Bo knows bikes?

[esldude]

http://www.bobikesbama.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VQlS-49tSx4


Had and actually have no idea Bo Jackson was/is a biker. But he is doing a charity ride over 300 miles in 5 days to raise money for the Alabama tornado victims from a year ago.

There will also be some other celebrities taking part. Lance Armstrong is among them.

I imagine Bo could have been a heck of sprinter on a bike in his prime. A good test for bottom bracket stiffness if he had been bike sprinting in those days.

[MattTuck]

I'm frankly amazed his femur/hip joint is even functional, let alone, performing at a level that would allow those kinds of miles.

Last I heard, he was in for an umpteenth revision surgery for that artificial joint.

[G-Reg]

I'm frankly amazed his femur/hip joint is even functional,....


It probably is not, but he wont let it stop him.

[esldude]

Saw an interview where he said first thing almost every day is head to the gym and work out. That he didn't know how important that was before all the injury problems. Don't know what his work out consists of nor if any is biking. My guess is he will have been riding a little bit to get ready for it at least. And yes, I doubt he will let it stop him in any case.

[cycle_chic]

I love this forum so much. Earlier today I see a thread with an English guy who invents butterfly wings to improve his commute in London and now I see a very large former pro football player riding across Alabama on a road bike. Variety is the spice of life, eh?

[vqdriver]

an English guy who invents butterfly wings to improve his commute

Still trying to wrap my head around that one.....

[soulspinner]

I love this forum so much. Earlier today I see a thread with an English guy who invents butterfly wings to improve his commute in London and now I see a very large former pro football player riding across Alabama on a road bike. Variety is the spice of life, eh?


Yes, yes it is............

[tiretrax]

A friend rides on an artificial hip. His doctor limited him to rides of no more than 60 miles, and no running. That's probably why the ride is 300 miles over 5 days.

Great for Bo. I always had a lot of respect for him. He seemed very humble for any athlete, let alone one of his abilities.

[esldude]

Yeah, I actually live about a mile from where he grew up. I was two years ahead of him in school. An older brother was in my grade. Was friendly with his brother though not big buddies or anything. We were on a baseball team together. Only knew Bo from watching him play. He was an extraordinary athlete. His brother was fast, and agile and good himself. Bo was just a phenomenon.

Saw him make a throw from deep in the outfield to home. Probably 380 feet. Dead on the money at the plate, no bounce, and had pop like it had come from the mound. What made that memorable if you saw it was the ball was thrown very low, like a line drive hit. The field at McAdory (Bo's highschool) was a bit downhill to the outfield. That throw didn't get very high. Also saw him hit a home run well over 500 feet at that field after I had graduated. It just looked inhuman it went so far and high. Landed on the 30 yard line of the adjacent football field.

My sister was in his grade in school and also went to Auburn and knew him. If you saw him when in college, you just don't have an idea of how massive he was in person. To think such a massive guy was so fast, so agile just seemed beyond normal (and it was). I do believe his 40 yard time of 4.12 seconds is still the fastest ever timed in the NFL combine.

He won the state of Alabama decathlon twice. Finished 2nd as a sophomore, and 10th as a 9th grader. He at one point held the pole vault record. But like so many things there is more to know. He had never done the pole vault before. He watched a few guys in practice to see what they did. McAdory had no poles it was a relatively poor school. They borrowed one from the next biggest guy (some 35 pounds lighter than Bo). Hoped it wouldn't break. Bo did a couple practice vaults. Then went out and set a record that stood for several years. He set a record for the decathlon that stood for a long time and skipped the mile run as he didn't like it and was so far ahead no one could beat him.

He also once threw a football up and bounced it off the central scoreboard in the Superdome in New Orleans on a bet when Auburn was practicing for the Sugar bowl. I do believe no one else has ever managed that feat.

He is quite a credit to himself. He was coachable and listened to his high school coach (fellow named Atchison), and later Pat Dye at Auburn. He definitely had a tough upbringing with not much of anything. A testament to the human spirit of good will really.

Then again, as a lifelong Crimson Tide fan, I can hardly forgive him for going to Auburn. Not to mention my sister graduating from there. Terribly shameful.

Roll Tide!

[vqdriver]

Hold up.
You went to Bama and your sister to Auburn?
Does that happen in real life?
Let me guess, you both married LSU alums. :eek:

[Hawker]

Yeah, I actually live about a mile from where he grew up. I was two years ahead of him in school. An older brother was in my grade. Was friendly with his brother though not big buddies or anything. We were on a baseball team together. Only knew Bo from watching him play. He was an extraordinary athlete. His brother was fast, and agile and good himself. Bo was just a phenomenon.

Saw him make a throw from deep in the outfield to home. Probably 380 feet. Dead on the money at the plate, no bounce, and had pop like it had come from the mound. What made that memorable if you saw it was the ball was thrown very low, like a line drive hit. The field at McAdory (Bo's highschool) was a bit downhill to the outfield. That throw didn't get very high. Also saw him hit a home run well over 500 feet at that field after I had graduated. It just looked inhuman it went so far and high. Landed on the 30 yard line of the adjacent football field.

My sister was in his grade in school and also went to Auburn and knew him. If you saw him when in college, you just don't have an idea of how massive he was in person. To think such a massive guy was so fast, so agile just seemed beyond normal (and it was). I do believe his 40 yard time of 4.12 seconds is still the fastest ever timed in the NFL combine.

He won the state of Alabama decathlon twice. Finished 2nd as a sophomore, and 10th as a 9th grader. He at one point held the pole vault record. But like so many things there is more to know. He had never done the pole vault before. He watched a few guys in practice to see what they did. McAdory had no poles it was a relatively poor school. They borrowed one from the next biggest guy (some 35 pounds lighter than Bo). Hoped it wouldn't break. Bo did a couple practice vaults. Then went out and set a record that stood for several years. He set a record for the decathlon that stood for a long time and skipped the mile run as he didn't like it and was so far ahead no one could beat him.

He also once threw a football up and bounced it off the central scoreboard in the Superdome in New Orleans on a bet when Auburn was practicing for the Sugar bowl. I do believe no one else has ever managed that feat.

He is quite a credit to himself. He was coachable and listened to his high school coach (fellow named Atchison), and later Pat Dye at Auburn. He definitely had a tough upbringing with not much of anything. A testament to the human spirit of good will really.

Then again, as a lifelong Crimson Tide fan, I can hardly forgive him for going to Auburn. Not to mention my sister graduating from there. Terribly shameful.

Roll Tide!

Not to mention some of his best MLB moments; like that big HR to center field in the All-Star game, the run up the wall in the outfield and that amazing bare handed catch in the outfield. Whew what an athlete, who knows what records he would have set.

[tele]

Just saw a really good clip on Sportscenter about Bo's whole ride....shows a great side to a great athlete.

[bikerboy337]

Here's the link

http://search.espn.go.com/bo-bikes-bama/videos/6


My brother and family went to the finish a few weeks ago, they said it was pretty cool... my parents were visiting them last year on April 27th during all the tornados, my brother lives is tuscaloosa... it was pretty crazy to see and hear all the damage. I'll never forget the photo of 2/3 of my family huddled in a laundry room as tornados were ripping through town, not knowing if they were ok. We visited last spring and the area was still such a mess.

Travelling to Tuscaloosa later this week to see my niece graduate from High School (will be a freshman at U of A next year)!

Roll Tide!

[Hawker]

That was nice, thanks for posting.

[ifouiripilay]

I've always like Bo. I'm impressed with the milage he's doing with his past injuries. Thanks for the post, I had no idea.