STARTING OVER, FINISHING FIRST; MOUNTAIN BIKE RACER GETS BACK IN AFTER 16 YEARS.Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer You're never too far over the hill to go over the hill. Chuck Valenzuela would be the first to tell you that. Despite a 16-year absence from bicycle racing bicycle racing or cycling, an internationally popular sport conducted on closed courses or the open road. Track racing takes place at a velodrome, usually a banked 1,093.6 ft (.333 km) oval. , the 32-year-old Sand Canyon resident on Friday captured a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize in the amateur sport downhill race in one of the nation's most competitive mountain bike series that features amateurs and pros alike - less than nine months after taking up the sport again. In the Chevy Trucks National Championship Series, held July 12-18 at Mammoth Mountain Mammoth Mountain is a large lava dome complex[1] that lies to the west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California in the Inyo National Forest. Mammoth Mountain is home to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area which is notable in that it gets an unusually large amount of , Valenzuela descended from an elevation of 1,300 feet and covered the treacherous 1-1/2-mile course for men ages 30-34 in 4 minutes 53.86 seconds, nearly four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. The win brought back a flood of memories from his teen years in Palmdale where, like many Southern Californians, he raced on BMX BMX abbr. bicycle motocross BMX Noun 1. bicycle motocross: stunt riding over an obstacle course on a bicycle 2. courses. ``I always used to finish in the top three, but never a won a big title,'' said an astounded a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, Valenzuela on Tuesday. ``It's very gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. to be able to come back at my age and do this.'' Depending on one's perception, it was either fate or cable television that put him in touch with the long-lost childhood friend who introduced Valenzuela to the extreme sport. ``About nine months ago, I was sitting on my couch and watching the ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network X-treme Games, the mountain bike races. I turned to my mother and said, `I wonder if Wayne's still doing this,' '' Valenzuela recalled. No sooner had he spoken those words that his old friend, ``Insane'' Wayne Crosdale appeared in several close-ups onscreen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. . Valenzuela immediately contacted Crosdale's father in Palmdale, who put him in touch with Crosdale, his boyhood friend who raced with him in BMX competitions. Crosdale convinced him to take up the newer ``extreme'' form of racing mountain bikes, a sport that often sends the racer careening The careening of a sailing vessel is laying her up on a calm beach at high tide in order to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance below the water line when the tide goes out. down steep hills, over rocks, riverbeds and weaving between trees at the mercy of gravity. ``Once we started riding again, it was just like we were 10 years ago - as crazy as we ever were,'' Valenzuela said. ``God puts you in each other's lives for whatever reason.'' Although he had trained for nine months and raced in one smaller race prior to the Chevy Truck National Championship Series, he didn't know what to expect when he arrived at Mammoth Mountain - especially since he missed the one practice run that racers were allowed to take. ``I had to work, so I got there late Thursday night and missed the one practice run over the course,'' Valenzuela said. ``I had to walk up there that night and just take an overview of the course. Then I raced the next morning.'' Crosdale didn't fare as well at the series. He broke his wrist during an event for professional racers on July 18, eliminating him from competition for some time while he recovers. Having had that first taste of victory that weekend, Valenzuela admits he's thought of ``going pro'' as Crosdale has done, but said responsibilities to his company, Independent Service Heating and Air Conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. in Sand Canyon, and two children keep him from doing that for the time being. He used to race mini stock cars at Saugus Speedway before it closed five years ago and later began playing handball handball Any of a variety games in which a small rubber ball is struck against a wall with the hand or fist. It can be played in a three- or four-walled court or against a single wall by two or four players (in singles or doubles games, respectively). in recent years to get that adrenaline rush, but Valenzuela said those pastimes aren't nearly as thrilling as racing mountain bikes, he said. Also, he is hooked on the sport, he said, because racers have staggered starts, pitting them only against themselves to make their best time and test their abilities. ``It all comes down to the track, the racer and the bike . . . that's the ultimate,'' he said. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color in SAC only) Mountain bike racer Chuck Valenzuela is a gold medalist just nine months after deciding to race. (2 -- color in SAC only) A relative newcomer to ``extreme'' sports, Chuck Valenzuela goes airborne while riding a trail in the Canyon Country area. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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