Winter might be winding down on the calendar, but fat-bikers are still pushing deep into the cold. A 700-mile mission to Nome lead to Arctic fundraising rides gone sideways, and one gloriously over-the-top custom fat-bike that might break your brain. In between, we’ve got some Lab chatter on “one upgrade to rule them all” and a couple of gear ideas to help you finish snow season strong.

Are you racing this week, bikepacking into the sloppy season, or just rolling the local groomed loop? Hit reply and tell me what your fat-bike is doing this week.

Time to Hit the Trail Westward: 700-Mile Fat-Bike Trek to Nome
Fairbanks lifer turns 63 by pointing a fat-bike at the Bering Sea.

Fairbanks-based writer and adventurer Ned Rozell is teaming up with friend Forest Wagner to ride fat-bikes roughly 700 miles from Fairbanks to Nome, aiming to follow frozen rivers and winter trails all the way to the Seward Peninsula. They’re chasing hard-packed snow and racing the spring melt after a late, brutally cold start to winter.
https://nationaltoday.com/us/ak/fairbanks/news/2026/03/21/fairbanks-man-plans-700-mile-fat-bike-trek-to-nome/

After a Frigid Delay, It’s Time to Hit the Trail Westward
Science writer trades lab notes for windburn on the Yukon-to-Nome line.

Alaska Science Forum and Anchorage Daily News both picked up Rozell’s plan, framing it as a “go now or lose the trail to breakup” mission across rivers, portages, and wide-open coastal tundra. It’s a nice reminder that the big adventures aren’t always races, sometimes they’re just two friends, loaded fat-bikes, and a very long line on the map.
https://www.gi.alaska.edu/alaska-science-forum/time-hit-trail-westward
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2026/03/20/after-a-frigid-delay-its-time-to-hit-the-trail-westward/

From Anchorage With Love - The Greg Matyas Story
Pinkbike accidentally publishes something worth reading about fat-bikes!

Pinkbike runs a long-form profile on Greg Matyas (yes, the Fatback guy) charting how one Anchorage shop rat ended up shaping the modern Alaskan fat-bike scene. For folks who know him from the early days of 135s and homebrew frames, it’s wild seeing that history told to the trail-enduro masses.
https://www.pinkbike.com/u/redfoxrun/blog/from-anchorage-with-love-the-greg-matyas-story.html

Project XL “Double Bacon Cheesebrother” from Sentient Works
A custom fat-bike that looks like it ate your gravel bike for breakfast. And an Omnium!

Bikepacking.com and The Radavist both feature Sentient Works’ Project XL Double Bacon Cheesebrother, a deeply custom, ultra-long-wheelbase, rack-ready fat-bike built for big-load, all-weather bikepacking. Think oversized tubes, mega tire clearance, and more braze-ons than a NASA test mule—exactly the kind of “why not?” energy fat-bikes were born from.
https://bikepacking.com/news/project-xl-double-bacon-cheesebrother/
https://theradavist.com/sentient-works-project-xl-double-bacon-cheesebrother

Louise Minchin’s Arctic Circle Fat-Bike Challenge Ends in Frostbite
BBC presenter finds the hard edge of “just one more layer.”

Former BBC Breakfast host Louise Minchin set out to ride about 300 miles inside the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Northwest Territories to raise money for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, pairing up with ultra-endurance legend Mimi Anderson. After about a quarter of the distance, savage cold and wind led to frostbite and an early exit, with Minchin ending up in hospital but reportedly safe, warm, and recovering. The average fat-bike rider wouldn’t get coverage like this!
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddq40lypldo
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/a70800562/louise-minchin-arctic-cycle/
https://metro.co.uk/2026/03/21/bbc-breakfast-star-hospitalised-frostbite-attempting-arctic-circle-cycle-challenge-27570408/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15666487/Louise-Minchin-hospital-emergency-frostbite-quit-challenge.html
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/38586521/bbc-breakfast-star-hospital-frostbite-extreme-challenge/

In the Lab: One Upgrade That Changed Your Fat-Bike the Most
Spoiler: it’s not always carbon rims.

In the Lab this week, we asked: “What’s the one upgrade that changed your fat-bike the most?” While droppers and carbon rims remain the heavy hitters, a lot of riders are swearing by simple cockpit swaps like more sweep on the bars for better backs and longer rides. Join the conversation and drop your own “best upgrade ever” story.
https://fat-bike.com/community

Weekly Dose of Fat – Thursday, March 19, 2026
Last week’s all-killer, no-filler recap.

If you missed last Thursday’s Weekly Dose, catch up on race results, gear chatter, and some prime winter stoke from around the fat-bike world. It’s the perfect warm-up scroll before this week’s deeper dives.
https://news.fat-bike.com/p/weekly-dose-of-fat-thursday-march-19-2026

Why I Just Turned Off Google Ads on Fat-bike.com
No need for surveillance capitalism.

Greg pulls back the curtain on why fat-bike.com pulled the plug on Google ads, talking about reader experience, tracking, and keeping the site’s vibe closer to a trailhead parking lot than an algorithmic casino. If you care how indie bike media survives, this one’s worth a read.
https://fat-bike.com/2026/03/why-i-turned-off-google-ads/

PNW Components Dropper Post (External or Internal)
You know you like to go low!

Droppers came up big in this week’s Lab chatter, and for good reason, they turn awkward, off-camber snow descents into something a lot closer to “fun” than “yard sale.” In stock now from a fat-bike-friendly brand with good service.
AvantLink link to PNW Components - https://alnk.to/3cpJvD2

Talkeetna, AK - The Trio video
Al from PowderhoundAK on the YouTube made this!

Our erstwhile Fatbassador, Travis Hubbard sent this and said “The Trio was this weekend, perfect weather and the best trail conditions I've seen in my 11 Trio's.” He added that “Half of the course doesn't exist until the Speedway crew puts it in around February. Sometimes it falls apart, I've pushed for miles. It was all rideable!”

Following the 2026 Iditarod Trail Invitational
Because some people think 1,000 frozen miles is a good time.

Adventure writers and racers continue to spill stories and photos from this year’s ITI, showcasing fat-bikes crawling over passes, across rivers, and through the kind of wind that erases your tracks behind you. It’s a good reminder that every groomed local loop owes something to the weirdos who first decided to ride snow for days on end.
https://jilloutside.substack.com/p/following-the-2026-iditarod-trail
https://itialaska.com/updates

Thanks for riding along for another Weekly Dose of Fat. Whether you’re pointing at Nome, sneaking in shoulder-season laps, or just commuting through the slopppy shoulder season, we’re stoked you’re out there.

What race or trip are you eyeing next winter (or this summer)? Hit reply and tell me so we can cheer you on.

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