‘High Noon’ fixed-gear race set for this Saturday

September 27, 2011 • Posted by: Michael McKisson

Fixed-gear riders wondering how fast they really are will have a chance to find out at the High Noon Fixed Gear Match Sprints Championship on Saturday.

Race organizer and Tuesday Night Fast Fixed Gear Ride creator Aaron Passmore said he and his friends had been kicking around the idea of a sprint race for a while and figured since Tucson doesn’t have a Velodrome he would have to organize it himself.

“We’ve been talking about the need to throw an underground race event of some kind for over a year now and finally decided that a drag race style, match sprint would be amazing,” he wrote in an email. “We knew the perfect location and the weather is finally nice again, so we just pulled the trigger and named the date and time.”

The date and time are Oct. 1 at ‘high noon.’ The race will take place at the “Superditch” which is a paved drainage ditch near Golf Links Road and Alvernon Way.

Here’s how the race will work:

“Since it is simple race of 400 meters, head to head with another rider in a bracket format, there will only be 16 people racing for the prizes,” Passmore wrote. “In order to become one of the 16, you will have to run a 200 meter time trial to determine your ranking. If you do not qualify for the top 16, you will receive $2 of your $5 entry fee back. The rest of the money collected will all go towards the prize money with 1st place getting 80%, 2nd getting 10% and 3rd and 4th 5% each. This is more about bragging rights than cash and prizes. We just want to have fun and sprint our bikes since we don’t have a velodrome.”

Passmore said in addition to the cash, racers can win prizes provided by State Bicycle Company, Ordinary Bike Shop, RC Bicycles, and VICES. He said one major prize will be given to a random racer that is picked out of a hat.

Racers must be 18 and wear a helmet.

Check out the poster above or the Facebook page for more info. Racers can register here.

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4 comments

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straw

I thought that was Ron. Didn't he used to work at Ordinary too? I've seen him at Ed's. El Groupo rocks and Ron was fast. Thanks to the Tuesday Night Fast Fixed Gear Ride folks for putting on the event, it was great. I was sorry I hadn't brought my camera. I was out for the first time on my temporary bike, I snapped a down tube on my Davidson. Watch for it to lose the Pogiaghi paint job when it comes back to me. p.s. if anyone found a black Zefal frame pump near the bridge I think I lost mine there. HPX 3

straw

Fun event, definitely worth the ride out. The 200m qualifying races were kind of long but the match racing was great. 28 people rode in the qualifier with 16 making it into the bracket racing. We stayed through the first round of 8 races but left early because we had some younger folks with us who were ready to head home. I guess I'll go check the facebook page to see who won. What a hidden venue. One of Tucson's busiest streets pretty much directly above us and I doubt anyone in a car had any idea there was anyone down in the drainage ditch let along that there was actual racing taking place below them. We counted 35 bikes, pretty much all of them fixed. A pair of coastie riders showed up after the qualifying had started but they never came down the embankment from above to mix in with the crowd. Nobody even close to my age there, definitely a younger crowd. I think there was one racer who was thirty something. Somebody needs to tag the bridge, Tucson Velodrome. It sure would be great if we got a velo. I know I'd ride it.

straw

I stand corrected, several racers were over 40. You guys are all so youthful, my bad.