The Post-Journal

Falconer Man One Of Four Picked For U.S. International Cycle Team

A Falconer man has been named to the four-man United States team for the famed 50th Annual International Six-Day Motorcycle Trials, to be held this year on the Isle of Man, off the coast of England.

He is Charles (Chuck) Boehler, widely known in state motorcycle competition circles and one of the finest "bike" men to ever represent Jamestown.

Boehler, accompanied by Lawrence Hyldahl, both members of the Chautauqua Lake Cyclists Club, Inc., leave today for New York City where they will fly to the meet site.

Boehler will be part of the first United States team to compete in the grueling cross-country grind in 35 years. He will be riding a Greeves.

Two men have been selected from the eastern part of the United States and two from the west. Boehler and John Penton of Lorain, Ohio are the eastern representatives. Dave Ekins, who won the recent Mexico-California desert race, is one of the western riders. The fourth has not yet been named.

The meet is team competition, broken into 200-mile segments to cover the 1,200 miles in six days. The riders do not have the benefits of roads - merely trails marked by flags or other guideposts. It is the roughest and most grueling type of motorcycle competition, with the machines sealed at the start and only minor repairs allowed en route, thus a major breakdown or injurious spill means elimination.

Hyldahl, also of Jamestown, is making the trip as a reporter for several motorcycle trade journals. He termed the naming of Boehler "a fine break for a great rider." Boehler, his traveling companion explained, does not expect a victory for the American team because the competition is terrific with seasoned riders from Russia, East and West Germany, Italy, France, England, Australia, Sweden and other countries, with Japan entering a team for the first time.

Boehler, in his late 30's, has long been an "institution" among local motorcycle enthusiasts. He is one of the most versatile men known to the sport in the state capable of riding in flat sprint competition, hill climbs, endures, scrambles and TT courses (simulated dirt road races) as well as being a first-hand trials rider, a slow speed skills event.

Both Boehler and Hyldahl are charter members of the local cycle club, one of the most active of its kind in the state.

Boehler, president of Bennie M. Anderson Trucking Co., 51 East Main Street, Falconer, will ride a special Greeves that is being shipped from the factory for his use. Hyldahl, a resident of Waterboro Hill Road, is a long-time motorcycle enthusiast, who served as volunteer public relations man for the local club.

Being chosen for the team is not a new experience for Boehler. He was named to the American foursome last year, but the meet, scheduled in West Germany, was cancelled because of political unrest.


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