Fat tire fun

After you spend some time biking the trails at Wilderness Park (check out video here), you will be ready for some more challenging rides. Well, mark your calendar. The Mother of all Mountain Bike races is just a few weeks away.

Off-road afficionadoes come from all over the state for the annual Croom 35/50 Off-Road Challenge held each year on the first Saturday in February at at Withlacoochee State Forest. Riders can take their pick between 35 or 50 miles of no-holds-barred single track racing. Newbies stay home - this course has no pavement, no double track.

Sponsored by the Tampa-based SouthWest Association of Mountain Bike Pedalers, a.k.a., SWAMP, the Tampa Bay area's pre-eminent off-road cycling club, the Feb. 2nd event fills up fast. In fact, the 2008 field is already full and organizers are encouraging racers to mark their calendars for 2009.

But if you are just starting out in the sport, you will need at least a year to get ready. The best way to train and hone your technical skills is to sign up for one of SWAMPS training classes. For more information go to SWAMP.