Dear friends in BMX, I am sorry to say, but I will have a different kind of introduction for the update of August 2006.Yesterday I received a very sad message from
Marcia, the wife of
GEORGE E. ESSER, Founder of the N.B.L. (National Bicycle League – USA), one of the first BMX pioneers in the USA and the world, original initiator and motivator of the I.BMX.F. (now integrated into the UCI) and last but not least my personal mentor and long time friend. The message said: George died in his sleep on August 31st. 2006 at 2.15 in the morning. Although this was expected, it still came over me as a shock. Another good friend has passed away. Besides that, people still today, do not realize what this man has mend for BMX. In the early ’70 George was one of the few pioneers in the sport of BMX, founded the N.B.L. with its office in Pompano Beach at the time, and was a visionary if you talk “world wide BMX organization”.