Wednesday, March 27.1968
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
5
Bicyclist aims for Olympics
Pierce said the top competitors in cycling are around 28 years old, so at 19, he'll be one of the youngest cyclists at the time trials.
John Thomas Pierce, Coffeville freshman, takes bicycle riding seriously. He is aiming for a spot on the 1968 U.S. Olympic road team.
Pierce sees no future in professional cycling in the United States but hopes to go to Europe after college graduation and while there compete first in European amateur races and later in professional contests.
"The only thing I know is that I love racing my bicycle and plan to give the sport all I've got!" he said.
Pierce rides his bicycle around Lawrence, to Lone Star Lake, to Topeka and to Coffeyville and back every weekend, all in preparation for the Olympic road team trials, in Los Angeles, Calif., Aug. 22-28, and the national bicycling championships there, Aug. 29-Sept. 2.
The Olympic road team will be comprised of four riders for the 100 kilometer time trial and four riders for the road race.
Before the Los Angeles trials, Pierce plans to travel across the U.S. on his bicycle.
"One of my dreams is to eventually win the Tour de France," he said.
Pierce races for training in the Kansas Best All-Around Rider (BAR), a cycling competition held every two weeks at Swope Park in Kansas City, Mo.
Pierce placed an advertisement in the Daily Kansan recently, in an attempt to sell his super-sport bike. He would use the money to buy a European professional racing bike, but hasn't had any luck selling the super-sport.
"It's a shame bicycles aren't too popular with college students," Pierce said.
He believes manufacturers cater to children and fail to stress new innovations for adult riding. He said the derailleur, a device for changing gears, has revolutionized cycling.
A racing bike costs around $250, custom-built to individual specifications. It has a 10-speed gearshift, ranging from gears useful in up-hill climbs to gears useful in reaching and sustaining certain speeds. Racing bicycles weigh 20 pounds and can reach speeds up to 70 m.p.h.
"In a race of 25 to 50 miles, I travel at a speed of 25 to 30 m.p.h., the highest speed at which a cyclist can manage to sustain himself." Pierce said.
Pierce, who is called Capn Krunch by fellow residents of Stephenson Scholarship Hall, rides his bicycle every night to get donuts for his friends in order to earn money for transportation costs and up-keep on his bike.
Organizational Meeting
4:30 p.m. Wed., March 27
Jayhawk Room—Union
Faculty invited
OLYMPIC TRIALS, HERE I COME!
John Thomas Pierce, Coffeyville freshman, is preparing for the Olympic road team trials and national bicycling championships. At 19, he will be one of the youngest cyclists in the trials.
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