More Grins Than Wins

Davenport IA – The Quad Cities Bicycle Club (QCBC) is excited to announce the return of the Quad Cities Faterium as part of the 2026 Quad Cities Criterium, taking place Monday, May 25, 2026 (Memorial Day) in the Village of East Davenport. This year’s Faterium will celebrate Dustin Collison’s memory. Dustin's spontaneous and inspired rain-soaked ride in 2014 sparked one of this race weekend's most beloved modern traditions.

Event Manager Tom Schuler vividly remembers the moment it all began. During a rain delay at the 2014 Quad Cities Criterium, Schuler was taking shelter inside Grumpy’s Saloon when he saw a rider – helmet-less, soaked, and grinning – charging down 11th Street on a fat bike loaded with panniers.

“Even though it was pouring out, every time he came around for another hot lap, it seemed like more people on fat bikes or mountain bikes had joined him,” Schuler said. “It was crazy, but that party atmosphere is part of what makes the Quad Cities Criterium so fun. The local mountain bike group, QCFORC, has an amazing party right on the course.”

That rider was Dustin Collison, a Davenport native preparing to kick off his summer with the first-ever River to River bicycle cruise on the Iowa segment of Historic Highway 6. As the rain cleared and the laps kept coming, a new race was born.

According to Seeley Dave's 2025 article at Fat-Bike.com, Dustin stated the following: “I think it was the first year Tom took over the race in 2014. I showed up with my Fat Bike decked out for cross-country touring as I was about to kick off the summer with the first-ever River to River bicycle cruise on the Iowa segment of Historic Hwy 6. It started to rain, and most people were trying to take shelter. I knew that I was going to have to deal with rain on my bike trip across Iowa once, Illinois 1.5 times, and Wisconsin twice, that summer, so I embraced it and did hot laps of the course until the rain cleared. It was awesome. The rain felt great. It did not take long for my friends to join me.”

The Quad Cities Bicycle Club President Tina Reyes felt it was really important to celebrate and remember Dustin as he passed away suddenly last fall. He had a passion for cycling and was a friend to all. Through his local printing business DCI Print, Dustin worked with the QCBC on many signage projects. Dustin also was a big-hearted person and gave back to cycling events with fun decals. For 10 years, Dustin did a unique decal for Reyes Charity bike Rider Tour de Brew QC and many other events in the area.

Dustin was also well-known in the national bicycling community, as he often had couch-surfing cyclists from around the globe staying at his loft apartment above the River Cities' Reader in downtown Davenport, Iowa. He made many friends hosting more than 60 cyclists who were enjoying the only place in the U.S. where two national bike trails cross, blocks away on the Mississippi River.

What began as an impromptu ride has grown into the Quad Cities Faterium, consistently drawing around 40 fat-bike riders to the start line of one of Iowa’s most venerable bicycle racing events. Like most fat-bike criteriums, the Faterium is more about grins than wins, but racers are still encouraged to kit up, bring their winter race machines, and lay down some good-natured peloton pressure.

The 2026 Quad Cities Criterium marks the 58th running of the race, contested annually on Memorial Day. The challenging, crowd-friendly course through the Village of East Davenport provides an exciting day of racing and a festival-like atmosphere for cyclists and fans alike. More information about the Quad Cities Criterium can be found at QuadCitiesCriterium.com.

The Quad Cities Bicycle Club was organized in early 1964 and originally affiliated with the Amateur Bicycle League of America (now USA Cycling). Early club activities included racing, touring, and social riding. QCBC was incorporated in the State of Iowa in 1971 and continues to support cycling events, advocacy, and community today. Learn more about the QCBC at QCBC.org.

Tina Reyes, Todd McGreevy, and Seeley Dave contributed to this article. Read Dave's “Long Live the QC Faterium” at Fat-Bike.com/2025/05/long-live-the-quad-cities-faterium.