Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

· u:> .- ~ By Bobi Scott M < Debbie Evans is a kind of superwoman in disguise. To all outward 0.. appearances, she could be just the girl who lives next door, you~ basic college coed or your friendly family dentalassistant. She }.~ not what she appears. 'Debbie is the first and only American woman to hold an Expert classification in trials. And - she has the track record to back it up. At 20 years old she is beginrring.a successful career in movie stunt work. ;~ Debbie Evans isn't searching for any directions to her future ....2; she's already found it. She's young, capable and self-confidefif about everything she's undertaken so far. You cou'ld chalk it up partly to luck, partly to determination; ·b u t she has to be admired~' regardless of what you attribute her successes to. Debbie is leaving April 18 for Europe. She will compete in tlfe Scottish Six Days Trial. She may not win - but she'll do her beit and she won't quit when the going gets rough. That's what people will remember. . . :n:~ I 24 About trials r idiDjt: I guess I started to ta ke trials riding seriously about the time I got my first bike from Yamaha. I'd been riding trials since I was a bo ut nine. It was just a family thing, ' but doing thi ngs together like that made our family closer to each other. Everybody enjoyed it. In 1972 I got an Ossa and went right out of the Kids class and out of the Novice class. There I was, an Amateur and I got quite a bit of publicity because I was a girl. I was about 15 or 16 when I needed a new' bike. Now . I really don't know exactly how all this came about. I didn't just walk into Yamaha ; they contacted me . A friend of our family talked to a friend of his at Yamaha. Yamaha said. "Well, bring her in here and we'll let her try one out. " So they gave me a I 75 to try and later asked me if I liked it. Of course I said yes, so thcy said, "W ell, keep it ." They didn't say keep it for a year, or ride it for such and such a period of time just keep it. So all of a sudden , here I was with a brand new bike and all the parts to go along with it . That really helped a lot . The bike was perfect for me . In fact the first trials I rode on it, I got a third. Before that I'd been placing 13th or 14th. Ever since that first bike, I've worked through the public relations department at Yamaha . I haven't signed any contracts or anything like that, but they do give me a lot of help. Now I hav e a competition bike and a practice bike because they let me keep myoid bike for practice. Last year they new me back and forth to the Supercrosses and the AMA Camel Pro Series races for trials exhibitions during "halftime." . So, really , they've done a lot for me . O D the a dvantages a nd disad va ntages of being a girl in the sport: Well, we may not be the best , but I think a lot of it has to do with our physical features . You know , maybe if we were guys , and we were built like them , we would be number one. Yes, there are certain limitations to a woman 's capacities when it comes to performing in a ' spon such as this . I haw v('ry short I('/I"s a nd I've lost a lot of points because when I try to put my foot on th e ground , and I can't reach the ground , I end up falling over. So, that's five big ones, you know, five ~i is f " guy who's tall just puts a foot down and loses just '~p~ point. Strength too - when a guy gets stuck on a step , he just picks up the bike, moves it over and continues. Now sometimes I can't do that. I'm pretty strong. i~ fact a lot stronger than people would think, but sometimes, because my legs are so short, I ca n't get the leverage needed to move it. So yes, I think there are certain physical disadvantages - but who am I to say some girl couldn't come up and be number one? I don't think it will ever happen in trials , I mean, really, I'm the only girl who's ever gone even this far. All the others just kind of play at it. I'd really like to race some motocross, but it seems like my schedule has been so busy for the last few years I haven't really had the time. I think after Scotland, I'll just have to make the time. Husky just gave me a bike to play around on ; but I've never ridden a motocross race before. I don't really have any ambitions to go out and be the best at motocross, I just want to go out and have a good time at it. Same thing with enduros. I liked riding them with my dad , and I did really well , but I didn't like all the timekeeping. I'd like something like ISDT better, or desert racing, but I haven't had the time or the bike to do that. About the sport of trials: .• I The on ly time I've ever hurt myself in trials was maybe a sprain or a good bruise. If a kid wants to get into something competitive, but his parents don't wa nt him to race because they're afraid he might get hurt, tlien trials wou ld be the answer, It 's cheaper, too , You d on 't ,. waste as many parts , the entry is cheaper, besides"all ~ that , it gives you a basis for all other types of riding."If ::; you 're on a piece of junk and you're riding on a trail ~ through a lot of rocks, fallen trees or whatever, you ~ can probably make it through if you've had trraIs 5 experience. On the other hand , a person with no trials ~ experience would look at the trail and panic , thinking l3 there's no way through. Trials gives you the complete basics for riding a motorcycle. It 's a good beginning if for anyone who wants to learn to ride . o

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