Tinker Juarez

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Tinker Juarez
Personal information
Full name David Juarez
Nickname "Tinker", "Hollifield Flash"
Date of birth March 4, 1961 (1961-03-04) (age 47)
Country Flag of the United States United States
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 63.5 kg (140 lb/10.00 st)
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
Role Racer
Rider type Off Road
Amateur team(s)
1974
1974-1975
1975-1976
1976
1976-77		 Two Wheeler's
Bicycle Motocros News
Kawasaki Motors
National Bicycle Association
Mongoose
Professional team(s)
1977-1982
1982
1983-1985
1985
1985		 Mongoose
JMC Racing
Bandito Racing
ODI
Maximum
Infobox last updated on:
July 10, 2007

David Juarez (born March 4, 1961 in Downey, California U.S.) is a former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer and current top mountain bike racer whose prime competitive years in BMX were from 1978 to 1984 and in mountain bike racing 1986 to the present. Since 1986, he has been a mountain bike racer and since late 2005, competing as a ultra-distance road bike racer. In all three disciplines, he has won numerous national and international competitions. Most recently, "Tinker" finished third in the 2006 Race Across America Enduro bicycle road race.

"Tinker" Juarez is a highly talented cyclist who has made significant impacts in the cycling disciplines of BMX Racing, Freestyle BMX, and Mountain Biking and now long distance road racing for over thirty years. While he was also known as the "Hollified Flash" after one of his home BMX tracks he used to race at and dominate in the early-1970s,[1] the moniker "Tinker" is a nickname that was coined by his family. According to his Mother Rose: "We used to say 'Stinker' when he was a baby, everybody thought we were saying 'Tinker"[2] David Juarez is so well known by his nickname "Tinker" many people probably think that is his real first name.

Contents

[edit] Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racing career

Note: The Professional first listed only pertain to the national level only unless otherwise noted.

Started Racing: 1974 at 13 years of age.

Sanctioning Body: Independant track.

First race result:

First win (local):

First sponsor:

First national win: In 14 & Over Intermediate at the first annual National Bicycle Association (NBA) Grandnational Championship in Newhall, California on November 23, 1975.[3]). This was the first ever BMX Grandnational Championship.

Turned professional: 1977 Age 16.

First Professional race* result:

First Professional win:

Retired from Senior A/AA pro competition: 1986 at age 25. Unlike most BMXers he never looked back and dedicated the rest of his cycling career to Mountain Biking.

Height and Weight at the height of his career (1979-85): Ht:5'8" Wt:~140lbs.

*At the time there was no separate pro class for pros due to the relatively small number of pros. They raced with with the 16 Experts, making it a Pro/Am class essentially. This is why during the early years of the pro division the national number one racer of a sanctioning body could be either an amateur or professional. This practice continued until the NBA's 1979 season in which the pros earned separate pro points and a separate pro plate from the amateurs.<

[edit] Career factory and major bicycle shop sponsors

Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX and MTB press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are used.

[edit] Amateur

  • Two Wheeler's BMX: 1974
  • Bicycle Motocross News Team (Test Rider/Racer): Late 1974-November 1975
  • Kawasaki Motors: November 1975-Early 1976
  • National Bicycle Association: Early 1976-Mid 1976
  • Mongoose (BMX Products): Mid 1976-February 14, 1982. Tinker would turn professional with this sponsor.

[edit] Professional

  • Mongoose: 1976-February 14, 1982. He was sponsorless for approximately three months after his separation from Mongoose.
  • JMC (Jim Melton Cyclery) Racing Equipment: Mid May 1982-December 1982.
  • Bandito Racing: January 1983-Early February 1985
  • ODI (Ornate Design, Inc.) *: April 13, 1985-April 14, 1985.[4] Seemed to have been a one weekend sponsorship since "ODI" does not appear next to Juarez's name in the BMX Plus! race results after this weekend.

*This company first started out making Christmas ornaments but switched to making bicycle grips and later grips for power tools as well as BMX and skateboarding accessories.[5]

  • Maximum: Early July 1985-

[edit] Career bicycle motocross titles

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.

[edit] Amateur

National Bicycle Association (NBA)

  • 1975 14 & Over Novice Western States Champion
  • 1975 14 & Over Intermediate Grandnational Champion #2 (Jeff Bottema was the winner of the first Main[6]). This was the first ever BMX Grandnational Championship.
  • 1976 15 Expert Winternational Champion
  • 1976 14-15 Expert Western States Champion
  • 1976 15 Expert California State Champion

National Bicycle League (NBL)

  • None

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

  • None

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)

  • None

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)

[edit] Professional

National Bicycle Association (NBA)

  • None

National Bicycle League (NBL)

  • None

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

  • None

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)

  • None

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)

  • None

[edit] Freestyle BMX

In April 1980, Tinker was named the first King of the Skatepark by Bicycle Motocross Action magazine.[7]

Although no contest was ever held, it was a general declaration for his highly advanced maneuvers that no one were matching at the time.

[edit] Career BMX accolades

  • He was Bicycle Motocross Action's very first star interview in their first issue (December 1976/January 1977).[1]
  • He was one of the founding members of the Professional Racing Organization (PRO), the first attempt at a BMX racer's guild in 1977.[8]
  • He is a 1993 inductee into the ABA BMX Hall of Fame.

[edit] Significant BMX related injuries

Tinker, despite eventually becoming a top pro BMXer in racing and gaining "high airs" in both dirt jumping and vertical freestyle, went ten years without breaking a bone. It is very common for BMXers, especially in the pro ranks to become occasionally seriously injured because they are pushing themselves to as far as their talents can take them and beyond at high speeds, or in the case of vertical freestyle and dirt jumping to high altitudes and distances.

[edit] BMX magazine covers

Bicycle Motocross News:

  • May 1976 Vol.3 No.5 with Perry Kramer and an unidentified racer.

Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:

  • December 1978 Vol.5 No.12 (M/BMXA)

Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:

BMX Plus!:

  • None

BMX Weekly & BMX B-Weekly: (British publication)

  • January 14, 1983 Vol.3 Iss.2

Total BMX:

Bicycles and Dirt (ABA Publication):

  • October 1983 Vol.2 No.1 ahead of Ronnie Anderson and Rob Medrano.

NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication under two names):

Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):

ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):

USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):

[edit] BMX and general press magazine interviews and articles

  • "Almost a Legend in his own Time. Tinker Juarez: The Hollified Flash" Bicycle Motocross Action December 1976/January 1977 Vol.1 No.1 pg.27
  • "The King of the Skateparks Tinker Juarez" Bicycle Motocross Action April 1980 Vol.5 No.4 pg.25. Pictorial of Tinker performing Vertical Freestyle at Lakewood Skatepark in Lakewood, California.
  • "Interview: Tinker Juarez" BMX Action January 1983 Vol.8 No.1 pg.26

[edit] Mountain Bike (MTB) racing career

Mountain Bike Racing (MTB)
Personal information
Nickname "Tinker"
Country Flag of the United States United States
Team information
Current team Cannondale
Discipline XC, Endurance MTB
Role Racer
Rider type Off Road
Amateur team(s)
1986-1989 General Bicycles
Professional team(s)
1989-1993
1993
1993-2002
2003-2005
2005-Present		 General Bicycles
Klein Bikes
Volvo/Cannondale
Siemens/Cannondale
Cannondale
Major wins
1995 Pan Am Games Gold Medalist
2001,'02,'03,'04 24-hour endurance
category National Champion
Infobox last updated on:
July 16, 2007

In 1986, Tinker made the switch from BMX to mountain biking. Since that time, Tinker has become a 3-time National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) cross-country (XC) champion and 4-time national champion in the 24-hour solo category. In 1996, he became one of the first to see the introduction of mountain biking as an Olympic sport and represent the United States. Tinker again represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Started Racing: 1986 at 25 years of age.

Sub discipline: Cross Country (XC), Endurance

First race result:

Sanctioning Body:

Turned Professional: 1989

Retired:

[edit] Factory and corporate sponsors

[edit] Amateur

  • General Bicycles (General Bicycle & Moped Company): March 1988-1993 Jaurez would turn pro with this sponsor.

[edit] Professional

  • General Bicycles: March 1988-1993
  • Klein Bikes: 1993
  • Volvo/Cannondale Bicycle Corporation: 1993-December 2002
  • Siemens Mobile/Cannondale: January 28, 2003[9]-December 2005
  • Cannondale: January 2006-Present

[edit] MTB major career achievements

[edit] Amateur

[edit] Professional

National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA)

  • 1994, 1995, 1998 Flag of the United States United States NORBA Cross-Country Champion
  • 2001 National Champion
  • 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Flag of the United States United States National Champion, 24-Hour Solo Category
  • 1995 1st (Gold Medal) – Pan American Games
  • 1998 1st – National Cycling Association Cross-Country Finals

[edit] Career MTB accolades

  • Juarez was selected as a member of the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.
  • He was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2001.
  • Cannondale awarded Tinker its 'Icon Award' in 2005 for his contribution to the sport.

[edit] MTB magazine covers

Mountain Bike Action:

[edit] Ultra-Endurance racing career

Road Racing
Personal information
Nickname "Tinker"
Country Flag of the United States United States
Team information
Current team Cannondale
Discipline Endurance Road Racing
Role Racer
Rider type Road
Professional team(s)
2005-Present Cannondale
Major wins
2005 500 mile Heart of the South
Infobox last updated on:
April 7, 2007

In 2005, Tinker began training for long-distance road racing events. He won the Heart of the South, which is a 500-mile race, and finished second place at the 2005 edition of the Furnace Creek 508, a grueling 508-mile course that covers 35,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain and passes through Death Valley. His podium finishes qualified Tinker for the 2006 Race Across America (RAAM), the annual transcontinential bicycle race from the west coast to the east cost of the United States. He came in third in the Men's Solo Enduro division of the RAAM endurance road race on June 22, 2006, completing the three thousand mile race which started in 2006 from Oceanside, California and finishing in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His finishing time was 10 days, 22 hours and 21 minutes.[10]

Started Racing: 2005 at 44 years of age.

First race result:

Sanctioning Body:

Retired: Still Active.

[edit] Factory and corporate sponsors

Professional teams
  • Siemens Mobile/Cannondale: January 28, 2003[11]-December 2005
  • Cannondale: January 2006-Present

[edit] Ultra-Endurance road biking career achievements

[edit] Career MTB and Ultra-Endurance cycling achievements by year

2007
  • 3rd – Wilderness 101 Endurance Mt. bike race
2006
  • 3rd – Race Across America, Men's Solo - Enduro Category
  • 1st – Solo 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo
2005
  • NORBA National Champion, 24-Hour Solo Category
  • 1st – Heart of the South (500 mile road race)
  • 2nd – Furnace Creak 508 (508 mile road race)
  • 1st – Solo 24 Hours of Mountain Mayhem (Bristol, England)
  • 1st – Solo 24 hours of Temecula (Temecula, California)
  • 1st – Solo 24 Hours of Mohican Wilderness (Glenmont, Ohio)
  • 1st – Solo 12 hours of Razorback (Reddick, Florida)
  • 3rd – Solo 12 hours of Humbolt
  • 1st – Solo 12 Horas MTB Sampa Bikers (Itupeva, São Paulo, Brazil)
2004
  • NORBA National Champion, 24-Hour Solo Category
  • 2nd – Solo 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo
  • 3rd overall (1st, masters) – La Ruta de los Conquistadores (Costa Rica)
2003
  • NORBA National Champion, 24-Hour Solo Category
  • 1st – Solo 24 hours of Laguna Seca (National Championship)
  • 1st – Solo 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo
  • 1st – Solo 24 hours of Temecula
  • 1st – Solo 24 hours of Moab, Utah
  • 1st – Epic 75 at Big Bear
  • 1st – Solo 12 hours of Humbolt
  • 1st – Solo 12 hours of Razorback
  • 1st – Solo 12 horas MTB Sampa Bikers (Itupeva, São Paulo, Brazil)
  • 2nd – Solo 24 hours of Mtn Whistle (World Championships)
2002
  • NORBA National Champion, 24-Hour Solo Category
  • 24 Hour National Champion
  • 1st – Gorge Games - 24 Hour Solo Race
  • 1st – 24 Hours of Adrenaline - Winter Park
  • 1st – 24 Hours of Adrenaline - Laguna Seca
  • 1st – 24 Hours of 9 Mile
  • 1st – 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo
2001
  • NORBA National Champion, 24-Hour Solo Category
  • Inductee – Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
  • 1st – Gorge Games - 24 Hour Solo Race
  • 1st – 24 Hours of Adrenaline - Laguna Seca
  • 1st – 24 Hour US National Championships
  • 5th – Mount Snow NORBA Cross Country Finals
  • 6th – Deer Valley NORBA Cross Country Finals
2000
  • Flag of the United States United States Olympic Team Member
  • 5th – NORBA Cross-Country, Mt. Snow
  • 7th – NORBA Cross-Country, Mammoth and Crystal Mountain
  • 10th – World Cup XC, Mazatlan
1999
  • 5th overall – NORBA Short Track
  • 9th overall – NORBA Cross-Country
1998
  • NCS National Cross-Country Champion
  • 1st – NCA Cross-Country Finals
  • 2nd – NCS Cross-Country; Red Wing
  • 3rd overall – Tour of the Rockies
1996
1995
1994
1989
  • 1st – NORBA Iron Horse Classic

[edit] Miscellaneous and Trivia

Tinker also participated in what was call Formula One (F-1) bicycle racing. F-1 racing was a short lived fad from 1987-1989 that involved bicycles with 20" wheels that looked like a cross between BMX, Road Race Touring and Mountain bicycles. Other famous BMX stars both retired and active at the time participated, including Harry Leary, Pete Loncarevich, David Clinton, Stu Thomsen, Eddy and Mike King. The two major BMX sanctioning bodies ABA and NBL, sanctioned the events. Tinker won the first ABA sponsored F-1 series race in Phoenix, Arizona in early 1988. In the following NBL sanctioned Grand Prix series he got a sixth in Memphis, Tennessee (the very first NBL F-1 race) and a second in Orlando, Florida.

[edit] End Notes

  1. ^ a b Bicycle Motocross Action December 1976/January 1977 Vol.1 No.1 pg.26
  2. ^ [1] Team Zeal website.
  3. ^ Bicycle Motocross News January 1976 Vol.3 No.1 pg.16 (results)
  4. ^ BMX Plus! August 1985 Vol.8 No.8 pg.69
  5. ^ BMX Plus! November 1986 Vol.9 No.11 pg.15
  6. ^ Bicycle Motocross News January 1976 Vol.3 No.1 pg.16
  7. ^ Fat BMX Magazine: Profiler : July 2005: Tinker Juarez Interview by Matt Skinner
  8. ^ BMX Action December 1986 Vol.11 No.12 pg.30
  9. ^ Toospeed site.
  10. ^ "Juarez Completes Toughest Race" Tinker gives his account of the 2006 Race Across America.
  11. ^ Toospeed site.

[edit] External links