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In his 14th year and 15th season, Jerry Landrum, 52, continues to be successful as a BMX racer.
Landrum, Winona Lake, achieved a No. 3 finish in BMX national competition this year. He raced for one year in the American Bicycle Association to achieve the honor.
The ABA Grand National final was held in Tulsa, Okla., on Thanksgiving with 23 competitors in the 51-and-over class. The national finish allows Landrum to run the No. 3 on his number plate for the 1999 season.
"When you see a No. 1 on a plate, you know the (racer's competed) through national competitions," Landrum said.
Landrum is also a competitor in the National Bicycle League. NBL is the East Coast sanctioning body and ABA is the West Coast sanctioning body.
He has met many racers through the two organizations.
"We race together all the time. At any given race, I may run into five or six of them," he said.
In the last two years, there were no injuries reported during the Grand Nationals, he said, but there was a lot of good fellowship and friendship.
Race tracks vary from city to city. The track Landrum competed on at Sarasota, Fla., was made of sandy clay. Other tracks in cities such as Los Angeles, Calif., are different in everything from the type of dirt to the layout of the race itself. But that doesn't stop Landrum.
"I've actually gotten faster but my starts are slower," he said.
Landrum even competed in England in 1997 for the world championships. He didn't get his mains (eighth place or better), but said he probably placed in the top 16, competing against racers from 30 different countries.
Because of Landrum's success and because he is a well-known BMX racer, he enjoys many perks other bikers would love to get.
Sponsorships.
Landrum has sponsorship deals with Airwalk Shoes, Play Clothes, Profile Racing, Sun/Ringle, ATi Grips and Tektro Brake Systems. He races for the Kovachi Wheels Team in Marietta, Ga. He's also received sponsorships from Max Capel Motors and Tarkio Road Bike Shop.
"My bike's probably worth $1,100 but I didn't pay a cent," Landrum said. His bike is sponsored by Profile Racing, which produces a bike crank set used by 200 professionals throughout the world.
At races, Landrum is also a representative for Tektro Brake Systems.
"That's a big deal for them. They advertise all over the United States," he said, referring to the brochures and information Landrum gives out at races about the company.
But Landrum isn't just being sponsored. He also co-sponsors others, such as one rider in Australia.
"This guy's really good. He's really popular," Landrum said.
With all that, one would think Landrum would be kept busy enough. But he has yet another hobby.
He is the creator of www.bmxmania.com, one of the top BMX Web sites in the world.
"I'm getting over 2,000 visitors a week from 40 different countries," Landrum said.
He said his Web site's success is due to several factors.
He continually changes the site. News updates are constantly posted from around the world. And he answers every e-mail he receives. Every e-mail.
Landrum can race with the No. 3 on his bicycle until the next Grand Nationals this year.
Until then, he will continue to race as the third best racer in his age group from Hire Park BMX track, Warsaw, to wherever the path may lead him.
