From the Archives: 1994 Holy Cross Grand Prix

I am not positive but, I believe the tall rider, second around the corner is John Wordin. He did race for Nutra Fig/PAA (Pasadena Athletic Association) during, and after, the purple kit year (1994). That was the first year of Nutra Fig sponsorship, a collaboration that lasted until, I think, 1999. At some point in that time line, the pro team kind of outgrew its local, and even regional status, and in a way became its own entity. But this was 1994, and all that was yet to transpire. In 1994 dreams and plans of bigger things were somewhere in a future haze; Nutra Fig/PAA was a strong regional team with a lengthy history. What I am sure of is that the photo was taken during the Holy Cross Grand Prix, when it was run by Warner Velo in Woodland Hills.

The tall figure of Wordin was a common sight in the Pro/1/2 fields of local races in the 1990s. Beside Nutra Fig, he also spent time with the Chevrolet/LA Sheriff squad, and the Mercury pro team. That Mercury team, later Viatel, went international - racing both domestically and in Europe with riders such as Floyd Landis, Chris Horner, and Peter Van Petegem filling out the squad. Given all that, I have to think that the most fulfilling moment(s) of his cycling life have come in the time since the racing ended as founder of the Ride 2 Recovery program for wounded military veterans.