A wild-eyed daredevil all his life, professional mountain biker Mark Weir had to be yanked away from a death-defying challenge on Dec. 27.Â
His house was burning down.
“At first I’m thinking, ‘I can control this. I’ve seen fires before,'” said Weir, 36. “I’m standing there with a garden hose, but the fire is totally refusing the water.”
The Novato home in which he grew up contained all his mountain biking medals and trophies from his storied 17-year career. Weir is one of the sport’s icons, known not only for his seven championships at the famed Downieville Classic in the Sierra (17 miles, 5,000 feet of elevation drop, less than 45 minutes) but also for pioneering various cycling equipment as cross country racing and downhilling merged into an all-mountain sport unto its own … Details & Pictures