LOCAL VINTAGE CYCLISTS MAKE THEIR MARK

Mike Hyslop manuevers between rocks.

Tony Glueck during a trial

JHS graduate Ryan Davie makes a sharp cut.

While Ken Eftink, Ryan Davie and their fellow vintage motorcyclists are not sent by local chambers of commerce or tourism groups, to represent Cape Girardeau County throughout the U.S., they might as well be. The award-winning cyclists have made Cape County a respected and feared entity throughout the sport.

Ken Eftink of Jackson and Ryan Davie, a Jackson High School graduate from Gordonville, along with three friends from Cape Girardeau, are American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association competitors of national note.

"We catch a lot of people accross the country saying "What's going on in Cape Girardeau?'" said Mike Hyslop. "There's so many trial champions coming from here."

"It's unusual for this many from one place to show up at a national meet and for every one of us to come home with a trophy," said Dennis Jones. "Even the big cities don't have a group this size."

At the1998 nationals, Davie and Eftink each took first in Novice Trials, Hyslop first in Expert Trials, Jones seocnd in Expert Trials (first in regionals) and Tony Glueck second in regionals. All five placed in the Midwest Vintage Trials 1999.

For 2000 Glueck and Jones are Missouri Series Coordinators for 2000. Six races, April to October, will be scheduled.

The Cape County connection is well-known throughout the AHRMA.

"We'll pull up an event and the competitors all want to know how many of us there are and what categories we'll be competign in," Jones said.

"They can see us coming, all right," Glueck agreed.

Having so many riders living near each other defintiely has some advantages.

"Since we're so close together, we can get together and practice," said Eftink, who serves as development services coordiantor for the city of Cape Giradeau. "We can also share the cost of traveling to meets."

"We're also centrally-located," Hyslop noted. "We can hit virtually every race in an eight-hour drive. Others are not as fortunate."

One of the goals of AHRMA is the preservation and appreciation of classic motorcycles. While various categories are in place, the vintage divisions all place riders on bikes from the 1970s and before.

"Ryan competes ona bike that's older than eh is," Eftink quipped.

Glueck prefers Montessa (Spanish) bikes from the late sixties and early seventies; Hyslop is a Yamaha man; Jones prefers Pentland bikes; and Eftink has switched from Yamaha to Bulltaco.

Vintage trial bikes are harder to find -- at least American models. Trial competition took longer ot catch on in the U.S. Most bikes built during the 1950s through 1970s in America were of the motocross vareity -- built for speed. Trial bikes are light-weight, slower bikes,with good pulling power and maneuverability. Trial competion features maneuvering bikes The oldest bike any of the five actualy use in competiton in Glueck's 61 Harley Davidson -- for flat track racing. The oldest bikes the group has seen in competition have been1938 BSA bikes.

"Part of the fun is that it's a treasure hunt to find parts to keep them going," Jones said. "It's not like you can go into a parts store and buy em. They don't make em any more."

Two new riders, Danny Reese, Jackson and Rick Heck, Shawneetown, have recently joined the fun.

"They're just starting out and are getting into the vintage scene with us," Glueck said.

"It's a very personal challenge," Jones said of trials competition. "You're competing against yourself. Nobody's handlebar-to-handlbar. There's nothing to interfere. It's just you and the course. You're not allowed to practice it before. You can only walk over the course."

For Eftink, the best part is "the challenge of the compeititon and making friends all over the country."

Hyslop and Jones have property in northern Cape County and Eftink has land in Bollinger County, on which the cyclists practice. In fact, on one piece of land they have set up an established course. They hosted 24 riders there for one regional meet. The local riders receive support from Grass Roots BMW.

More meets will be held in the area in 2000. The riders urge Cape Countians to come out and view the sport.

"People would enjoy watching it," Eftink said.

Competitiors range from 12-year-olds to 65-year-olds, divided by experience and skill level and by size and age of bikes.

"We hope peopel will comeout and watch or join us," Glueck said. "We can find them something ride if they'd like to try it."