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Dirt Rag Articles
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If you're an east coast mountain bike racer, you're within six degrees of separation of Mike Yozell. The guy's been racing mountain bikes virtually non-stop since 1989. In the winter Mike rocks the New England and Mid-Atlantic cyclocross circuits. Mr. Yozell is on the scene, like a racing machine.
I've been bumping into Mike since 1991, when I started going to the races in the region. My most recent reunion with Mike was at the 2007 USA Cycling Mountain Bike XC National Championships at Mt. Snow, where he scored the biggest victory of his career and took home the Stars and Stripes jersey in the expert 35-39 category. Time to give a brother his due.
Name: Michael Yozell
Occupation: General contractor
Hometown: Marblehead, MA
Current location: Emmaus, PA
Started mountain biking: 1984
Riding style: Fluid.
Favorite trail food: Sardines. Nothing better for a long ride.
How did you get started mountain biking?
I was working at Marblehead Cycle in Marblehead, MA, and we got in some early Treks-—some King Stings and a Riverside Redlands Schwinn (RRS) 24" cruiser with cantilevers that fit me oh-so-well. I guess you could say that was my first single-speed mtn bike. Chris Chance would also bring by his early Fat Chance bicycles for us to try out. The guys and I would go out and ride the local trails.
What was your first mountain bike?
The first true mountain bike I ever bought for myself was a Univega Alpina Sport.
What's your current main bike?
Can I put two? A Fisher Rig and a Seven Sola.
What is your favorite trail?
I'm really partial to the trails in the Philly area and also the Canaan Valley in West Virginia.
What music goes through your head while you're riding?
Lots of blues and older rock, but sometimes the trail dictates the tune.
Best mountain bike vacation spot?
I've never taken a mountain bike vacation, but if I did I might say Jim Thorpe (PA) because it has everything—great trails, great long rides, swimming, awesome views, good camping and rafting. Sometimes you don't have to travel all that far to get to a great vacation spot.
Any hobbies, or something you do to relax?
Play guitar, read a lot, cook.
How and when did you get started bicycle racing?
I raced BMX for five years as a kid and around '86 did my first mountain bike race at Lynnwoods in Lynn, MA. I mostly dabbled in it at first, doing a few crits and other races. Then, around 1989, when I moved to Philadelphia, I was working at the old Bike Tech shop and a bunch of the men and women there raced every weekend. I went along, raced in the sport class, and did okay at first. After a couple of seasons, I started placing better. I learned how to race, not just how to go fast. I've been racing ever since.
Do you remember your first mountain bike race?
I remember it well. It was a lap-style race with a couple of good-sized climbs, some nice singletrack, and I remember my best friend Brownie (Chris Brown) drinking Fosters Oil Cans and had a fanny pack with a cassette player in it blaring Kevin "Bloody" Wilson on the starting line.
When did you know you were hooked on racing?
In 1991, we raced the fall stage race at Hidden Valley Ski Area south of Pittsburgh, PA. The three stages were a time trial, observed trials, and cross-country. I was still racing sport and was riding a Giant Iguana with drop bars because my Yeti had been in a crash and was back at the factory for repairs. Rigid fork. Toe-clips and straps. It was great. I did well in the TT and tied in the observed trials. Went to a run off and won that. Then I won the XC. After that, I was completely hooked. It was a fun weekend with great people, fantastic event, camping, camp fires.
Community. The cycling community is a huge part of my life and the folks in the racing scene are a big part of what makes going to races so enjoyable.
What's kept you motivated to keep racing through the years?
I love riding my bike. Always. With racing, there are ups and downs. Not every race goes well, and you don't always feel happy about the way you rode. But the races that do go well—when everything just clicks—those keep are the ones that keep me coming back, training and racing year after year.
What mountain bike team do you currently ride for?
VisitPA.com
Any memorable moments from the other teams you've been on through the years?
Tons of memorable moments. A few of them are the many times we raced the 24-hours of Canaan, including the very first one.
You won the Stars and Stripes jersey at this year's USA Cycling mountain bike XC National Championship. Is that your biggest accomplishment as a racer?
Yes, absolutely. There's no other feeling I've had as a competitor quite like pulling that jersey on while standing on the podium.
Tell us how that particular race unfolded at Mt Snow.
Gunnar and Betsy Shogren picked me up at home, and we arrived Thursday night to a muddy mess. We did a lap of the course to figure out gearing because we were all riding single-speeds. This was the first time in about five years that I'd raced at Mt. Snow and one thing I noticed was how well the 700c wheels rolled around that place. Headed back to the condos, cleaned up, ate yummy food and slept hard. I spent Friday pitting for my teammate Wes Schempf in the semi-pro race where he had a great 2nd-place finish, and then went back to the condo, put my feet up and watched bad movies. On Saturday morning, my teammate Mike Hebe, our friend Lath Carlson and I ate breakfast and headed out for a good warm up. Got back to the mountain with a little extra time before staging, stretched really well, and lined up.
The course had dried out a lot. The woods and shaded sections were still really muddy, but the fire-road climbs were rideable. I love riding in the mud. As for the race itself, once we started I felt great. It was one of those days. I had a small gap by the first feed zone, but I wasn't pushing it too hard. The thought went through my head that I might actually be able to win. I rode well within myself on the first lap, caught up to Lath, who was in the class ahead of me, and we started pacing off each other. Second place in my race was about 20 seconds back for a while and caught me on the second lap. I was content to follow him for a little bit. When he put a foot down in a technical section, I got around him, and led for the rest of the race, opening up a gap of around a minute by the end. The only place on the course where a single-speed was a disadvantage was the downhill and false flat after the second feed zone. On the last lap, I had a vision of him catching me there, so I got as much speed going into it as possible and went flat out as hard as I could.
It was a great weekend: one condo, three jerseys. I had won the 35-39 category, Lath won the 30-34 race the same morning, and Wes went on to win the semi-pro short track the next day.
You race cyclocross too. Which is your main pursuit CX or XC?
Depends on the season.
What your favorite thing about CX?
It's great racing both for experienced, advanced racers and for someone who wants to try cycling competition for the first time. It's short enough to not be too daunting, there's a family atmosphere, even at the big races. You can see the whole course, so it's spectator-friendly, and there's top-quality racing that encompasses a little bit of both road and mountain bike racing.
Biggest CX accomplishment?
In terms of racing, 12th in Elite Nationals back in '96, and 2nd at Masters Nationals in 2004.
In general, though, I'd say the September skills clinics I've organized for local riders and helping to start an on-going Wednesday evening CX workout in Philly.
What's the worst thing about CX?
January. It's over.
Any words of wisdom to the young up-and-coming bike racers in the crowd?
For the really young racers (juniors under 18, for example), I'd say don't get too focused too early. Do other sports, run cross-country, play basketball, soccer, whatever. Discover who you are as an athlete. Then you can get focused, maybe on cycling.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I love my wife, Erica.
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