AZXC Volunteer
Event:
Fat Tire Toys for Tots Bike Ride from Flagstaff to the Grand
Canyon (almost)
Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3
AZXC Volunteers
Brian Hauser and Brenda Peters (soon to be Hauser)
Mike Robinson
Dan Swislow and his dog, Shoki
Sharon Graves and Jodi, and their dogs Dottie (psycho) and
Spike
Marshall Stone
Travis Williams and his father John Williams “Doc”
Mark and Shannon Swartz, and their dog Kuma
Steve Blass
Shanna and Leland O’Brien, and their dogs Rocky and
Natasha
Friday: The
Arrival
People arrived at the campsite outside of Flagstaff at various
times. The last group of several vehicles had driven together
from Phoenix and had dinner in Flag. The weather was wonderful,
especially for us Phoenicians. There was some campfire socialization
among club members and ride coordinators, but with a meeting
time of 6am, this ended early. This was a shame given the
amount of time it took Marshall to get a fire started.
The only drama of the evening was Bailey’s
bad behavior. The white lab belonging to one of the event
coordinators was not a happy camper and snapped at Rocky,
Natasha, and Kuma. No harm was done.
Saturday:
The Ride
Morning came way too early for us all, but especially for
Marshall. We each got our maps, instructions, and event
t-shirts, then hit the road. The weather was perfect: a
threat of rain here and there, but it stayed dry and the
cloud cover kept the temperature cool. Most trucks had assigned
stops while others were rovers.
There were roughly 97 riders, including
John, Travis’ dad. The course wasn’t highly
technical for mountain biking, but it was long (65 miles)
and had several sections of thick, nasty mud. Throughout
the day, a few of us had the opportunity to assist riders
with drinks, Vaseline (don’t ask – something
to do with chafing), and a couple of rides. Mike got to
witness a glorious crash as a rider went spread-eagle into
a mud pit. At SAG 2, the volunteers running the stop apparently
got tired of Marshall and sent him a few miles back to provide
a mini-SAG stop.
One particularly gnarly mud pit sucked
in an X. Dan just couldn’t resist playing in the mud,
even though he was by himself and didn’t know where
another truck might be. Lee and Shanna heard on the FRS,
“Is anyone there? I’m stuck.” Yellowjacket
to the rescue and he was out in no time. Brian came along
during the recovery and just had to show off by driving
right through the pit. Mike Robinson learned that the trees
in that part of the woods don’t move too easily –
but he may get a cool new rear bumper as a result!
An AZXC salute to the many riders who
solicited sponsors for the ride, collecting over $20K for
Toys for Tots. These people started at around 7am and rode
up to 8 hours through mud, over rocks, and up hills. They
were muddy and tired; some suffered muscle cramps for many
miles. They and the volunteers were rewarded with an excellent
fajita dinner and free Fat Tire beer (while it lasted) at
the finish.
Camping was pretty spread out and a couple
of trucks had left for home already, but several of us got
together for an AZXC campfire. Leland and Shanna watched
sunset at the Grand Canyon while several people back at
camp witnessed Dan’s dog, Shoki, suffer a convulsive
fit, then act as though nothing had happened. We spent most
of the evening laughing as Marshall and Dan while they did
a variety of movie-character impersonations. There was one
tire-marking, but otherwise, we mostly behaved like adults
(possibly because Leland did not bring his Knob. Shame,
shame.)
Sunday
The Marines who had made dinner for every one the night
before cooked up a great breakfast for us all (well, for
those who got up before 7am). Five trucks headed back to
Phoenix caravan-style and got home in time to wash the 20lbs
of mud off their trucks.
Prolog
We were thanked many times by both the event coordinators,
including Dirty Girls M1 and M2, and by the riders. Many
riders said they were comforted knowing that we were around
in case something happened to them. The weather was good
this year, but past years have seen rain storms that left
riders stranded for hours. We have been asked to assist
again next year, only next time, we’ll be in charge
of coordinating the support effort (e.g., truck spacing,
movement, etc.)
Mark and Shannon indicated a desire
to participate in the event next year (and they’re
AZXC members who might actually do it!) Question: Will the
AZXC sponsor a rider or two?
