One of my favorite racers to come out of nyc.

Yes, it is. I have one myself.

I’ll be happy to help you out whenever I can!

Nice ummm start but dont you think he deserves a real interview?

What area are you working in? Where you selling houses?

Hardly a ‘lame ‘ interview. It showed wit and warmth, genuine sides of Wilson that few have the opportunity to enjoy. If Wilson didn’t respect Mihael he would never have been so candid. Also, Mihael only talked about what everyone else was saying…behind Wilson’s back.

Yes, Wilson won a Spring Series on a mtn bike( the only thing he owned), I think twice in a row. Then his field complained he was ‘cheating ‘. So he was forced to procure a lighter and more effecient frame. The rest is history. A history we can only hope the famed interviewer Campocat will obtained.

Thanks, Mihael. And thanks Wilson. Both for the interview, and your terrific career.

…and the fact that you used a Rod Stewart song to flame Kwk shows your judgement is suspect.

Electra Deluxe 3-speed with coaster brake – silver and white

Nice, classic ride, Schmalz. Have you seen their new website (www.electrabike.com)? At last, they have a real-deal site with real specs and details that do the machines justice.

when i first moved up here Wilson was at his peak, he was really amazing to watch during a race. I get it that the interview was just for fun, i bet Wilson has some incredible stories to tell. i will check out the other interview. thanks

congrats wilson! i just had a baby girl.

Never underestimate the joy of a coaster brake.

These interviews of local riders are my favorite thing about this site.

uh oh, jp…you just used the phrase “common sense”…want to wager on how long it will take jt to start attacking your “logic”?

Walter, all JP/JT arguments will end with ‘where’s my money’ on one end and silence on the other.

but you can’t compare us local racers, even highly accomplished ones, with the pros. You don’t need to be skinny to win here either. But nothing wrong with eating right.

and yes, great interview.

You see I said, “far more,” insinuating locals take drugs. drugs drugs drugs. NO HELMET!

http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/wilson2.jpg

once (tried to) follow him up Flatbush after FBF. It was impressive to watch.

What year did wilson start racing road and bmx?
How old is Wilson?
Otherwise good interview, thank you

He was having increasing problems with MS over the past few years.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html

Hey Riis, I’m leaving to AZ for a week tomorrow and when I get back I’ll get it to you. Or if you ride thru Piermont let me know.

Oscar and Juan Pinada Brothers

Why didn’t wilson ever go pro?
Seems he had more talent than someone like Herriot in his little pinky.

http://gsmengoniusa.com/aboutus.htm

I saw video of an interview with Wilson at Harriman right after the race, I think the year Mazur won. Wilson has this steely intense look in his eyes saying how much he loves that race.

$20k a year???
Are you kidding me?
Try $2k…what dream world you living in?
You gotta be top tier to get $20k.
Many pros race for $0-6k.

For most of us racing is more about comradery, and (apparently) about keeping out waist size in check, and less or not at all about the pro equipment our teams/sponsors supply us with. That said, it is super cool that Mengoni supports its rider the way it does…the bikes are yours forever…I only got one “free” bike from one team in my life…I was a junior, it was a custom build Independent Fabrication: 56 seat tube 54 top tube, and the manager took it back when the team disbanded…I was totally bikeless and he didn

back when there was one, Wilson would routinely hop off road on his mtn bik to move up faster…cats paw, tavern, anywhere.
I hope Wilson does have his best year ever, it will be fun to see sprint wins with time gaps again…

are you some sorta communist, dante?

Hey anonymous a** hole, here

It’s amazing how that word is still so offensive in America.

But Dante, I think he was referring to the spelling.

wait … are you seeing my sarcasm, and then re-raising and going all-in with sarcasm of your own? lemme know. if not i’ll shoot you an email.

are you happy with the way Mengoni handled the drug affair? i found the whole position they took rather puzzling and it’s never sat right with me. perhaps you guys are getting shrapnel because the “official word” was basically a lame ass excuse that didn’t appease anyone.

I would have seen your sarcasm if you would have included your name. Then I could have identified you as a friend that was joking…

This site is not a closed circle like the crca yahoo group…plenty of

Wow, that’s some anger. But I’m pretty sure it’s not Jason Schneider– he’s not likely to write something that dopey.

Eugene, sticking to the facts is one thing but everyone that presents the “facts” in this case likes to throw in, just as you did, this little part about “perhaps it was in the supplements”. That’s the Lame-A$$ part about it. That is a potentially serious legal claim. Has anyone followed up with the FDA to pursue that claim? If not, why? Is it because it’s a bogus claim or because he’s ok with being incorrectly labeled a doper when there is a clear path for attempting to clear his name?

What does a “real future” in this sport mean? A chance to forgo college and a career, in order to drive around the country, with some domestic pro team, doing pointless races year after year only to look back at age 30 and think,

Well maybe a real future simply means a successful local racing career or maybe more. Who knows? I wish I pursued my passion for bike racing when I was younger. You can always go back to school and enter corporate america after you fizzle out – take Wilson for instance. But you cant always go back and race your bike in your prime years. Youth is ussually wasted on the young.

Toni, your comment is completely subjective and slanted. Looking back on a life lived, the individual will decide its worth. Many people who followed the accepted plan in life are deeply disappointed. And now it’s too late for them too.

“…cycling turned me into a selfish loser.”
The same can be said about many other career paths.

this nation has a relenting way of pushing everyone toward work. work, work, work. it’s a sad thing that pursing a passion is considered by many to be a waste of time.

i don’t think it is selfish. cycling, like any activity, fits into the economic engine itself. our activities benefit equipment retailers, advertisers, revenue is raised by CRCA, USAcycling, etc.

the value of it, on a whole, isn’t much though…and that’s clearly reflected in the poor salaries of pro-riders.

this is a world wide trend, now even increasingly in Europe.

“this nation has a relenting way of pushing everyone toward work. work, work, work”

Lets not confuse the Hobbesian political philosophy of self-interest (acting to further your own interest in society by working for your own good) with the selfish act of riding your bike instead of, say, playing with your kids to help them grow, or working extra hours to earn money. Two different things. Nothing wrong with riding your bike, but at least lets admit it isnt really helping anybody much. The bike shop wins when you buy the bike, but not so much if you ride 1 hr a week vs 25 hrs a week.

The point that inspiration factor needs to be considered is valid. Still, harder for me (local amateur vs pro) to justify my riding in this context. Not sure who Im inspiring really while easy to see who Im pissing off by being out on the bike all the time…

chris m, im pretty sure im not confusing Hobbesian political philosophy here. you may be, if you see a distinction, but that’s your business. as far as i can tell, Hobbes’ philosophy consisted of pouncing on calvin as soon as he got hoem from school, and generally being as lazy as possible in most other situations. he also seemed a lot less conflicted about his affections for susie.

Sports in general are great for kids. Great for social and physical development.
Cycling offers fewer opportunities for college than the “major” sports because it is not a NCAA sport but collegiate cycling is growing.
I hear that cycling is even helping some CRCA juniors with college acceptances.
College vs. cycling career is not an “either” “or” choice.

I agree with Walter. These interviews On local riders are one of the best features on this site. I am looking forward to reading the next one.

And yes the cycling is helping some of us Juniors with the College Process and Scholarships.

Surely everyone posting comments is not their company’s CEO and not everyone has gone to an Ivy League School. My Point is, not everyone makes it to the absolute pinnacle of what they pursue. Is it better to be a mediocre manager than average pro cyclist? Better or not, it

Grape ape. Grape ape.

Send that Pocono video to Andy and get that thing up on the site!

Hey, I thought Edmund Burke and Jim Fixx, died- what is going on here?

athletes do give, they inspire us, no matter if regional, national or world class, others look up to them. If a proathlete is not a financial burden (on welfare), what right do you have to judge his success or selfishness? All this “productive” crap does sound like communist 😉

cycling’s pretty selfish. but then again, so is reading.

the problem is not so much that reading or cyling is selfish, it’s rather that ‘selfishness’ has an undeserved, negative connotation

there should be no shame in self-interest, or a moral system based on self-interest.

Toni’s comment was sorta bitter sounding and maybe extreme, but not totally off base. I support any young athlete who wants to ‘give it a shot’ at a sport, as long as the person has some realistic skill level. Still, knowing what I now know about cycling, it seems imperative that we educate the young people about the reality of cycling as a career – that there is not much of a ‘career’ to be had. It should be carefully weighed against other opportunities, and perhaps treated accordingly. Any time off taken from a career track should be measured for results, and limited in time frame. The fact is, its hard to get a job in the most competitive fields if you spend many years riding a bike with little to show for it aside from a few podiums at races no normal American has heard of. Fair to say that a Tour rider might enhance a resume in a corporate setting – like an olympian. But also fair to guess that a guy who becomes an average domestic pro is more likely damaging career prospects than helping them. If you have no aspirations to enter the professional fields, its clearly different – and I wouldnt judge negatively. The key is having the eyes open in a major decision like this.

If I had the chance to go back in time and ride for a small pro team after high school I would have put off college. I would give up corporate america to do this. There is a small window to live out certain dreams. We all have a long time to work for the man.

Many of the top young semi-pros are in college now and race in in the spring and summer. So being a top level regional pro does not mean giving up school and a career.

Wow some didnt forget to take his bitter pills this AM. 🙂
Now Jason….Get Out….Get Out

I dont know any of the guys on the team but do know alot of guys at the track felt cheated out by all of Jared’s wins. These wins took away from potential upgrade points etc etc. I think many of us would like to get Jared’s story as he promised months ago.

As for Mengoni, they should be viewed as all clean until proven otherwise. Best of luck in 2008 and glad to see you are giving some youngins a shot. Almonte seems to have a real future in the sport.

Wow, that’s some anger. But I’m pretty sure it’s not Jason Schneider– he’s not likely to write something that dopey.

Hardly! I believe Wilson took himself out of Mengoni GP about 2yrs ago when he hit a bump and went down like a sack of potatoes, subsequently landing in a hospital. Wilson was a local champion on a regional scale, hardly a threat beyond CP and Gimbles. The only local riders ever make it were George Hincapie and Peter Salon. But most of you local NYC guys are so far stuck up your ass that you dont even consider those guys local. Get a life people!!!

“a lame ass excuse that didn’t appease anyone”

If you expect to be appeased, then you’re asking to be lied to. Politicians appease.

I think management tried to explain it factually. But I realize it’s a matter of belief and trust. 5:15, I suppose that’s where you and many others are coming from. And it’s understandable.

Hi everyone.
The official word basically said that:
–It was in his body (no doubt),
–We’re not certain how it got there (perhaps it was in the supplements),
–Regardless of how it got there, he’s responsible,
–He has accepted the responsibility,
–He’ll do what he can in the future.

I’m not sure what more you’d expect.

http://www.racingunion.org/Document.aspx?propaganda

and rolls…

Cool interview. I was at Jamestown in the Pro1-3 race and saw you sprint to a podium. I am sure this question is asked all the time but what was it like racing with Big George H? Good? Bad? Did he ever lead you out?

Thanks for all the possitive feedback guys. I was a little skeptical when Dan asked me to give an interview. Good advice Jones, I never thought about that. The time on my VCR is still blinking. The DVD is easier to operate. And for the record Marco couldn’t even do a wheelie back in the days.

I now know what wheel I’ll be following, if I can…thanks for the workouts,see on the rocket sprints for now! They help me push harder!!! erggggg

Nice interview. I really like this feature on the site. Now, how about that JJ interview?

Another public service provided by the hosts.

For most of us racing is more about comradery, and (apparently) about keeping out waist size in check, and less or not at all about the pro equipment our teams/sponsors supply us with. That said, it is super cool that Mengoni supports its rider the way it does…the bikes are yours forever…I only got one “free” bike from one team in my life…I was a junior, it was a custom build Independent Fabrication: 56 seat tube 54 top tube, and the manager took it back when the team disbanded…I was totally bikeless and he didn

$20k a year???
Are you kidding me?
Try $2k…what dream world you living in?
You gotta be top tier to get $20k.
Many pros race for $0-6k.

http://www.jt10000.com/team/tgal/mengoni981.htm

Why didn’t wilson ever go pro?
Seems he had more talent than someone like Herriot in his little pinky.

http://gsmengoniusa.com/aboutus.htm

Besides the poseur in the Stars and Stripes who are the other Mengoni riders? Mengoni yellow?

Hey Riis, I’m leaving to AZ for a week tomorrow and when I get back I’ll get it to you. Or if you ride thru Piermont let me know.

I have the video of it but it’s in VHS tape form. I can’t even beging to know how to translate that into a posted video.

He was having increasing problems with MS over the past few years.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html

What year did wilson start racing road and bmx?
How old is Wilson?
Otherwise good interview, thank you

the thing is, there are guys who do similar stuff to Wilson but they look (and are) hectic and out of control.

Wilson does it smooth.

once (tried to) follow him up Flatbush after FBF. It was impressive to watch.

that was the actual bike and clothing wilson wore when he won the cat 4 races in prospect park.

picture was taken right before he was tackled and made passionate love with / was raped by (depending on your point of view) ugli.

gulla then picked up wilson’s bike, proceeded to chase down the 123 field, pass the 123 field, catch the 123 break, pass the 123 break, win the race, tabletopped the brookln bridge, landed, and pedaled so furiously that he stopped and then reveresed the earth’s rotation – thereby causing time to go backwards – and instead of catching the respective CRCA C, B, and A packs and breaks, he just brought them back to him. he was yodeling the entire time.

Great interview with a great rider. If you want to learn how to race in Central Park, follow Wilson around for a few laps. It’s like a master class in pack positioning and how to conserve energy. You do not see winners like Wilson hammering on the front staring down at their power meters.

JP, can you please just make it clap?

You see I said, “far more,” insinuating locals take drugs. drugs drugs drugs. NO HELMET!

Dan?

that was a 1/2 joking comment. some of us (myself included) are motivated to train to avoid getting *fat* while noting there are dramatic differences between racer *fat* and normal guy *fat*.

i guess the premise for my poorly worded and timed wit are longstanding theories that racing at the elite level leads to body image disorders, eating disorders and screwed up senses of self worth based on body composition. Baden Cooke has been rumored to have suffered from symptoms related to eating disorders. Nicole Cooke has spoken out numerous times against being pressured to lose weight by cycling’s culture and even those in positions of authority (director, coach, etc.)

so forget i said it. back to wilson – he’s a great racer. carry on, carry on.

exactly, but as you get older the difference between a fit amateur racer and a fat slob is dramatic. Common sense. More about quality of life than longetivity.

We totally back JP’s comments. Training will guarantee you a long healthy life.

what an idiotic comment. There is nothing disordered about taking care of your body as you get older, or eating well. Maybe racing will keep him around, heathly, for his kids.

These interviews of local riders are my favorite thing about this site.

Wilson used to ride BMX/Freestyle back in the days. That’s where he got his bike handling skills. What’s up Wilson? (if your reading this)