2019 Iditarod Trail Invitational Ride and Info

Fatback Corvus FLT

I was out riding through the new snow this afternoon and decided that it was a great time to take a couple pictures! I also thought that some folks would like to know what kind of cycling gear a typical athlete brings on the Iditarod Trail Invitational. Now I'm not going to divulge super secret...just kidding. Most of this stuff is just general gear you can go down to your local bike shop and purchase.

Here's the link to the tracking for this years ITI race. It's great to follow!

Iditarod Trail Invitational Tracking

For starters I'll be riding a Fatback Corvus FLT designed by Greg Matyas in Anchorage. This is the second generation of the Corvus and it is also the lightweight version of the bike using a higher grade of carbon fiber. Pretty cool for the bike geek in me! It's a great riding bike and weighs in around 24-25 pounds in a large size.

Fatback Bikes Corvus FLT

I'll be running Hope brakes, 100mm HED Rims, 45NRTH Husker Du tires, Hadley Hubs (AMAZING performance, highly recommended,) Sram XO1 Eagle drivetrain with grip shift and various carbon bits. One carbon bit I've been really happy with is the SQ Labs 16 Degree handlebar. I'm hoping some of the hand numbness I've suffered in the past will be reduced with a handlebar with more sweep than what a typical bar has. I also have Race Face Next SL cranks and absoluteBLACK 30T oval chainring.

If you couldn't tell, I really like Revelate Designs. Eric and the crew build amazing stuff! I'm using their Fatback Corvus fitted frame bag, Viscacha seat bag, Jerry Can, Mag-tank 2000, Mountain Feedbags, Expedition Pogies and finally their Pronghorn harness. This setup carries everything I need to travel to McGrath.

Revelate Designs

A big change for me this year is my pedal choice. Now I haven't had any issues with pedals in the past other than wear and tear but after seeing some crank brother failures I decided that there was no reason to harbor any stress about it and picked up a set of Shimano XT pedals. Reason being (1) they have a stellar reputation for longevity and reliability (2) they have a nice pedaling platform interface between the boot and pedal (3) my friend Nick Blades runs a set and after spinning them while very cold I realized his pedals still spun easily. This is important when the temps drop well below zero.

Hope you all are having nice winter! Get out and ride!

One of my favorite local trails, Bragaw to Blue Booty (doggie paw booty, not that kind of booty ;-P)