Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

hills ide in a terrain test, you 'll have no problem taking his aspirations seriously. At 24, he is still fairly young, and GasGas is one of the top trials marques. As for motocross, it was only last year that Ed mo ndson raced his idol - Thorpe and just beat him. Thorpe had retired just a month or so earlier, after making the top 20 in the final 500cc point standings, but Ed mo ndson realizes th a t he will still need further preparation before he is ready for the MX circuit. The Englishman has a lot going for him, but it is his wi1lingness to dig deep in difficult situations that sets him apart from his rivals. "If it looks im possible, then I w ill give it a go. That' s when I'm tested ." A perfect exampl e of his grit is Edmondso n's love for the French Gilles Lallay Classic, consid ered by experts to be the toughest race in the wo rld. "That is the best day you could hope for. Start at 6:00 a.rn., finish at 11:00 p.m.. It is a day's work, that's for sure." Edmondson led th is year's event for a s hort time, placing fifth (of only nine finishers) after getting stuck in a huge mudhole. This seaso n has bee n a tes ting time for the defending champion. He started the series with a Da y-One win a t the Spanish opener, th en failed to fini sh Day Two when his Ga s-Gas broke its transmission. More trouble awaited at roun d two in France, where he won the ove rall only to see his strongest section thrown out - and his win along w ith it. At round three in Italy, Paul was simply not u p to the ta sk of match ing an inspired Grasso, who was rid ing on his home turf. Edmondson currently rests in second place behind Grasso in the Lightweight class point stand ings, but still has hopes of overtaking his rival in the second ha lf of the series. The roundtwo incident left a bad tas te in Edm ondson's mouth, so much so that he conside rs it his biggest disappointment. " I rode my guts out, and (the decision) could cost me the se rie s. I was really pissed off. I will just go flat -out from now on, and hopefully I wil l win again ." Though he is 20 points back, the '94 title is still not out of the que stion; Edmondso n w on last yea r's crown on the last loop of the final round; besting Swede Jeff Nilsson by jus t three points. With the backing of Ga s-G as, Edmondson feels that he has rea ll y made it . "Life on the road has never been better," he says. "It is so nic e to work for a Spanish organization." For someone who could pass for a jockey in the Kentucky Derby, the champ always presents a professional image - dr essin g nice even after a tough race. He usually giv es the im pression that he should be in the office, rather than racing along the edge of a cliff or cha rging through trees at break-neck speeds. "I like to give the impression that this spo rt is professional. It's not, though. We have to go a long way before it is." In Eur ope, the Worl d End uro circuit has just begun to get noticed by the television channels. Even sports giant Eu ros port - which goes to millions of viewers - has run pi eces on the Gill es Lallay Classic, the Six Days, and a numbe r of r allies. Unli ke m a n y r id e rs, Ed mo ndson realizes that exposure is im portan t for the sport, and if he can help a journalist or a race fan, he is happy to do it. And his passion for riding is am azing. "I ride the bike every day; I love doing it so much." So if you make it to this year's ISDE, and you see what appears to be a child lead ing the pack with the throttle pinned and his legs flailing, you can be su re it will be Paul Edmon d son. And you can be just as sure tha the's on his way to another gold meda1. C\' Check the regional sports network in your area for exact dates and times Event and Race Date Air Date May 20-22 June 9 AMA Road Race, Monterey, CA (Show 2 - 60bcc, 750cc) May 29 World Superbike Santamonica, San Marino June 16 June 10-12 June 23 AMA Road Race, Elkhart Lake, WI (Show #1 - Superbike) June 10-12 June 30 AMA Road Race, Elkhart Lake, WI (Show #2 - 600cc, 750cc) July 7 Open June 19 World Superbike Albacete, Spain July 14 Empire Sports Network Home Spc:lrts Entertainment Home Team Spc:lrts KBL Sports Network Madison Square Garden Network New England Sports Network Pro Am Sports Systems PSN Intermountain West PSN Midwest PSN Rocky Mountain PSN Upper Midwest Prime sports Northwest Prime Ticket Network Spc:lrtsChannel Chicago Sports Channel Cincinnati sports Channel New England SportsChannel New York sportschannet Ohio SportsChannel Pacific SportsChannel Philadelphia Spc:lrtSouth Sunshine Network PRIME·4'aoNDA IIlItlflC Come ride with us. 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