His smile had fallen by the wayside somewhere between kilometre 1,500 and 2,000. The usual grin that David "Tinker" Juarez (45) usually had on his lips gave way to a blank stare and a stiffened neck. Tinker wanted to find out again: At the Race across America, he wanted to find out whether the grey hairs in his dreadlocks were a sign of weakness. He had to fight against sleep for 3,000 miles in the world's biggest endurance race. Ten days and nine nights in which his feet swelled up and his bum turned to potato pancakes. All to make the cycling world one legend richer. Tinker staggered into third place, where he belonged: on the podium. Two days later, he was back on his bike as the world thirsted for new exploits.
Hardly any other biker is more revered than him. Unmistakable in the colourful mishmash of jerseys: the Californian's magnificent hair. He has enchanted the cycling world for over twenty years. He has been at the top X times, beating Tomac, Overend and Frischknecht, finishing as runner-up in the world championship and three times as US champion. He needs the bike like the air he breathes and the bike needs him. Nobody takes more time for fans and reporters. His staying power seems inexhaustible. He was never the shy Tomac who mutated into a meagre winning machine, no put-upon Miles Rockwell who took his python to the races as a talisman. Juarez only ever wants one thing - to have a good time on his bike and preferably at the top of the podium. The story of the boy from Los Angeles once again epitomises the "American dream". Between gang wars and drug lords, Tinker began his career as a cyclist. He got the name "Tinker" from his mother, who called him "Stinker". But her Mexican accent made it sound more like "Tinker". At 16, he received his first professional contract from Mongoose as a BMX rider. After five years on a small bike, he switched to the bike - the sport seemed to be the future. He was never a winner, but his consistency rewarded him time and again. He has several American championship titles, silver medals at World Cups and World Championships tucked away in his flat. And he has by no means had enough. Tinker seems to be getting better and better as the years go by. His new passion is long-distance races. Head off, legs on. When his strength was no longer sufficient for the top podium in cross country, he successfully switched to 24-hour races. He wanted something new, didn't want to be an old hand. Wherever he started, only two more places on the podium had to be kept free - usually second and third place. He pedalled his gears stoically, with the competition as extras behind him. In the past six years alone, he has won 28 times. But that was not enough for the eternally young rider, he wanted to suffer longer. In 2005, he began training for ultra-distance races. His goal was the Race across America. 3,000 miles of solitude on the country road. Always with the bastard in his jersey pocket and sleep as his biggest opponent. He will be back at the start in 2007. Perhaps he will win then and will hardly be able to hold the champagne bottle due to his weakness. His disciples would be ecstatic, as they are every time their idol is at the top. Always with a baseball cap that sits like a cherry on top of the most famous curls in the bike scene.
