Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival Celebrates Mountain Biking

The 11th Annual Fat Tire Festival in Eureka Springs is scheduled for July 17 -19 and will feature an array of mountain biking events. The festival is presented by Adventure Subaru and is operated under the umbrella of Progressive Trail Design. The Fatty Fest will also be a part of the Dynasty of Dirt Series in 2009. The DOD is a Northwest Arkansas Series of bike events designed to take Arkansas bicycle racing to the next level and bring the many “disciplines of dirt” together.

The schedule of events includes competitive and non-competitive cycling events, and courses that cover cross country elements, downhill, short track and trial runs. A bike parade, film fest and other activities are also scheduled. For a complete schedule of events for the Fat Tire Festival, click here.

There are several new developments for the Fatty Fest 2009 in Eureka Springs. The PTD Downhill course has gotten a makeover and will have a fully dedicated DH line eliminating double traffic. Plus, the makeover has allowed more challenging features to be incorporated, so expect more jumps, kickers and drops as well as tweaked-up existing features. Another new development is that the location for the Phat Tire Short Track (scheduled for the 17th) has moved to a local MX flat track course 4 miles north of town. This all-dirt track allows the entire race course to be viewed at one time, creating a neat spectator aspect for the event. It also promises to be super fast and flat, which will test all of the mountain bike riders.

The weekend before the festival, July 11-12, there will be warm-up events available for those who wish to get in some practice sessions. There will be pre-rides of the XC course, DH practice sessions and an open house at the short track venue. There will also be a time trial challenge on the short track sponsored by Adventure Mountain.

Sunday July the 12th (water permitting) there will be a pedal and paddle on the King’s River brought to you by Adventure Mountain Outfitters and Kings River Outfitters. The adventure includes a guided ride through the Madison County Game Reserve to the spectacular Kettle Falls, boat rental, sack lunch, and bike shuttle.