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| Me winning my 1st beginner race c.1993 at Lory State Park in Ft. Collins, CO |
In an effort to publicly embarrass myself, I am posting a "proposal" for a "Freeride" team that I developed in 1998 after racing for the Ionic/Nema team for the season. The response we got, and I personally received from the public and other racers for (finally) getting back to racing in baggies was astounding. (Moots didn't let me ride in baggies unfortunately!) The Ionic/Nema team was a turning point for everyone on the team. Overall MTB sponsorship money had died and hadn't rebounded yet. We all had a great racing season and had a ton of fun partly because of the low stress atmosphere we created where ever we went - we were just having fun on our bikes. At the end of the season, the other team members went on to bigger teams (Pete Swenson and JHK moved on to the new Polo Sport team and Nathan Schultz went to Schwinn I believe). I was at the time, and had been for most of my short racing 'career' disillusioned in the NORBA National racing series and the scene in general - I saw it dying. I felt the incoming wave of what was then called "Freeriding" and is more closely related to MTB events and marathon or endurance riding of present day. The promoters were trying to find a way to get more spectators to the races to get more sponsorship money, but really, just like today, it's mostly the other racers spectating. The powers that be have tried short-track racing, a shorter loop cross-country race, and they have added the Marathon series to the national calendar. I'm not sure any of it has ended up with the results they were hoping for though. Freeriding died in that form and took on a completely different meaning with the advent of big-hit bikes and full-faced helmets and pads. You all know what it means now, and it's just hilarious that I used to be called a Freerider!
In my opinion, the national series has its place, but like most other things in life, it's the grass-roots efforts that really define a sport. There were a few "teams" that were good examples of what I am referring to in spirit -- I remember seeing the old Retrotec 'team' with Bob the owner racing Mammoth NCS in a pink speedo and drinking beer at the expo. I can almost guarantee that most people to this day that watched that race remember his antics and what bike he was riding -- not who won the Pro XC race. I heard of the Canadian Fro-riders that would race in big afro wigs.
I participated in some of the early 24-hour races like Moab, and later on Montezuma's Revenge and the 24 Hours of Light. I felt that this type of event was the future of racing and would persist no matter what the sponsorship funds and no matter what the latest number of cogs they're trying to sell you. Today, I see the 'freeriding' vibe in the explosion of ultra-endurance events such as the Tour Divide race, Arizona 300, and the Colorado Trail Race. The early Singlespeed World Championships definitely were there (although I've heard some people are taking that way too seriously by wearing heart rate monitors and using a power-meter...sinners!). Singlespeeding was just taking off back then, and although now it's more or less "dead" - as the all-knowing Hurl has proclaimed - the counter culture of mtb-racing is still alive and kicking. It's just people like you and me going out to ride their bikes and every summer maybe picking an event to rally to and have fun with other friends on great trails surrounded by the beauty of the natural surroundings.
It really isn't about the bike or what components you have or don't have, and that is why my proposal fell on deaf ears at the major bike companies, other than my mediocre results of course. They likely felt that "freeriding" is what Joe Schmo Public already does and why create a team to spread the gospel of fun of responsible and fun mountain biking since it's what everyone does anyways?
After getting denied from everyone that I sent this proposal to, and after the big guns got drafted to bigger teams and the Ionic/Nema team died, I retired from racing MTB's full time in 1999 and raced more select races and Cyclocross. So here it is, hope you have a good chuckle!
To put context to this, the last time I raced a full cyclocross series in the pro category was 2000, so this envelope is for 6th place overall from the race series he put on in Boulder over 10 years ago...! In the envelope was a crisp set of bills totaling $85 that had been sitting in a drawer at his house ever since they handed out awards (and I obviously wasn't there). WB asked if Brian what the interest is on $85 over 10 years...hah.
