by 
Every now and then I switch up bikes and trade the skinny road bike for off-trail adventures on a fat bike. The description of the first edition of the Sandy Neck Fat Bike Winter Classic grabbed my attention.
Late afternoon, about 100 fat bikers gathered at Sandy Neck on a December afternoon. The wind was blowing hard over the sand dunes making it harsh and cold. But it was not as harsh and cold as December afternoon could be.
This was Cape Cod, so of course Captain Dave was up for this ridiculous adventure. He had warned me that this was a hard-core group of riders.
We lined up on the beach at 4:00. It was close to sunset. This was the last bit of daylight. A quick safety talk, then the gun fired and we were off. “Flying” up the beach.
Conditions on the beach were all over the place and slight changes made a big difference on the speed of the fat tires. Soft sand, gravel, thick rocks, frozen sand, tire tracks and other bike tracks had me wandering all over the beach trying to find the best traction and least resistance. The line of riders stretched off into the distance.
There was not much sunlight left as we took the right-hand turn off the beach and into the dunes.
We weaving along the course heading out to the lighthouse which marked the end of the first timed section. After a quick snack and adult beverage, we headed through the dunes in the dark of night for the second timed segment.
We had rolling dunes with soft sand, patches of frozen ground, and lots of big deep puddles to cross.
My lights held up better than my legs. My bike and my legs were covered in sand. But I kept grinding it out and found the finish line. Grueling and fun. Like any good bike adventure should be.
