from cat 4 to pro. just like that.

jeff louder


everyone knows jeff cuz he rips.
but it didnt start out that way back in the day.
everyone has to take the lumps and work hard, and if you do it consistently with a vision and dream big you can make it.

case in point.
i knew young jeff when he worked at guthrie back in 1994/1995. he was the shop mechanic with pro racing dreams.

one time in 1996 the down town crit was around the city county building on state street. we raced cat 4 and he was 17. he won with the last lap attack and beat me for the $75 prize money. i was pissed but now im not.
he used to race mtn bikes as well in 1997/1998 he was pretty good too.

11 years later he could still probably whoop me in a TT or hill climb, or road race, or mtn race, or something. if you know what im sayin.

yaa


now days he hangs with his wife and 2 little dogs, rides with tmac and tbird, likes to fish and stuff.

If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs - such as food and water - were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?

Where does my wife fit into that? Is she a human need or an Item? More of the former (for me at least) but mostly neither I hope. If she was there and I still had two things to pick I think I'd bring sun block and a beach towel. Unless we are talking about some sort of "Lost" island. I would then bring a big handgun and a satellite phone and hope there aren't a bunch of psychos in the area.

If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with the time?

I'd probably go nuts. That sounds like a really long off season to me. I would probably do some traveling and maybe a house project. Maybe head to South America, do some fishing in Chile and Argentina and then head to New Zealand and do the same. Then, when I got home I'd remodel my bathroom, just to round it all out. If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time? Spend as much time with my wife and family as possible, and remodel the bathroom too. You know, leave a legacy.

Do you ever think about racing mtn bikes around here or at big races?

Not really. It would take years to get the skills I had as a 16 year old back. And by then I may only have 6 months to live. I'll stick to the road thanks.

If you could compare yourself with any animal, which would it be and why?

I really have no clue. I always thought I wanted to be a cat... sit around all day, sleep and kill stuff. Seems pretty nice as far as the animal kingdom is concerned, no worries, no responsibilities and you're still a predator just for kicks. But, I wouldn't say that is my personality in animal form. I'm way to slow and uncoordinated to be a cat. You tell me Chris.

If you were a type of food, what type of food would you be? Yogurt! Billions of active cultures? Seriously... who doesn't want that?

Who is the best motor pacer in town? T-mac is good but come on.

Your both good for your own reasons, I really couldn't compare. You have definitely gone beyond the call of duty though. I don't think T-mac would pace me in a snowstorm. Hope that answers all of your burning questions and you sleep better for it.

Peace-JL