Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

AN EVENING WITH/ STEFFAN By Ron Schneiders Two weeks ago I wrote an article describing the Greenhorn Enduro trom the point of what !telt was the "average" rider, namely myself. It made a number of people unhappy. "What is the 'average' rider made ot? cast iron?" one woman wrote. "How many (riders) were cramped trom head to toe trom the beating they took on this 'relatively easy enduro'?" Well, maybe I had missed a little. 'But now my assignment was to interview a man who has ridden 12 or 13 Greenhorns (he can't remember), tinished all but one, gathered a collection of three 3rd places, tour 2nd places, and now a 1st overall. Even to my apparently jaded senses this is impressive. When I called the number that was given me and asked tor Bob Steffan, the lady who answered told me she would call "Bobby". Warning signs should have started tlashing, but they didn't. I just thought it was kind of amusing that a hUsky, partially bald, six-footer should be called "Bobby". When Bobby got to the phone, I found 'that I had 'come uPon that situation tor which there is no "right" response - an out-of-date phone number, ex-wife, and split-up family. Trying to maintain an air of detachment that 1 didn't teel, I asked tor and was given Bob's new number. He agreed to an interview at eight that evening. Since Bob lived all the way UP in the Vally I I allowed plenty of time and - arrived about fifteen minutes early. A couple of little girls were playing in the yard, and I asked cautiously If their daddy was home. "Nope", he had gone out house hunting, 1 was told. "He'll probably be back in an hour or a halt hOur," the bigger one said, "Why don't you go home?" Five-year-olds are very direct. 1 wasn't ready to give up quite that easily, though, so 1 hauled out my camera and started photographing the two kids bouncing around on a big rubber ball., At precisely 8 p.m. and 30 seconds, a truck pulled UP to the curb with Bob and Peggy Steffan inside. Too much. I should have stamped his left frontfender and told him the next check was in South Gate, but I wasn't thinking that fast. Instead 1 said, "Well, 1 see how you win enduros anyway." He replied, deadPan, "Well, you get used to staying on time." Alter thirteen years of enduros, I guess so. But I still think he waited two hlocks down the street until precisely eight o'clock. Once inside he broke open some beers and I mentioned the mix-up over the phone numbers. "Yeah," he said, "he's getting to be quite a scrambles star. Used to be the papers called him Bob Steffan, Jr. Now he's just Bob Steffan." Kind of curious m1xtnre of pride, wistfulness, and blindness. I had known the name' Bob Steffan" eight years ago when I was still back East. R~t now I judged A super tired Bob Steffan relaxes with his Gatorade. (John Shedd Photo) This is the bike that Paul built and Bob him to be probably one of the top five enduro riders in the country, with names like Penton, McLaine, and Ekins for company. I had become aware of Bob Steffan, Jr .. less than twenty-four hours ago and was not yet associating his name with that of Barry H1ggins or Gary Bailey. But that's not something you can tell a person face-to-tace, so I started asking the inane questions that peoPle who don't know each other have to ask in order to establish a common ground. "How long have you been riding?" "Twenty-five years." ,.Just enduros?" "No, I raced hare and hounds when I was younger'." "What was your biggest win prior to Greenhorn?" About tbat time we were interrupted by what seemed to be a hoard of people. A young man,. lots of children, wife, a pretty, young chick, all were m1Wng arOUDd tbe two chairs where Bob and I sat. Everybody was talking at once, and I, who knew no one except Bob - and him only very slightly - felt very much out of place. I sensed a lot of uptightness, but whether at my presence or among tbe various people, I couldn't tell, Just as quickly as they arrived, everyone was gone, even tbe kids. Bob and I remained like two- rocks tbat have been passed by a whirlpool. We started talking about Ibis year's Greenhorn. Bob was very calm and re1aJred, but he had little to say about the run. He tbought it was one of tbe easier Greenhorns, tbat all the sections elrCept Sunday morning were very well marked. The only time I caught any hint of emation in his voice was when he remarked that, '''This win really means a great deal to me. You can only come that close so many times •••" When I asked If tbere' were any sectlons that particularly stood out in his m1nd, he tbought about it a moment and said, "No, tbere weren't really." "How about Jhat long uphill sandwash out of Four Corners?" "That was .a long one," he agreed. I mentioned the letter I'd received trom tbe irate woman. "WeU, you know any twenty miles d that run 15 dead easy. It's just that tbere are so many of tbose twenty-mUe sections strung together. That's what makes tbe Greenhol"n. They made U really tough one year, just Ute tbe Ram's run, only 500 milE!s long, and only 32 finished it." This year there were 158 finishers. ., I tried to encourage a little bench racing by asking it there were any incidents, or it anyone of his team had crashed. Bob grinned a little and only answered for himself. No, he hadn't fallen, and, in fact, since he was getting older he was very careful to avoid falling because, as he put it, "your bones take a lot longer to heal as you get older." He recalled that his only major injury occurred last year in the Jacllp1ne, a broken leg. ADd tbat time he didn't fall; he was hit by rode to overall Greenhorn victory. another rider. Since it was obvious thatIwasn'tgoing to get any lurid stories or tales of great bravado, I asked about his sponsorship. Bob is sponsored by FUtron and Product Testing, which are in fact owned by the same man, Jack Krtzman. Product Testing's biggest client is Harley DaVidSon, for whom they develoP bikes. Since a major part of the develoPment program is the testing in actual competition, they have had teams entered in the Baja races, the Berkshire Trials, the Jackplne enduro, and otber major events. One thing tbat was extremely obVious was that Bob valued his sponsorship very highly and that he had a great deal of respect tor the men involved. particularly Paul Hunt, whowasresponstbleforthe preparation of the machines. Later in the evening, there were some anxious glances when Bob's wife, Peggy, made a joking remark about the machine and Bob looked to see bow I was going to take it. Bob'S bike, a Harley DaVidsongSprint 350 ERS, gave him no troubletbrougbout the two days, and that was about the only slgn1f1cant thing he could tell me about it. The bikes are completely prepared by Product Testing and serviced on tbe course by a paid pit crew. All Bob had to do was ride it, a welcome change trom earlier years. To fill In the picture a little, I called Paul Hunt and asked him what had been done in preparation. For tbose d you who want to try your Sprint In the desert. here's the torm lila: Fit a s1l:1d plate ,a la Bronson, put Kanis on tbe rear., install a compression release and .. FUtron air cleaner; fit a 34 mm carb and retard tbe spatk. The result is a super-reliable bike that is manageable. The Sprint is really much happier on smoother surfaces for wh1ch it was designed. however, so don't expect to beat any Husk1es If tbe going is really rough. When I asked Bob about tbe handling, he uncomfortably admitted that it was occaslooally a little d1ff1cult to get the tront end light. The bike tbat Bob rode is the same one !bat was used in the Baja 1000 race. It leads a tough life. One of our most interesting areas of discussion centered around tbe timekeeping of tbe run. Bob was the tirnekeeper this year, as he was last year. Riding schedule is all that really distinguishes an enduro from a hard day of cowtrail1ng, so U's really heartbreaking to keep schedule tor a team and have someone else on the team 'win the trophy, as happened to Bob last year. Bob'S system of time!

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