August 06, 2011 (Presque Isle, ME) – When riders, racers, and festival goers arrived Saturday morning for the 7th annual Nordic Fat Tire Festival they were met with this summer’s all too familiar sound of steady, pouring rain. Nonetheless, the premiere event of the festival, an all new 12-hour epic mountain bike race, began on time and with it 5 solo competitors and 17 teams took to the trails.

The race is just part of a weekend-long event that showcases the Nordic Heritage Center’s summer trails as well as the club’s year-round commitment to outdoor sport. With a busy winter and very successful IBU Biathlon World Cup behind them, the Nordic Heritage Sport Club had no trouble rallying volunteers for this summer festival.

The start of the 12-hour race kicked off the 7th year for the festival and brought a record summer crowd to the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle. Members of the organizing committee were thrilled to have registrations from as far away as St. John, New Brunswick and Scarborough, ME. “We have a terrific time putting this event together,” stated Event Director Mike Smith.   “We have more people than ever travelling a great distance to take part in the festival. We’re excited to see the energy keep building around the event.”

The 12-hour race was not the only draw to the weekend. As in other years, riders had the opportunity to take part in a one-of-a-kind mountain bike biathlon, and a downhill race. Even the young riders in attendance got to take part in a kid’s XC race, and a variety of bike skill contests.

To top it all off this year’s festival also included fun off the bike such as a family nature hike, a kids’ treasure hunt, a slip n’ slide, home cooked food, and a bonfire on Saturday night complete with live music. With a total of 150 to 200 in attendance throughout the weekend, Smith says they consider the 2011 Nordic Fat Tire Festival a huge success. “It’s always a good sign when people start discussing plans for next year before they ever leave the parking lot”.

Check our race results and photos from the weekend HERE and also check out Nordic Fat Tire Festival on Facebook. The Nordic Heritage Sport Club would like to thank all of their sponsors for helping to make this year’s festival such a great weekend.