50 Ways to Ride the Chequamegon
Essay Contest to Award Race Spots

Each spring the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival lottery selection process determines who is in and who is not for the 2,750 race spots allowed. With nearly 4,000 applications submitted each year for these limited spots, some think the toughest challenge in the Chequamegon event is simply getting in.

Lottery losers, late comers, Chequamegon newbie’s take note, with a bit of creative effort, you still have a chance to ride in this year's sold out event.  The winners of the 50 Ways to Ride the Chequamegon essay contest will each be awarded one of fifty reserved registrations for this year's event.

Contrary to the contest title, essays don’t have to list fifty individual reasons for wanting to ride. Letters with varied requests for entry have taken the form of cycling stories, original songs, poems, drawings, parodies and even chunky crayon notes from children.  These and others have all been used to gain the judge’s favor. Past submissions have sighted family relations, health considerations, personal event history, advocacy efforts, race resumes, demographics and other valid reasons for wanting to ride.

A multi-point scale is used to score each submission. Originality, creativity, humor, sincerity, special effort and a variety of other diverse factors produce a overall score for each essay. Competition for the reserved entry allotment is keen with several hundred submissions expected for the coveted fifty reserved registrations.

Essays must be legible, with a 500 word maximum (most are much less) and be postmarked to our PO 267 address below or E-mailed to the Chequamegon office no later than July 1. If you are considering a three dimensional submission please keep the size reasonable, nothing over twenty inches by twenty inches and ship it to our 13460 Spruce Street address below.  Shortly after that date, submissions will be judged and winners selected. All those who entered the contest will be notified of the outcome by July 15.

Winners will get reserved entries. Those out of the winning column will be encouraged to join the spectator or volunteer fun at the Chequamegon event in the fall. The decision of the judges is final in this last-chance-at-an-entry-spot essay contest. All essays become property of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, will not be returned and may be reproduced at some future date without notification.

To be included in this year’s “50 Ways to Ride the Chequamegon” essay contest postmark your essay to Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, PO Box 267, 13460 Spruce Street, Cable, WI 54821 by July 1. E-mail submissions are acceptable if received by the July 1 deadline at cheqfat@cheqnet.net.