PINEDALE – There is a silver lining to the changes and upheaval wrought by the pandemic.

During the past five years, the Colorado resort town of Crested Butte hosted the World Fat Bike Championships sponsored by Borealis Fat Bikes. Due to public health orders issued by authorities in Gunnison County this fall, World Fat Bike Championship organizers faced cancellation.

“Because of requirements for events (in Gunnison County), we didn’t think we could pull it off this year in Crested Butte,” said David Ochs, executive director at the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association and Fat Bike Championship sponsor.

The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association announced its conundrum on Facebook, and the post caught the attention of Darren Hull, executive director at the Sublette County Chamber of Commerce.

Hull reached out to the World Fat Bike Championship board and proposed relocating the event to the wide open and less congested space in Sublette County.

The World Fat Bike Championship team jumped at the chance to hold its event in 2021. Sublette County also stood to benefit.

“I figured that this was a good opportunity for the (Sublette County) chamber to help local business through the winter quiet time,” Hull said.

Race day is on Saturday, Jan. 16, and comprises several different divisions. The “really competitive athletes”