In the 1970s and 1980s, a hardy and adventurous small group of bicycle racers were sprinkled around Northern California. From Velo Club-Berkeley and Velo Club-Tamalpais and Peninsula Velo to The Reno Wheelman and Modesto Wheelmen, groups of athletes pedaled European 10-speed handmade steel bikes in weekly contests of speed and endurance in the NCNCA (Northern California and Nevada Cycling Association) races.
Olympians, USA national team members, and a three-time Tour de France winner polished racing skills on the slopes of Mt Tamalpais, Mt Diablo, and Mt Hamilton. Free-spirited and fun-loving athletes like Mike Neel, George Mount, Mark Pringle, Greg LeMond, Heidi Hopkins, and Cindy Olivari, challenged each other in races with small prizes but large competition and often heroic drama. Northern California riders achieved an unprecedented respect on the world stage of bicycle racing.
The coast town of Santa Cruz, California breeds unique people. Crashing waves and rugged hills with tall redwoods can shape a person’s outlook on life. Bob Leibold was no exception. He loved driving on minor backroads and highways of Northern California and Nevada. He searched for the holy grail of bicycle racing roads for nearly two decades. He passionately discovered new road race courses, then promoted 40-100 mile road races, or 20-50 mile criteriums throughout Northern California. The 1979 Perrier 9-day stage race was the pinnacle of his organizing talents. That race was won by Jacques Boyer, of Monterey, who went on to compete with the world’s best pros in the Tour De France.
Before Bob Leibold arrived on the scene, the races were scattered and less frequent in the state. Starting in about 1975, Bob added many new roads for races. One example is a road to New Idra, a mining town with a population pushing 20, which is 40 miles southeast of Hollister, California. An out-and-back 80-mile bike race was born, with Bob as the promoter. Bob found many out-of-the-way places for the cyclists to “fly or die”, depending on fitness, skill, and their luck for a particular race.
“The Hell of the North” near Copperopolis, in the foothills of the Sierra, was to become one of the classics of the Northern California racing calendar. First held in 1981, it lived up to its name. Often held in 90-100 degree weather, it featured a long pot-holed filled climb up a narrow road, followed by a fast descent and then many miles of rolling hills to the finish line. The gold country 100-mile senior race consisted of six laps.
By the mid-1980s, the race had a legendary status, and was considered a real test for a seasoned and prepared cyclist. In 1985 the winner was Jacques Boyer, veteran of many European seasons from Monterey. Second place that year was USA Team Member Chris Huber. Bob Roll, the legendary character and soon-to-be European pro from Concord, finished third.
This is not a story about the greatest cyclists, but of a runner-up behind the international stars. In 1985 at Copperopolis, I finished fourth place. Having just nearly completed a B.A. in Journalism at Humboldt State University, it was my first race after a two-year stint at HSU in Arcata. The fourth-place finish was encouraging; maybe there was some healthy marrow for competition in my 26-year old bones. I had raced from 1974-1982, and had a number of wins and international success. I decided to give it another go for a few years.
In 1987, I returned to the Bob Leibold race at Copperopolis. Half-way through a teaching credential program at Cal State Hayward, I was racing my final season. A teaching career was just around the bend in August. With enough “base miles” in my legs, I showed up at the Copperopolis start line for a final time. The race was now in mid-April, so the weather was mild, not hot.
I started off riding aggressively and feeling better as the miles passed. I found myself in a breakaway with my ABC – Avocet Miyata teammate, Matt Newberry, and one other rider. The third rider faded and was dropped with about 30 miles to go of the 108 miles. Matt and I were taking equally hard pulls at the front and working well together. With just a few miles left in the race, as I pulled through, I turned to Matt.
“How about we cross the finish line at the exact same time?” I suggested to Matt. Matt was a rising star in California and I was on my way out after 11 years of racing. He didn’t respond at first.
“In all my years racing, I can’t remember there ever being a tie for first place in a road race,” I added. Matt’s eyes widened as it dawned on him just what a historic moment it might be if we did, in fact, finish in a tie, side by side.
So, the agreement was made. As we neared the finish line we didn’t sprint, but had our front wheels cross the line at the exact same time. We reached out an arm to one another and crossed the finish line at precisely the same instant.
Or so we thought. The USCF judges were set on having one winner, not two, and declared Matt’s front wheel crossed the line just a hair ahead of mine. With no photo camera around, it was determined by a few judges that Newberry was the winner.
Matt and I could have dismounted our bikes just before the finish line. We could have walked our bikes slowly across the line, with our front tires touching the finish at the same instant. The third-place finisher was minutes behind, so we would not have been passed.
So much for a historic first in the annuals of amateur racing in the USA.
In one version of the 1987 Copperopolis Road Race, it was Matt Newberry and Calvin Trampleasure tied for first place. A glowing result in the gold country! Sometimes it is the stories we tell ourselves, and the truth within them, that count the most.