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Show Competition, recreation and fitness Wednesday February 11, 1987 Rad. Short for radical. In the lexicon of just about anyone over 30, the long version of the word means revolutionary, extreme, far out. And to anyone under thirty the abbreviated form means farrr-ou- t, man; gnarly. The stunts Clearfields Glen Adams performs on his bicycles epitomizes the definitions sup- -' plied by either group. Adams, 23, was Utahs first big wheel in bicycle motocross six years ago and is currently the patriarch of the sport. Adams was the first BMX rider from Utah to turn professional, and he is now the states oldest active pro racer. While Adams is first and foremost a professional bicycle motocross rider, that is but a beginning of the life cycle the Odgen native has gotten himself into. He spends countless hours each week riding one or all of his 12 complete bicycles (he has parts to several others) every night after work and on extended rides with a cycle club on weekends. In between practice sessions he still races BMX in Salt Lake on Fridays and Saturdays year round, where he consistently places in the top three. Ill quit when I cant compete anymore, Adams says. He races in the half dozen local mountain bike races during the .summer. Last year he won six of seven. He enters a like number of road races, and plans on starting bicycle trials competition when the season begins this spring. But perhaps Adams most notable bicycle accomplishment and certainly his most lucrative, was riding as a major stunt double in the 1985 movie Rad. The plot involves a rural newspaper delivery boy who takes on the pros in a big BMX race held in his hometown. The delivery boy, Cru, must overcome many obstacles to get into the race before he actually gets to lay his wheels down in the dirt. And once he finally does get into the race he has to ward off the bad guys in the process of racing the course for $1,000,000 prize money. You can probably guess the outcome, but the bicycle action ed is non-sto- p. There are all kinds of bike stunts throughout the movie and while Adams did not do the freestyle stunt work (riding and spinning the bikes while standing or sitting anywhere but where the riders are supposed to stand or sit) he did all the stunt riding in the BMX races for one of the movies bad boys, Rex Reynolds. At one point Rex comes flying over a jump and hits the heros friend in the shoulder with his back wheel. The friend caroms off through the brush and irreparably damages his front ifp u vtw f wheel. The racing is left only to Cru. Back home and well compensated for his three-wee- k trek to the film location near Calgary, Alberta, Adams can ride his bike up or down just about anything. On a good day he can climb a tree. Watching the movie will give you an idea of the things Adams does on his bike. I like to get creative on bikes, Adams said simply as he leaned on the counter and gazed out the window in a secluded corner of Binghams Swhinn in Sunset, where he has worked eight years and is now assistant manager. Hell ride along the top of a brick wall. Or even climb a set of bleachers. Not so tough? one How about sideways wheel at a time or both at once. Its a little harder to go up two wheels at a time and its not as smooth. I like to go up them one wheel at a time, Adams said. Probably the oddest thing Ive ever climbed is the bleachers. Im usually out on the more natural objects like rocks, trees and logs, Adams said. But out among the rocks and rills Adams imagination runs wild. Friends kindly refer to him as a hardcore, sick mountain biker. The things I think are possible to do are usually the things I try. Once you figure out what youre going to do, its usually pretty easy. h all downhill from there. The Ogden native collected some 250 amateur trophies from the time he started racing, at age 13, until he turned pro at Uh-hu- Jk. n. Since he turned pro he said he makes money, but kind of purse offered in the movie is a pipedream. If you stick to the local races you can do okay, but if you have to travel much, you dont even make enough to cover expenses, Adams said. Clearfields Glen Adams (color photo) ne- - his riding gear prior to a trial run, and gotiates a big rock on his trials bicycle at (above) he crosses up coming off a jump Weber State College. Adams (left) dons at a BMX race in Salt Lake. Story by Cary Hatch Photos by Rodney Wright V- - P n t |