Matt Busche and Jenna Rinehart rode to victory on Saturday at the 30th annual Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival from Hayward to Cable.
Busche, a 27-year-old from Wauwatosa, Wis., set a course record on the dry and dusty logging roads of northern Wisconsin, covering 40 miles in 2 hours, 32 seconds, for his first Fat Tire victory. Mike Anderson came in second, 19 seconds behind, and four-time Fat Tire champion Brian Matter was third.
Busche will represent the U.S. in the UCI Road World Championships in the Netherlands on Sept. 22. He rode in a lead group of about a dozen riders that eventually thinned with 10 miles to go.
“I knew it wasn’t a super technical course,” Busche said in a release. “I was going at my limit most of the day.”
Adam Swank of Duluth was the Twin Ports’ top finisher in 22nd.
Rinehart, a 28-year-old from Mankato, Minn., earned her fourth Fat Tire victory in 2:19:55.2. Defending champion Lea Davison was leading 10 miles into the race before getting a flat tire. She worked her way back to second, with Sara Kylander-Johnson of Duluth coming in third.
“I definitely wasn’t the strongest out there,” Rinehart said. “I was lucky, and it was one of those stories of never give up.”
Brian and Kim Eppen of Iowa City, Iowa, captured the mixed tandem title and finished 14th overall, while Dirk Rettig of Waunakee, Wis., and Heidi Beck of Delafield, Wis., won the men’s and women’s singlespeed classes.
Jordan Cullen of Hudson, Wis., defended his title in the 16-mile Short and Fat, winning by more than three minutes, while Sara Morse of St. Paul took the women’s title.
Tags: sports
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