Register today at: https://paddleguru.com/races/WrightsvilleBeachBiathlon
Fat Bikes Gear Up for North Carolina Races March 11-13
Fat Bikes Gear Up for North Carolina Races March 11-13
February 26, 2016 By Robert B Butler
Courtesy of William J. Baggett
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC – “We have double the race registrations compared to this time last year,” said Shawn Spencer, chair for the 2nd annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship, scheduled March 11-13 in Wrightsville Beach. “So far we have racers from South Carolina, Delaware, and a number of cities in North Carolina.”
Spencer has limited registration to 100 racers. Click for race information and registration
Bikers in the US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship will compete in three divisions covering distances of 24-miles, 16-miles, and 8-miles to accommodate expert, sport, and beginner skill levels. All races will begin and end at the host hotel, Blockade Runner Beach Resort.
Weekend activities begin with adventure riding on the island, maintenance and race tips, and an evening social on Friday; demo biking, races, entertainment on the beach lawn, and the awards ceremony on Saturday; concluding with a 12-mile sunrise ride on the beach on Sunday.
Ben Brown, last year’s champion in the 24-mile expert division, registered early and will defend his title. “I had so much fun at the inaugural event, the 2016 race was one of the first events I put on my calendar,” said Brown, who finished 11th in his age group earlier this year at USA Cycling’s 2016 Cyclocross National Championship.
A one-mile oval course will be laid out on Wrightsville Beach between the piers, said Spencer. Obstacles will be placed at strategic locations, creating a variety of demanding conditions for the racers and increasing the thrill-factor for all. Constantly changing sand surfaces will test the endurance of the bikers. The course design will provide spectators and media front row opportunities to follow the action and cheer their favorites.
Courtesy of Shawn Spencer, Bike Cycles, Wilmington
Fat bikes represent the fastest growing market segment in the cycling industry, according to Outside Magazine, with the number of companies making fat bikes doubling between 2013 and 2014. In May of this year, Outside Magazine featured Wrightsville Beach as one of six fat bike friendly beach towns in the United States.
“We expect The US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship to grow rapidly and become one of the top races in the country,” said Spencer. “Wrightsville Beach is a highly desirable destination and Blockade Runner Beach Resort, home of the Carolina Cup, is serving as the host hotel.”
The 2nd Annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship will benefit the Wrightsville Beach Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public parks and community amenities.
Click for race information and registration
Click for Ben Brown Interview, Media Photos, Logos
Contact:
Shawn Spencer, Event Chair and Race Director
The US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship
E: Shawn@BikeCycleShop.com
P: 910-256-2545
Robert B Butler, Communications | PR
www.NCPressRelease.org
www.RBButler.com
#FatBike #Cycling
2016 Wrightsville Beach Biathlon Official Teaser Video
The 7th Annual Wrightsville Beach Biathlon is two weeks away! Three-time first place winner & Charleston, SC native, Jeremy Whitted, wants to know if you are up to the challenge?
4-mile SUP x 4-mile Beach Run. Train. Compete. Relax. Repeat.
Register today at: https://paddleguru.com/races/WrightsvilleBeachBiathlon
Fat Biking Booms! U.S. Open Fat Bike Beach Championships in March 2016
Ben Brown, 2015 Champion Expert Division, by William Baggett
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC – “This year, fat bike races make up 42 percent of the listings. Last year, just 5 percent of the January and February events were fat bike races,” said Jeff Barber, publisher of Singletracks, a leading provider of information for adventure bikers. “We counted 52 fat bike races taking place in 17 U.S. states from Maine to California and as far south as North Carolina.”
While the sport of fat bike racing expands at a swift pace around the globe, event chair Shawn Spencer is re-checking final details on The 2nd Annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship, scheduled March 11-13, 2016, in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
“Fat bike is definitely a thriving sport,” said Spencer. “Registration for the US Open Fat Bike race is ahead of last year, with early signers ranging in age from 14 to 67, coming from cities across North Carolina and states as far away as Delaware.”
Bikers in the US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship will compete in three divisions covering distances of 24-miles, 16-miles, and 8-miles to accommodate expert, sport, and beginner skill levels. All races will begin and end at the host hotel, Blockade Runner Beach Resort.
Ben Brown, last year’s champion in the 24-mile expert division race, registered early and will defend his title on March 12th. “I had so much fun at the inaugural event, the 2016 race was one of the first events I put on my calendar,” said Brown, who also finished 11th in his age group at USA Cycling’s 2016 Cyclocross National Championship.
Activities include adventure riding, maintenance and race tips, with an evening social on Friday; demo bikes, races and the awards ceremony on Saturday; concluding with a 12-mile sunrise ride on the beach Sunday morning.
According to Brown, fat bike beach racing is similar to racing on a contained course that is spectator friendly requiring riders to do multiple laps at top speed. “As a racer, you need to be comfortable riding in groups at high speeds, be able to handle a bike extremely well, take advantage of drafting when able to, find the right “groove” in the course, and be able to ride at your max heart rate for most of the event. Having the handling skills from being a mountain biker is a huge help as well,” said Brown.
Starting line – 2015 US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship, NCPressRelease
A one-mile oval course will be laid out on Wrightsville Beach between the piers, said Spencer. Obstacles will be placed at strategic locations, creating a variety of demanding conditions for the racers and increasing the fun-factor for all. Constantly changing sand surfaces will test the endurance of the bikers. The course design provides spectators and media front row opportunities to follow the action.
Regarding strategy and tactics, Brown advises racers to identify the strong riders and work as a group to pull away from the field. “Make other racers do the work while you draft,” said Brown. “Watch the riders in your group for the first half the race to find their weakness, make the decision on when and where to attack the weakness toward the end of the race to put yourself in a position to win.”
“The 24-mile aspect and the fact that it takes place on a beach can throw all of those tactics out the window if the conditions are not right,” said Brown. “Last year we had heavy fog and a stiff south wind, along with a fair amount of soft sand. I found myself working really hard to get through the soft sand for the first half of the course…” Click to read the entire Ben Brown interview
The 2nd Annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship will benefit the Wrightsville Beach Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public parks and community amenities.
2016 Event Schedule
US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship
Friday, March 11, TBA
Fat bike adventure riding, maintenance and race tips
Blockade Runner Beach Resort
Friday, March 11, 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Packet Pickup at Blockade Runner Beach Resort
Friday, March 11, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Evening Social at Blockade Runner Beach Resort
Saturday, March 12, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Demo Bikes available
On the beach – Bike Cycles Tent
Saturday, March 12, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
2nd Annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship
Saturday, March 12, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Awards and Post-race Celebration
Red Bull Tent at Blockade Runner Beach Resort
Sunday, March 13th, Sunrise (7:15 a.m.)
Sunrise Ride on Wrightsville Beach 12-miles
Departing Blockade Runner Beach Resort
Tides for March 12th at Wrightsville Beach
3:43 a.m. – low tide
9:48 a.m. – high tide
9:48 a.m. – high tide
3:55 p.m. – low tide
10:15 p.m. – high tide
Click for race information and registration
Click for Ben Brown Interview, Media Photos, Logos
7th Annual Wrightsville Beach Biathlon
7th Annual Wrightsville Beach Biathlon
One Of A Kind Event: The Wrightsville Beach Biathlon is like no other event on the East Coast. Why? Because it’s the only one of it’s kind to replace the swim portion of a traditional Biathlon with a Standup Paddleboard race. Also, unique to the event, the run portion will take place on the oceanfront sand. The Bi-athletes will start the paddle board segment regatta style at the resort’s harborside pier, then paddle a 4-mile course around Money Island. The bi-athletes will transition to the run portion of the event, where they will cross Waynick Blvd. to the oceanside, and finish with a 4-mile run. Racers will fight the flatwater around Money Island & the rushing wind pier to pier in a battle of guts, glory and honor.
The race will start rain or shine with an awards ceremony, food and music to follow. The Blockade Runner will offer a special race rate, which will include a paddleboard storage and complimentary breakfast. With the race taking place in close proximity to the island this will be an excellent spectator event. Don’t miss this unique race experience!
Race Date: Saturday, March 5th, 2016
Race Layout: 8 Miles Surf to Sound: 4-mile flatwater SUP course followed by 4-mile beach run
Proceeds benefit: The Wrightsville Beach Foundation
Race Divisions:
Individual Division: Men and Women’s.
Community/Corporate Challenge Division: Bring your Best! When the WBB was conceived, it was all about the celebration of community. By including a special Community/Corporate Challenge division, corporate groups, community organizations, and local associations can choose to sponsor one or two racers in this division. We invite you to gather your staff, fellow athletes, family, friends & neighbors to wear your logo proudly in a friendly beach challenge. This is your chance to shine! The overall winner of this division will get their names on the coveted WB Biathlon trophy, along with their names in lights for 48-hours on our digital billboard on Oleander Dr.
Awards will go to men on 14′ and women on 12’6 SUP boards for both the individual and the team divisions.
Schedule-
Friday at Blockade Runner:
- Reception Party/Packet Pick-up & Final Registration
- Information on Clinics and Demos to Come
Saturday at Blockade Runner Soundside:
- First Start 10:30AM
- Awards Ceremony following race
Race Registration- Please register via Paddle Guru or Contact Beth Todd at beth.todd@blockade-runner.com or call 910.256.2251.
Sponsorship Opportunities- Please contact Maria Tofalo at maria.tofalo@blockade-runner.com or call 910.256.2251.
Click Here to Learn about Sponsorships! – Logo, Expo, and Community/Corporate Challenge levels
Click Here to Learn about Special Sponsorships! – Awards, Demo/Clinics, and Media levels
Race Course:
2nd Annual Carolina Beach SUP Challenge
The 2015 Carolina Beach SUP Challenge was a success! On September 6th, Sales Manager- Madison Norris, and I were thrilled to represent Blockade Runner Beach Resort at the race finish line. Blockade Runner was this year’s platinum sponsor for the 2nd Annual Carolina Beach SUP Challenge race event. Carolina Beach SUP Challenge promoted the local SUP culture and SUP community in Carolina Beach and surrounding areas. There were also quite a few racers from around the state. Along with fun for racers of all ages, the event gave 100% of the proceeds to Ocean Cure, an organization that gives individuals with disabilities and at-risk youth and adults free surfing lessons—allowing them to experience the natural healing powers of being on the water. For more on this amazing organization, follow this link: http://www.ocean-cure.org/
The morning of the race started off with awesome momentum – weather conditions were perfect and the race brought a large crowd to our tent. As kids enjoyed playing corn hole, parents and racers collected BR giveaways and joined a raffle for a chance to win a ‘SUP and Dine’ experience. Throughout the morning, a 1-mile family fun race, 3-mile race, and 6-mile Sound to Surf race took place. Supporters watched the race from Gibby’s Dock and Dine. It is always wonderful to see such a diverse group of racers participate, from first time SUP racers to local and more experienced racers. It was great to catch up with quite a few of this year’s participants from Blockade Runner’s Thursday night SUP Series race events.
Carolina Beach SUP Challenge organizers did a wonderful job giving participants with all different SUP racing backgrounds a chance to get out on the water to compete for a good cause. A big congratulations to all the racers, especially, to our first place 3-mile race winner, Stephen Dees, and our first place 6-mile Sound to Surf winner, Eric Carter. A special thank you to all of the other race sponsors that helped make this event shine – our friends at Carolina Paddle Board Company, Sweet Water Brewing Company, Good Hops Brewing Company, Fleet Feet Sports, Salty Dog Yoga and Surf, and many more. We look forward to the many more TriParadise events to come this year!
Shelby Moyer – Lead Sound Side Instructor
Race 1 of Sunset SUP Series 2015
Even though the clouds were threatening most of the day, the summer storms stayed away, the winds were calm, the temperature was perfect, and the first race of the Sunset SUP Series went on as planned Thursday evening at 6:00! Local Community and Challenge racers paddled the Loggerhead Loop course and sprinted up the Blockade Runner Sound Side beach to record their times. The Kids race started after the grown-ups and had almost as many participants.
We had a great turnout for the first week, even with the last minute decision, and look forward to even more participant in the weeks to come!
We would like to thank all of our racers for coming out and enjoying some time on the water, and a huge “THANKS” also goes out to April Zilg for organizing and directing the race series.We’ll see you all next week!
Check out the BR Surf to Sound Academy Facebook for future event updates www.facebook.com/BlockadeRunnerSurfToSoundAcademy
Sunset SUP Series 2015 Week 1 Race Results:
Race Competitor Time
Community Sandy M 18:55
Community Seth 18:56
Community Saylor 20:10
Community Mark E. 20:37
Challenge Barry 24:44
Challenge Eric C 24:49
Challenge Haywood 25:55
Challenge Mark S 28:30
Challenge Anna B 29:00
Challenge Sharna T 30:15
Challenge Jenna B 31:07
Challenge Terri C 32:04
Challenge Jamie 30:37
Prone Katie P too fast
Kids Saylor 7:52
Kids Elle N. 8:10
Kids Kathryn E 9:15
Kids Preston 9:16
Kids Erin F 10:44
Kids Hayley N. 10:44
Kids Sadie 11:22
Carolina Cup 2015
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C., March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire
Crowned as one of the world’s five major stand up paddleboard races for 2015 by Australia’s SUPracer.com, The Carolina Cup, celebrating its fifth year, returns to Wrightsville Beach, April 22-26.
“Last year’s race was one of the most competitive races in the world with athletes from 31 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, B.V.I., and 11 countries,” says John Beausang, one of the founders and race directors of the Carolina Cup. “This year it’s even bigger. We have 19 of the top 20 paddlers in the world and 30 of the top 40 already committed to The Carolina Cup. It’s possible that we will be the largest race in the world this year, or at least, in the top three.”
Expected to grow from 750 participants last year to well over 1,000 in 2015, The Carolina Cup features a weeklong family-friendly festival, including clinics, exhibits, demonstrations, and special events all culminating with four stand up paddleboard races to meet the spectrum of skills from beginner to world-class Olympians and professionals.
Stand up paddleboard spread first from Hawaii to California to Florida, and then up the East Coast six or seven years ago. The sport in North Carolina has “just exploded,” says Beausang, founder of DistressedMullet.com. “Anywhere there is water access … you’re going to have a paddleboard.”
“Wrightsville Beach is unique because it’s so concentrated. We have the ocean side, sound side, Harbor Island, spoil islands, and the Intracoastal Waterway,” says Beausang. “Blockade Runner Beach Resort [host hotel] is one of the most perfectly situated event venues. One side faces the ocean while the other side faces the sound with a beach. So you have the best of everything.”
The signature event at the Carolina Cup is the elite Graveyard Race. “It’s one of the most technical courses on earth and involves 13.2 miles navigating around the island of Wrightsville Beach,” says Beausang. “It’s a very difficult course. You go out through the surf, you encounter ocean, inlets, flat water, current, wind, chop, the waterway, boat traffic, and you finish in the surf. Everything you can imagine.”
Reigning three-time male champion Danny Ching of California, a multiple Battle of the Paddle winner and world champion OC1 paddler, will defend his title. “In the past three years no one has really come close to touching him,” says Beausang. “This year, I think there are going to be a few people to come out of the woodwork to really give him a challenge.”
Ching’s challengers will include Australians Travis Grant, Jamie Mitchell, Kelly Margetts, and Lincoln Dews, Mexico’s Fernando Stalla, Hawaii’s Connor Baxter, Florida’s Slater Trout, and other world-ranked champions.
On the women’s side of the Graveyard, the top ranked paddler in the world, Annabel Anderson ofNew Zealand, will return to defend her two consecutive titles. “The top five is going to be very interesting,” says Beausang. “There are a lot of entrants from the Olympic canoe paddler world. Canadian paddlers are making some really good inroads. They’re fast and really know how to move a boat.”
The Money Island 6.5-mile Open Race, designed for intermediate to advanced paddlers, is on the sound side in the inland waterways around Wrightsville Beach, Harbor Island, Masonboro Island, and the spoil islands.
“The Money Island Race is difficult to read,” according to Beausang. “We never really know. Last year we had a Canadian Olympic Triathlete, a cast member from Vampire Diaries, and an NFL player. It varies from celebrities to top-level athletes that maybe aren’t ready for ocean conditions [the Graveyard].”
The Harbor Island Recreational Race is a 3.5-mile flatwater adventure for beginner to intermediate SUP enthusiasts. On Sunday, April 26, the Kids Race is open to girls and boys ages 7 to 14.
Clinics include WPA certification, beginner to advanced SUP techniques, yoga teacher training, and more, all taught by leading experts.
The outdoor expo is “probably the largest on the East Coast,” says Beausang. “Every leading manufacturer, including title sponsor SUP ATX, will be here with boards, accessories, gear, and clothing.”
“You don’t have to race to come down,” says Beausang. “It’s such a great spectator sport. Even the pros, these top athletes in the world, are very approachable and nice.”
A portion of proceeds will benefit The Ocean of Hope, paddlers and ocean enthusiasts dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the Sarcoma Alliance to help those fighting cancer.
The Carolina Cup is sanctioned by the World Paddle Association.
A Holiday Tradition
We are excited to welcome Fall 2014 with our annual Thanksgiving and Flotilla Package.
Celebrate with our TWO-DAY PACKAGE and enjoy wine and cheese in your room upon arrival and breakfast each morning of your stay in our Award Winning Ocean View Dining Room! Then rest up, because the celebration continues into the weekend with the 31st Annual North Carolina Flotilla. Enjoy the Anchors Away Launch Party in the Ballroom on Friday night and then the beautiful lighted boat parade on the Intracoastal Waterway!
Photo Credit: Josh McClure
Another option is our THREE-DAY THANKSGIVING package and relax away from the stress of the holidays and let us do the cooking for you and your family. Celebrate with wine and cheese in your room upon arrival; breakfast each morning of your stay in our Award winning Ocean View Dining Room, and delight in our Delicious Thanksgiving Day Buffet (featuring all your favorites)! Then rest up, because the celebration continues into the weekend with the 30th Annual North Carolina Holiday Flotilla. Enjoy the Anchor’s Away Launch Party in the Ballroom on Friday night, and then the beautiful lighted boat parade on the Intracoastal Waterway! There is no better place to create your holiday memories than with us this year at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort.
Fat Tires + the King of Wrightsville Beach
What started as a niche product, available through only select manufacturers, is now creeping into the product lines of mainstream beach cruiser makers. Folks now cruise aboard their fatties around town and these big tire beauties even have their own international day of recognition: Global Fat Bike Day on December 7. And races are popping up nationwide: including Wrightsville Beach’s King of the Beach Biathlon.
Today there are a number of fat bikes on the market from a variety of boutique brands. Even some of the big names in the biz are “rounding” out their lineups with them.There are plenty of reasons to join the movement, including the original impetus of floating over sand, but perhaps the best reason is one shared by just about any form of bike: it’s fun. So go on, ride one. As the rocks and roots disappear beneath the plump exteriors, perhaps you too will fall in love with a fat bike. And if not, at least you tried it.
To register for the King of Wrightsville Beach Biathlon click here.
