Life in the not-so-fast lane

If it has a motor and two wheels, Tony Glueck will ride it.

After all, that's what the 51-year-old Cape Girardeau resident has been doing for 20 years now.

Glueck became interested in the sport of trials -- a slow, deliberate form of motorcycle riding -- in the mid-1980s after fixing up some old bikes he had stored. He began competing against a friend and eventually started entering different types of motorcycle events around the area.

He now competes about twice a month from April to October in trials events, most of which are local. He has also been anywhere from Michigan to Florida, competing in national contests against nearly 60 riders in his skill level.

Trials racing is similar to riding an obstacle course, with concentration and balance emphasized over speed. Events consist of eight different courses which riders travel three times apiece. After the riders have completed their 24 sections, the motorcyclist with the least points is the winner. One point is given every time the rider's foot touches the ground, and five points are given if the bike goes out of bounds, stops or rolls backward.

"In trials, you can't just go fast," Glueck said. "You have go to slow with a purpose and keep your balance, versus just gas it up and go.

"This competition has been around for a long time, and when most people think of motorcycles, they think motocross and flying through the air. This is the opposite."

Bikers are grouped in different classes based on ability levels, with beginners on line four and experts on line one. Glueck competes on the second line.

"It's just a fun line to be on," he said. "It's hard, but it's not real hard."

Competing between lines two and three, Glueck has had a rather successful biking career, claiming various first-place finishes in local events and even winning a few national competitions. He placed first in his four-man class on the regional level Saturday in Casey, Ill.

Despite his success, however, Glueck said his biggest accomplishment has nothing to do with how many awards he's won but rather his involvement with helping organize and promote the El Dorado Midwest Vintage Trials Series, the basis for regional trials in this area.

"I helped it get going about six years ago," he said. "It's important because the sport of trials 10 years ago wasn't really out there, and now it's starting to come back, and old bikes are starting to be found and ridden instead of sitting in the barn decaying. I think this series has played a part in that."

A significant part of Glueck's interest in motorcycling is his delight in restoring the old-fashioned aspect of the sport. He enjoys digging out some of his "one too many" bikes to fix and compete on.

"Just the thrill of riding something old is great," Glueck said. "You can always go buy a new motorcycle and take off; if you find something and fix it up, and then go ride it, it's more thrilling. Just to say that you made it work and it does what it should do is the best thing. You don't have to always win -- just working on old bikes is fun."

Glueck also competes in motocross and plans to enter motorcycle drag races this summer in Sikeston, Mo. During the winter, he participates in indoor flat track competitions at Flickerwood Arena in Fruitland. Throughout the year he takes pleasure rides through the countryside with his wife, Carol, and friends.

Even with that variety in motorcycling, Glueck doesn't plan to ever stop competing in trials.

"It's been my bread and butter," he said. "It's an easy sport to get into and an easy sport to maintain. Motorcycles are going to keep me young and keep me running, and I hope the last day I live I fall off one."

Mark Unterreiner is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian and a student at Notre Dame Regional High School. His Spotlight feature appears every Thursday.