Here’s part 4 of Campocat’s series of historical interviews. Enjoy.

JC Mr. Issendorf Sir, can I ask you a few questions?

JI Of course, no problem

JC Just the fact that it will be hard for me to come up with many questions, should show us all the need for a history lesson. I’ll just jump in, and if I ask anything ridiculous please feel free to correct me.

JI There is a wealth of information (in pictures) that you can get from www.racelistings.com GALLERY, OLD SCHOOL. In addition, there is much info on our website www.gsmengoniusa.

JC That is fantastic I’ve learned something new already.

@##=#<4,L>@##=#JC I have a picture from the Jamie Swan scrapbook of a three foot Charlie winning a race, so it seems you got him racing early. Does this love of bike racing come from his dad’s participation in the sport? I know my Dad and a couple of my uncles were aspiring 6 day racers, and many older Italian grandfathers in my neighborhood made a living racing 6 day on the circuit in the thirties and forties.

JI Charlie started racing at the age of EIGHT. I used to take him to the Kissena Velodrome to watch the races and he asked me if I would allow him to race. I waited a period of time, then asked him if he still was interested, he said “yes” and that’s how it all started. I used to race in what I now refer to as the ‘Dark Ages’ in the 1950’s. In America we rode all races (track and road) on track bikes. It wasn’t until the late 50’s early 60’s that we even heard about road bikes. Somerville and all the road races were contested using track bikes with one or two hand brakes.

JC I don’t know what it was about 1984, but when I returned to racing that year we had so many juniors. It seemed you, Charlie, and George were fixtures at all the races. You made a commitment that really paid off. I have learned a lot from that commitment as I start my own junior programs, to be there when you say you’re going to be there, to be reliable, to teach, and listen. Can you tell us about the cold mornings getting the kids motivated to race?

@##=#<3,r>@##=#JI Also Rich Hincapie (George’s brother). I remember one year we had 45 ‘Midget’ riders (that’s what the 8 to 11 year old class was called) on the starting line at the Nutley and Somerville races. When the boys reached the age of 12, they went into the “intermediate” class and at the age of 15, graduated to the ‘Junior 15-16’ and then into the ‘Junior 17-18’ classes. It saddens me to see how these classes have shrunk in the past years, and I wonder where the next Junior and Senior riders will come from. One of the biggest motivations for those young riders was the chance to compete every weekend with so many other riders of their own age.

JC When I returned to racing, I did it on a whim. I only wanted to track race, having learned as a kid growing up in Brooklyn that I did not like climbing.

Somehow I got talked into joining CRCA. I liked Lou, but he had no eyes to develop juniors although he had quite a few at that time, mainly from American

Youth Hostels and through Paul Sullivan’s influence. Did you find that Al Toefield was more open to the development of juniors then Lou, and did Al help you any?

JI Al Toefield was very interested in developing the young riders. I still remember asking Al if Charlie could race for his team and he answered,

“John, I would be honored to have Charlie on the team along with Richie and George Hincapie.” When you get a response like that, how can you be anything other that optimistic?

JC Can you recollect some of the classic rivalries in Central Park, Prospect Park, Harriman, or Kissena in those years? George and Charlie battling it out with senior elite riders from Toga, Chemical Bank, City Cycles, and Excaliber? I can remember one race Mike McCarthy stopping at the finish line, seemingly disrespecting the pack. He waited for them to show their faces at the bottom of Cat’s Paw before he stepped across the finish line. And, Jerry Malone of Toga slugging it out at the Greek Temple finish line in Prospect Park with a whole team from NJ, because Jerry broke the collar bone of one of their junior riders.

@##=#<2,L>@##=#JI Because of the large number of riders in the aforementioned age groups, most of our riders competed in races with their own age groups. However, when they reached the age of 15 or 16, and if the Junior fields were not that large, we allowed them to race with the Senior riders. This was a difficult transition sometimes because they were used to winning most of their races, and now they were ‘also ran’s’. It’s important to be upbeat at these times, when the riders can be hard on themselves.

JC What about Jonathan Massie and his father, Lenny Prehime of Toga fame. I would have breakfast with Lou Maltese and Mr. Massie at the boathouse many a morning, and believe it or not Lenny invited me to a look see race when he was considering new riders one year – I sucked but he saw something. It seemed that the big teams then were committed to road and track participation? Every time I mention track to Charlie he laughs, do you think he equates pain with the track?

JI Jonathan stopped racing after he had a bad crash at the finish of a Tour of Somerville race. As far as Charlie laughing about track racing, I can understand very well, because his best event was the Junior 3000 meter individual pursuit race, which is all about pain, and involves much pain even in the training for this event. In 1987, Charlie’s last year as a Junior, the National Track Championships were held at the Trexlertown Velodrome where Charlie captured the Silver Medal, Losing to Erin Hartwell by about 1 1/2 Seconds. Incidentally, if you want to ‘rev-up’ young riders, I urge you to take them to T-Town on a Friday Night where they will see some of the best track racing in the United States.

JC Did you talk over the races with the kids when they finished, or when certain races were coming up and work out race tactics?

JI Yes, but keep in mind it’s very difficult to get young riders to work as a team, because they want so much to win individually. The best way is to designate a rider to work for in a particular race, and of course you have to rotate the riders so that every rider gets a race where he or she is the rider who the team will work for.

JC Was there an off season for the kids? The thing that always struck me and still does today about teenage riders is, they kick my butt, but when I see them out of race clothes I realize they are kids, laughing and doing kid things. I can’t remember being that focused as a teenager. Pre-teen maybe, but once girls came into the picture, oops!

JI We always ran impromptu Cyclocross races in the area surrounding the Kissena Velodrome, usually one hour or less depending on the conditions and the weather. We found that this kept the riders involved and certainly improved their bike handling skills. That was of course before mountain bikes were in vogue.

JC How has the relationship gone with Mr. Mengoni? How has the team changed over the years? Is Wilson gone for good? Are there any new riders coming up for the team? It certainly is great to know that Kissena was the place that sparked Charlie into racing, and that it played such a big part of their development. I hope we can keep that tradition going.

@##=#<1,r>@##=#JI Mr. Mengoni is as enthusiastic about bike racing and his G.S. Mengoni USA team now as he has always been. I’m not sure if you know this, but Mr. Mengoni was elected into the Bicycling Hall of Fame several years ago for his consistent support of American Cycling. Fred has the honorary title of ‘The Grand Patron of American Cycling’.

As far as the Team is concerned, last year Lisban Quintero joined the team and captured many first place finishes and continues to impress me with his skills. This year we added 2 additional young riders, Gavi Epstein, 23, and Peter Salon, 18. We have high hopes for both these young riders.

JC You and Charlie have taken over a big chunk of the duties around here. I for one know how thankless a job it is, and want to thank you. I’ll shut up now and give it to you to comment on anything of interest to you, or something you think might be of interest to a parent or young racer with aspirations to be a bike racer today.

@##=#<5,L>@##=#JI You are absolutely right in saying it’s a thankless job. Not only that, but to have to listen to the complaints of riders like, “The $15.00 entry fee is too high,” or “The prize list is not high enough”, yet these are the same riders who will go out and spend $50.00 for some piece of titanium equipment that saves them 3 grams. I don’t see any of these complainers helping Charlie and me as we pick up the signs and cones in the pitch black long after everyone has left Floyd Bennett Field. We are involved because of our dedication to the sport and our desire to see the sport increase in popularity in America.

JC Mr. Issendorf Thank you very much and I hope you will come to the track sometime. I can assure you my staff and I will treat you with the utmost respect that you deserve.

Maybe you can do some announcing for us?