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THE RISING SUN: DAIGORO YAMADA GAVE ME A KICKING
Lee Rodgers
July 24, 2009
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5 days ago….
`You want to go mountain biking with me some time? `
`Mountain-what-now? `
`Biking. Mountain biking. As in, on a bike, on a mountain, you slick-treaded skinny-wheeled freak. You used to MTB right?`
`Yeah, of course. Been a while but… OK, let’s go, it’ll be fun. I’m going to have to beat you though, of course.`
[large, disconcerting, some would say knowing, smile] `OK, whatever.`
Today…
`So… how many times is that you’ve fallen off now?!`
[spitting mud from my mouth] `Might be… pppfffthcccheeuuuuw!... uh… six?`
`I’ve never seen someone actually land on their glasses… not while they were wearing them. `
`I’m glad you’re amused. `
`How long did you say it’s been since you rode a mountain bike? `
`Might be about… 18 years… give or take a year. `
The moral of this story is worth typing in capitals - DO NOT CHALLENGE A WORLD CLASS MOUNTAIN BIKER TO A DUEL – especially NOT ON HIS HOME TURF. Or you will – rather, I will – GET SPANKED LIKE THE FOOL I AM. It’s a simple moral, easy to remember if not particularly catchy, and one I won’t forget for a very, very long time.
Daigoro Yamada is a pro mountain biker here in Japan, riding for the Fukusaya-Fuji team. He`s on his way soon to the World Championships in Austria, his third trip to the Worlds. He`s as nimble as a mountain goat in ballerina slippers and a man deserving of every bit of respect I can muster.
PS To those concerned readers – the glasses survived the direct forehead to earth impact unscathed. Which is more than I can say for the forehead…
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