Fresh Tracks For May Bike Events In Fruita: Fruita Fat Tire Festival + Co2uT Desert Gravel To Share A Weekend

Photo courtesy of Stephen Kurtenbach/Fruita Fat Tire Festival.

The Fruita Fat Tire Festival is back this May 12-14, 2003 for its 26th year, but with a twist this time. Alongside bike demos within the Bookcliffs Trail System and a product expo in downtown Fruita, Desert Gravel is adding to the excitement with the Co2uT race series. Racers can choose between five distances (30, 50, 75,100 and 125 miles) that take riders on a tour of the rugged gravel roads northwest of Fruita. Those who take on the 125-mile distance will even cross over the Utah border before circling back to home base ... all in a day’s work.

Joining forces has allowed both events to take their celebrations of all things bike culture to a new level. Steven Kurtenbach, event coordinator for the Fruita Fat Tire Festival, and George Gatseos, owner of Over the Edge Sports— the local bike shop from which the festival was born — believe that this is the best iteration of the festival yet.

“The life cycle of events is a real thing,” Gatseos explains. “There have been some bigger years and some smaller. Even something as seemingly simple as weather has almost killed the event in the past. We’ve rebooted it multiple times trying to find different versions that work best. Thanks to all the demos we have available and the inclusion of Co2uT, this year’s has the most to offer.”

The festival first started back in April of1996. Since then, it has woven its roots with those of the town of Fruita itself. “There are reasons Fruita is a world-renowned mountain bike destination, and the Fat Tire Festival isa major piece of that puzzle,” believes Mike Bennet, city manager of Fruita. “From the very beginning, the FFTF has always been about an experience. This experience is part of the fabric of Fruita, why many call Fruita home and why the mountain biking world knows Fruita and the Grand Valley’s trails.”

The cycling industry has come out in full force to provide more and more support for the event each year. It now spans two different locations, with bike demos up on 18 Road, while vendors, live music and beer from SKA brewing keep the party going through the night back in downtown Fruita. Access to demos and group rides requires a pass, but the festivities in town are open to everyone. All proceeds from beer sales go right back into funding the Western Colorado trail systems.

The Co2uT gravel series will take place on Sunday, May 14, as the Fat Tire Festival begins to wind down. Race director Morgan Murriis aiming for a 50/50 split between male and female riders to help promote gender equality in the gravel community on top of designated categories for nonbinary riders and para-athletes. He hopes that teaming up with the Fruita Fat Tire Festival will encourage racers and their families to enjoy the area for all it has to offer — both on and off the bike.

Whether you’re racing, riding or enjoying the sights, sounds and eats downtown, this bike-filled May weekend in Fruita is sure to show off the best of desert life from all sides.

Originally published in the Spring 2023 issue of Spoke+Blossom.