Raced XC on my Kona Wo fatbike — finished 11th out of 60

Last weekend I took part in a cross-country race on my Kona Wo fatbike.

The course was already pretty challenging: narrow forest trails, steep little climbs, slippery descents, roots, mud and some tight technical sections. But halfway through the race a heavy rain started, and after that part of the track became almost unrideable for regular XC bikes.

That’s where the fatbike suddenly made a lot of sense.

The big tires helped me climb through mud where many riders had to walk, and on the descents the bike felt surprisingly stable and predictable. Of course, I also crashed on some of the harder sections — the course was really slippery — but I fell much less than many other riders around me.

By the finish my Kona Wo looked like it had been pulled out of a swamp, but it got me to 11th place out of 60 riders.

For me, that’s a really good result. And honestly, this race reminded me once again that a fatbike is not only a snow or beach bike. Sometimes, when the trail turns into complete chaos, it can be a very serious racing machine too.