Team FITaos Racin’ in the Basin!
Racing in the new 2025 jerseys, Team FITaos had a great showing at the 6 hours of the Basin race in Galisteo, NM with 18 junior athletes, parents, and coaches racing! Half of those racing with us were girls and women, continuing this spring’s incredible showing of 50% female riders with FIT. We decided to attend this race to give our juniors the chance to try something totally different for their first race of the season. A bunch of us camped and some arrived the morning of the race. The usual fun was had during preride and the evening before the race as we spent quality time bonding around the fire pit. Our rockstar, Bob Franklin, raced in Aztec on Saturday morning and then drove down to race in Galisteo. The weekend vibe was positive and grassroots and Team FITaos made a great impression as shown in an email from the race organizer after the race, “I just wanted to say thanks to all the Team FITaos folks that came to the race. Your crowd added a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the event and it was great to hear them cheering all day.” Congrats to everyone on always bringing the inclusive and fun energy!
The scenic 9.5 mile course started with a short climb to a ridge and then was super fast and flowy until a gradual ascent the last 2.5 miles to the finish. The idea of a 6-hour race is to do as many laps as possible, finishing the last lap before the 6 hours is up. Some of our riders participated on Duo teams where each team member would trade off taking a lap while others rode in the Solo category. The temperatures were cool and perfect until the winds picked up in the last couple of hours as a huge storm was threatening. The rains held off almost until the very end and made for an exciting awards ceremony. Everyone who showed up and raced succeeded in getting out there and pushing themselves. Seven of our riders finished with podium results.
Thank you to parents and friends who showed up and cheered everyone on!
6 Hours in the Basin Results
Isla Chavez and Bernice O’Reilly 1st Female Duo (6 laps)
Larka Schultz 1st Female Solo Junior (3 laps)
Eleanor Breier 2nd Female Solo Junior 2nd (2 laps)
Silas Conn and Col Cassily 4th Male Duo (6 laps)
Elliot Conn and Olin O’Reilly 8th Male Duo (5 laps)
Harper and Rowan Higdon 12th place Male Duo (3 laps)
Sean Cassily 2nd place Male Solo 55+ (6 laps)
Carrie Dean 1st Female Solo 40-55 (3 laps)
Jeremy Edmonds 3rd Male Open Team (6 laps)
Bob Franklin and Susie Fiore 6th place Co-Ed Team (4 laps)
Angie Higdon and Valery Henderson (first race ever!) 6th place Female Duo (4 laps)
Loren Bell 17th place Male Solo 40-55 17th (6 laps)
In the meantime, the Johnson Family was in Wisconsin for the 2nd stop of the US Pro Cup national series.
Next up, on May 17 some of our team is going to the Vermejo Charcoal Burner gravel race while others are going to the Royal Gorge 6-hour race. The next Team FITaos junior team event will be the Durango Ironhorse mountain bike race on May 25.
Please contact Susie to purchase the super cool 2025 jerseys, cycling shorts, socks, and/or water bottles to support the juniors!
