"A-Team" and the Giant/Pearl Izumi Team

Carl Decker

The Giant/Pearl Izumi racing team met with Bike recently in sunny SoCal for a game of 20 questions, a photo session and a ride. It was the perfect opportunity to ask technical, hard-hitting and intelligent questions, but I mainly talked about television shows from the ’80s with cross-country racer Carl Decker. When he’s not racing and resting, Decker’s on top of the television scene and even knows the name of the girl who played Punky Brewster: Soleil Moon Frye. Ahh, the ’70s were good for some people and not so good for others, interpret that however you like.

Tara Llanes

Straight up though, this year’s Giant/Pearl Izumi team is hot, thanks to Tara Llanes, who moved over from Yeti to race downhill for Giant. Llanes has recovered from last year’s broken collarbone and is on track to represent as one of the fastest female racers on the downhill circuit. I asked her to show a little leg for her fan club and she was into it; check her out on “Blurb O’ Da Week.” Giant teammate Dustin Adams was a force last summer at the World Cup Downhill in Telluride, where he took fourth. Another Giant rider, Jared Rando, took fourth overall in the NORBA downhill series last season and finished in the top 10 at the Red Bull Ride in Australia.

In the cross-country world, Giant/Pearl Izumi is backing Adam Craig and Carl Decker. Craig just won the national U-23 Cyclocross Championships and will spark off the mountain bike race season at Sea Otter along with Decker, who hung out after a group ride and shot the shit with me about important stuff, mostly the “A-Team,” a mutual favorite. Here are some excerpts:

Bike: Any relation to Colonel Decker? Can you explain his role with the “A-Team”?

CD: No. I don’t remember the guy too much. I have the “A-Team” soundtrack on tape and it mentions him though.

Bike: He’s kind of an enigma, eh? Like wind or something, an invisible force that comes without warning and messes up the pile of leaves you just raked, y’know, in a metaphorical sense.

CD: (Silence)

Bike: Who was your favorite character?

CD: I was always a Murdock fan, but now that I’m older I’m starting to like Face.

Bike: Why?

CD: The ’83 Corvette.

Bike: Seriously, what are you going to race this year?

CD: I’m going to ride a Giant NRS with the seat all the way forward.

Bike: What are your favorite racecourses?

CD: I like that World Cup last year up in B.C. Other than that, I like any course that’s covered in mud. Not because I’m good at it, I just like to get out and get sideways.

Bike: What’s the pinnacle of your racing career?

CD: Last year as a whole, just making the national team after I broke my back in 2000 was big for me.

Bike: How did you break your back?

CD: Riding my bike, basically my bike stopped and I didn’t. I blew my T4 and T6 vertebrae, but the doctors glued me back together. I have a five-vertebrae fusion.

Bike: Any other TV shows worth mentioning?

CD: After going to Hawaii and camping on the beach down from the Magnum P.I. set and hopping the fence to get in, I’m a Magnum P.I. fan.

Check out Sea Otter for the Giant/Pearl Izumi debut. Now back to our feature presentation…