When the racing outfits couldn't shine enough, there was one who wore a massive black curly mat over them: David, nicknamed Tinker, Juarez. However, cross-country mountain biking was already his second career. The Californian of Mexican descent signed his first contract in 1976 with Mongoose as a BMX racer.

Ten years later, he switched to the new machine called the mountain bike and enchanted the public with his fine riding and jumping technique, a horse's lung, a never-ending fighting spirit and - of course - his hair.

Sponsored racing driver since 1976

As part of the legendary Cannondale-Volvo team, Tinker Juarez won the US Championships several times in the 1990s, a World Cup, a World Championship silver medal and competed for the USA at the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000. The beginning of the noughties, at the age of 40, would have been a good time to end his 25-year racing career.

But it wasn't. Tinker once again sought out a new field. He was still competitive in marathon, ultra-bike and road races. He won the US 24-hour mountain bike championships four times in a row. In 2005, he rode the 3000-kilometer Race Across America. After ten days and 22 hours, he crossed the finish line in third place. He later went on to win a Masters World Championship title as a mountain biker and just kept on riding until today. His photo collection on Facebook provides a good overview of Tinker's 45 years as a racer to date.

Tinker Juarez no longer takes part in the most important races, but they are usually particularly long, challenging and often adventurous. And the only slightly graying head of hair still climbs onto podiums at the age of 60.
His disappointment was therefore great when Cannondale did not offer him a new contract in October 2021 on terms that suited him. His angry post, which was shortly deleted, shows that he still sees his job as riding races and helping mountain bike companies sell their products. As a living legend and the most conspicuous figure wherever he goes on the track, he continues to have advertising value. Cannondale responded with extremely respectful farewell words to their ambassador since 1994.

A contract on the ex-doper's cannabis team

The turnaround came immediately. A few weeks after his departure from Cannondale, another dazzling figure in cycling announced that he was signing Tinker Juarez: Floyd Landis. That's right, the supposed 2006 Tour de France winner who was convicted of doping shortly after reaching the Champs Elysées. Landis' excuses and other attempts to divert attention from his sports cheating are a story in themselves and range from a hacker attack to blackmail attempts. He finally confessed in 2010, resigned in 2011 and founded his CBD products company, Floyd's of Leadville, in 2016.

Because he was not finished with cycling, he soon set up a gravel and mountain bike team with his cannabis company as the main sponsor. The start-up capital came from one of the most famous dopers of all, Lance Armstrong. An out-of-court settlement with Armstrong brought him several million in compensation and a contribution to his legal fees. Team Floyd's of Leadville was his way of giving something back to cycling because he had cheated, Landis said.
Landis' business partner told VeloNews magazine that they both rode mountain bike races against Tinker Juarez in the nineties (Landis was US junior champion in 1993), never beat him and admire him to this day. Landis himself told Pinkbike: "Tinker Juarez is a cycling legend, and 50 years into his career, he continues to impress as a racer and as an ambassador for the sport." He sees it as a privilege to sponsor Tinker and is looking forward to shared successes, Landis continued. Thanks to the contract with Floyd's of Leadville, Tinker also has health insurance for the first time in his life.

Tinker Juarez can therefore continue to ride bikes and cycle races for a fee. He wouldn't have stopped anyway, and there's no reason why he should as long as he's having fun doing it.