great riding that would otherwise go ignored. Fruita is neither of these things. It's on the interstate and hasn't been a secret for a long time.

While it might sound odd coming from a local, but I actually like seeing and hearing people getting very stoked on the riding around here. I say "hi" to anyone I see on trail and have offered up trail knowledge more than once to those looking for advice. But the weekend of FFTF I either hide out at the most remote ride possible or simply just stay away, because that weekend the great ride quality is seriously diminished by trail overcrowding. Is that any way to create interest in an area, or give people great ride memories? It isn't for me.

Let FFTF go away and let everyone just come ride whenever, and please remember if you can't ride it, try it again(and again) or walk it, but don't go around it.
 
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