Back in February of 1996 I was invited to go to Alpine, California to attend a special training camp for the top five hopefuls trying for a spot on the first ever Olympic mountain bike team. I was not invited because I was in the top 5, (I was number 6) but because only one of the riders who was actually in the top five wanted to attend. I think history proves that they really didn’t make the right decision.

Being housed in the same hotel as the mountain bikers were members of the US U-23 team. Road bike racers, by and large - especially road bike racers from the USA – are typically a fairly rigid lot, so it was a bit strange to find out that the rider who would be spending his time at the camp living in a Volkswagen camper wasn’t one of the mountain bikers, but rather one of the U-23 guys. I love freaks, so an instant friendship was formed.

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