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[Photo 1: Travelling] [Photo 2: Flint] [Photo 3: Diabetes] [Photo 4: Biketrials]

Biketrials
 
I'm an expert level biketrials rider. That is to say, I do this odd technical mountain bike sport and I'm fairly good at it now.
 
Biketrials (or "mountain bike trials") is a sport where technical bike skills are tested. We ride over things, basically going from point A to B and trying to maintain control over the bike. It isn't fast. It's slow. We stand still (trackstand) often before leaping with the whole bike, forwards and sideways and sometimes backwards. We do lots of things on the rear wheel and sometimes on the front wheel. We go over lots of things: rocks, logs, cars, whatever. To get a better idea, see my photos from our national level competition in Flint in 2003.


 
When my brother and I were young, we started cycling basically because we were bored. When we were about 11, we started riding our bikes to friends houses and to town. When I was in middle school, I rode my bike 10 miles to school fairly often just because it allowed me to do something different after school than come directly home. In 9th grade, I received my first real mountain bike as a Christmas present from my mom. In 10th grade, I started racing cross country. in 11th grade, I joined a cycling club and racing team. I was with Team Pedros for six years in total; the last year I was team manager.
 
I worked at a bike shop for five years.. first as a low level mechanic and then as sales person, head mechanic, wheel builder, and eventually assistant manager. I stopped doing cross country cycling a few years ago in favor of trials riding. I did my first trials competition in 1999. In 2000 I competed at the North American Trials Series championship event in Harrisburg PA. I've done that event a few times now. I've also competed in the national series in Sweden and in a few events in Canada. I've ridden in the Vans Warped Tour 4 times. More recently, I don't compete much. I'm more interested in running events and helping with NATS (North American Trials Series) administration stuff. In May of 2003, we ran a national level event in the Riverbank Park in Flint. And, FINALLY, it looks like the stock bike single speed rule is going my way... don't ask... it's been a long battle to change a silly rule.
 
I have three bikes. My main bike is a Crescent Ilions. That's a Swedish stock trials frame (only about 10 made per year now) with a really high bottom bracket, under 15 inch chainstays, and a long top tube. It's also the bike I'm on in the photo above. My other main bike is a Santa Cruz Chameleon. I use that for XC and all-around riding. I like having a XC that I can almost do trials on. My last bike is a currently disfunctional GT Zaskar LE.