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Race Report: That Effin' Vassago Team @ Fire on the Rim

1K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  cstem 
#1 ·
Last weekend a bad ass race went down, and if you were not there you surely missed out!

The race was Fire on the Rim in Pine, Arizona which hosts the hardest course in the state and the best party anywhere. After a long hard summer of working real jobs, Dennis (Dirtbyte), Guy (Tacobeer) and I decided that we should cop out and race the team event. That meant we only had to do 16 miles each, and we upped the ante by doing it single speed.

The weekend started early on Friday when I arrived later in the day to find both my teammates pretty hammered and ready to keep partying. Keeping in the Vassago tradition, I quickly tried to get to their level and had to stay up until about 1 am to do it!

The morning came around much sooner than we wanted and I was really happy the guys decided I would ride the third stint. Looking at the entries I was expecting a top five if we didn't puke much, and was hoping for a nice battle with our other buds from the Southwest side of town (FINS/Estrella) named Safety First. Guy went out first and thanks to a serious soil sample taken by Derek from Safety First we were only down 32 seconds. At this point, Safety First was a bad omen for those guys! Dennis went out second stint for us against Ken, who put us down another 4 minutes, all while Wilson (Safety First third rider) and I tended to Derek and his plight in the ambulance. Wilson took off about five minutes ahead of us on the third stint and I knew we had our top 5 locked up pretty solid at this point.

When I went out for my teams final lap, I was met with a doe and her baby about a mile in. They just stared at me like I was crazy, and then I started the Hardscrabble climb and knew they were onto something! Right before the Water Tower, I passed a dude who siad (at least my oxygen deprived body thought) he was a team racer too. Mental math in full effect I set a new goal of trying to get a podium for our team. I really thought the 5+ minutes would be insurmountable unless something happened, but then it did. Safety First Wilson was cramping in his upper body, which I did not know. I caught him with about four miles to go at the beginning of the "Tech" section. It's not really technical, but when you are blind from effort on the taxing climbs-it can get weird pretty quick.

As I passed Wilson who had just crashed and was refilling all his goods from his jersey pockets I made more numb mental calculations. Me, single speed. He, geared. Lots of little punchy climbs for 2.5 miles and the rest, slightly downhill and lots of fire road. I knew he could catch me! I sold out like a street hooker five days off a fix and found myself running along my bike up the little climbs and flinging myself down the steeps like I was Brian Lopes. (Actually, looking back I am surprised how fast I hit that stuff after a year of riding scared from my last good crash).

I spun out early on the long smooth downhills and tucked into aero mode for any speed I could find. As I rounded the last turn into the venue I saw my teammates going nuts, as well as my friends from Safety First, I crossed the line happier than I have ever been from any finish, in any race during my life. I had no idea if I pulled enough time to beat our buddies, but was just stoked that at the effort we put in together.

Here is a little video Taco put together!

We nailed third by a scant 5 minutes or so (second was a full 30 minutes up on us) and as we stood on the podium all I could think about was the great time I had with our team, our buddies from Safety First and our families. We have already decided the rematch is next year- and we ALL are going single speed! Who wants to join us and compete in the coolest event in the state!

Special thanks to those who help me race and ride. Vassago Bicycles, Swiss American (always and forever), Shadetree and Flat Tire Bikes as well as BicycleWorldTV.com and most importantly my wife. It would be hard to say I could not do it on my own, but you all make it much easier to be a retired racer! And of course my teammates. These two guys are some of the coolest friends one could ever have. We push each other to do things and some times a lot of nothing, but it all counts! I hope to share many more hangovers and memories with Dennis and Guy.

If you were ever on the fence about riding/racing an event-do Fire on the Rim. I would say over half the entrants are there for the personal challenge and not to "win". The vibe is great and the course is fun as hell. Families are encouraged, plus there is great camping, amenities, music, food, brew, child care and the wonderful towns of Pine and Strawberry. Plus every single dollar (over $6k from just the beer sales from That Brewery alone) goes to making new trail up there! Cannot wait for 2016!
 
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#3 ·
That was a serious sprint to the finish!! It was fun hanging with everyone this weekend. Here's a few pics to go with the story.

Tent Land lot Woody plant Soil Shade

Our campsite on the final turn.

Natural environment Plant community Soil Trail Woody plant

When you're not feeling it, stop, sit in the shade, eat snacks & take pics!!

Cap Bicycles--Equipment and supplies Bicycle tire Bicycle jersey Bicycle handlebar

Cstem before turning himself inside out on his lap.

Bicycle wheel Bicycle frame Bicycle Bicycle wheel rim Tree

Nancy powering home a 45 mile SS finish!!

Shorts Tablecloth Bovine Boot Bermuda shorts

******* & Jolly making the podium.

Podium Electric blue Box Carton Games

Nancy enjoying the perch on top.

Social group Community Shorts Youth Crew

How many mountain bikers can you fit on one square foot of plywood? (Answer: 3)
 
#4 ·
AWESOME write up Cory! I had an Effin BLAST at this race. They have such a good vibe at that thing and do such an incredible job running the event. Everyone is so nice, and organized, it just seems to run so smoothly. If you have never done this race, you really should put it on your list for next year. Even if you have never raced, sign up for the 15 miler and go for it. It is extremely well supported.

Everything about this year was maximum on the fun scale. Friday, got there early and got an early start on the "Hydration" preparations for the race, and watched/helped everyone roll in and get setup.

Friday night music/sign-in/party was AMAZING.

Saturday morning race prep went extremely well, the RACE was crazy fun. I LOVE that course, and would not change a thing. I am learning to LOVE Hardscrabble, wait no HATE Hardscrabble, no seriously, I actually think I am looking forward to hitting it again.

Saturday night we emptied the clip! Great food, band was awesome, and hanging with the guys was so much fun!

Thanks for adding to the write up John (or is it Seron, I am so gullible, LOL)!

I am still up on cloud nine! Can't wait until next year.

Thanks Pine/Strawberry for putting on this event. I appreciate every single one of the Volunteers who make this event what it is!
 
#5 ·
Cory, great story.... Thanks for sharing your experience. The spirit captured therein really speaks to what this race is about. I'm hoping that this will motivate a few more flatlanders to venture up to Pine next September and get in on the fun. I met a lot of riders over the weekend and hopefully I'll see them back next year... 277 paid racers ... same exact # as last year... hoping to break 300 next year with a little better marketing... y'all can help by spreading the good vibe (which, it seems, everyone is already doing).
 
#14 ·
Screw that. Do 15 and stop at the beer aid station and then get back and grab another beer and watch all the suckers doing the 30 and 45 miles role in while you relax in style. Just sayin'.
 
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