Team Adrenaline

Team Leaders

Darrin Austin Team Owner and Founder

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

Darrin Permenter Team Captain and Trainer

Five Years ago Darrin Permenter entered the mountain bike scene in his late 30s. Today, he is one of the top XC racers in the state. As team Captain of a crew that strives to improve, Mr. Permenter is acknowledged to be one of the strongest team leaders in the sport. He is a standout in in the Expert XC category and is now inspiring several other team members to do the same thing he did: win races! Darrin has spent the last 18 years training and developing Elite Athletes from all different sports, and is sought after by many top trainers and coaches to aid in the development of their athletes through his innovative sports performance programs.

Art MacFarland Team Coach

Art MacFarland is one of the most respected and well-known coaches in the state. He is currently coaching many of the top road and mountain bikers through personalized training programs that are built around their specific schedules. As well as being an incredible coach, Art is a category 3 road racer and state champion mountain biker. Amazingly, he has achieved all of this while working a full time job and coaching many successful athletes.

Jay Robinson Sponsorship Coordinator

Jay started racing mountain bikes in 1995 while living in El Paso, TX. Over the past 13 years he has had multiple wins and podium appearances in both cross country and downhill disciplines while racing in NC, TX, NM, AZ, CA and Chihuahua, MX. In 1999 he moved to Austin, TX and while manager for one of the largest bicycle shops in TX started road racing to supplement his mountain bike training. By 2001 he had moved up to Cat 3 while riding for the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s “Live to Ride” team. The same year he took second overall in the Texas Mountain Bike Championship Series (TXBRA). Fast forward to 2008, he had several podium finishes in both road and MTB races at the Cat 3 and Expert level. For 2009, it’s all about staying true to his roots and he has his eye on the Arizona State Mountain Bike Championship and plans on doing 24 hour and endurance events.   

Pro/Cat 1

Chris Suter

Chris is a 21-year old college kid attending Northern Arizona University -- a school he selected for its academic mediocrity and nearby singletrack. He subsists mainly on bulk-bin granola, sleeps on a crusty, decaying futon and recently failed to buy car insurance. The driving ambition of his life is to get fast enough that people send him free stuff. To get a complete race resumé or to send him free stuff, please email him at cys2@nau.edu.

Competitive Highlights 2008: 3rd, NMBS (NORBA) Finals, Semi-Pro; 2nd, Idyllwild Spring Challenge AMBC, Semi-Pro; 4th, Cholla Challenge (IMC #2), Pro; 8th, Whiskey Off-Road 50, Men Open; 4th, Old-Fashioned Mountain Bike Race, Pro/Expert Overall; 3rd, Papago Peddler STXC, Pro/Expert

Christina Betz  08 Womens Expert 2nd State Racing Pro next Year

Christina joined Team Adrenaline in January 2008 after recently relocating to Arizona from Wisconsin.  She made her mountain bike racing debut in 1999 in the sport class, and moved up quickly to the Expert/Elite class after only one full racing season.  Christina has captured many race wins and podium appearances while competing in the Wisconsin Off-Road Series (WORS), Mountain Bike Association of Arizona Series (MBAA), multiple 12-hour and 24-hour endurance events, and a variety of other mountain bike events across the Midwestern and Western United States.  A few of her racing career highlights include:  2006 WORS Series Elite Women’s 2nd Place, 2005 WORS Series Elite Women’s 5th Place, and 4th Place in the 2006 24-hour Solo National Championship at Nine Mile Forest (24-9) in Wausau, WI.  During the 2008 season, Christina has emerged as one of the top XC racers in Arizona and plans to keep winning as a Pro racer.  Christina’s teammates are always impressed with her positive attitude and technical riding abilities, with one teammate recently commenting that “The laws of physics do not apply to her”.           

Chuck Wheeler

Rider bio coming soon.

Dan King

Rider bio coming soon.

Dan Vasily

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

Don Blattert

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. Prior to Mountain Biking I was a famous figure from the village people who wore Tight Black Leather, Now I'm known for my Podium appearances in Tight Spandex. (View Pictures)

Eric Lynch

Rider bio coming soon.

Evan Smith '08 Novice SS State Champion

Having only been riding for a little over 2 years hasn’t stopped Evan from quickly becoming a competitive force on the local mountain bike scene. Now, with his eyes set on long distance events and endurance races, he’ll be clocking in the big miles to get there. Evan was an unstoppable force in the Single Speed class this year and now with a State championship under his belt you can expect to see him at the top of the podium at many national endurance events.

Frank Lively

Rider bio coming soon.

Jeff Herrera  07 Expert State Champion 08 Pro 2nd State

Jeff has enjoyed riding bikes all his life, but didn't start competing until 2002. A very competition-driven individual, racing soon became one of his favorite pasttimes. Since winning his very first race as a beginner back in Afton Alps, Minnesota, Jeff has climbed the cross country categories ladder to the Semi-Professional level. Some of his achievements include winning the 2007 Arizona State Championship in the Expert 19-39 Category and finishing 2nd in the 2008 Pro/Semi-pro Series. Aside from cross-country racing, Jeff has competed in 6 Solo 24 Hour Races and a handful of 12 and 10 hour races, with some road races mixed in for good measure. About one third of his season is usually dedicated to Endurance and Ultra-Endurance cycling in order to get ready for the Cross-Country season.

Kallan Kreager 2008 National Champion Sport; 2008 State Champion Sport

Kallan is an exciting Jr. Cat 1 racer. After only his second year racing last year he won the Sport 15-16 national championship in Mt. Snow Vermont. This year he plans on building upon his success and getting the same kind of results in the Cat 1 racing. He loves racing bikes and enjoys eating a ton of food afterwards. 2009 results thus far:
MBAA #3, Estrella, Avondale,  Arizona, 3rd Place, Cat 1, 19-29
MBAA #2, McDowell, Fountain Hills,  Arizona, 6th Place, Cat 1, 19-29
MBAA #1, White Tanks, Arizona, 3rd Place, Cat 1, 15-18
Dec 16 2008: Dawn to Dusk, McDowell, Fountain Hills, Arizona, 4th place, Open Duo Team (Kallan was on the youngest duo team, ages 16 and 18)

Scott Henry

Tim Allen Top American at the U23 World Championships

Living in Flagstaff, at 7000ft, Tim enjoys long walks on the beach with his bike, eating pasta, learning about our economy at NAU, snowboarding on the Kachina Peaks when there is good snow, and lots of pedaling. His favorite food is Lauren’s homemade pesto artichoke pizza, yum!  He has been racing 29 inch wheels for over 3 years and is a strong believer in the big wheel revolution. He did his first mountain bike race when he was 11. Racing mountain bikes for Tim is about reaching goals, perseverance, and the feeling of connectedness with the trail. “It is basically the way I live my life. Overcome obstacles, work hard, and enjoy the ride! Mountain biking is my passion, my hobby, and in a way it’s kinda a job. I don’t have a coach, nor do I ride if I don’t feel like it. It’s all about having fun and living.”

Tom O’brien  Missed the last race to Qualify for the 08 Extera World Championships

Tom is currently in his third year of Training and Racing Mountain Bikes and Off-Road Triathlons. Last year he was brought much success and more importantly had tons of fun.  He set out with a goal of finishing top five in his age-group in regional races and top ten in championship races with hopes of qualifying for the Xterra USA Nationals.  In his second Xterra race of the year (Southwest Championships), He qualified for Worlds based on his results.  As you look at his current race results,  he has been on the podium sixteen times out of the last nineteen races, taking first place at six of those events. This year, he feels there is room for even more improvement and more success.  Thus far, he has qualified for the National Championship Mountain Bike Race in Stowe, VT as well as the Xterra World Championships in Maui, Hawaii. Tom’s athletic background prior to Mountain Biking/Triathlon includes playing and coaching NCAA collegiate lacrosse, running cross-country and swimming. 

Zac Keller

Zac is an 18 year old recent high school graduate. His hobbies are....... riding bikes, eating so he can ride bikes, and working at the bike shop so he can ride bikes. He is the perfect example of a boring one-dimmensional person with way too much energy. His favorite ride is anything with a wicked climb and even tougher descent. He started riding the same time he started racing, at the age of sixteen. in two years he has made it all the way to expert and doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. His biggest accomplishments last year in the sport 19-29 category are: numerous podiums at norba events, 2nd in the AZ state championship series, 3rd at the usa cycling national championships, and fourth at the Sea Otter classic. One way to describe Zac would be, for the love of the bike.

Cat 2

Aaron Charlton

Chad Sheribon

Rider bio coming soon.

Hayley Creager

Rider bio coming soon.

Kendra Wiebers 08 Beginner State Champion (11 years old) 1-12 class

This year was Kendra’s second season and she is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the local mountain bike scene. Kendra won all 7 MBAA races, including the Nova National, and became overall champion in her class. This fall she’ll be focusing on longer distance mountain bike races and hopes to compete in her first triathlon so that she’ll be ready for the MBAA series next January.

Kyia Lively

Rider bio coming soon.

Lisa Pivin

Rider bio coming soon.

Norma Dukes

After riding for three years, and supporting her husband, Jeff Herrera in all of his races, Norma decided to get into racing herself and has done extremely well. She raced beginner class in the '08 Dust Devil series and won her category. Now she's tearing it up in Cat 2 for the MBAA series in 2009. Look for great things from this talented racer!

Robert Musik

Rider bio coming soon.

Tyler Coplea

Tyler has been racing bikes since he was 8 years old.  He started out on the BMX track and then quickly took a liking to mountain biking.  He has been the state champion in MTB, Road Race & Crit and in 2005 he took 2nd in the USA MTB Championships in Mammoth, CA.  He consistently competes locally and nationally in MTB, Road, Cyclocross and has started racing Tri events.  He also made his high school cross-country varsity team as a freshman this year and qualified for the state championships.

Wendy MacFarland

Rider bio coming soon.