More Powder To You

POWDER KEG RACES RETURN FEB. 18

Are You A Fan Of Recreation

A LA SNOW? CORBA is hosting its annual Powder Keg event on Feb. 18. No matter your preferred activity, CORBA has got you covered on the snowy trails at Lowes Creek County Park.

Snowshoers will be able to hoof it on 5K or 10K courses. The fat bike race will cover an approximately 5K course, and you csan choose to complete one to four laps. Tires must be 3.5” or larger.

Feel the need to ski? The cross country ski course allows for either skate or classic skiing and your choice of one or two laps.

Why not do it all? Register for the Double or Triple Snowball and complete any combination of two or all three race types – skiing, snowshoeing, and fat biking. If you complete the Double or Triple Snowball, you will receive a special award at the end of the race. The male and female who completes the Triple Snowball that totals the highest distance and lowest combined times will be dubbed as the King and Queen of Powder Keg 2023.

To register for the Double or Triple Snowball, you will need to separately register for each event that you want to participate in and use the discount code “MultiEvent” for the other one or two events and $20 will be deducted from those registrations.

To learn more or register, go to corbatrails.org/powderkeg.

SHIFT CYCLERY & COFFEE BAR LAUNCHES URBAN FAT BIKE GROUP RIDES

LOCALS KNOW SHIFT CYCLERY AND COFFEE BAR AS THE HIDDEN GEM, a dual shop that bridges bikes and coffee brews, but the business also wants folks to know their new winter riding event is open to anyone.

SHIFT’s Urban Fat Bike Group Rides are scheduled out through March and will be every other Wednesday at 6pm (Jan. 4, Jan. 18, Feb. 1, Feb. 15, March 15, and March 29), starting and ending at the shop (615 Graham Ave.). While fat bikes are a plus given our area’s wintry weather through spring, SHIFT Bike Manager Chris Locke said they aren’t a requirement for people to participate.

“I’m putting it out there as a fat biking group, but it’s really for anybody,” Locke explained. “It’s basically a social group ride, short and sweet, with a social gathering afterward at SHIFT for hot chocolate or beers.”

For folks who aren’t familiar, fat bikes are created to accommodate much larger tires than a normal road or mountain bike, ranging anywhere from 3.8” to more than 5” wide. Though popular year-round as well, the larger tires create traction and stability specifically helpful to enjoy a safe ride in winter conditions, and help from “breaking through” the surface of groomed snowy single track trails.

The cycling community in the Chippewa Valley is a pretty tightknit one, Locke said, with people who enjoy different aspects of the ride – steady long-distance rides versus wild trails or short, leisurely rides – but those involved in the Urban Fat Bike Group are all just lookin’ for a good ride and good time.

For people who aren’t avid bikers, the SHIFT event is a way to learn about the community, visit new trails and routes, and try out new gear. “A big part of this is (for new people), we can outfit them, show them routes and see new things around town,” Locke explained. “I