Toby Henderson


Toby S. Henderson was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from He was given the nickname
"Coca Cola Cowboy" by Bob Osborn, publisher of BMX Action magazine but the reason for it was unknown even by Henderson. He himself regard it as "lame".

Racing career milestones

Note: Professional firsts are on the national level unless otherwise indicated. In the early days of reporting on BMX races publications often only reported the top three or four people who finished in the main event. It is possible that a racer's first race could have occurred prior to being listed in BMX publications.
Started racing: In 1973 at 12 years old. at Hollyfield Park in Norwalk, California In a September 1982 BMX Action his first race was at Scot Briethaupt's B.U.M.S track.
First race bicycle: Schwinn Sting-Ray.
Sanctioning body: Independent.
First race result:
First win :
Home sanctioning body district: National Bicycle Association District "X" ;
First sponsor:
First national win:
Turned Professional: December 1978
First Professional race result: In Third place in Pro Class at the National Bicycle Association Supernationals in Saddleback Park in Irvine, California on April 8, 1979.
First Professional win:
Retired: 1987 at 26 years old. His last national race as a serious competitor appears to have been the United States Bicycle Motocross Association Grandnational in Dallas, Texas on November 11, 1986. He came in seventh in "A" pro, the senior pro level. It was the last USBA sanctioned raced before it merged with the American Bicycle Association in 1987. Henderson then pursued a Mountain Bike racing career. He would later race at least one BMX race in 1987 at the Vision World Cup in Irvine, California on June 21, 1987. He didn't make any mains.
Height & weight at height of her career : Ht:6'0" Wt:172 lbs.

Career factory and major bike shop sponsors

Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever-changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are used.

Amateur

Toby Henderson: "...I was getting a couple of good contracts coming up, and I turned them all down, because I kept calling Raleigh, and saying, "Well, are we going to do something next year?" "Oh yeah, oh yeah, we're really going to be full force next year." So I turned some good contracts down, and I let it all slide, until the middle of January, when I called them up and said, "Well, where's the contracts? Let's get some contracts going," and they said, Well, we decided we're going to go TV advertisement," and that's all they said, like "Click." And we said, "Huh?" Here we turned down like three or four good contracts in October, when all the other teams were setting their budgets up and looking for their riders for the next year." ---BMX Plus! October 1982

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Only sanctioning bodies active during the racer's career are listed.

Amateur

National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle League
American Bicycle Association
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme *
International Bicycle Motocross Federation *
*See note in professional section

Professional

National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle League
American Bicycle Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
International Bicycle Motocross Federation *
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme *
Union Cycliste Internationale *
*Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC had been holding joint World Championship events as a transitional phase in merging which began in earnest in 1993. Beginning with the 1996 season the IBMXF and FIAC completed the merger and both ceased to exist as independent entities being integrated into the UCI. Beginning with the 1997 World Championships held in Brighton, England the UCI would officially hold and sanction BMX World Championships and with it inherited all precedents, records, streaks, etc. from both the IBMXF and FIAC.
Pro Series Championships
*

Miscellaneous

BMX press magazine interviews and articles

Note: Only magazines that were in publication at the time of the racer's career are listed unless specifically noted.
Bicycle Motocross News:
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX
Bicycles and Dirt:
Bicross Magazine:
NBA World & NBmxA World The official membership publication of the NBA:
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer :
Mountain Bike Action: