Kings of the Hill: Lethbridge firefighters double up as pro Enduro racers

He’s been riding bikes since he was two years old and has been in the professional ranks for 18 years.

“My parents got me a little quad, a little Suzuki four-wheeler,” he said.

Schrage has represented Canada on numerous occasions. In 2007, he earned a silver medal during the International Six Days Enduro in Chile for the Canadian trophy team.

“I’ve also raced in other Enduro World Championship races across the country and in North America. I’ve always been on Canada’s trophy team, but I’ve also raced locally and nationally in Canada and I’ve been a national champion three times here (and) I’ve been a provincial champion 18 times,” he said.

“It’s been a lot of hard work but always enjoyable.”

The Lethbridge native is sponsored in his professional endeavors by Honda Canada, Riders Edge Suspension, Rekluse, Mongoose Machine, Yoshimura, Fox Racing, as well as Lethbridge Honda.

Schrage riding the hills (Lethbridge News Now)

Schrage said as he gets older and raises a family, he continues to train as often as he can during his days off as a firefighter.

“To be successful, I think you need to do at least three days a week of riding and then you compete on weekends, so it ends up being about five days of riding,” he said.

“To accommodate that, you need to do some fitness training (as well). I think all of us (riders) are strong enough but most of us need cardio (training). This is an endurance race, we ride for probably about three hours at a time, so it comes down to cardio and endurance. Treadmill time is an asset for sure.”

He noted that along with fellow rider and Lethbridge firefighter Bret Fazzio, they take part in their own spring training before yearly competitions start up.

Footage of Schrage and Fazzio during a spring training session (Lethbridge News Now)

However, it can be tricky balancing life as a firefighter, husband, father and professional rider, but thanks to support of friends and family, he gets it done.

“I do a lot of convincing of my wife to make sure she lets me go ride,” Schrage said with a laugh.

As far as continuing to ride as he gets older, he noted that he gets asked about retirement a lot.

“My answer to that is I still enjoy riding. I love riding and I think I’ll always do it while I physically can do it. I’m not going anywhere soon, and I plan to keep doing it for a while.”

BUT ISN’T IT SCARY?

Some people might see what Schrage does on a bike and think, ‘wow, that looks kind of scary’, and Schrage sometimes feels that way.

“I think I’ve done it (for) so long and there are things that do scare me, but I think that’s part of me still loving it – it’s the thrill of it,” he said.

“You get to kind of put yourself in that excited state and get the thrill of going down or climbing a big hill, or not crashing, how about that? I still like that feeling, I still like the thrill of it. It’s fun and exciting.”

SAFETY

In addition to competing, Schrage puts his years of experience towards teaching young kids how to ride.

“I do a lot of teaching for Honda. I teach all of their off-road schools called the Junior Red Rider program, and of course safety is our primary concern,” he said.

“We want people to be in their safety gear – full head-to-toe riding gear at all times. That’s when accidents happen, when we think we’re just going to go for a little ride down the gravel road and we don’t wear our helmet or we don’t put our boots on, that’s when most accidents tragically happen.”

He added it’s important to also put yourself in the proper headspace so you’re fully focused when riding.

“Always gear up, always be safe and if you’re new to riding get some lessons. It’s always helpful to get someone who knows what they’re doing to give you some pointers and give you some good teaching points to get you on the bike and get you riding safe,” he advised.

TRAINING PARTNER

Not only does Schrage teach youth to ride, he’s also taught fellow firefighter Bret Fazzio how to navigate the rugged terrain on the bike.

“I’ve been riding for three full years now. Jason, at work, got me into it and told me to buy a 450 Honda, and I bought a 450 Honda,” Fazzio said, grinning at Schrage.

Fazzio rounding a corner (Lethbridge News Now)

“I definitely had an itch. I used to just ride quads in the mountains but that’s kind of slow and just (for) cruising and for sight-seeing. I kind of had an itch to get on something faster and just more technical, better myself and get in better shape, because it definitely forces you into better shape.”

Fazzio said training with Schrage is ‘invaluable’.

“He’s always intense, on top of his game, always pushing me further than where I could ever push myself,” he explained.

He said that he begins training when Schrage does, and has already put his skills to the test in active competitions.

In his first full year riding competitively, he won the beginner class of provincials and last year, he placed in the top five in the 40+ B class at the Mountain Goat XC competition, proving that the off-shift training has paid off.

Schrage is competing this weekend in Kamloops. Next month, over the May long weekend, both Fazzio and Schrage will compete in a provincial competition in Porcupine Hills.

by Justin Goulet

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Kings of the Hill: Lethbridge firefighters double up as pro Enduro racers

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