FRUITA, CO (BRAIN)—Troy Rarick sold Over the Edge Sports (OTE) in Fruita, Colorado, to George Gatseos and Ross Schnell, both early employees of the store.
Rarick will remain involved with the business as a marketing advisor and will continue working the Fruita Fat Tire Festival, the 18 Hours of Fruita as well as designing Edge Cycles custom bikes built in Grand Junction, Colorado.
“Maybe it was the gray hair, maybe it was the divorce or maybe it was insight but I knew I needed to get control of my schizophrenic life,” said Rarick. “I knew I had to organize if I was going to move forward in this Over the Edge Global idea and I knew that meant selling OTE Fruita."
Rarick began a partnership with two other destination bike shops, Over the Edge Sports in Hurricane, Utah, and Over the Edge in Melrose, South Australia a few years ago.
Rarick opened Over the Edge Sports in downtown Fruita in April 23, 1995 and met Gatseos as a riding partner that year. Gatseos shortly joined Rarick to work at the store, also helping run the Fruita Fat Tire Festival for 11 years. Most recently he has worked in business and real estate.
Schnell was the first racer OTE sponsored when he was only 14, in 1996. Now he is the Single Speed Mountain Bike World Champion and an international pro racer sponsored by Oakley, Trek and Crankbrothers.
“George and Ross are the perfect successors to the OTE legacy and took control of Over the Edge Fruita September 1,” he said.
Rarick has a new edition of the Fruita-Grand Junction Fat Tire Guide out shortly and other books coming. He also is working to establish Fat Tire events in Hurricane as well as in Melrose South, Australia. As a 40-year native of Grand Valley and Fruita, he plans on staying in the area.
