John Tomac

Cars began filtering into the parking lot before dawn and the chairlift roared to life not long after. Practice runs were completed and John Tomac stood perched beneath the banner atop Snow Summit ski resort's highest mountain, ready to make one of the day's first runs. Tomac, considered the one to watch, charged through the starting gate and quickly reached speeds of up to 40 m.p.h. as he began his descent down the 1.3 miles of steep, rugged terrain.

David (Tinker) Juarez knew he had to overcome the dominance of John Tomac to win the NORBA Jeep national men's professional mountain bike cross-country championship Saturday, but he never got the chance. The mountain got Tomac first. The United States' best all-round mountain bike racer finished 33rd in a field of 86, nearly 35 minutes behind Juarez, the hometown favorite whose third place gave him his first national title. The race winner was 39-year-old Ned Overend, a Durango, Colo.

At first they will suffer from oxygen debt, with interest, especially at such a high elevation as Big Bear Lake's 6,700 feet, where the NORBA National Mountain Bike Championships are scheduled this weekend. "That's sort of a tingly, lightheaded feeling," John Tomac explains. "You have to recover from that. And then later in the race when you start running out of glycogen, you lose all your energy."

At first they will suffer from oxygen debt, with interest, especially at such a high elevation as Big Bear Lake's 6,700 feet, where the NORBA National Mountain Bike Championships are scheduled this weekend. "That's sort of a tingly, lightheaded feeling," John Tomac explains. "You have to recover from that. And then later in the race when you start running out of glycogen, you lose all your energy."

John Tomac of Chatsworth was in 30th place overall after five stages of the inaugural $250,000 Tour de Trump bicycle race. Tomac, 21, trails the leader, Dag Otto Lauritzen of Norway, by 10 minutes, 33 seconds in the overall standings. The 10-day, 11-stage event covers 837 miles through five eastern states and concludes Sunday with a 24-mile individual time trial beginning and ending in Atlantic City, N.J.

John Tomac of Chatsworth was the top U. S. finisher and 15th overall in cycling's Milk Race, which concluded Saturday. Tomac completed the 13-day, 1,150-mile race through Britain in 43 hours, 36 minutes, 43 seconds--2:02 behind winner Brian Walton of Vancouver, Canada. Tomac also was the best American in Saturday's final stage, a 68-mile race from Leicester to Birmingham, England, finishing 10th in an 85-rider field.

Despite finishing third in Saturday's sixth stage of the Washington Trust Classic, John Tomac of Chatsworth dropped to 11th place in the five-day bicycle race in Spokane, Wash. Tomac, who started the day 10th overall, completed the 34-mile criterium through Manito Park in 1 hour, 4 minutes, 58 seconds. However, time bonuses moved second-place finisher David Farmer past Tomac into 10th place overall. The stage was won by Alexi Grewal.

Kent Sullivan, the second all-time leading punter in Cal Lutheran history, has signed with the Chicago Bears. In four years at Cal Lutheran, Sullivan had 240 punts for an average of 38.4 yards. Also a kicker, Sullivan set school records for longest field goal (52 yards) and longest punt (74 yards) last season. Sullivan, 25, is scheduled to report to the Bears' training camp in Platteville, Wis., on July 6. Cal State Northridge product Bryan Wagner was the Bears' punter last season, but he was claimed by the Cleveland Browns when the Bears left him on the unprotected list.

David (Tinker) Juarez knew he had to overcome the dominance of John Tomac to win the NORBA Jeep national men's professional mountain bike cross-country championship Saturday, but he never got the chance. The mountain got Tomac first. The United States' best all-round mountain bike racer finished 33rd in a field of 86, nearly 35 minutes behind Juarez, the hometown favorite whose third place gave him his first national title. The race winner was 39-year-old Ned Overend, a Durango, Colo.

What's left for John Tomac? Well, for one thing, there are already too many lefts. Tomac, who at 21 is among the youngest members of the U. S. National Team, would like to ply his trade in Europe, where road racing is king. Tomac was 20th in Sunday's Subaru Cycling Invitational in Beverly Hills, a criterium where the field lapped Gucci's more often than Zsa Zsa ever fantasized. Tomac prefers road racing to criteriums, so Europe beckons.

Cars began filtering into the parking lot before dawn and the chairlift roared to life not long after. Practice runs were completed and John Tomac stood perched beneath the banner atop Snow Summit ski resort's highest mountain, ready to make one of the day's first runs. Tomac, considered the one to watch, charged through the starting gate and quickly reached speeds of up to 40 m.p.h. as he began his descent down the 1.3 miles of steep, rugged terrain.

What's left for John Tomac? Well, for one thing, there are already too many lefts. Tomac, who at 21 is among the youngest members of the U. S. National Team, would like to ply his trade in Europe, where road racing is king. Tomac was 20th in Sunday's Subaru Cycling Invitational in Beverly Hills, a criterium where the field lapped Gucci's more often than Zsa Zsa ever fantasized. Tomac prefers road racing to criteriums, so Europe beckons.

Despite finishing third in Saturday's sixth stage of the Washington Trust Classic, John Tomac of Chatsworth dropped to 11th place in the five-day bicycle race in Spokane, Wash. Tomac, who started the day 10th overall, completed the 34-mile criterium through Manito Park in 1 hour, 4 minutes, 58 seconds. However, time bonuses moved second-place finisher David Farmer past Tomac into 10th place overall. The stage was won by Alexi Grewal.

John Tomac of Chatsworth was the top U. S. finisher and 15th overall in cycling's Milk Race, which concluded Saturday. Tomac completed the 13-day, 1,150-mile race through Britain in 43 hours, 36 minutes, 43 seconds--2:02 behind winner Brian Walton of Vancouver, Canada. Tomac also was the best American in Saturday's final stage, a 68-mile race from Leicester to Birmingham, England, finishing 10th in an 85-rider field.

Kent Sullivan, the second all-time leading punter in Cal Lutheran history, has signed with the Chicago Bears. In four years at Cal Lutheran, Sullivan had 240 punts for an average of 38.4 yards. Also a kicker, Sullivan set school records for longest field goal (52 yards) and longest punt (74 yards) last season. Sullivan, 25, is scheduled to report to the Bears' training camp in Platteville, Wis., on July 6. Cal State Northridge product Bryan Wagner was the Bears' punter last season, but he was claimed by the Cleveland Browns when the Bears left him on the unprotected list.

John Tomac of Chatsworth was in 30th place overall after five stages of the inaugural $250,000 Tour de Trump bicycle race. Tomac, 21, trails the leader, Dag Otto Lauritzen of Norway, by 10 minutes, 33 seconds in the overall standings. The 10-day, 11-stage event covers 837 miles through five eastern states and concludes Sunday with a 24-mile individual time trial beginning and ending in Atlantic City, N.J.

On a recent winter day, John Tomac rode his mountain bike north on Owensmouth Avenue, slicing effortlessly through a bitterly cold head wind that flattened his long, blond hair. Ahead were the Santa Susana Mountains, which would provide him with shelter--not only from nature but from man as well. Tomac, the 1988 National Off-Road Bicycle Assn.'s overall champion, trains in the mountains near his home in Chatsworth.

On a recent winter day, John Tomac rode his mountain bike north on Owensmouth Avenue, slicing effortlessly through a bitterly cold head wind that flattened his long, blond hair. Ahead were the Santa Susana Mountains, which would provide him with shelter--not only from nature but from man as well. Tomac, the 1988 National Off-Road Bicycle Assn.'s overall champion, trains in the mountains near his home in Chatsworth.