Twins Are Built for All Terrain

When twins Kurt and Todd Hoy were growing up in Rancho Palos Verdes, they spent a lot of time in the desert watching their father, Mike, race motorcycles.

“Our parents dragged us out to the desert all the time,” said Kurt, 23, who is five minutes younger than his brother. “We were desert rats.”

Todd immediately fell in love with motorcycles, began racing at 16 and eventually became a professional desert racer. He is now ranked among the country’s top 10 Open Pro Class riders by the American Motorcycle Assn. Kurt did some motorcycle racing as a teen-ager but eventually turned to snowboarding and mountain biking.

“I raced a couple of times, but I just never got into the motor part of it,” said Kurt, a graduate of Rolling Hills High.

Kurt, who did a lot of skateboarding as a kid, got serious about snowboarding after moving to Colorado to attend Western State College in 1987.

He turned professional three years ago and has won more than 10 titles.

Now he makes a living snowboarding, and during the summer he stays in shape by entering mountain bike races in Colorado. This summer he is living and training in Gunnison, about 60 miles south of Aspen.

“Last year I didn’t ride my bike because I spent the summer training in Australia for snowboarding,” Kurt said. “I really missed it. I’m doing both now, but eventually I’ll have to choose one.”

Kurt competes in 10 to 12 snowboard races in a season that runs from November to April. He can earn up to $10,000 a year in prize money. A big part of his earnings come from sponsors.

During the winter Kurt lives in Big Bear, where he trains about six hours a day on the snow and works out regularly with a trainer.

“There’s incredible competition,” said Kurt, 5-feet-11 and 160 pounds. “There’s a lot of good boarders out there so you have to work hard to stay on top.”

Todd dedicates an average of 25 hours a week to his sport, including the mechanical work he performs on his motorcycle. He runs daily and works out in the gym to stay fit for the grueling weekend races in the 100-degree-plus desert heat.

“Not only is it over 100 degrees out there, but you’re wearing long sleeves, long pants and a chest protector,” said Todd, who is 6-4, 170 pounds. “And there’s also a lot of heat coming off the bike, so it gets pretty warm.”

Todd, who also graduated from Rolling Hills High and lives with his parents, usually practices in the desert three to four days a week and competes in about 65 races a year. Most of them are 80 to 100 miles long.

“You have to be physically fit,” said Todd, who attends Harbor College. “You’re riding two to five hours at a time through sand (and) rocks, uphill and downhill. Your worst terrain and your easiest terrain, we go through it.”

Todd, in his second season as a pro, won more than 20 races as an amateur. His best finish this year was at the American Motorcycle Assn. nationals in Nevada. He finished the 110-mile course in 2 hours, 21 minutes, to place fourth out of 200 riders.

His motorcycle weighs 240 pounds and it has a 550 cubic centimeter engine, the biggest and most powerful allowed in the sport. He often reaches speeds of 105 m.p.h.

“I’ve tried snowboarding but the thrill of speed is what I really like,” Todd said.

Todd has had reconstructive surgery on both knees and has suffered a broken collarbone, separated shoulder and broken foot. He injured both knees in similar but separate incidents.

“I went into a turn and I put my knee down in the sand and twisted it,” he said. “So I severed ligaments.”

He broke two bones in his right foot during a race when he kicked a rock while traveling 80 m.p.h.

“So many people ask why I don’t quit,” Todd said. “I guess the competition is in my blood. It’s a real thrill.”

Kurt, who reaches speeds of up to 50 m.p.h. on a snowboard, has suffered only one major injury. In 1989 he dislocated an elbow after landing on it while practicing airborne tricks at Copper Mountain in Colorado.

“People always say, ‘When are you going to get a real job?’ ” said Kurt, who has a degree in recreation and Spanish. “But this is harder than a lot of jobs.”

Todd says he will continue racing motorcycles as long as he is physically capable. His goal is to be a national champion. He also plans to finish the Baja 1,000, one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious off-road races.

The event, which takes place in November, takes about 16 hours to complete. There’s usually a pit stop about every 45 miles.

“That is the most physically and mentally demanding race,” Todd said. “I’m looking forward to doing it this year. I think I’m ready.”

Perhaps all those weekends in the desert as a kid have paid off for Todd.