Jimmie Heuga Mountain Bike Express
September 21-22, 1996

While the World Cups drew to a close in sunny Hawaii and the World Championships tore through Australia, professional and amateur mountain bike racers battled the snow-capped mountains in Vail, Colorado at the annual Jimmie Heuga Mountain Bike Express, September 21-22. The races culminated in a team lap race at 4-Eagle Ranch in Wolcott. Teams of four rode the mountainous circuit for a grueling and sometimes surprising two hours. Because 4-Eagle is a western ranch, a cow patty or two greeted unsuspecting riders .

The winning team, raising in excess of $39,000 hailed from Seattle, Wash. Their win was not without incident, however. Rider Albert Postema suffered a bad fall which left him unconscious for 15 minutes. While doctors at the Vail Valley Medical Center were apparently concerned, avid bikers agree that he was just because Postema's first words when he came to were, "how's my bike?"

The teams were comprised of three amateur riders and one professional. The pro on the Seattle team, Oliver Starr, a NORBA competitor is from Carson City, Nevada. "This was a fair season for me," Alvarez said. I had a lot of technical problems on the circuit, but there's always next year. I'm glad this team won. They put a lot into to it." They also got a lot out of it.

Each amateur member walked away, or rather drove away with a new Toyota! Local rider, Devon Alvarez, participated for his second time. "Last year's ride was a 30 second lap, this year's was at least eight to ten minutes with no time to relax. It was a fast start with a slight uphill climb of 300 yards of full-on heart rate tachometer red lining," Alvarez enthused. "When you get to the top of the hill there's no time to rest because you have to go across a flat section that's got a lot of obstacles," he continued, still on a biker's high several hours after the race.

The Mountain Bike Express is one of a series of fund-raisers held by the Jimmie Heuga Center (JHC). Founded by Olympic medalist Jimmie Heuga, the scientific research center based in Avon helps those with multiple sclerosis, a neurological disease which Heuga contracted at the height of his ski racing career in 1970.

For six years Heuga, who spoke at the Mountain Bike awards dinner, followed doctors' orders and lead a sedentary life. He decided that lifestyle was not to his liking and designed an exercise program to get back into the "real world."

In March 1984, with the backing of the community, Heuga opened the Jimmie Heuga Center and began his mission to "Reanimate the Physically Challenged.""We don't just work with the person that has MS," Heuga told those gathered at the dinner. "We work with the entire family, because this effects the entire family." As he spoke, his young son Blaze listened attentively then danced about the audience.

The Center has a drawn distinction between health and chronic disease and the programs are designed to emphasize general health, physical fitness and psychological well-being. The program is designed to modify the participants health behavior and improve their quality of life by encouraging a sense of independence and self-efficiency.

While listening to Heuga's inspiring tales of trials and tribulations, one professional mountain bike racer, pro-rider Leah Garcia, nodded with a sense of appreciation. After Heuga's speech she shared a similar story. "I worked in Los Angeles after college for a few years in a high-stress job," Garcia said.

She was struck with Bells Palsy, a neurological disease which crippled her face and parts of her body. "I decided then that life was too precious to be in a job that was literally destroying me."

With those thoughts and a desire to leave the corporate world, Garcia relocated to South Lake Tahoe and took up mountain biking and began competing. She is now on the national circuit sponsored by a major bike manufacturer. "I had a good season this year. I came in 12th overall, considering I started out 30th, I'm very happy! This is my second time participating in this event. I came prepared for the weather. We didn't have as much snow last year, but it was a lot colder. You just never know what to expect!"

-- Laura Hertz, Mountain Zone Contributing Writer


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