The term
”
Golden Years
”
recently took on a new meaning for Hollister resident Haze
Thompson, when the 60-year-old brought home the gold medal for
cycling at the California State Championships at Fiesta Island.
On Sept. 7, Thompson broke the state time-trial record for women
55 and older and rode away with the gold in the first race she has
participated in.
The term “Golden Years” recently took on a new meaning for Hollister resident Haze Thompson, when the 60-year-old brought home the gold medal for cycling at the California State Championships at Fiesta Island.
On Sept. 7, Thompson broke the state time-trial record for women 55 and older and rode away with the gold in the first race she has participated in.
Thompson, a neophyte to cycling, took up the sport about a year ago as a hobby because she wanted to ride with her husband, Dr. David Thompson, who’s been an avid rider for years.
After several unsuccessful attempts at starting because of uncomfortable bikes, Thompson had a custom bike with a special saddle made for her.
Brian Lucas, the owner of Off the Chain Bikes in Hollister, customized the bike for Thompson. Lucas puts together daily group rides around Hollister, of which Thompson’s husband is a participant. When Thompson joined the group, Lucas watched her blossom from a beginner into a champion cyclist, he said.
“Watching her progress in such a short time was remarkable,” Lucas said. “At first David would stay back with her, but she set goals for herself and challenged herself to keep up, and eventually passed people (that had been riding for years),” he said.
Lucas encouraged Thompson to do time trials with the group. Out of the 12 members who participated in the time trials, Thompson came in in the top five.
“She beat guys who were half her age,” he said. “You could see how determined she was.”
Thompson and her husband decided to take a trip in July to the Pierines in France, where they would average 350 miles a day and climb over 70,000 feet. To get ready for the trip, they singed up for a training camp in San Diego called the Near Death Experience, put on by a renowned cycling coach and trainer, Dr. Arnie Baker.
At the end of the three-day camp and after riding 200 miles and climbing 20,000 feet, Baker invited a group to do sprints and intervals with him on the way back. Thompson was part of that group, and kept up the entire trip back.
After watching her ride, Baker knew he’d found something special, he said.
“Haze could be the best rider in the country for her age,” he said. “A third of the records held by people are people I’ve coached, and Haze is as good as any I’ve ever seen.”
Baker’s words came as a surprise to Thompson, who never dreamed of competing on a state or national level.
“I was quite in awe of Arnie, and I couldn’t believe he was talking to me,” she said.
When Thompson returned from France she decided to sign up with Baker. She began training on Aug. 1, and a mere five weeks later rolled up to the starting line of the first bicycle race of her life – the California State Championships.
“My goal was to win the race and have a certain time that would show I had talent,” she said.
The race consisted of men and women from every age group. Because Thompson had never won a race, or even participated in one, she was relegated as the first rider to take off in her age bracket.
To gauge her progress during the event, Thompson decided she would concentrate on keeping up with a certain rider who she felt was the one to beat. When she saw her fly past her at the start of the race, she knew her hopes of emerging the victor were lost.
“I had a devil of a time keeping up with her, and finally decided that she deserved to win,” she said. “At that point I knew I had to ride my own race, even though I was disappointed because I wanted to win.”
After the race, she rode over to her husband and tried to act cheerful so he wouldn’t see how disheartened she was about losing.
To Thompson’s delight, her husband informed her that the rider she thought beat her was actually one of the younger men racing, and that none of the women had passed her.
“I was jubilant, I had a fast time and a gold medal,” she said. “I renamed Fiesta Island Fantasy Island, because it was like a fantasy come true.”
Now that she’s got a state record and a gold medal under her belt, Thompson is training with Baker for next year’s nationals where she hopes to increase her speed and bring home another gold medal. A natural competitor, Haze plans on competing as long as her body lets her, which she hopes is for many years to come, she said.
“There’s no doubt that some of my friends don’t understand what drives me,” she said. “I thrive on exercise, I need it. And it takes the rub out of getting old. You can have a great time and get fit.”
That desire to compete and stay fit may be good for Thompson’s health and well-being, but it will take her a lot farther than she imagines, according to Baker.
“You could say she’s a phenomenon,” Baker said. “Every once in awhile there’s a diamond. Only one person can be the fastest, and next year it will be Haze.”
