KÜHL Bike Team Bio: Christian Faatz

Name: Christian Faatz Age: 38 Location: Heber City, Utah. What's your favorite thing to do other than riding? I am a stay-at-home dad so I pretty much ride my bike, usually at 5am, and take care of our three kids. I like to ski, both backcountry and resort, and travel to new places.

What ride sticks out most to you? Riding Porcupine Rim in Moab with a cycling class in college in 1992. We parked at the Slick Rock trailhead to ride the whole loop. It was carnage, no one had enough water or food, the bikes people brought were no where near up to the challenge and it was a hot day. Out of about 20 who started only three or so of us made it back to the cars to go pick the rest up. If you could ride anywhere in the world for a week, where would you go? New Zealand, great trails and amazing landscape. Who inspires you? Tinker Juarez, the dude is over 50 years old and still killing it! What's your worst habit? Riding right on someone's back tire even when were not racing. What is one biker stereotype that you embody? That you stray far from? I am obsessed with gear/equipment and having the latest and greatest. Sometimes I would rather be riding a motorcycle (dirt bike). Favorite gear innovation you have seen? Favorite piece of gear? Biggest peeve about gear? SRAM XX1 has to be the greatest innovation, no front derailleur, what's not to like. My favorite piece of gear is my long sleeve, fleece lined jersey, love that thing on cold mornings in Heber City. My biggest pet peeve is when my chain gets noisy and the rear derailleur gets all stiff at the end of a dusty race. What law(s) have you broken that resulted in a good story? What's the story? I rolled a four way stop on the way to Rock Canyon in Provo and another car at the intersection didn't see me and plowed into me. Just some road rash and a long walk home with a tacoed front wheel. The person who hit me gave me a phony number so no insurance love for the front wheel. What type of racing do I like best, endurance or XC? Lately I have really been more into endurance racing than XC. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a good XC race, but they can be so intense! You have to give everything you've got for 2 hrs and that hurts. In endurance racing you pace yourself and never really get into that lung burning, blistering pace. Sure, forty miles into an endurance race your not feeling so hot, but for me that's easier than pounding out threshold hear rates for 2 hours. I have admittedly only raced three 100 milers in my time and I still favor the 50 milers, but maybe some 100's are on the horizon. And I will still be lining up at all the XC events I can get a hall pass for. What's your biggest insight to trail use? Trail use is always a big one for me. Can't we all just get along and be responsible trail users. What song that makes you most stoked to ride? AwolNation "Sail"! How can you not get pumped by that song! Favorite food and drink post epic ride? A great big, cold Pepsi fountain drink from Maverick....mmmmm.