Vermejo Charcoal Burner Results
A small but mighty group of Team FITaos riders went to the Vermejo Charcoal Burner gravel and trail running races on May 17. This event is really unique as the courses and the camping are all on private property (one of Ted Turner’s ranches). The landscape is a mixture of open meadows and huge ponderosa forests with creeks and lots of wildlife. The views of the east side of the snow-covered Sangre de Cristos (Culebra Peak) from parts of the course are stunning. There are 3 distances for riders to choose from: 41 miles, 66 miles, and 100 miles.
Coaches and dads, Sean Cassily and Zach Johnson, chose to race for 66 miles. Sean felt strong and consistent throughout and, after repairing an unfortunate puncture, finished strong. Zach had a rough day due to muscle cramps in his legs beginning at mile 45. Sometimes finishing is a win!
Rio Johnson, Olin O’Reilly, Andy O’Reilly, Susie Fiore, Larka Schultz, and Carrie Dean all raced the 41 mile event. Rio’s consistent training and race experience paid off as he flew on his gravel bike to take the overall win. Pretty impressive to win the whole race as a 13 year old. Olin and his dad, Andy, rode the entire race together with Olin greatly appreciating the draft his dad provided to help him finish 3rd in the 18 and under division. Susie happily rode her mountain bike the farthest she has ridden in many years and finished 8th overall in the women’s field of 38 finishers. Larka rode the whole race with her mom, Carrie, and completed her longest ride ever!
Bernice O’Reilly and Megan Johnson both competed in the trail half marathon (13 miles) with Bernice taking 3rd overall and Megan 8th out of 20 women. Megan summed it up so well, “Running the half marathon felt amazing but the real joy was having my whole family there – racing their own events and my daughter cheering us on with everything she had.”
In the meantime, our most senior rider, Bob Frankin, headed to Colorado to race the solo Men’s 60+ category at the 6 hours of Royal Gorge. He may have had more than a few minor crashes but he persevered and took the win on a pretty darn technical course.
The riding weather is perfect and trails are opening up as trees are cleared and snow melts. Reach out to Susie if you would like a 2025 Team FITaos jersey, shorts, socks, or a water bottle! Adult team memberships help support all FIT youth cycling programs and include a great jersey.
Remember to thank all of our awesome sponsors and support them!!!!
