Keyes Sweep ICUP #6

Congratulations to Brad and Tasha Keyes on their wins last weekend at the Draper Intermountain Cup Race. This is noted as one of the largest XC races in the state of Utah.

Tasha took 1st place for the first time, riding her Bandersnatch. We are definitely enjoying the big grin on her face! Making the race even sweeter was that it was also her birthday! Excellent gift to yourself!

Brad also took 1st place on his Jabberwocky/Rigid. Defeating the many nay-sayers and doubters of the one gear! Wearing his pink jersey in support of the "Win Susan" campaign!

Burn 24 Challenge

The Run

Jeremy, Brian, Dave


The Burn 24 Hour Challenge was a success and we had a great time out there with all the racers. Eddie and Namrita O'Dea put on a stellar event and the BMCC did a great job with the new additions of the trail. The weather was perfect for a 24 hour race and aliens were plentiful at midnight! Last year the trail started at an immediate climb and a sharp turn on to the trail. This year they added some new section that was meant to spread the crowd out before the first climb.

Thank you to everyone that donated to the BMCC for a new Ditch Witch!

Congratulations to Team Arsenal. They took 1st place in the Duo Team - winning the two BanderSnatch frames.

Congratulations to Scott Ramsey (one of the Team Arsenal members) - winning the JabberWocky frame.

Yes, out of 350 riders Scott Ramsey won 2 Vassago frames...the chances of this were slim and yet it was done.

As always - thank you to all sponsors!

Adrenaline Race Team Welcomes Pro Racers

Adrenaline Race Team and Vassago Cycles welcomes the new additions to the 2008 race team! As if taking 1st place in the MBAA Arizona State Championship races wasn't a huge success Adrenaline adds to it's team.

Art McFarland - ProCon Coach and 2007 Expert State Champion.

James Robinson - ProCon Expert

Jeff Herrara - 2007 Expert State Champion and 2008 2nd State Overall Pro


Art McFarland is one of the most respected and well known coaches in the state of Arizona and currently coaches many of the top road and mountain bike racers out there. Art is also a Cat 3 Road Racer and State Champion Mountain Bike racer.

James had an excellent year in 2007 with podium finishes in many of the expert class races and a major threat to Team Manager of Adrenaline Darrin Austin. Darrin states that last year he just kept seeing James getting faster and faster and never giving in.

Jeff took State in Expert Class last year and 2nd in the Pro Class this year. Jeff had the fastest lap this year at the 24 Hours of Old Pueble - note there were 2000 riders at the start. Jeff kept a tight grasp on Floyd Landis and Nat Ross at the Whiskey 50, coming in right behind them.

Congratulations Adrenaline Race Team and the newest additions to the family. We can't wait to see you guys out there kickin' ass!

The Burn 24 Hour Challenge, May 24-25

The Burn 24 Hour Challenge is back at Dark Mountain Trails in Wilkesboro, NC, this coming weekend - May 24 and 25. Eddie and Namrita O'Dea - Directors of The Burn - have been working with the BMCC to make this the best BURN so far. The trails have been upgraded, there are more alien abductions, a kids race has been added to Sunday. This race is an all around good family time.

After speaking with Namrita they ensure us you will have a kick ass time at this year's Burn and there are going to be REAL alien abductions this year. The O'Deas are always working to make this a race event you will not forget and their efforts are paying off with a record of more than 50 riders in the solo division.

Vassago cycles has 3 frames in the prize pile. There are two BanderSnatch frames in the Duo Team category and we have thrown in a JabberWocky for the free raffle. Be sure to register your name for that free raffle - they have a lot of prizes to hand out!

Online registration will be open until May 22nd (tomorrow) at 11:59 PM EST. This is the easiest option for everyone: sign up online, check in on Friday, race on Saturday. You can also register on site on Friday, May 23rd from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A late fee of $20 will apply and t-shirts can not be guaranteed.

And due to the tragedy of the Ditch Witch while working on the trails, the BMCC will be taking donations at the race to get a new Ditch Witch and to keep fixing our trails. Please stop over there and help out where you can!

Suzuki 24 Hours of Conyers - Granny Gear

WOW! We're throwing a huge congratulations to Eddie and Namrita, as they kicked ass at Conyers this weekend - 2nd race in the 24 Hour series put on by Granny Gear Productions. The race was held at the Georgia International Horse Park, which was used for the 1996 Olympic Games mountain bike events.

We watched through the live events and scoring updates on the Granny Gear website and cheered the Dynamic Duo on!

Plagued with some technical issues on forks 3 days before the race we sent a new White Bros Magic 80 down to Eddie. He received the fork on Friday, set it up and raced it on Saturday. Namrita switch between her Magic 80 and the ODIS fork throughout the race. A few issues and an excellent support crew from Addictive Cycles these two still battled their way to 1st place!

You can read the full race press release at MTBR Press!

We hear you ITALY!

These two keep us excited.

Eddie O'Dea - 1st place Men's Solo

Namrita O'Dea - 1st place Women's Solo

Fastest Lap Overall Women's

Photos courtesy of Granny Gear Productions

All photos taken by Carl Mesta @ mestaphotos.com

MBAA State Championships

A huge congratulations to Adrenaline Race Team!!! They competed in the 7th and final race of the MBAA State Championship races this past weekend. The final race of the series was held in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Tom Ament took State in SS Advanced category

Matt Conners took State in Expert 19-39

Evan Smith took State in SS Novice class

Left to Right: Chris Grove, Doug Kennedy, Tom Ament, Chris Latham, Scott Countryman

Congratulations to the entire team.

Look for updates on Adrenaline Race Team over the next couple of weeks as we bring you more exciting news out of Arizona!

12 Hours of Tsali

Brian Archer and Chris Davis headed over to the 12 Hours of Tsali race in Bryson City, NC this past weekend. Hoping to better their standings from last year at Tsali the race started with a ¼ mile uphill run and off they were. Brian tried out the new Vulpine tire from WTB in the rear with a WeirWolf in the front, good karma stayed with him and the trails were hardpack.

Congratulations

Brian Archer - 3rd place finish

Chris Davis - 6th place finish

Congrats to Eli Geske, out of Florida - Won 1st place - Riding the Optimus Ti

Eckerd Youth Alternative Fat Tire Festival

Jeremy Arnold - 1st place finish

Jeremy Arnold made a last minute decision to race the Eckerd Youth Alternatives Fat Tire Festival in Dupont State Forest, NC, and we're happy he did. The Eckerd program, in Newport, NC: Camp E-Ma-Henwu, helped Jeremy out when he was a teenager, so how perfect that he could do a race benefiting them.

The race was held in Hendersonville's Camp E-Toh-Kalu - giving riders the chance to enter areas not open to the public at Dupont.

Taylor Brooks Foundation

We wear the gold ribbon in support of children with cancer

Vassago Cycles has teamed up with Dirty Spokes to support the Taylor Brooks Foundation. We at Vassago Cycles are very passionate about childhood cancer and raising awareness to an amazing foundation that does not receive half the research funds it needs. It has become a mission we are proud to be part of.

Vassago Cycles has donated a frame that will be raffled between now and October 11th, 2008 at the Dirty Spokes 12/6 Hour Mountain Bike Race - Georgia International Horse Park, Conyers, Ga (ALL proceeds from the raffle go to the Taylor Brooks Foundation). Raffle tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased through the Dirty Spokes web site.

We urge you to read the story of mountain bike racer Jeff Brooks and his wife. their daughter lost her fight against cancer on April 1, 2008.

We wish the Brooks family all the best and our thoughts are with you.

Taylor Brooks Foundation

We wear the gold ribbon in support of children with cancer

Vassago Cycles has teamed up with Dirty Spokes to support the Taylor Brooks Foundation. We at Vassago Cycles are very passionate about childhood cancer and raising awareness to an amazing foundation that does not receive half the research funds it needs. It has become a mission we are proud to be part of.

Vassago Cycles has donated a frame that will be raffled between now and October 11th, 2008 at the Dirty Spokes 12/6 Hour Mountain Bike Race - Georgia International Horse Park, Conyers, Ga (ALL proceeds from the raffle go to the Taylor Brooks Foundation). Raffle tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased through the Dirty Spokes web site.

We urge you to read the story of mountain bike racer Jeff Brooks and his wife. their daughter lost her fight against cancer on April 1, 2008.

We wish the Brooks family all the best and our thoughts are with you.

Welcome Adrenaline Race Team

Vassago Cycles is excited to announce the co-sponsor partnership with Adrenaline Race Team based out of Arizona. Darrin Austin has built a team that has a wide range of riders from beginner to Pro. Tom Ament joined Adrenaline Race Team at the beginning of 2008. These guys love to race and love to have fun.

2008 MBAA Race Series

Left to Right: Chris Latham, Tom Ament, Deejay Birtch, Darrin Austin

Currently the team is racing this weekend at the MBAA Final Race in the series. Current standings for the team at the MBAA Series, as of race #6:

1st place Adrenaline Race Team - sponsored by Coyotes Athletic Centers

2nd place Swiss American Racing - sponsored by Swiss American Bicycle

3rd place Primus Cycling - sponsored by Fetish Cycles

Good luck out there guys!

Suzuki 24 Hours of Conyers

With the original race course redesigned and rerouted with 9 miles per lap we're excited to have Eddie O'Dea and Namrita O'Dea out there racing this weekend. Eddie, who took 3rd, and Namrita, who took 1st in Vail , we're sure will have a good race in Conyers. We'll be watching the live results back at the ranch. We would also like to thank Team Addictive for taking care of Eddie and Namrita through the 24 hour event.

There is a good line up going in the Men's Solo category but if you haven't read it - Namrita is asking for more women to come out and compete! Don't let her down - we need the women out there racing!

Namrita and Eddie recently spoke with CyclingNews about the upcoming race. "You always feel a little extra pressure racing on your home course," said Eddie O'Dea. "I set this out as the race I wanted to win at the start of my 24 [hour] career, and I haven't done that yet." MORE:

Minnesota State Championship Series #1

Congratulations to Steve and Zach Stilwell. They started their race season this past weekend, hitting the Minnesota State Championship series. Steve riding the Optimus Ti and Zach riding a Jabberwocky. With the threat of canceling the race and 40 degree start weather they were ready to get out there and ride! Riders rode out in waves of 4 - Zach above headed out in the 1st wave.

Race results:

Steve: 1st place overall, 1st place age group, 1st place gender

Zach: 3rd place overall, 1st place age group, 3rd place gender

Vassago Welcomes Brad and Tasha Keyes

Coming from the great state of Utah, Brad and Tasha contacted Vassago Cycles about a team sponsorship and great things happened from there. We usually do not add to a team in the middle of the season but the email request and dedication to 29ers caught our attention.

Brad started out with a Karate Monkey when it first hit the market (we all love the KM) and moved on to other 29ers from there. When his 29er died he jumped back on his 26 and it just wasn't working for him. What was his intrigue with Vassago? Wet Cat Geometry!

In 2007 Brad competed in the Intermountain Cup Series, Single Speed Class
1st place 5-mile Pass
1st place Evanston Wolverine Ridge
1st place Frozen Hog
2nd place Cholla Challenge
2nd place Soldier Hollow
2nd place Draper Challenge
2nd place Sundance Spin
2nd place Snowbird Mountainbout
3rd place Deer Valley

Tasha has been racing for a majority of the past 10 years off and on, with the past couple years dedicating herself to racing. In 2007, she competed in the Park City E50, a tough 50 mile course with 10,000 feet of climbing and 100% technical single track.

In 2007, Tasha took on quite a few races - a few below:
3rd place Women's 35+ Draper, Intermountain Cup Series
4th place Park City E100/50 women's
1st place women's relay team LOTOJA

For 2008, she has already raced in the Desert Rampage Intermountain Cup Series and finished 2nd place.

When not racing Brad and Tasha are running their own business making an endurance sports drink called CarboRocket and are also developing their private land in Gooseberry Mesa, where they held the first Gooseberry Mesa 100 this year.

We're excited to have these two on board.