Pike's Peak Hill Climb Notes

[peckhammer]

I just returned from the Pike's Peak International Hill Climb where We've been doing interviews for our show. I interviewed Eddie Mulder, one of the most colorful racers I've ever met. We also spent a fair amount of time with this guy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peckhammer/2693013678/

I've got to tell you, Malcolm is the nicest guy in the world, and his wife and son are absolutely wonderful people. Girl Wonder and I had the opportunity to tell him that the reason we started riding trials was because we saw him on a Sherpa T in "On Any Sunday." It was one of those hard-to-believe moments that we'd ever have the opportunity to relate that story to such a motorcycle legend.

Last year, BMW had a factory team for the hill climb. They ran the HP2s and did exceptionally well in the hands of talented riders such as Micky Dymond and Gary Trachy. BMW (with a big "B") didn't elect to participate this year, so a group of employees and customers from MAX BMW organized their own effort. I interviewed them after the 3:30 AM practice sessions on Friday. What a great bunch of guys. BTW, in the photo I linked above, the two guys who aren't Malcolm were from Team MAX BMW.

Our longest and hardest interview was with the French side car team. We conducted the interview in French because they didn't speak a lick of English. It's a really interesting story -- a sort of modern version of the World's Fastest Indian -- only it's set in Colorado. They did win the event, but they missed breaking the record by 2 seconds. We will post it as the french-only version first, while we contemplate how we will handle the translation (subtitles or voice over).

I'll let everyone know when I finish editing these interviews so you can check it out if you are interested.
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Peckhammer

[deilenberger]

I took a 3 day enduro riding class with Malcolm about 30 years ago, and I've never met a better rider, or a nicer one. He is really a legend, and "On Any Sunday" - which he was in - was really the reason I started riding. I'd love to catch up with him again, perhaps next time I'm in California I'll have to drop by his dealership.

Class guy all the way.. and he always has that big grin..

[peckhammer]

I took a 3 day enduro riding class with Malcolm about 30 years ago, and I've never met a better rider, or a nicer one. He is really a legend, and "On Any Sunday" - which he was in - was really the reason I started riding. I'd love to catch up with him again, perhaps next time I'm in California I'll have to drop by his dealership.

Well, if you know Malcolm, you may also know Eddie Mulder. For those that don't, Eddie is one of the most colorful racing legends I've been able to kick back and chat with. Eddie was a leading TT Steeplechase and desert racer of the 1960s, and he's been racing for five decades. We talked about his early days as a dirt racer, his work as a stunt double for Clint Eastwood, and about his uncertainty in racing PPIHC because of altitude-related health problems he experienced last year.

The interview, with a little background info is available here: http://peckhammer.blogspot.com/search/label/PPIHC
The vid by itself is here: http://blip.tv/file/1111685