Ever heard of Archimedes Lamb, the "lemon grower"?
How about Raúl Alcalá or Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio?
If the answer is no, you’re not alone. Because
cycling is not a popular Mexican sport, many of the Mexicans in Point
Reyes Station didn’t recognize their native country’s past
and present cycling heroes, nor were they familiar with the KB Home
Mexican National Team that will cycle through West Marin on Monday,
attracting ESPN 2 coverage and thousands of spectators, during the Amgen
Tour of California.
Any fans?
"Are they soccer?" a La Quinta Taqueria
cashier asked upon hearing the name KB Home last Monday afternoon. She
shrugged and said the restaurant had no special plans for the race.
At A Whale of a Deli, owned by David Morales, 27,
the Mexican television network TV Azteca is usually blaring, but Morales
couldn’t recall a single biking segment. "No es popular,"
said his brother, Jose. After learning of the team, the Moraleses reluctantly
agreed they might venture out on race day to wave a Mexican flag.
The fan
But just when finding a Mexican cycling aficionado
seemed hopeless, Point Reyes Stationer Jesus Dimas pronounced his love
for the sport and his excitement over KB Home and the tour. He also
had an explanation for why cycling isn’t part of his native culture.
"The men are embarrassed to wear tight shorts,"
said Dimas, 25. He chuckled then added, "It’s also a pretty
expensive sport."
Festooned in a shiny cobalt button-down shirt and
a gelled feaux-hawk hairdo, Dimas is known as "Chuy" at the
Bank of Petaluma. It’s a nickname he’s had since his birth
in Sonora, Mexico, where he grew up kicking the soccer ball in the streets.
Dimas only began cycling two years ago at the suggestion of his father-in-law,
but he quickly grew to love both road riding and mountain biking. Now
he does it almost every weekend with Forrest Knolls Freewheelers and
avidly follows professional racing. So when KB Home shows up in West
Marin, they’ll have at least one fan.
Lemon-growing passion
Selected from the best road racers in Mexico, the
eight-man team flew into San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon, fresh
from an Hermosillo training camp where they did mostly motor-pacing,
or riding, "in the draft of a motorcycle."
KB Home’s big riders are Domingo Gonzalez, one
of the most experienced riders in Central America, and the current National
Champion. Miguel Meza is known for his fast finishes and the only bachelor
on the team, Archimedes Lamb, is consistently but lovingly teased for
his lemon-growing passion.
The team will be able to participate in the Tour of
California largely due to their sponsor, KB Home, a California-based
home and bike path-building business that paid for plane tickets, minivans,
a team car, all new uniforms, helmets, sun glasses, socks and everything
else.
"The riders are tremendously excited about this
event," said Neil Stewart, the team trainer. "It’s an
opportunity for them to show what they can do, and for them to be able
to compete against the pro tour teams."
"More and more Mexican riders are coming up to
the international level," he said. "Mexican riders are able
to obtain and keep jobs on the best pro teams in the world."
In 1986, Raúl Alcalá won the hearts
of his countrymen when he became the first Mexican cyclist to compete
in the Tour de France. The following year, he was named the Tour de
France’s best rider under 25. Last year, Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio
of team Panaria went from total unknown to world-renowned climber at
the Tour of Italy.
Dimas is hoping to get to that level some day, and
he’ll certainly be out on Monday to watch the racers in their first
sprint through Point Reyes Station.
"That’s my dream," he said. "Just
racing. I want to be at that level, and if I had a chance to be on the
Mexican team, then why not?"