Annual fatbike festival rolls into Talkeetna

WASILLA — Talkeetna will once again be the center of the Valley fat-tire biking universe March 12 for the annual 2016 Talkeetna Trio, a lap-style bike race that starts and finishes in the center of the Susitna Valley community.

It’s part bike race, part cabin fever reliever and all fun, said organizer Tony Berberich, whose Backcountry Bike and Ski shop in Palmer is a co-sponsor of the event with Speedway Cycles in Anchorage. It’s also an ongoing memorial for the late Mike Sterling, a longtime Talkeetna resident, avid biker and trail advocate who helped plan the inaugural Trio.

“Sure, it’s a race, but it’s more of a fatbike festival,” Berberich said of the event, now in its fourth year. “Even for those who don’t want to race, I’d say come on up for some riding because it’s still winter in Talkeetna.”

The Trio, which features three races in men’s and women’s divisions with distances of 20, 40 and 60 miles, is open to fat-tire bikes only. The single course handles all three races, with a mixed bag of terrain that ends downtown in front of the Denali Brewing Company pub on Main Street. The brewery is hosting the post-race dinner and party at the Denali Arts Council Sheldon Hanger on D Street, just off Main. Melissa Mitchell and the Hope Social Club will be the featured band.

Last year’s 60-mile race winners included Anchorage’s Tim Berntson with a time of 5 hours, while the women’s winner was Laura Fox, who finished the course in 6 hours, 14 minutes. Berntson recently won the 350-mile Iditarod Invitational from Knik to McGrath.

Berberich said Friday that the Trio trail is “about as hard as pavement,” which he credited to some ongoing winter work.

“After the first few snowfalls we were able to get up there and track pack it,” Berberich said. “It will be in good shape.”

Berberich said the course offers a little bit of everything — especially toward the end of the loop, where riders follow a ridge above the Talkeetna River into town that on a clear day provides sweeping views of the Alaska Range. Berberich said he’s been riding the area for years, and it never disappoints.

“It’s a magical place up there,” he said.

One rider who plans to return for the 2016 Trio is Matt Swalling, a music teacher at Redington Junior-Senior High School and avid fat-tire biker. Swalling rode the 20-mile course last year.

“Last year’s course was fast and fun,” Swalling said in an email. “The weather was great and temperatures reasonable.”

Swalling said it pays to set a comfortable pace early on, as the first half of the course features some decent climbing.

“One thing I really like about the course is that its not just a grind, there are some fun, fast descents and rolling terrain that make it enjoyable and change things up,” he said. “It’s good to get out of the seat once in a while.”

Swalling, who raced in the Little Susitna 50k last month, said that while the winter has been a challenging one, the versatility of the fatbike has paid off for training.

“I don’t regret investing in studded tires,” he said of the icy conditions. “Still, I manage to get out three or four times a week. That’s the great thing about the fatbike, it really excels in marginal conditions.”

The 40- and 60-mile races start at 9 a.m., while the 20-mile event is set for noon.

Online registration is open through March 9 at https://trio.webconnex.com/thetrio. The 20-mile race is $100, the 40-mile, two-lap race is $120 and the 60-mile, three-lap event is $140. Race-day registration is set from 7-8 a.m. Saturday. The fee includes beverages, dinner and the band.

Bib pickup is planned for Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Speedway Cycles in Anchorage, although Berberich said bibs also can be picked up the morning of the race.

Both Berberich and Swalling said Talkeetna definitely sets the proper vibe for the event.

“Talkeetna is a fun town to start with,” Swalling said. “My wife and I turn it into a date weekend and stay over in one of the rental cabins in town. My kids enjoy watching the race and then we all go get pizza afterward.”

For more information, visit www.backcountrybikeandski.com

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com