dirty sundays

This Intense Spyder was one of the very first Intense race bikes built by Jeff Steber and ridden by his first racer ever, Kathy Sessler.

Later on, Jeff had to change the name from Spyder to Spider after a cease and desist from Spyder the clothing brand.

This frame and fork were probably first used in 1993 and then repainted and re-build with newer parts for the 1994 season. 

After Kathy sold it, some parts got upgraded again, which should have been around 1996 and a girl named "Jodi" received it as a gift from her boss. The bike looks unchanged since then.

I rebuild it to my and Kathy's best knowledge of what parts would have been on this bike in late 1994, before it got retired from racing.

 

Seller:

I purchased it from a young gal in Del Mar California who said her boss gave it to her, that’s why the frame sticker says “Jodi”.

 

 

Kathy Sessler:

Cool!!!! Yeah I’d say ‘93....as I recall that was my world champs bike from ‘93 that got painted over for ‘94....tight budget for intense in those days!

Jeff Steber did the paint job. Intense funds were low so it was painted over in the violet and yellow.

 

 

Richard Lawson:

Kathy Sessler is best known for being the Santa Cruz Syndicate team manager, but before managing the team she had a successful downhill career in the 1990’s. Two-time unofficial vet World Champion and three-time vet National Champ she has also performed stunts in films; Living in Fear and She’s No Angel in 2001 and Born to ride in 2011. She was the first ever ‘Maxxis girl’ and her best pro result was 10th at the UCI World Cup at Mammoth in 1994.

Her first race was the Fall Classic at Big Bear in 1990, then the California State Championship Series in 1991. In 1992 Kathy raced downhill in the Pro class, racing pro Downhill until World Champs in 1997. She was 3-time National Champ Veteran Women in 1992, 933, and 94, and World Championship Veteran Women’s Silver medallist in 1992, winning bronze in 1994 and Gold in 1996. In the 1993 and 94 World Championships she was the fastest veteran woman in the senior’s race.

She has been nicknamed ‘one fast mother’ and now spends her time working with the Santa Cruz team, managing their schedules as well as providing race reports, information and photos to the media.

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The bike is currently on display at the MTB Hall of Fame in Fairfax, CA.