Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

HOI TO BE A RACING WIFE AND LOVE IT by Rul.h Beardslee It took ten years of marriage to make me rea.Jize that I could be truly happy only when my mate was happy. If yonr man loves you eoougb you C&D whine, whimper or threaten him into being a loving, well disciplined bore. I was doing a marvelons job of just exactly that to Ron. Ron's two best friends raced. He was a good rider and he wanted to race. I myself could handle a cycle with competent ease. I knew the freedom of a carefree ride in the warm sunshine. That didn't change how loudly I could scream at the thought of him racing. Shakespeare's shrew had nothing on me. Too dangerous - too expensive - begin r\l.Cing at age thirty? Ridiculous! He surely must be in his second' childhood already. I SETS 5 NEW RECORDS AT CASTLE ROCK TT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP NEW RECORD Running Out Of Excuses My change of heart came about slowly over a period of about eight months. While following our friends all over our district, Ron tuned bikes, polished them and rode when he could slip by me. Watching riders line up for their heat races Ron's face would become an easily read book-excited, left out and pathetic. After each race the subject came up again. I would not listen but only recite my excuses of expense, danger, age. That grand sweet guy would nod sadly and the subject would drop - for the time being. Ex~loding the Myth Expensive? No, not really if you took good care of your equipment. Our television set cost more than a bike. Dangerous? A bath tub could be a worse hazard - no crash helmets in the tub. The time had come to analyze our situation as a family and find what life was to mean to us. As a nurse I had seen young lives snuffed out before they had really begun to live. Life was ours for the taking if we only had the sense to realize it. May 25th, 1965, we bought a dream. A Honda 250cc scrambler joined our family. Late June came the bike was broken in, ready for the track. Ron, excited and apprehensive, but ready to give it a go. I was scared and still not sure I had made the right decision. He is still at it and I have now joined the ranks of racing wi ves. Defend Yourself Now lets go over some of the arguments wives have given me since I became a racing wife. The most frequently heard is: • All he does is mess with that darned bike and never takes me anywhere I want to go.· Try going with him when he races. Make a picnic of it and show as much enthusiasm as he has. Above all, don't nag. Nag and your cause is lost for sure. The next argument is usually: ·Who supports the family if he falls oft and gets laid up?· Three months with Papa in a full leg cast and four children to care fa' gives me the.right and knowledge to speak on this subject. There are EXPERT HEAT 2:35.99 EXP. TIME TRIAL 25.30 sec. set by Skip Van Leeuwen, Triumph NEW RECORD AMATEUR HEAT AM, TIME TRIAL 2:38.41 25.58 sec. . 15-LAP AM. FINAL 6:01.11 set by Jim Ollom, Triumph .. SEE AND RIDE THE RECORD BREAKERS AT YOUR LOCAL TRIUMPH DEALER'S STORE! DISTRIBUTOR IN THE lEST JOHNSON MOTORS 2165 E. HUNTINGTON DRIVE DUARTE, CAUF. (211) 681-8255 insurance policies to be had ..that will pay the larger portion of' his salary while he is off, and they aren't expensive. These policies cover him for any type .of sickness or accident, and, therefore, serve to insure you for more than racing. Remember, he is much safer on the track than in an auto on the freeways. AMA rUles demand strict safetv equipment; all bikes are going the same directlon and there are no multi-ton, four-wheeled giants lurkin g about, ready to do him in. More Ammnnition Another thoughtless com men t heard all to frequently is: "Motorcycle people are dirty, uneducated and useless bums.· Hog-wash! I never met more honest and friendly people. Dirty? Try spending any day outdoors without a very definite need for a bath when you get home. The only real difference is that a rider usually bathe s his bike before he hits the showers himself. Uneducated? Well, few of them graduated from Vassar. but did you? There are as many high school and college diplomas held by racing enthusiasts as are found in an average crowd of equal size. Useless? The major part of all riders are gainfully employed or they couldn't afford a cycle in the first place. Also, many cycle cJ ubs put on benefit races that aid many types of charities. Bikes Better Than Trouble Raelnl bus...... R. Burdsl.., taIl.s CCllllpelItor on tile Inside. Burdsl. Is on. of til. luckJ lew racers wbo competes w1t11Ol1t rlsklnc a IIIStrl_lal cataclJsm. Just consider a few more facts before you scream at your cycle worshipping husband. Your garage is a mess, hubby smells like gas or castor oil and the part you see most is his seat because his face is in a maze of cycle parts scattered on the floor. Lady, he sure isn't out getting into trouble is he? Take him a sandwich and a beer and be grateful you only have to play second fiddle to a motorcycle. When it comes to Father's Day or a birthday or such there is no problem about a gift. Give him something for his bike and he won't be likely to forget your next birthday either. Well now, dear wife, you're at the track, your man is lined up to ride and he knows you are there watching him. Swallow that lump in your throat, ignore those butterflies in your stomach and yell like you never yelled before, because if you've come this far with him you've got something not enough people in this world have. You'll be proud when he wins, sad when he doesn't, scared stupid when he falls off, but in spite of all this you will feel . completely and genuinely happy. A man should do and be what he wants. The finer things in life can still be enjoyed. We find plenty of time for the movies, dining out, dancing, parties, family get-togethers and our second love, fishing. Dad never misses daughter's violin recitals or a chance to fly a kite with his sons. Open house at the kids school is old hat to' him. Besides his racing, being president for a second term of a local cycle club, working an average 48 hour week, he finds time to be a dream husband. No, he is not an exceptional man. He is a man who has what he wants in life and knows how to give in ret\lrn. Give your man a chance and you'll "be a racing wife and love it.· -

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