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TOBY HENDERSON[/size]
1. Welcome to the series Toby, Did you ever find out why the lame "Coca Cola Cowboy" moniker was given to you by Rob Osborne ? The only thing I can think of is when I was in position to win the NBL Pro title in 79” OZ took me to dinner before the race and I ordered a soda? This would be the only thing I can think of. Funny is I hate the Cowboy style and ordered a Dr Pepper.
2. Can you take us back to 73 in Norwalk Cal Toby, what was the scene like then, and how did your first real sponsorship with D.G. come around ? Ha Ha. Well I was about 12 and I would ride my bike several miles to race early on a Saturday morn. We paid 25 cents to race and were awarded ribbons for top finishes. It was a flag start with 4 riders a big first jump on to a hill left over by the city when they built the nearby school. We raced around the hill and finish back at the bottom. Helmets were required and it was a family event. I would go to this hill and ride as often as I could even though it was quite a ways from my house. I met Jeff Bottema the DG star there sometime later and we became friends. He thought I was talented and asked DG to cough up some equipment. I got a frame, Jersey and Helmet. The rest was on me. Mowed a lot of lawns back then…
3. You and Jeff Bottema were racing for D.G. from 78 to 79 Toby, Then on to Raleigh, what happened to the Raleigh deal in 82, which contract's did you turn down and why do you think Raleigh pulled out ? I know why Raleigh pulled out. The sale of the Chopper had decreased dramatically and they were falling apart for the first time in has many years they had been around. The Chopper was important to Raleigh so they wanted to protect that market. The suits decided that BMX was a fade like Skateboards which had recently fallen of the map. Raleigh made an executive decision to get out of BMX. If they would have stuck with it they would have been GT as they has enough power then to do it!. That opened the door too many of the smaller brands such as Hutch to ride the big wave of sales that came just a bit later. Oops.
4. You had a short career in Motorcycles in 76 Toby, can you tell us about this time and why it was so short ? Good one. I was racing MX all through high school and digging ditches to pay for my habit. One day I went to see Jeff Bottema Race BMX and he won 300 bucks that day. Sold the MX bike that next day and bought a top of the line BMX bike and picked up BMX again. That was the start of my Pro Career.
5. In 82 you signed for Hutch Toby, what were the early days like at the iconic brand that is Hutch ? Hutch was good to me. He did not have a lot of financial support so we were on our own. No salary but living off winnings and small expense reports. However he was innovative and I got top of the line products from him. I cannot explain how lucky I was to have such an innovator support my early career.
6. You placed 3rd in your first professional race at Saddleback Park in 79 Toby, how did this affect you and did this mean psychologically you had arrived ? I was still feeling out the whole BMX thing at that time. It definitely was a boost but the bigger money not had arrived yet so I was concentrating on Collage as well at that exact moment. However I won my first national a few months later. Made the big bucks and that was the pivotal point in which I said this was my career. I made more money in 1 day than both of parents made in a month. Easy decision right?
7. How does the relatively recent OS Bmx scene play a part in Toby Henderson's life today ? Hmm. The old school collecting is really not my thing. I and my company attend these events to support BMX as a whole. We show new school bikes developed by us and allow riders to ride the track and experience new school products which obviously are much more advanced. Plus my 5 year old son races BMX so he loves it too J
8. Was it always race for you Toby, or did you ever secretly practice tricks at anytime during the 80s ? Actually I jumped. Racing was a way to make money. Jumping is what I loved and a bunny hop here or there was cool. How do you think I became a good sprinter? Sprinting at jumps all day…
9. 1984 you leave Hutch for a Factory ride at SE, you later referred to it as a bad move even though you were reportedly paid 3 times the amount Hutch were Paying.What was about this move that made it a wrong decision Toby ? Financially it was a good move. I was able to buy my first home showing that pay to the bank so that was great and thanks SE. However Hutch was pushing the envelope harder at the time and I think I may have a little longer career if I would have stuck it out.
10. Your Professional race career spanned near 7 years Toby, can you tell us what your ups and downs were in this career ?Ups where the day I met my first wife Ellen Oneal. World Champion Skateboarder. I littler never lost a race for 18 months trying to impress her… I was the most liked Pro on the circuit before that time but when I starting winning I was the most hated My nickname became Captain elbows from the fun Coca Cola Cowboy. I was up all the time though this career. Then only downs where sponsorship problems or the occasional get hurt and sidelined. Either of those were not that bad for me though.
11. You were successful right into the prime bmx era, who do you think had it all as a racer in this golden Era.
Stu, Greg, Harry and the Patterson’s were the most notable to me. All great racers and well supported by the fans and sponsors.
12. So you had a signature Hauler bike, you were well Paid and with the sports arguably premier brand, what happened ?Goes back to question #9. SE had internal problems and was not keeping up with their growth potential. The bike and the career was somewhat of a victim to this. The idea of a Asian made bike was smart at the time but the problems at SE and the rise of Freestyle kind of took the wind out of the “Hauler” sales..
13. Were getting to the end of 2010 Toby, what gets you out of bed these days ? I little heavier than I want to be and only want to ride my bike at the beach. I think my long MTB Downhill career took some drive of wanting to ride a lot as I used to ride 10,000 miles annually for that career. I can get out of bed though. I am healthy and have a great company I love coming to in the morning..
14. looking back from 1986 to 1978 Toby, what was the greatest bike you rode in your career and why ? Hutch. It was simply the best bike on the market. Ahead of its time on spot on to its geometry’s
15. So all that's left from the Rewind team is to say thanks for taking the time to do this Member interview and is there anything you would like to add that has not been covered ? I wish I would have known how many people this much later would
love the old stories and riders. I may have tried even harder J
