Jacquie
Phelan is something of a mountain biking pioneer,
a mountain bike hall of famer, banjo player, singlespeed
world champs rider, self-proclaimed 'ecotist', cycling
advocate, banjo player and lover of tea. Anthony Robson
delves into a gloriously manic life.
We
may be in the presence of mountain biking royalty,
but there's no need to bow or curtsy, Jacquie Phelan,
"pronounced PFAY len not 'fu-LAHN' or (ulp)
'FELON'," doesn't go in for that, although
she'll gladly receive the occasional fingertip air
kiss. It's funny to think the cycling history started
so inauspiciously.
Aged
9 Jacquie set about learning how to ride on an upright,
'Raleigh-ish' women's bike on which she couldn't even
reach the pedals. "... over and over again
I'd roll to my doom with her [Jacquie's mother] yelling
at me." It seems that as much as anything
her mother was concerned about what the neighbours
thought, but from this a 'patented' Empathic Teaching
Credential was born - Jacquie's enthusiasm as a cycling
teacher for her pupils' achievements is overriding
and encouraging.
But
before we get to that we have the competitive side,
driven by being the eldest of six, with one younger
sister and four later brothers, which lead to a 'compete
or die' lifestyle. "I'm talking about 'compete
for food'. Attention? that was a frill, saved for
whichever kid had to go hospital, or be saved from
drowning."
Cycling
also began at a young age, riding to high school in
'smell-L.A.', and already setting out on a different
course than most. She was the only pupil out of 3,500
doing so. But later, in 1977, a move to San Francisco
brought her into contact with the bike activist community
and the cycling advocate was made reality.
