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Williams cyclist heads to world meet VanSchoonhoven to compete in observed trials By FRANK SILOW Jeremy VanSchoonhoven has a national championship to his credit. Now the 17-year-old Williams cyclist is going for a world title. VanSchoonhoven has been selected for the United States junior team that will compete in the United Cycling Federation Trials World Championships June 1-4 in Sierra Nevada, Spain. He competes in bicycle observed trials, an obscure sport that tests a rider's balance and creativity on obstacle-like courses. Riders are judged by how many times their feet touch the ground. Or in the case of the world championship -- feet, pedals or a rear portion of the bike coming in contact with the ground. A violation is called a "dab." The winner is the rider with the fewest points. VanSchoonhoven was selected for the six-person U.S. team off a winning performance in the observed trials at the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) National Championships last August in Mount Snow, Vt. This is the first time the observed trials will be held in conjunction with the mountain bike world championships. More than 25 countries are eligible to enter observed trials teams. "He's (VanSchoonhoven) our No. 1 contender in the junior class," says J.P. Sickler, coach for the U.S. team. "We feel we have a very good chance of winning the individual and team competition." VanSchoonhoven's training has been slowed because of a recent bout with chickenpox. He resumed riding last week and doesn't expect the illness to be a factor. "It took quite a lot of training time away," he says, "but it shouldn't affect how I place. It's the biggest event I've ever been to. It's the world championships. It doesn't get any bigger than that. I'll be ready." Riders will be judged on two different bicycles -- the traditional trials bike with 20-inch wheels and a stock mountain bike with 26-inch wheels. The competition will take place on eight different courses. After two runs on each course, the field will be cut to the top five individuals. In the finals, riders must complete four courses, twice each. "I've never been to one like this before," said VanSchoonhoven. "Some of the rules are different, so there's a different technique. I've been riding on different types of obstacles because I don't want to get over there and say, `Whoa, I've never seen stuff like that before."' VanSchoonhoven's sponsor, Airbomb.com, is paying for more than $4,000 in expenses to compete in the world championships. The company sells bicycles and bicycle parts on the Internet. This will be VanSchoonhoven's first trip to Spain, but he doesn't plan to be sidetracked by the surroundings. "You don't want to go sightseeing and mess yourself up for the event," says VanSchoonhoven. "I'm hoping for first. And I have a pretty good chance." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA