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Life Doesn't End at Age 49!by Lois NewtonJune 2000Septuagenarian Hugh Worthy has again demonstrated that youth knows no age limit. The dapper Hugh recently won the Chattanooga region Senior Games (aka Senior Olympics) in bicycling. Though he was really competing in the 70-74 year old class, which had three competitors, all the age groups actually raced at the same time. The classes begin at the 50-54 year old range (hence the title of this article) and move through the ages in five-year increments. The other six bikers in the competition were all competing in various younger classes. Hugh was not satisfied with winning in his class--he took the overall first place! His time for the 20km ride (a 3.1 mile loop pedaled four times) was 40:35. The next rider was about a mile behind, finishing four minutes behind Hugh. To speak with the mild-mannered Hugh one would not fancy him to have a competitive nature. Yet Hugh admits to enjoying competition. On Thursday night bike rides with the Chattanooga Bicycle Club (CBC) Hugh will be found amid the pack that is constantly competing amongst themselves to be the fastest on each particular night, a cutthroat cat-and-mouse type game. Always one to be active the 70 year old Hugh had been aware of and fascinated by the idea of competing in the Senior Games for many years. Originally he had thought he might compete in running, but then he took up bicycling and that became his focus. Two years ago he had actually signed up to compete in the bicycle race but was swayed by his then girlfriend Daisy to ride in CBC's 3-State 3-Mountain century, held on the same day, instead. But he continued to feel good about his riding and his chances of winning and this was his year. Fellow CBC'er Kevin Richardson, triathlete and bicycle racer himself, took an interest in Hugh and his racing dream, feeling Hugh had the potential to win nationally as he had no trouble keeping up with the guys, primarily in their 30's, riding in the Thursday night pack. Kevin became his coach and trainer. And Hugh's employer (yes, he's retired, but not really), Suck Creek Cycle, is excited about the possibility of promoting the store as the home of the Senior Games National Bicycle Champion. Hugh's strategy for the race was to fall in with the pack of fastest riders and then make his move to sprint to first place. But in the first 1 1/2 miles it became obvious that strategy wasn't going to work for him. He started out trying to follow it and fell in with the four fastest riders and worked his way to behind the lead rider. The lead rider was going so slow that Hugh passed him and told him that he'd pull him (drafting) for a while. Looking in his helmet's rear view mirror Hugh could see the rider dropping off so Hugh tried to ride slower. The slower Hugh rode, the slower the other rider got. Hugh finally pulled ahead and decided to take his chances that his strength would hold and that none of the other riders would make a surprise move at the end and catch or pass him. The next stop in Hugh's quest for the national gold is the statewide finals to be held on a date between July 21-27 in Clarksville. His trainer has already set up a grueling training schedule. After winning that (could there be any doubt?) he, along with the rider placing second, will be on his way to the National Senior Games to be held in Baton Rouge at the end of July 2001. But Hugh has no plans to let racing take over his life. He says it's no fun to go out and do all that work when you could be out there doing it just for fun. In fact, when we next see Daisy and Hugh they will have returned from bike riding to and from Panama City, Florida, on a trip to visit one of Hugh's daughters and her family. And he'll be instructing at paddle school for the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club the first weekend of June.
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