It was 50 years in the past when Bill Humphreys participated in his first world championships, driving for Team USA in Barcelona on the 1973 Road Worlds. He was a domestique again then and didn’t even attempt to contend for a medal, the gold that yr taken by Italian Felice Gimondi and Belgian Eddy Merckx ending one spot off the rostrum.
In 1999, 26 years on, Humphreys made his second world championship crew, this time representing the US in mountain bike cross-country in Mount-Saint-Anne in Quebec. There he completed third in his age group.
This yr Humphreys is searching for a gold medal on the Gravel World Championships in Leuven, Belgium, the place he certified on the Highlands Gravel Classic for the boys’s 80-84 age division. Across the 88km occasion on October 5, a Belgian, this time Roger Landeloos, is the one rider he has to beat for his world title.
“So what if there’s solely two of us? He’s a Belgian. I need to come over right here and race this man. He lives right here. He’s ridden the course for a freaking yr. He’ll whip your ass. Well, he is been following me on Strava,” Bill Humphreys advised Cyclingnews three days earlier than race day.
Like 1999, Humphreys is joined by his son Ian, who was a toddler when his father obtained a bronze medal in Mont-Sainte-Anne. This time Ian is in his mid-20s and an energetic a part of dad’s assist crew.
“Yeah, I obtained on the rostrum. It was a dream, and I obtained him [Ian] on the rostrum, so I obtained the metallic put round his neck,” Humphreys mentioned about one other strive for a championship medal that he can share with household.
“I used to be telling Ian, there’s just one different man and he is a Belgian. I would not have it some other manner. And, you already know, I mentioned to him, I’m fucking 80 years outdated, am I gonna begin taking part in robust man, begin taking part in macho video games with the man. What are you nuts?”
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Shimano, Litespeed, and Bike Fitting Ireland are amongst 13 company sponsors and 56 particular person contributors who helped Humphreys make the journey to Belgium, with monetary and tools assist. But he hasn’t at all times been hooked on gravel. It wasn’t till only a few years in the past that he discovered new exhilaration with a special type of off-road racing close to his house in New England.
“So I did quite a lot of exploring, and I discovered dust roads close to my home, and you are going solely three miles from house, and you continue to do not know the place you might be, wow. So that was it, the journey. It’s like, you already know, you are slightly child, you are 80 years outdated, however you are slightly child once more.”
With only one yr of street racing underneath his belt as a younger man, Humphreys completed prime 15 on the US National Championship within the street race and was the third rider from his Century Road Club to complete. Based on that efficiency, he was requested to go journey the Tour of Ireland to assist his two crew leaders, three-time Olympian John Howard and two-time Olympian John Allis. Howard went on to win a stage and completed third total on the Tour of Ireland.
Humphreys described Allis as, “a real pioneer of street racing within the United States within the early 60s”, and it was Allis who requested the US biking federation to nominate Humphreys to the Worlds crew since they have been all acquainted with one another and would already be abroad.
“All three going to the Worlds with a stage race in our legs, it was exceptional. The crew used to only fly over, get their ass kicked and fly house, OK? And in order that was the landmark breakthrough,” he recalled.
The choice course of was not as streamlined as the current, as he mentioned “I used to be it was a matter of being in the appropriate place on the proper time, and by no means giving up”.
“In these days these guys raced for years to be taught what you realized, and also you did not give it up. You have been ending each race you began and never being afraid to be a domestique for lots of massive egos. I labored my manner up the record, and after I lastly made the crew, my job was completely a domestique.”
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He had been out of racing for a while and had labored in gross sales for Litespeed and moved into the race promotion enterprise. With a transfer to Connecticut, he picked up a mountain bike and started racing once more. When he discovered Masters Worlds for mountain bike can be in Quebec, a automotive drive from Connecticut, he was up for the problem.
“I realized from a bunch of younger married guys with youngsters that used to exit collectively, they usually did not know me, and it was no strain. I had the abilities within the woods, I had the bike dealing with abilities, and I cherished it. And we used to go to quite a lot of races – native races and massive ones. I might at all times be within the prime three or 4 in my age group.”
Humphreys will journey a Litespeed gravel bike in Belgium, and simply needs to benefit from the expertise, however he couldn’t cover his intent to compete too.
“The problem is to complete, and that is the participation finish of the game. So I have never actually raced. I’ve simply gone and completed and gravel. That’s high quality,” he mentioned. “I’ve hardly ridden the course in any respect. My coach has obtained me on resting. Rest while you’re 80 is much more necessary, you already know, it is such as you’re an invalid. I’ve by no means rested this a lot in my life.”
His competitors Landeloos is prepared for the competitors and likewise faces the unknown. “Sports is and stays my ardour, and I show that age doesn’t matter,” he advised HLN.com this week.
The two can actually agree on that. As Humphreys put it,”We’re each 80, so the method is, I need to get to know the man, however not till after the race.”
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