Biker Profile: Clare Young
All the old-hand Michiganders know about Clare Young, but the rest of us should, too.
I’m just shooting from the hip as usual. But to me Clare is one of the oldtimers who gets out there and causes a good quality ruckus in racing. I think he’s from the WWII squadron. How many remaining?
He’s a bit like Rocky’s manager, old gruff Burgess Meredith.
Only 3 times bigger.
I recall he was into Six Day Racing in the old days.
One of the last times I saw him he was officiating.
With him it was a hands on job.
It was a State Road Race and Clare was riding a scooter to keep the field in good behavior. There was the usual strong tendency to trash the yellow line rule. For awhile the whole race was on the other side of the road. Anyway, here comes Clare charging up *THRU* the pack on the scooter. Some riders who didn’t know better were quite startled. He was bangin elbows all the way. Yellin, bellerin and fumin. He got to the outside and herded everyone over. Some guys didn’t have room to move over and they didn’t want to move backwards.
We who knew better said “Hey dudes you better get moving!”
Not quick enough. Clare just hooked em on into the field, leaned against em and packed em in. I think that one of the riders was giving him some lip and Clare made as if to give him a good whack. I think he was about 70 years old.
He’s one of the good old boys. To whom cycling is a lot like boxing or bullfighting, I think. He always has that twinkle in his eye at the start. “Hey boys whattaya say” then beats you upside the helmet. He doesn’t chew a cigar but he might as well.
So how many of that gang are still out there?
I wonder if there are still any more old Belgians sitting alongside those Detroit crits in lawnchairs yellin at the riders to kick some butt or get their butts kicked.
Are there still oldtimer bars where bike racers get beers on the house? Like the Cadieux Cafe. Any bars at all like that?
(Free beer is fine even if a bar is run by youngsters.)
(I recall an Italian place in San Fran—the Black Pot— where the cook/owner would come out and shout about the Giro. That was pretty good.)
Any characters like this in your area?
