The 3rd annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship attracted racers from seven states, March 10-12, 2017

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC, USA, March 13, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Racers from seven states battled in three divisions to determine the fastest in the sand at the 3rd annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Weather conditions were perfect with temperatures in the upper 50s, a sunny sky, and winds 5 to 10 mph.

The one-mile oval course, loaded with obstacles, packed sand, and slow-grinding loose sand, was constructed beach-side at host hotel Blockade Runner Beach Resort. Male and female champions were awarded in the 8-mile Fat Race, 16-mile Really Fat Race, and the 24-mile Elite Super Fat Championship Race.

Twenty-one-year-old Andrew Bailey of Piney Flats, Tennessee, captured the 24-mile elite male championship, besting 2015 champion Ben Brown of Wilmington, NC, and 2016 winner Robert Marion, known as "Fear The Beard" from Mount Airy, NC. Marion and Bailey are team-mates on the American Classic/Xpedo Professional Mountain Bike Team.

“I never raced fat bike before today,” said elite male champion and professional biker Andrew Bailey. “I got a fat bike a couple of weeks ago and did some training. Fat bike racing is so much fun and different from what we normally do I definitely want to do more of these races. The course today was awesome. It was perfect for me, a good mix of technical and also some really hard power sections which I like, full-throttle racing the whole time.”

Zdenka Worsham of Raleigh, NC, won the elite women's title, pulling ahead of Philicia Marion of Mount Airy, and 2016's champion Jesse Piersol, of Downington, PA.

April Zilg, the tenth-ranked woman in the world in professional standup paddleboard, came in first place in the 8-mile women's division.

Race results:

24-Mile Elite Super Fat Race - Overall

Men's Division
1. Andrew Bailey, Piney Flats, TN
2. Benjamin Brown, Wilmington, NC
3. Robert Marion, Mount Airy, NC
4. Bob Moss, Cary, NC
5. John Overton, Wilmington, NC

Women's Division
1. Zdenka Worsham, Raleigh, NC
2. Philicia Marion, Mount Airy, NC
3. Jesse Piersol, Downington, PA

16-Mile Really Fat Race - Overall

Men's Division
1. Ed Stilley, Wilmington, NC
2. Craig Hendrix, Spartanburg, SC
3. Barry Wray, Wilmington, NC
4. David Lennard, Wilmington, NC
5. Joe Baes, New Bern, NC

Women's Division
1. Alexandra Christopulos, Vienna, VA
2. Della Marshall, Carolina Beach, NC

8-Mile Fat Race - Overall

Men's Division
1. Eric Stock, Wake Forest, NC
2. David Wall, Whispering Pines, NC
3. Noah Pierson, Wrightsville Beach, NC
4. Steve Grafton, Cornelius, NC
5. Erik Post, Hampstead, NC

Women's Division
1. April Zilg, Wilmington, NC
2. Barbara Gaylord, Whispering Pines, NC
3. Susan Pendse, Raleigh, NC
4. Julia Nicholls, Morehead City, NC

“I think the course was definitely harder this year, it was tighter in sections, which made it more difficult to negotiate traffic and terrain,” said Robert Marion, Bailey’s teammate, and last year’s elite champion. “But on the flip side, the course design made it more tactical, and you had to be smart with decisions. We worked together on the course, then Robert dropped the hammer about the last five laps and brought it home for the team.”

“I have to thank Robert for giving me this opportunity,” said Bailey, a recent addition to the team. “Also, we appreciate the support of American Classic and all of the sponsors, including Maxxis and Raleigh.”

The 3rd annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship will benefit the Wrightsville Beach Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public parks and amenities for residents and the island’s hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Click for Complete Results and More Photos

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
www.NCPressRelease.org
www.RBButler.com

#FatBike #MountainBike #Cyclocross #FearTheBeard #BlockadeRunner #UCI #WrightsvilleBeach #FatCross #RobertMarion #AndrewBailey #ShawnSpencer #ZdenkaWorsham #AprilZilg

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Robert B Butler
North Carolina Press Release
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