Who are the Dirty Avocados II?
Dirty Avocados II are one of two Dirty Avocados Adventure Racing teams racing Primal Quest. Both teams are made up of every day athletes from Northern California. As teams and indivuduals, we compete in local, regional, national and international adventure races along with various other endurance sports.
For all of the DA’s, adventure racing and endurance sports are not simply activities, but instead a lifestyle. We live, breath, eat and sleep adventure every day of our lives!
Both DA teams are raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Sacramento/Northeastern California. The fundraising will be in the form of a raffle. For more details long into www.dirtyavocados.com
Dirty Avocados II is made up of Will, Brian, Susan and Mike. The crew is Aja Cook and Matt Fox. The guys have raced together over the past two years. They raced at Raid the North Extreme in Canada as well as many local races. Susan is a new (and great) addition. She brings PQ experience and skill with her. To find out more log into www.dirtyavocados.com
Susan Bower, 37, is from Truckee, California and the mother of 3 boys including twins. Extremely strong on the mountain bike, she raced Primal Quest San Juan Islands in 2004. She raced at Baja Travesia with Brian and Mike in 2008
Mike Chastaine, 47, the captain of the squad has three daughters and is a lawyer from El Dorado Hills California. Mike has led adventure racing teams over the last seven years including through last years Raid the North Expedition Extreme and this years Baja Travesia. In addition, Mike has exceeded at Solo 24 hour Mountain bike racing, winning the Coolest 24 Master’s division and taking 4th overall.
Will Gilmore, 36, from Palo Alto California is the primary navigator of the team. Will started adventure racing and orienteering in 1999 and since has qualified for three USARA National Championships and won a US National Championship in Orienteering. His expedition racing experience includes Baja Travesia, Raid the North Extreme and the
Alaskan Wilderness Classic.
Brian Schmitz, 37, of San Fransisco is our work horse on the team. Brian is an incredibly strong endurance athlete with a wide array of experiences on his racing resume. From ultra marathons to 24 mountain bike racing, Brian has a very keen sense of pacing and carries the load for the avocados in training and in races. Brian has raced at Raid the North Extreme and the 2008 Baja Travesia
CREW:
Aja Cook. Aja is one of the original Dirty Avocados. She has lots of AR and Mountain biking experience and is going to be a huge help to us as we work our way through the Montana back country. Aja is good with bike repairs and will be a sight for sore eyes when we get to the TA.
Matthew Fox is our latest pick up. We met Matt over the internet as he hails from Chicago. He worked with John Howard and the PQ organization in Utah and is very excited about getting involved in Montana. Matt races in the mid west and is extremely organized. We are very happy to have him a board.
Ripe for Racing
