My First Time...

Dear Readers,

Like I'm guessing most folks, my first time was in the first semester of my freshman year in college. In the fall of 1989, I was feeling a new sense of freedom of living outside of my parents place for the first time. I was excited to get out in the "real world" and experience all that I could. Along with those freedoms came lots of choices, opportunities and bad decisions to make.

So I was at a party over on Wilbur Street. I was drunk.

For some strange reason, we'll call it fate, I was drinking beer out of a cycling water bottle that night. A dude I went to school with noticed my water-bottle and came over and asked me if I rode bikes.

"No." I commented, "I just picked up this bottle from the shop."

He continued, "there's a mountain-bike race at Ironhill tomorrow, it will be really fun." he explained, "there's a beginner class, they call it citizen/cat 5, starts at 9am...I think you'd dig it"


"Huh" I thought. I had never ridden a mountain-bike before. I had never raced a bike before, but at this moment, when I was really drunk, it sounded like a brilliant idea. I was totally intrigued.  I didn't have a bike but my younger brother Craig had a huffy ATB he didn't use. That would be fine.  I made my way over to the keg, and topped off my water-bottle and started my trek across Newark back to my dorm. I had a bike race to enter, I'd better get some rest.

7:00 am. My alarm went off.  I was up early, and a little hungover, but heading out to do my first mountain bike race. I got my roommate to drive me to my parents house and drop me off. My parents were surprised to see me that early in the morning. They were really surprised to see me standing in their kitchen in my cut off shorts, Fishbone t-shirt, low top vans and my pro-tec skateboard helmet declaring, "I'm doing a bike race over at Ironhill this morning!" "Can you give me a ride over there?"

So I was off to Ironhill, where I was blown away by the number of people I saw riding around and getting ready to race. It was awesome. The bikes, The jerseys, the bright colors. The pinned on numbers.  I was pretty damn hooked. I got registered, and immediately went to stage because I was so late. Still, I had never ridden the trails at Ironhill.(or anywhere for that matter)

As we staged, I saw a dude who I knew was a cyclist who lived down stairs from me in the dorms. His name was Brett: Brett looked at me strangely. "I didn't know you rode mountain-bikes?" he said.

"I don't", I replied, "this is my first time, I heard about this race at the Wilbur Street party last night!"

 Brett smiled, "your first time!? first ride, first race? "

I nodded confirming.


"that's cool! have fun! " Brett said.

All the citizen racers were corralled into starting position. We got our race instructions which I couldn't hear, because I was so far back, and we were off. We bound up the fireroad at Ironhill- this was awesome. I was battling with riders, I was suffering I was breathing so hard. It was the most amazing thing. We rolled through the bmx section, and in the quarry had a mandatory dismount and run. I was so hooked.

The citizen/cat 5 race was 3 laps that day. The huffy made it a lap and a half. At that point the rear chain stay became detached from the rear drop out. The bike stopped suddenly and dumped me on the ground. It was clear my day was over. Picking myself up and my brother's now broken bike, I was tired, I was bummed, I was totally excited. Bike racing in the woods was amazing. This was awesome.

The next morning at 10:00am, I walked into Wooden Wheels having cleaned out my bank account that I had saved up over the summer "extra school expenses" (beer money), and plopped all $335 down on the counter. I told Tom Harvey, "I need a bike!". He walked me around the shop and showed me my options.

I bought my first mountain-bike, a Muddy Fox:

Not actually my Muddy Fox, but this model exactly.. loved that bike...

I would actually start riding with my friend from school, and would race the final 3 races in the Ironhill series that year. Each time, a little hung over. Each time in my cutoff shorts, Fishbone T-shirt, low top vans, and my pro-tec skateboard helmet. Each week I got a little better, finishing my last race of the year in the top 20. I was so happy.

thanks for reading.

respect
Vanderbacon