At 65, Jonathan Lyons isnB次元官网网址檛 slowing down. The opposite, in fact.
The author and retired journalist finished fifth Friday in the 500-metre time trial in the Masters D 65-plus division at the Canadian Track Championships, which wrapped up Sunday at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ont.
While Lyons favours longer races B次元官网网址� he won bronze in both the pursuit Saturday and the points race Sunday B次元官网网址� he still improved on his winning time over the shorter distance at the recent B.C. provincial championships.
B次元官网网址淎 good start to the event,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd itB次元官网网址檚 just great to be here.B次元官网网址�
This yearB次元官网网址檚 nationals, which have drawn more than 170 competitors from elite to masters divisions, featured a 65-plus class for men and women for the first time. Lyons, who makes his home in B.C. on Bowen Island, had to compete in the 55-plus division last year.
B次元官网网址淲hile it was exciting, it wasnB次元官网网址檛 really that gratifying,B次元官网网址� he said of racing younger competitors. B次元官网网址淪o yes, IB次元官网网址檓 delighted they changed (it).B次元官网网址�
Lyons may have helped accelerate that change, writing a letter to the head of Cycling Canada to make a case for the older age group.
B次元官网网址淲e give a lot to the sport,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e mentor younger riders and a lot of our fancy equipment, which weB次元官网网址檙e lucky enough to afford, trickles down to other riders. And weB次元官网网址檙e part of a fit Canada, so I think itB次元官网网址檚 a very important thing to do.B次元官网网址�
Lyons is no stranger to being on the move. He spent 21 years with Reuters as a foreign correspondent and editor with posts in Indonesia, Iran, Russia and Turkey among others before leaving the news agency in 2007.
Lyons, whose undergraduate degree was from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., then earned a doctorate in sociology from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, focusing on the ways in which Islamic culture has influenced Western society and science.
He has written four books including B次元官网网址淚slam Through Western Eyes: From the Crusades to the War on Terrorism,B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Society for Useful Knowledge: How Benjamin Franklin and Friends Brought the Enlightenment to America,.B次元官网网址� He also co-authored B次元官网网址淎nswering Only to God: Faith & Freedom in 21st-Century IranB次元官网网址� with Geneive Abdo.
A native of Lancaster, Pa., who now has Canadian citizenship, Lyons started road racing while working for Reuters in New York and got back into the sport, aged 50, while doing his doctorate in Australia.
He sees racing at the nationals as a B次元官网网址渂onus,B次元官网网址� given he was almost killed some 10 years ago when hit by a truck while riding along the Columbia River in Oregon. His recovery took years.
He and his wife Michelle Johnson, an Oregon native who also holds Canadian citizenship by virtue of her mother, moved to Canada from Oregon in late 2018. After learning of the Burnaby Velodrome, he joined the Burnaby Velodrome Club and now takes the ferry to the mainland once a week and drives 40 minutes to train on the track.
B次元官网网址淚 enjoy testing myself,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 try to always race myself. My preferred races are against the clock, particularly the two-kilometre individual pursuit.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 enjoy the feeling, the challenge, the way training makes me feel,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not a young man any more but I feel strong, I feel healthy and alert. And then, of course, thereB次元官网网址檚 the adrenalin rush when you finish the race. My wife used to say IB次元官网网址檓 the happiest person after a race when the endorphins start going.B次元官网网址�
He also has an indoor bike to train on, works out at the gym and does yoga.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 trying to stay on top of things,B次元官网网址� said Lyons, who is coached by Hans Loeffelholz and rides a Canadian-designed Argon 18 bike. B次元官网网址淎ge creeps up on you.B次元官网网址�
It doesnB次元官网网址檛 seem to have caught him yet.
Lyons is coming off gold-medal-performances in the mastersB次元官网网址� individual pursuit, scratch (five kilometres) and points (10 kilometres) races last month at the B.C. track championships at the Burnaby Velodrome.
B次元官网网址淭here wasnB次元官网网址檛 a lot competition at the time but it was great,B次元官网网址� Lyons said modestly. B次元官网网址淚 think one of the things about older athletes that people tend not to understand is just getting here heathy and strong and fit is kind of an achievement. So itB次元官网网址檚 great to see other guys here, regardless of where they place. And I try to keep that in mind for myself too.B次元官网网址�
Masters categories at the nationals included 35-44, 45-54, 55-64 and 65-plus. The oldest registered rider is 76.
Lyons came eighth in the masterB次元官网网址檚 team pursuit race Friday at the nationals. On Sunday, he raced in the points and scratch races B次元官网网址� which combined the 55-64 and 65-plus classes.
While awards were still presented by age group, LyonsB次元官网网址� hope is eventually more 65-plus competitors will join the field to allow for age groups to be totally separate.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 often a myth B次元官网网址� we think B次元官网网址極h the older guys wonB次元官网网址檛 be so tough.B次元官网网址� But the competition is fierce because you have a natural winnowing,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淥nly some people want to keep doing this. Only some people are healthy enough to keep doing this. Only some people have the time to keep doing it. Only some people have the dedication, it takes.
B次元官网网址淪o you get a very strong, competitive field whenever you get older athletes together.B次元官网网址�
At the international level, UCI World Masters Track Cycling Championships have divisions for even older athletes, including 80-plus.
B次元官网网址淚 have not taken part in those. But IB次元官网网址檓 thinking about it,B次元官网网址� said Lyons.
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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
