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Tuesday, September 19
Juarez thinks he has a few good years left
Associated Press
DOWNEY, Calif. -- The elder statesman of mountain biking
keeps rolling along.
Tinker Juarez, at 39 an old man in a young man's game, will be
competing in the Sydney Olympics.
|  | | Tinker Juarez is a three-time national champion in mountain biking. |
It's been a bumpy ride since last October. He did not do well in
competition and his marriage to Argentine cyclist Jimena Florit
ended.
"When we're at the races, we see each other," Juarez said.
"I've just got to go about my business. I knew I was going to have
to face her when we split up. I'm OK with it now. It definitely
hurt me in a big way at the time."
Juarez called on his faith to move forward.
"The only way I could do it was go get God back in my life,"
he said. "I put all my anger and all my energy into my training. I
trained harder than ever. I was determined to move on and make the
Olympic team. In this sport, there's nothing higher.
"If they were selecting last year, I wouldn't have made the
team. My motivation and hunger weren't all there."
A top-flight BMX racer (bicycle motocross on dirt tracks) for
several years before switching to mountain biking in 1986, Juarez
trains in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains. He spends some 28 hours
a week riding about 400 miles when he's not competing in races.
"Everybody goes to work in their car -- I go to work on my
bike," he said with a smile. "Even on an easy day, it's a hard
day because you're recovering from your hard day."
Mountain biking became an Olympic sport in 1996. Juarez made the
U.S. team that year, and finished 19th in a field of more than 50
riders in Atlanta.
He remains disappointed, even though American riders haven't
been among the top competitors in the sport.
"I don't want to do what I did four years ago. I didn't handle
the pressure well," said Juarez, a 5-foot-8, 140-pounder. "When I
went to Atlanta, I definitely didn't have the fire I needed."
The Olympic mountain bike race is a one-day off-road event of 30
to 32 miles in rugged terrain, with the winner needing at least 2½
hours to finish.
A three-time national champion, Juarez is ranked No. 37 in the
World Cup rankings -- the top American -- and realizes he's a long
shot for a medal in Sydney.
"I know I'm much better than the first Olympics," he said.
"I've gotten stronger and more confident. My goal is to medal.
It's possible, I've beaten every single guy who will be on the
starting line at one time or another."
Juarez said he'll be the oldest mountain biker in the Olympics
by several years. Travis Brown, 30, was the other American selected
July 14 to compete based on competition throughout the year. Steve
Larsen, 29, is the alternate.
"I'll be the father of them all, I guess," he said. "The next
oldest? I would say no more than about 34. I still feel like I have
a few more years in me at a top level. I've kind of lost track of
my age. Once you get past 30, you don't want to think about them.
It's no big deal."
Juarez has competed against Tour de France winner Lance
Armstrong, but said road racing, Armstrong's specialty, and
mountain biking are much different.
"He does really well on the mountain bike," Juarez said. "I
have beaten him. The last time, he beat me. I had a flat in that
race. If I got on a road bike, I would have no chance against
him."
Juarez and his mother, Rose, disagreed on how he got his
nickname.
"It came from way back, when I was riding as a kid. It just
stuck with me," said Juarez, who's first name is David.
"We used to say 'Stinker' when he was a baby," Rose said.
"Everybody thought we were saying Tinker."
Juarez decided not to debate further, figuring mother knew best.
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