Coming Full Cycle : Mountain-Bike Champion Tomac Trying to Become King of the Road

Cross-training is all the rage, but few can do it at a world-class level. Bo Jackson, definitely. Deion Sanders, maybe. And in cycling, the man of many helmets is John Tomac.

Tomac, a 22-year-old native of Chatsworth, is the current world mountain-biking champion despite having spent most of the year competing in road races.

“There’s more of a crossover between the two sports, definitely, but it’s difficult to cross over and be good at both disciplines,” said Tom Schuler, 7-Eleven racing team manager and a teammate of Tomac. “John is the only one at this point who can do both well. It really takes some time and technique to make the move, but John has shown quite a bit as a road racer.”

Tomac claimed the world mountain-bike title in Belgium in September, then returned to Europe to race in spring road classics such as Paris-Roubaix.

“I was pleased with my results,” said Tomac, who signed with the 7-Eleven team this year. “They were nothing super, but I really want to concentrate on the spring races.”

Tomac returned to the United States and again hit the mountain-bike circuit.

In July, he won a race at Crested Butte, Colo., and overcame severe chain problems to finish second in a National Off-Road Bicycling Assn. event in Park City, Utah.

Said Tomac: “I’ve won more than half the mountain-bike races I’ve entered this year. I’ve got good strength from road racing and that carries over. I just have to make a few adjustments.”

Although he has been riding with the 7-Eleven squad, Tomac actually is devoting most of his time to off-road training in Colorado in preparation for the World Mountain Bike championships in Durango, Colo., in September.

“It’s fun to mix them together,” Tomac said. “It’s a natural for me; it’s not a hard transition.”

His trade team, 7-Eleven, would prefer that Tomac stick to road racing, but his contract allows him to ride a limited number of mountain-bike events per year.

“For John, maybe it’s good now that he’s getting back into mountain-bike racing because it will give him a nice break,” Schuler said. “But as John becomes more of a factor in road racing and on the team, he will have to specialize more. He will have to make a choice. . . . It’s not easy, but he can do it.”

Few others have fared so well in making the switch.

Top mountain-biker Ned Overend was an undistinguished road racer. Rishi Grewal, younger brother of Olympic road racing gold medalist Alexi Grewal, has had some success in both events.

“Some of them are going back and forth because there’s some money to be made in mountain biking now,” Tomac said.

Initially, Tomac took up road racing four years ago as a means of keeping in shape for the off-road circuit.

He made rapid progress, riding for the U.S. national team last year and placing an impressive 17th in the inaugural Tour de Trump. He was named the top all-around rider in the world by VeloNews magazine in 1989.

“Originally, I was just on the road for training for mountain bikes,” Tomac said. “But I was also winning most of my mountain-bike races and was looking for more of a challenge, something more difficult.”

His mountain-biking skills have served him well in the realm of the skinny tire.

“Part of bike racing is your ability to stay in the pack and not get muscled out,” Schuler said. “That’s where mountain biking has helped John. A newcomer to road racing usually has a tougher time staying up front, but because of his bike-riding skill and his aggressive style, John is not afraid to go elbow to elbow with another rider.”

The most important characteristic Tomac has shown, according to Schuler, is his determination.

“John is very serious about his profession,” Schuler said. “He’s always planning out his next step and how to get better. He knows where he wants to go and he knows he wants to be a road racer and be successful on the European circuit. You have to be impressed with that.”

Tomac made his name on a mountain bike, but there is no doubt where his heart now lies. “I consider myself a road racer now,” he said.