Elmer got accused of cheating during a 24 hr race in here in Alabama too. What no one could figure out was how his night laptimes were so close to his day lap times, and also when the course was much tougher and whooped out and rutted. You would just have to have ridden with the guy to understand how he was. His training regimen was nuts. He simply did not slow down when a course got tougher. I've never known ANY athlete that was any tougher or better conditioned than Elmer. And I include Navy Seals and Army SF guys I have known. Elmer just didn't get tired. He trained so hard that racing was much easier than his weekly training routine. Two seperate times the 24 hr race promoters sent out a top level AA rider to follow Elmer, once near dark and again after midnight when he was several laps up on the previous years Ironman winner. The AA guy could barely keep up. He went back and told them not to worry, that guy was just simply fast in all conditions. They had him followed again after midnight when he still wasn't slowing down. Same thing. His night riding was simply that good.
Elmer did every obstacle at the Last Man Standing AFTER working his way up from 37th place, so he had to help many more people out of the way, often riding THEIR bikes over the hill or obstacle so he could get his shot. On one hill, he rode 3 different guys bikes over a hill, helped several more, finally the next guy in line felt sorry for him and let Elmer take his place for the next try. Many riders were "cheating", working their bike through the crowds at the obstacles and helping maybe one rider over, then jumping on their own bike and trying to get ahead of those who had really gotten there before they did. I know of one many time Enduro champ who rode LMS that I personally saw do exactly that! And no, it wasn't Mike Lafferty! (You can read between the lines can't you)? That break given to Elmer by an appreciative fellow racer moved Elmer up about 10 spots, but he had helped at least 10 other guys, and that had been the case at EVERY hill! I personally watched Elmer help many more fellow riders than helped him. At many obstacles Elmer would help several guys, then when he got his chance he'd simply clean the obstacle and not need help. Near the end of LMS Jerry Bernardo stuck a mike in his face like all the other top 20 riders. Every rider interviewed looked and sounded like they were worn completely out. Russell Bobbitt could barely talk. Elmer was laughing and joking, gave a great interview, not even tired! I rode with him about 6 weeks before the LMS event. He went out and practiced each obstacle at least 10 times. Even if he made it first try, he kept at it until he perfected it. I should add that they didn't lay out the LMS until right before the event, but everyone knew that they would use many of the same obstacles as the year before, and many riders went out to practice before the event so it was not illegal. In fact the promoters encouraged the riders to practice before the event, although all practice was ended when they started actually laying out the course. They added some obstacles and changed some, but probably 75% of the tough stuff was the same as the previous year. I watched Elmer climb Joshua Tree about 10 times, IN THE RAIN, with a half worn out rear tire! The other pros out there who were practicing packed up and went home. Elmer changed his plans so he could stay for 2 more days precisely because the conditions were worse. I rode around to many of the obstacles with Elmer and a former GNCC Pro who decided not to ride LMS after he saw how crazy it was. Elmer got up at dawn, practiced about 30 of the hardest obstacles, came back and ate lunch, then went and practiced Bills Woods which is all very tight Singletrack. Bills Woods was not super hard in any one spot, but kinda hard all through with no breaks. He chose that section for the fitness aspect. Elmer and the GNCC guy rode Bills Woods for 2 hrs non-stop early in the morning simply to get in the conditioning and because it was raining and would be harder. Then they came back to camp, ate lunch, and we went back out in the rain and 40 degree temperature, and rode all day until dark. He again practiced any of the obstacles that had given him any trouble. He rode through Texas Stadium at least 15 times practicing various lines since that was near the end of the event and gave many of the riders the hardest time for the previous years race. Again, it was raining! Elmer thrived on it being cold, wet, dark, long, hard, brutal, whatever. Twice Elmer decided to ride DOWN Texas Stadium since there was a rumor that they might route the course backwards from the previous year. We almost begged him not to ride back down it since it was so slick, we were very concerned for his safety, but he did it anyway. That was just Elmer.
Then there was Elmers night vision. It was almost like he had natural night vision goggles in his eyeballs! He could see in the dark like a bat. Best night vision I've ever seen on a human. I rode with him at Brock Creek after dark, just for a fun ride and a little training. He had a stock headlight on a KTM 2t, which we all know aren't very good. He was almost the same speed with a poor headlight at night as in the daytime. He practiced at night hundreds of times in varied terrain getting ready for night racing. He wanted to own the night. Elmer's whole focus was preparation and being at his best in the worst conditions. He wanted to excel when things were at their worst, so he trained like that. He really could do things that seemed impossible on a bike, I watched him do it time and again.
I was not there when Elmer raced in Africa. But I can say definitvely that I thought he was the hardest worker at racing I've ever known or heard of. I found him to also be one of the most honest guys I've ever known. I can see why some might think he cheated. When some relatively unknown guy can do what he could as a privateer it seems impossible. But I watched Elmer do what seemed impossible many times. I also might mention that Elmer was just beginning to come into his own as a racer much later than many top level guys. He wasn't the fastest guy out there, in terms of raw speed, but I believe that he was one of the toughest and best prepared. He made himself fast by being determined and mentally tough. He used hard work to replace the lack of a factory sponsorship. He was at his best when it was the hardest. At his best when it was dark. Raining. Cold. Hot. Tough terrain. No sleep. Bike not working perfectly. Whatever. I just can't see him cheating. He didn't need to.
Sorry I guess I hijacked this thread too. But Elmer was someone I truly admired
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