It is hard

for most people to acknowledge the athleticism of auto

and motorcycle racers. The arguments range from the fact

that the machines do most of the work and the riders are

typically seated for the duration of the race.

But imagine

that you ride Motocross. You drive around an eight-mile

loop for two to three hours and you do it every weekend

from March through October. It can be painful and

grueling and at the end of each race, you definitely feel

like an athlete.

Palmetto's

Terry Mealer is such a motorcycle athlete and he just

clinched his second consecutive Grand National Cross

Country Championship. Mealer is the lead mechanic at

Cycle Specialty in Fayetteville and he has been racing

motorcycles since 1964.

Originally

from Birmingham, Mealer moved to Austell in 1988 and then

to Palmetto in 1997. He has raced in several riding

series, including the national Motocross Series and the

two groups he currently races in, the Grand National

Cross Country Series and the Southeastern Trail Riding

Association. In his career, Mealer has won two American

Motorcycle Association titles and now four Grand National

titles.

The race is

usually called a hair scramble because eventually all

300-500 racers in the race will be on the course. The

terrain of the course is always changing and each stick

or stone can be an obstacle at some point during the

race. The bikes average about 45 miles per hour but can

reach speeds close to 80.

"I

first got into motorcycle racing because it wasn't a team

sport," said Mealer. "I had played baseball and

enjoyed it, but I liked riding because it is just the

motorcycle and you." Motocross was just starting up

when Mealer got into the sport and the potential of the

sport definitely attracted him and many riders like him.

Unfortunately,

what keeps many people out of the sport is the financial

aspect. It is very difficult to afford racing in the

National Motocross Series full time. But Mealer enjoys

watching the sport continue to transform; that is, when

he's not racing. In an average year, Mealer races in

between 30 and 35 races. He has sponsors that help him

stay on top: Moose Racing, Yamaha and Parts Unlimited.

While most racers are sponsored by companies, they race

for themselves. As Mealer points out," It's not like

Nascar. There are no team tactics."

The best

and worst moment of his career came at the same place,

the Blackwater 100 in Davis, W.V. The Blackwater course

was full of peat bogs, swamps, rocks, and small rivers.

The narrow course would look like a foot path at the

beginning of the race and like a bomb site afterward.

Mealer won the title there one year for his best moment,

and his worst and toughest moment was having to drag his

bike out of a peat bog there.

"I

just started to sink in and pushing the bike out was very

hard, especially when you consider there were other

racers somewhere on the course." They do not race at

Blackwater anymore because the environment could no

longer withstand the riders and the massive influx of

fans for the race.

Mealer is

most impressed with the changing image of motorcycles and

motorcycle racing. In the late `60s and `70s motorcycles

were associated with Hell's Angels, but thanks to

Motocross's surging popularity, stemming from wide

television coverage, video games featuring the top

riders, and the emerging presence of many individual

thrill sports (Gravity Games, X Games), motorcycle racing

is now a viable option. Much less crazy than bunjee

jumping in a canoe.

Mealer

figures he will continue to race as long as he is having

fun and still competitive. He practices once a week at an

undisclosed location and travels to the race with his

wife, who is a triathlete. Mealer doesn't do much other

than race his bike and fix other people's bikes, but he

is doing what he loves. His positive and relaxed attitude

play a major role in his success and should continue to

do so in the future.

Like any

good athlete, his advice for those wishing to enter the

sport are to be dedicated, practice and concentrate.

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