Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126302
1he enduro lady really knows what she's doing, and does it better than most others of the same sex. She plays the game to heve fun. 1£'8 Personality: J A n n Mennell, ~nduro rid By Jim Schultz Through dust-specked goggles, Ann Mennell surveys the beginning of another desert enduro from atop her motorcycle. Bundled up against a brisk morning breeze, she awaits the start of this day's competition , the Silver Dollar Enduro, Few women ca n 'b e seen in the _ . mass of color- coordmated bodies 14. a nd motorcycles that have converged on the start-finis h line. Motorcycle competition of any kin d is p rimarily a man's sp ort , but the 29 - yea r-ol d Redondo Beach. California n seems quite a t home as the exci tement unfolds a ro und he r in the form of wheeli es a nd an occa sion al crash as the time-staggered groups rid e off into the early morning sun. She chats wit h fellow members of the Bar Ben ders West M.C. with whom she will be riding today. They are smiling and giving each other encouragement, tension mounting as they near their turn at the start line . Soon talk turn to silence as hey don the last of their protective gear, the flas hy-colored helmets. Th~ mood was different earlier this mormng as Ann , the second-ranked woman enduro rider in AMA District 37, sat on the bumper of the fami ly cam~r. She and husband Bob, away from the daily pressures of job and city , were enjoyi ng a weekend of fun wit h friends and sport. "T ha t's probably the best part of coming to these races," says Ann. adjusti ng her rid ing boots and shin guards. "It gives us an opportunity to get out here away from it all and relax. T he Ba r Benders West enjoy bei ng together on these outings. "It's as much fun to sit around the campfire the night before a race as it is to race ," she adds. " there's a lot of camaraderie." She points , out . there is ,al wa ys something different to talk about . thanks to the diverse backgrounds of the group's 150 members . They come from all walks of life : doctor. engineer. housewife , mechanic . Ann, a native of Virginia who came to California six years ago and got a job with the Air Force in Los Angeles. has been competing in motorcycle races for nearly three years. Prior to that . she had never ridden. "It was kind of a spontaneous thing ." she says of her indoctrination to motorcycles. " Bob bought a new bike and taught me how to ride it. Our neighbors, who have ridden four years , tal ked us into enduro riding. It's been a habit since." As the b ikes got bigger a nd faster, Ann. once a se lf-proclaimed conservative fro m th e Sou th . started win ni ng trophies in wha t most peop le consider a dangerous hobby . Reca lling her first race, she smiles candidly, " It was a real comedy. Here I was , a ll hyped up for my first big race. I get to the start line . and my bike had a flat tire. It was depressing. But we.filled the tire with a temporary repair material . and I managed to finish the race. although I didn 't win ." Since then , Ann has entered nearly ,I- ~rl' (Ui.,1 T 'n :>£:> 75 races and has traveled as far aways as Arizona to compete in major events. The trophies have come al most regularly; the overflow from the hou , decorates the windowsill and desk of her otherwise government-issue offic . Most recently, she captured a first in her class (Women's Expert) at the Cal State 100 , a head-to-head match held Oct. 2 in Lucerne Valley among .toR l riders from throughout the state. • .~ Other contests she has entered include the Tonto 150 enduro, ~a~ grue li ng l70-mi le race outside Phoenix, Arizona. which drew 240 entrants and 100 finishers. A nn became the first woman ever n to conquer the course. At two separa\e, o uti ngs at t he 1976-76 Women's ' Motocross Nationals held at Carlsbad and In d ian Du nes, she finished t~iJd each time. 1£ Over the yea rs, Ann has owned, . few mo torcycles. Since that first Suzuki 185 , she has owned 250 , 360 and 400ce Husqvarnas , a 25QFc Kawasaki trials bike. and is currently riding a Yamaha IT 400. a Christ'!!~s gift from Bob . . All work on the motorcycles is performed by th e Mennells. " Most people don 't have th e; time to spend on