Charlie Harrison's custom painted Intense M29 features a full SRAM/RockShox build with ENVE wheels and cockpit, HT pedals, and Maxxis rubber.
C-Money is auctioning off the bike for a good cause. Here's what Charlie had to say and a link to the auction:
I've grown up in the fire service my entire life. Ever since I can remember, I was hanging around the fire station and seen first hand the life of a firefighter. I've always looked up to my dad, who is now a Battalion Chief of Orange County Fire Authority, as well as all the other fire fighters and see them as heroes. My level of respect and appreciation for them and all they do for their communities is tremendous.
I've grown accustomed to my dad going out weeks on end to fight wildland fires. Living in southern California has given me first hand experience to the problem that is wildland fires. Over the last 10 years, California has experienced some of the worst fire seasons to date. In recent years, wildland fires have become the biggest method of destruction in my eyes. Just recently, there has been fires encircling where I live, including the Canyon and Canyon 2 Fires, the Thomas Fire, the Holy Fire - which is located in my backyard, and the Cranston Fire in Idyllwild. With human error, fuel load rising, and extreme weather conditions, these fires are extremely unpredictable and dangerous to fight. Thanks to the selfless men and women that are on the front lines working day and night to contain these fires, homes are protected, lives are saved, and futures are ensured.
Wildland firefighting is viewed as one of the most dangerous and deadly environments a firefighter will work in during their career. Out of the approximately 100 firefighters who make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty every year, many occur in the wildland firefighting arena. Additionally, a majority of multiple firefighter deaths have historically occurred in the wildland (of course other than the events of 9/11/2001). Historical fires such as the Mann Gulch Fire in 1949 (13 fatalities), Rattlesnake Fire in 1953 (15 fatalities), Loop Fire in 1966 (12 fatalities), Storm King Mtn. in 1994 (14 deaths), the Thirty Mile Fire in 2001 (4 deaths), the Esperanza Fire in Idyllwild in 2006 (5 fatalities) and the Yarnell Hill Fire, which claimed the 19 members of the Granite Mtn. Hotshots, are all examples of the extreme dangers these heroes face. In the past 12 months alone in the State of California, 7 firefighters have died in the line of duty while fighting wildland fires.
This year for Worlds, I wanted to do something to help them. Instead of doing a typical USA themed bike for the race, I thought it would be awesome to try and get a bike that would help raise some money for wildland efforts and to support families of the fallen heroes. After doing some research, I found the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. The Wildland Firefighter Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to fallen firefighters' families and to firefighters injured in the line of duty. They help in a number of ways including programs preparing incident management for a critical incident, retreats for children grieving the loss of a loved one from a wildland incident, offering grief specialists to help suffering families, providing financial and logistical assistance to firefighters injured or critically ill, financial and memorial services offered to families after the loss of a firefighter, trauma and PTSD wellness, suicide prevention, and providing of gifts during the holidays to children who have suffered the loss of a parent from firefighting.
With the help of Burk Minor and Dina Pfeifer from the Wildland Firefighter Foundation and Intense Cycles, we were able to put together a World Championships bike dedicated to Wildland Firefighters all over the world. The bike will be auctioned off after World Champs, with all proceeds going to the WFFF.
The auction is running here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/263919550454
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