Earthquake Jake Watson

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Jakes Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Bio:

Jake Watson entered his first downhill mountain bike race in 1989 at Big Bear Lake, California. Although he did not win his race that day, Jake's enthusiasm and love for the sport of competitive mountain bike racing was born that afternoon. By late 1990, Jake had progressed to be one of the top junior racers in California culminating in his selection to the United States Mountain Bike Team by 1991. Progressing through the ranks and quickly making it to the professional level, Jake earned "Rookie Of The Year" honors in 1992.

As a professional racer, Jake was a force to be reckoned with on and off the track. Jake's size and raw athletic ability drew the respect of his peers, but it was his personality and charisma off the track that earned Jake the respect and admiration of everyone else.

By the mid 90's, “Earthquake” Jake was one of the hottest racers on the planet. Racing under the Marin Mountain Bike colors, Jake was at the height of his career. Known for his hard aggressive riding style, Jake’s go fast or go home riding style was well known. Throughout his career, Jake earned many top results in both the NOBRA and World Cup circuits.

Beginning in late 1994, Jake's results began to falter. As Jake would later describe, his mind would tell him he could race, but his body wouldn't let him. Two years later, it was discovered that Jake had unknowingly been fighting Addison's disease, an immune deficiency disease where both of his adrenal glands had failed.

Never once throughout all of these tribulations did Jake lose his tenacity to race or his sense of humor in life. A practical joker at heart, nobody was safe from Jake, especially in the pits on race week. And with each prank played, Jake would bellow out a laugh that you couldn’t help but smile at. A deep laugh that told you everything was alright.

While it became increasingly difficult to compete at such a high level, Jake's love for racing never ceased. When Jake was back home and not racing mountain bikes on the circuit, he found his second passion, fire fighting. Entering the fire academy, Jake graduated near the top of his class. To help progress his career, Jake took additional rescue courses and did further work as a paramedic for Schaffer Ambulance. Early in 1999, Jake’s dream of being a fire fighter culminated in his acceptance onto the Los Angeles City Fire Department - the result of many sleepless nights spent studying and hours working serving the community in which he lived.

On the afternoon of March 12th, 1999, while practicing for the Keysville Classic downhill race, Jake suffered a fatal accident. In the days, months and years that followed, and still yet to this day, Jake's family is still reminded of the impact he had on all those he met in his short life here.

Immediately following his passing, stories about Jake began to surface from all over the globe. While riding the chairlift in Big Bear with a sport class rider during downhill practice and just chatting about the course, Jake offered to help the racer, treating him to a one on one clinic. Jake took the time from his profession to share time with this rider he had just met, showing him the secret lines the pros use. On another occasion, two weekend riders met Jake for the first time riding on a local trail. During their ride down the fire road together back to the parking lot, the three strangers shared stories about riding, family and life. It wasn't until Jake said goodbye and rode off that the fellow riders learned who they had just been chatting with as their friends waiting in the parking lot asked how they knew Jake. As this stranger later shared with Jake's family in the weeks following March 12th, Jake never once quipped about who he was; for Jake, it was all for the love of the sport. That afternoon, the only difference between the three riders was the bikes they rode.

Jake transcended what the typical professional athlete had become. For the mountain bike community, Jake made mountain biking fun and accessible to people from all walks of life and abilities. There was never a time when Jake was too busy for someone else. Nor was there ever a rider he wouldn't help. Jake spent many hours volunteering for local “Bike Rodeos” in his home city and spending time with kids assisting at the Shimano Kids Race among other events- he was the consummate sportsman.

The lives of those who Jake had touched also reached far beyond the lined tape of the courses he raced. Stories of helping a homeless man escape a cold nights’ sleep while working as a paramedic or giving his racing helmet to a stranger from Australia nicknamed "Donkey", were stories that followed Jake with a rare consistency. Jake's live for the moment lifestyle allowed everyone around him to be welcome friends with a guy who seemed larger than life.

This March 2009, will be the ten year anniversary of Jake's passing. And while the mountain biking world has seemingly continued to move forward, Jake's name and influence are still alive today. His spirit lives on in the latest crop of racing superstars and weekend warriors alike. Jake's time here on Earth showed all of us that we must seize the opportunity each day gives us.

As Troy Lee, of Troy Lee Designs, shared in a letter read at Jake's memorial service:

“Jake was a guy who lived life to the fullest . . . with a heart as big as his shoes!”

It would only be fitting that someone so special and so influential to the sport of mountain biking be someday inducted posthumously into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.