Road Warrior -- Mountlake Terrace Cyclist Plots Course To Top

The first bicycle race Matt Johnson entered, he won. That it was a state championship only adds luster to a legend looming in the likeness of LeMond.

Drawing comparisons between a 16-year-old and the three-time Tour de France winner may put undue pressure on a youngster.

But when Johnson, heading into his junior year at Mountlake Terrace High School, is tearing up the asphalt, gathering gold and setting national records faster than most teens flocking to the sport, it's no wonder he is turning the heads of U.S. Cycling Federation coaches.

After securing the junior title at the Washington Trust Classic in Spokane last weekend, he will be in Albuquerque, N.M., trying to lower his national age-group record in the 20-kilometer time trial this weekend.

Since he first broke the mark last year, he's lowered it by nearly three minutes. If he can average about 30 mph and lower the record from 25:39 to 25:02, he also will break the mark in the 17- to 18-year-old bracket.

``Right now, he's doing the things that Greg LeMond was doing as a young rider,'' said Todd Starnes, his coach for the Seattle-based Granny's Gourmet Muffin Racing Team. ``You don't want to put that much pressure on him as a young kid. He has a very good future, but it's a sport that's very dangerous.''

The danger was evident Tuesday night at Seattle International Raceway for the conclusion of the summer road-racing series. As the various riders - novice, veteran, women and stragglers - cruised the straightaway, the high-pitched drone of tires humming along the asphalt suddenly gave way to the crunching of metal, as sickening a sound as the crash of cars that normally cruise the course.

Someone had wobbled in the line of Class IV riders - relative novices - leaving 10 riders nursing bumps, bruises and road rash and trying to straighten wheel frames.

Johnson wasn't in that group - he competes with sage veterans and professionals. He says he hasn't been hurt seriously yet, except for a broken arm riding on a velodrome, but danger lurks when bikes separated by the width of an inch-wide tire tailgate at 35 mph.

Johnson said he wouldn't trade his pair of bikes, worth nearly $6,000, for all the sports he thought about as a youngster.

``I played just about every sport,'' said Johnson, who runs cross-country and enjoys nordic skiing. ``But this is a fun sport. It's fast. It's year-round. It's very competitive. And it's not boring.

``Long, hilly races are my best because I have the endurance, and I'm built for it.''

What attracts Johnson, 6 feet 2, 160 pounds, to cycling is the dual aspects of teamwork and individuality.

At SIR Tuesday, Johnson showed why he's good at that.

When teammate Josh Kindelan, in contention for the season title, blew a tire, Johnson immediately forfeited his chances to win the night's race to help pace Kindelan back to the pack.

Kindelan would have had to win each segment of the hour ride to win the title, unless points leader Mike Brazil of the Steilacoom Road Club had run into similar bad luck. Though Kindelan was quickly back in the pack, he was not leading at each prime and didn't score the extra points.

But Johnson again proved his willingness to help his teammates, and talented, older riders saw a lot of his red, white and blue shirt with his name on the back.

His patriotic jersey represents one of his three national championships. Although Johnson has never lost a junior stage race and has seven state titles, none of those achievements is his most important, in his eyes.

Johnson doesn't even have a medal or trophy for that special memory.

Last month, he finished 31st among 175 riders in the Casper Cycling Classic, riding the Wyoming back roads and mountain passes with top amateurs and pros.

He was the first junior to ever finish, placing sixth and 11th in two of the seven stages. Alexi Grewal won the 600-mile race.

``It was very, very tough,'' he said, remembering the 100-mile rides in 100-degree heat.

That performance served to validate his future.

``The Olympics fall on the wrong years for me,'' he said, referring to the competitions in 1992 and 1996. ``Eighteen is too young, and by 22 I hope I'm good enough to go pro.''

Johnson hopes to turn pro when he is 20.

``Matt Johnson's kind of in a league by himself,'' said Pete Thomas, who runs the SIR races, the May-through-August series that attracted as many as 225 riders a night. ``He's very strong. By the time he's 18, he'll be winning a lot of races. Right now, as a young rider, he's asked to play a team role. His time will come.''

``He's very good at climbing, and an excellent time trialer,'' Starnes said.

Although his coach says Johnson needs to concentrate on his sprinting, Starnes said he may have the resolve to ascend to the top.

``The amount of training he puts in is incredible. Matt gets three weeks off a year - Oct. 7 to Nov. 1. In the last seven months, Matt's spent maybe 20 nights in his own bed.

``When you compare this to other sports, it's a lot different. It's not real glamorous. We aren't flying everywhere. We're not staying in hotels. We're sleeping on floors of people's houses.

``When I was his age,'' said Starnes, 30, ``I don't know if I could have done it.''

Johnson probably will surprise people, maybe next summer when he tries some races in Europe. In fact, his success has even surprised himself.

``I never thought I'd get this good,'' Johnson said, flashing his ready smile. ``But it's fun to be good at it.''