Eric Fitzgerald Rupe (born June 14, 1963) is an American professional bicycle motocross (BMX) racer.
Considered one of the most underrated BMXers in its history,[citation needed] he also had one of the longest careers in BMX.
However, he still is very competitive, winning the USA Cycling BMX National Championship in that class on March 21, 2009.
After about 11 months of "retirement" he raced in the October 26–27, 1991 ABA Fall Nationals along with fellow retirees Stu Thomsen and Harry Leary.
This is why during the early years of the pro division the national number one racer of a sanctioning body could be either an amateur or professional.
**During the era Eric Rupe turned pro, there wasn't a two-tier system of Junior and Senior pros.
Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question.
In the 2004 season the pro designations would be Elite Men and Superclass American Bicycle Association (ABA) United States Bicycle Association (USBA) †"Unlimited Pro" was the USBA's term for its senior professional class.
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) USA Cycling BMX For whatever reason, Eric Rupe had rarely raced ABA since its inception in 1977 until January 1984.
In fact until the GT Supernationals held on January 27, 1984, in Burbank, California, it was only the fourth ABA national he ever attended.