Frankie Lee Medlin (born December 9, 1964 in Riverside, California United States) was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from (1977–1982) His nickname was "Peddlin'", an obvious play on his surname and the motive power of a bicycle.
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. Riverside is the county seat of the eponymous county and named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and in Riverside County, and is located about 55 miles (89 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. It is also part of the Greater Los Angeles area. Riverside is the 59th most populous city in the United States and 12th most populous city in California. As of the 2010 Census, Riverside had a population of 303,871.
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general on- or off-road recreation. BMX began when young cyclists appropriated motocross tracks for fun, racing and stunts, eventually evolving specialized BMX bikes and competitions.
Turned Professional: January 23, 1983 at 18 years of age.
First Professional race result: Second in "A" pro at the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Supernationals in Lake Elsinore, California on January 23, 1983[3] He won US$300.[4] (the equivalent to US$619.58 in 2007 Cost of Living Calculator)
Lake Elsinore is a city in western Riverside County, California, United States. Established as a city in 1888, it is on the shore of Lake Elsinore, a natural freshwater lake about 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) in size. The city has grown from a small resort town in the late 19th century and early 20th century to a population of well above 60,000 as of 2016.
First Professional win: In "A" Pro at the ABA Cajun Nationals in Shreveport, Louisiana on January 30, 1983. He won US$280,[5] the equivalent of US$578.27 in 2007.
Shreveport is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the most populous city in the Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area. Shreveport ranks third in population in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge and 126th in the U.S. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, of which it is the parish seat. Shreveport extends along the west bank of the Red River into neighboring Bossier Parish. The population of Shreveport was 199,311 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. The United States Census Bureau's 2017 estimate for the city's population decreased to 192,036.
First Junior Men Pro* race result: See "First Professional race result"
First Junior Men Pro win: See "First Professional win"
First Senior Men Pro** race result: Seventh place in "AA" pro at the ABA Grandnational in Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 27, 1983.[6] He won US$260[7] or US$541.14 in 2007.
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 45th-most populous city in the United States. As of July 2016, the population was 413,505, an increase of 12,591 over that reported in the 2010 Census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 991,005 residents in the MSA and 1,251,172 in the CSA. The city serves as the county seat of Tulsa County, the most densely populated county in Oklahoma, with urban development extending into Osage, Rogers, and Wagoner counties.
First Senior Men Pro win:
Retired: 1984 due to injuries to his knee. See "Significant Injuries" section below.
Height & weight at height of his career (1982): Ht:5'7" Wt:140lbs. (1982)
*In the NBL "B" Pro/Super Class/"A" Pro/Junior Men depending on the era. Junior Men is a Pro/Am class; in the ABA it is "A" Pro. **In the NBL it is "A" Pro/All Pro/"AA" pro/Elite Men depending on the era. Elite Men is a Pro/Am class; in the ABA it is "AA" Pro.
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.
GT (Gary Turner) Racing: Mid 1978-Late August 1980
Kuwahara Cycles, Ltd.: Late August 1980-July 15, 1982 Medlin's first race for Kuwahara was the NBL Grand Nationals on August 30, 1980[10] Medlin quit Kuwahara due to difference between himself and team management. In solidarity, professional Kevin McNeal, who was his close friend and had very recently rejoined Kuwahara, quit with Medlin.[11] "Kuwahara" is Japanese for Mulberry Meadows.[12][13] The company is named after Sentaro Kuwahara who founded the company in 1916 in Osaka, Japan.[14]
RRS (Riverside-Redlands Schwinn): August 21, 1982 – August 22, 1982 Medlin was only sponsored by RRS for the weekend of the NBL Ascot National in Gardena, California before being picked up by Raleigh right after the National.
Raleigh Cycle Company of America: August 23, 1982 – January 22, 1983.[4]
Professional
Kuwahara Cycles, Ltd.: January 22, 1983-Early December 1983. Medlin rejoined Kuwahara on the same day he turned pro.[4]
Maximum Early April 1984-
Career bicycle motocross titles
Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.
Amateur
National Bicycle Association (NBA)
1978 13 Expert Western States Champion
1978 National No.3
1979 14 Expert Grandnational Champion
1980 15 Expert Grandnational Champion
National Bicycle League (NBL)
1980 15 Expert Grandnational Champion
United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
1980 15 Expert and 14 & Open Spring Championships Champion
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
1979 National No.3
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
None
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
None
United States Cycling Federation (USCF)
1981 JAG 16 Expert, 14 & Over Trophy Dash & Over all World Champion
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF):
None
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
None (FIAC did not have a strictly professional division during its existence)
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
None
*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
Notable accolades
BMX product lines
Significant injuries
He possibly received a knee injury at the NBL War of the Stars national in Reno, Nevada on June 18, 1983. In a bmxactiononline.com interview he mentions "....in the main I blew out my knee and sat out the entire summer."[15] He crashed on the first jump on the first straight in the "B" pro main in that Nevada race.[16] His name does disappear from the results after the Nevada race. It reappears at the ABA Summer Nationals in Elkhart, Indiana on August 14, 1983,[17] two months after the June 1983 incident and can possibly be interpreted as him sitting out "...the entire summer". In Bicycles and Dirt magazine's coverage of the 1983 ABA Summer Nationals it mentioned that:
"Lee is still gaining strength after an injury, so the question was whether he had the strength to last down the long Elkhart straights."[18]
This further indicates that he had an injury over the summer that affected his racing.
He reinjured his knee in a semi final at the ABA Grandnational in Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 27, 1983 that he originally hurt apparently at the NBL 1983 Reno, Nevada national the previous June. He mentions in a Gary Haselhorst interview for bmxactiononline that it was the primary factor in his retirement from BMX:
"Then in a semi tore up my knee again. At that point I decided it wasn't worth it anymore. I raced a couple races in 1984 and actually won the pro open as a part timer in Salt Lake, but I didn't stick around long before I moved on."[15]
He was still able to make the main and come in seventh over all in that his first AA pro race.
Racing habits and traits
Miscellaneous
Post BMX career
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BMX press magazine interviews and articles
"Confrontation at Corona" Bicycle Motocross Action March/April 1979 Vol.4 No.2 pg.53 Joint interview of Medlin Eddy King and Chris Hopkins at the ABA Fall Nationals at Corona Speed way in Corona, California on September 17, 1978 interspred in the race report.
"Lee Medlin! World Champion" BMX Plus! April 1982 Vol.5 No.4 pg.20
"Lee Medlin" BMX Action February 1983 Vol.8 No.2 pg.46 Statistical profile of the racer.
BMX magazine covers
Note: Only magazines that were in publication at the time of the racer's career(s) are listed unless specifically noted.
Bicycle Motocross News:
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt:
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmx publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (the official NBL publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (the official ABA publication under three names):
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