Pat OBrien

I raced against Joe for about 8 years. Never could beat him in a sprint.



He was a fixture at the velo. I remember one of my first years of racing

at the track. We were doing a 3 up match sprint. Joe, me and a friend

of mine. I told my friend that I would box Joe up on the rail so he

could get a jump. Joe was pretty savy so out foxing him was tough. But,

to our surprise, the strategy worked beautifully. My friend won easily.



After the race, Joe asked me why I didn't try to jump on my friends

wheel. I then admitted to him my strategy. Joe was very gracious. He

didn't complain..... even thou I think the strategy violates the match

sprint rules. He quietly went into the rep round.



After winning the rep rounds he found himself in the semifinals or

finals........ and, yes, he was in a best of 3 match sprint with my

friend....... and proceeded to beat him in the first 2 races. I saw Joe

after his second win and congratulated him. We both laughed about how it

had worked out. Here the two beginners thought we had really pulled one

off only to have the old fox come back and get the last laugh.



Joe never gloated or criticized. I felt that he actually enjoyed the

additional races. He was gracious in victory just as he was in defeat.



I have seen racers come and go. It is a difficult sport that is very

physically demanding. Many people burn out. I don't know how many years

Joe raced - all I know is that his racing career was in impressive

accomplishment.



Pat