Everyone pushes everyone else to go to the next level. You just progress, compete, and get better. Other riders in the Goatwheels Trials Division are Len Kierstead and Carl Steinbrecher, both of Upton. Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the riders are likely to be found rearranging and tackling traps outside the shop or Kierstead's house, or, in winter, in Kierstead's high-ceilinged garage. The foundation skill is the track stand, balancing the bike with both feet on the pedals.
Riders do a lot of hopping in place to position themselves for tricky moves.
The sport needs to gain exposure to attract young riders and grow, and that is starting to happen, said Tim Williamson, manager of Goatwheels Trials Division. Goatwheels is a sponsor of a World Round event this month in Lake Tahoe, Calif., and hopes to find a venue for a series of indoor rounds next winter. Category 3 racer Rebecca Cooke of Boylston from the Minuteman Road Club missed winning the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic title by a hair. Conn. But Cooke took a spill in the final lap, after two riders in front of her hooked handlebars and one tumbled into her. She got back on her battered bike with a skinned elbow and finished with the pack.