Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 28 JULY 15, 2014 P141 but the reality is that these elite few remain largely overlooked, even within our own two-wheeled community. Fortunately, howev- er, it looks like the tide might be changing for this talented subset of off-road riders, as there are becoming more ways to earn money for their skill. AMA EnduroCross burst onto the scene in 2004 with an all- new flavor of racing – one that combined trials-type obstacles onto a racetrack. It only took un- til 2006 for someone to figure out that a trials bike is pretty well suited for a task like that. That someone was Nick Mantzoros, who stuffed his trials bike in the trunk of his mom's car and drove across the country to compete in Las Vegas. Mantzoros appeared to be the underdog on his "funny- looking" bike (though the case was likely the opposite), and had the fans on his side all night. He nearly threw the crowd at the Or- leans Arena into a frenzy when he passed his way into the last quali- fying position for the main event. Mantzoros enjoyed his 15 min- utes of fame that night, and gave plenty of others the idea to line up for EnduroCross on a trials bike. Although the race promot- ers elected to keep EnduroCross an enduro-bike-only series, there remains a "TrialCross" class, and the trials background parlays well into a career in EnduroCross. The top riders in the sport today: Taddy Blazusiak, Cody Webb and Colton Haaker all come from a pure trials background. More "outside the box" think- ing came from trials riders Phil and Pat Smage. These brothers who regularly compete in Na- tional Trials decided to take their act into the mainstream by way of the television show "America's Got Talent." The segment defi- nitely turned a lot of heads, and spawned some viral online vid- eos of the duo stunt riding their trials bikes on stage. There's a lot to be said for the entertainment factor of trials (as opposed to competition), as 10- time National Trials Champion Geoff Aaron can attest to. Aaron fabricated his own rig that turns into a trials playground, where he puts on a trials demonstration show. With additional backing from Red Bull, Geoff is able to make a living traveling the country and putting on trials demonstra- tions at events from races to fund raisers. Aaron's stock rose even more when he landed a regular role in the "Nuclear Cowboyz" tour. Though it recently came to an end, "Nuclear Cowboyz" pre- sented a good opportunity for stunt riders – from freestyle to tri- als – to earn a living doing what they love. Following the success of "Nu- clear Cowboyz," Feld Entertain- ment concocted an even grander show tour in conjunction with Marvel Comics. In the all-new "Marvel Universe Live!" tour, fans can see their favorite superhe- roes and villains in a live-action show. The stars behind the cos- tumes include stunt performers, martial artists and action sports athletes, including motocross and trials riders. Marvel Universe Live! just kicked off an aggressive nationwide tour last week in Flori- da, and stars Phil Smage as Cap- tain America, trials rider and En- duroCross regular Louise Forsley as Black Widow, X Games gold medalist Ashley Fiolek as Hydra Agent and WMX Pro Sarah Whit- more as Madam Hydra. Other athletes in the show include trials rider Ryan Sandoval, racers Brit- tany Marcotte and Jackie Ives. It looks like the modern-day super- heroes (and villains) have quite a few skills on motorcycles, which is not a bad thing at all. For more info on the show, and its 85-city tour over the next two years, go to www.MarvelUniverseLive.com. It may not be the competition they grew up training for, and it may not include podiums and championships they expected to compete for in their prime, but it's good to see that the skills these trials riders (and women racers, as well) have dedicated their lives to can still translate to a decent living. Whether they're entertain- ing or competing, or competing to entertain, they're getting paid to do what they love and entertain thousands by showing off their in- credible skill. And isn't that what it's all about? CN

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