By Nathan Siemens
Guest Contributor
@yepyepnotnope
The inaugural Coldride Cranbrook promised cold temperatures, warm vibes, and a big challenge across two distances: the 55-kilometer Freezie and 130-kilometer Big Chill. Find a fantastic video from third-place finisher Mike Coulter, photos from the event, and a brief written recap from organizer Nathan Siemens here…
Words by Nathan Siemens, video by Mike Coulter
Coldride Cranbrook is eternally thankful to be able to recreate and explore the beautiful traditional and unceded territory of the Ktunaxa People, whose Oral Histories have connected them to this land since time immemorial. It is my honour and duty to bring Truth and Reconciliation, and the Calls to Action to life in this region, in partnership with our Indigenous and Metis communities.
Coldride Cranbrook is a winter ultra(ish) fat bike race that takes place in the traditional and unceded territory of the Ktunaxa people, sandwiched between the Purcell Mountains to the west and the Canadian Rockies to the east. While events like this have been around and gained popularity in America’s Midwest and Central Canada, there hasn’t been a fat bike event like this in British Columbia, which seems a shame, because British Columbia is pretty sweet. On February 1, 40 riders lined up at the Scout’s Hall to brave the wacky winter weather in Cranbrook, British Columbia, for the inaugural Coldride Cranbrook. Coldride is committed to providing an inclusive, safe, welcoming atmosphere with a focus on supporting local causes. This year, event proceeds were distributed to the South Star Trail system in Cranbrook, along with other local charities.
For me, Coldride was terrifying. It was my first kick at the can organizing a real honest-to-goodness cycling event. I’m heavily involved in putting on The Lost Elephant, which also takes place out of Cranbrook, but this was a whole different beast. I had taken part in the Actif Epica in southern Manitoba in February 2024 and became enamoured with that type of event, but not so much enamoured with a 16-hour drive in Canadian winter. So, the seed was planted to bring one closer to home. The logistics of event organization quickly became overwhelming, so I reached out to my dear friend Dean Dahl, who has experience running charity fondos, gravel races, and all sorts of events through Have a Good Ride Adventures. Once he was on board, my anxiety took a vacation. Having someone oversee the big picture let me run with all sorts of ideas that came from the heart. And then the sponsors stepped up, not just by donating things and funds that made the event come together, but by donating so generously of their time. A community banding together does wonders to fill up one’s heart.
Three friends (who also happened to be top-level sponsors of the event) and I pre-rode the entire course four days before race day. It was excessively cold, but the trails and roads were hard-packed and fast. The East Kootenay was in the middle of a weeks-long snow drought. Things were looking up for a high-speed, elbows-out race. However, the overseer of all things weather-related had other plans. In the days before the send-off, the overnight lows hovered right above freezing, and the snow started falling. What was once an icy and fast route became hard slugging for most. Well, at least it wasn’t too cold.
The course had two routes, the Big Chill at 128 kilometres, starting at 7 a.m., and the Freezie at 58 kilometres, starting at 10 a.m. Both routes hit a feed zone 30 kilometres in, where the Freezies turned back towards Cranbrook, and the Big Chillers would head south for a bonus 70-kilometre loop. The ride started with 23 kilometres of steady climbing. The pavement quickly turned to smooth flowy singletrack, then to soft, almost rideable forested trail and then to slow-moving forest service roads with six to eight centimetres of fresh snow. The last four kilometres before the feed zone was the ultimate punch in the gut for riders of both distances, as it consisted of mainly pushing your bike downhill. No one likes pushing their bike down a hill. Luckily the feed zone was a perfect hype zone with hot drinks, hot bacon, piles of baked goods from Max’s Place Cafe, refills of No Nonsense Nutrition, shots of Fireball, and volunteers who treated each rider like royalty.
The weather was keeping everyone guessing all day. From whiteout conditions to clear blue skies, it kept changing its mind every 30 minutes. Jackets on, jackets off, hoods up, zippers down, knowing your layering systems came in handy on this day. The southern 70-kilometre loop that was on the Big Chill route was a welcome mix of faster forest service roads with a little bit of snowmobile trail just to keep things honest. However, the false flats and fresh snow still kept the speeds down and the moods fluctuating. The highlight of the ride came in the last five kilometres before riders hit the pavement. The route reentered Cranbrook’s South Star trail network for one last quick climb and then a rocket descent down the locals’ favourite trail, Lupine.
Events like this are tough to plan an awards ceremony for. The first Freezies blasted across the finish line just after 3 p.m. while the bravest caboose came in at 10:48 p.m. Thus the idea for a celebratory brunch was born. The riders, volunteers, and loved ones gathered Sunday morning at the Scout’s Hall. Stories were shared and prizes were given while smashing stacks of pancakes. But the highlight was being in the presence of friends from all over that you see far too infrequently. This community that we call cycling is so deep and diverse and so welcoming and warm. Yes, I’m getting choked up writing this. Come out to the Coldride next year, and I promise you’ll get to see me tear up on the microphone, but it isn’t my fault, it is all y’all’s fault for being so lovely.
Big thanks to Cranbrook Dodge, Cranbrook Tourism, Max’s Place Cafe, Ascent Electric and Solar, Northstar Bicycle Co., and Whiskey Stump for making this event happen. To Cranbrook Search and Rescue for being a bright and enthusiastic presence on the course, as well as being ready in case any mishaps happened to mishap. And to the prize-table fillers Logo Beer, No Nonsense Nutrition, Thief Bikepacking, and Bikepackers Foundry.
Hugs and Kisses,
Nathan.
Coldride 2025 Results
Big Chill
1st Woman: Alex Burk 11:56
2nd Woman: Sonya Laing 13:46
3rd Woman: Jody Funk 14:28
1st Man: Andy Ward 9:42
2nd Man: Eric Ross 11:07
3rd Man: Mike Coulter 11:17
Freezie
1st Woman: Lisa Barnes 6:40
2nd Woman: Jen Andrews 6:51
3rd Woman: Lindsey Roberts/Roxy Danger 7:15
1st Man: Jeremy Page 5:15
2nd Man: Andrew McLeod 5:20
3rd Man: Jonathan Klisko 7:30
The Bravest Caboose (Lantern Rouge)
Stephen Wik 15:48
Further Reading
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