Mt. Rushmore, WPH Press, 5/15/24
Hall of famer and 2013 SR48 Player’s Cup Champion John Bike was known as The Road Warrior during his illustrious pro tour career that saw him win two pro singles national titles and hundreds of tournaments. While most pros flew to events, the Bicrowave famously drove, sometimes thousands of miles to successive events. The hall of famer once drove ten-thousand miles during one stretch of events, starting one of his odysseys in Albuquerque and going La Grange (Chicago), Fairbanks (Alaska), Venice Beach (Southern California) and back to Albuquerque.
When the hall of famer saw the opportunity to hit the road before the May 3-5, 2024 Aces Race 4 Eight Player’s Championship, he seized it, scooping up three #Nextgen Race 4 Eight pros for the journey.
JB arrived at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday morning, May 1, picked up by Race 4 Eight #15 pro and son Jab Bike and made the 78-mile drive to Mankato to pick up Race 4 Eight #Nextgen stars and current USHA collegiate national champions Mark Doyle and Clodagh Munroe in Mankato. From there, the foursome embarked on the 516-mile, seven-and-a-half hour drive to Mt. Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota. After spending the requisite amount of time admiring the 60-foot faces on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in one of the modern wonders of the world, the hall of famer and his three proteges made a four-hour, 239-mile trip to spend the night in Casper, Wyoming. After waking up in the Cowboy State, the group of pros made the six-hour, 400-mile trip to the Sports Mall in Salt Lake City, jumping right into the courts for some pre-tournament practice.
While Mark and Clodagh headed to the Salt Lake City International Airport on Sunday afternoon to fly back to Mankato, the Bikes continued their journey west, making the 620-mile, nine-hour drive to Hesperia Lake, CA, totaling 1,853-miles in five days.
“Mt Rushmore was really cool,” stated Jab. “I never thought it would be a place that I would be able to go visit, so I’m glad we got the chance to see it. It is sort of surreal to see in person. I think everyone should try to see it at least once in their lifetime.”
Did the Bicrowave inspire the #Nextgen to become the #Nextgen Road Warriors?
Which Pros Inspired the Race 4 Eight’s Rising Stars HERE
First Pro Tournament Match Win For the Race 4 Eight’s Rising Stars HERE
Favorite Shot for the Race 4 Eight’s Rising Stars HERE
Pictures courtesy of Jab Bike and the WPH