Home  Bathroom Reading / News Sunday Morning Read SMR - Peter Webber Inteview
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SMR - Peter Webber Inteview |
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Written by Wally Wallace
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Wednesday, 14 December 2005 |
Recently Bikeman caught up to former Bikeman / Bath Cycle and Ski employee and World Cup Racer Peter Webber. Pete has taken his love of the sport to a new level with his current job as membership and communications director at the IMBA.
BIKEMAN: Pete, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. First off you were once a Bath Cycle / Bikeman employee. Tell us a bit about your experiences at Bath Cycle. .
PETER WEBBER: Yup, I worked at Bath Cycle for a couple summers in the early 90's. I wrenched on bikes and had lots of fun. It was my first job in the bicycle industry and it really sparked my interest in mountain biking. I've worked in the bike world ever since.
BMAN: When did you start riding mountain bikes, and what was your first mountain bike?
PW: I started riding as a kid, like most people. But I started riding more seriously in high school as off-season training for ski racing. Mountain biking wasn't really happening yet, it was the late 80's, so I was road riding and tried some road races. I attended Carrabassett Valley Academy at Sugarloaf and we participated in some races and tours. Later I finished high school at Holderness in New Hampshire. We had a full-blown road racing team and raced every weekend during the spring. Tyler Hamilton was on the team as well. My first mountain bike was a Scott USA "Boulder" - it wasn't very good.
BMAN: Deciding to enter your first race can often be a scary proposition. When did you start racing mountain bikes and what motivated you to enter your first race? Tell us about your first race.
PW: My first mountain bike race…hmm, to be honest I can't remember. I've done so many since then! It might have been the "River Rage" or something like that at Sunday River or maybe the "Spring Runoff" at the Camden Snow Bowl. Since I'd already done lots of road races, I wasn't too nervous about starting mountain bike racing. I remember one of the biggest challenges back then was keeping your bike in one piece to the finish line. The trails were pretty gnarly - always muddy - and the bikes weren't that great yet. We were always breaking parts and finishing the race with only one gear, or one pedal, or one grip - something crazy like that.
BMAN: Did you ever race in Bikeman's famous Dalmatian Jersey? I saw somewhere that you raced for Rhygin? Give us a rundown of the different teams you raced for.
PW: The Dalmatian Jersey wasn't introduced until after I left Bath Cycle. I raced in a Bath Cycle jersey, but it was just plain white with the shop name. It didn't stay white for very long. My first mountain biking team was Rhygin, a small bike company from Massachusetts. From there I rode for a team called Sports Pep/Trek and finally Gary Fisher. I stuck with them until I gave up racing. I guess I also rode Indy Fab in cyclocross for a couple years following my stint with Fisher.
BMAN: Often we see promising young riders have great performances on a national and even international level and then fade away. What drove you to reach the Elite level of racing and when did you realize you had the potential to race against the best in the world?
PW: I was just totally hooked on mountain biking. I loved it and wanted to ride all the time. Racing just seemed like the next step. I'm a pretty competitive person, and I was always very motivated to give racing lots of effort. I also learned that I have a bit of natural ability - I've got some big lungs - and that helped!
BMAN: This is the 10 year anniversary of the last time the US placed an Elite male XC mountain biker on a World Championship or World Cup overall podium. Do we have a podium result somewhere in the future?
PW: Man, that is a depressing statistic. I'm sure we'll get someone back up there, especially if the UCI gets serious about drug testing, which is a huge problem in our sport and makes it very hard to compete at the world level.
BMAN: One of the latest riders to make waves on the International level is Maine's own Adam Craig. Many of us have watched Adam evolve through the junior ranks in Maine and New England to National and now International Elite status. What advice would you have for an aspiring junior riders.
PW: The best advice I have for young riders - or any rider seeking to improve - is to go ride with people who are better than you. Find the strongest riders in town and make them your training partners!
BMAN: You started racing in the heyday of American Mountain Biking. Tell us about your first National race lining up with the likes of Tomac, Overend, Tinker and at that time many of the top International riders as well.
PW: Stepping up to the pro level was pretty exciting. The big names were a bit intimidating, but they are human too, and I quickly realized they were beatable. Not often, but sometimes!
BMAN: You decided to step away for racing at a relatively early age, what prompted this decision.
PW: I stopped when I was 29 - I'd been racing pro for 6 years and was sort of burned out. I'd also been a serious athlete since high school (ski racing) so I had like 15 years in a row of intense training - and that was getting kind of old. I wanted to try other things.
BMAN: I feel that working in the cycling industry is a lifestyle choice, tell us about your work at IMBA and how it inspires you.
PW: I love the bike industry and the bike world. The bicycle draws cool people together and creates a great culture and community. I want to help keep that alive and make it better for others.
BMAN: Here around Portland, Maine our biggest threat to trails has not been closure or banning cyclists but urban sprawl. Is there anything that IMBA or we can do to help combat this issue?
PW: I think bicycle clubs need to become partners with other groups who are working to preserve open space. We need to add our voice to those trying to set aside places for recreation and preservation.
BMAN: Recently NEMBA purchased 47 acres in Milford Mass. They now own and manage their own trail system. Is this the future solution to urban advocacy issues?
PW: I thing buying land for trails is just one of many solutions. Teaming with other partners and working with land managers to better manage our public lands is probably more important in the long run than buying land.
BMAN: Here is another easy one for you, select one from each of the following pairs, elaborate if you like.
OK - here goes…
Single-Speed or Gears....... Gears
Hardtail or Full Suspension......... Full
V-Brake or Disc...... Disc
Tubes or Tubeless........ Tubeless
Hairy Legs or Shaved......... Hair
Spandex or Baggy......... Baggy
Riserbar or Flatbar........ Risers
Maine Mud or Colorado Clay.......... Hmm, how about tacky loam, that's the best.
BMAN: Finally how does it feel to be immortalized in the basements of cyclists around the country as they watch their Cyclerobx Video?
PW: That is disgusting - Pete
Thanks Pete! |
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