Thursday, 5/8/97 Enjoying the ride National cycling champion
Keith Henderson owes much of his success to his love for the sport
and his untraditional mental focus.
By Rocky Salmon Daily Bruin Contributor Emerging from the
shadows in San Luis Obispo last year, Keith Henderson quietly
became UCLA’s first cycling national champion ever, a title he will
start to defend this weekend when he races in the state
championships at Palo Alto. Just as smoothly as his bicycle tires
glide over the streets, Henderson shocked the country by beating
out 180 of the nation’s best riders for the title. With only one
lap remaining, Henderson sat in third place and remained there
until the last 300 yards of the race. "The previous two years I had
placed seventh twice and had been building up my confidence, but
when I realized I was in third I hesitated," the senior dental
student said. "I did not want to lose my third-place position but I
realized I had to go for it. But the sprints are my forte and the
rest is history." Henderson won the Criterion Championship, which
is like a grand prix. The racers travel through the city at an
average speed of 30 mph, while jockeying for position for the final
lap. The race is usually 40 miles long, with an average completion
time of 1 1/2 hours. While Henderson’s most daunting battle was
fought on the streets last year, this year the struggle is
balancing his time between cycling and dentistry. "I love cycling.
I will always race bikes, but racing won’t give me the financial
stability I am going to need," Henderson said. "I wish I could
train more because I only train about a third as much as most other
cyclists." Amazingly, Henderson’s ability has not declined, but it
has consistently increased. In each race this year, Henderson has
placed third or higher. In his most recent meet before the state
championships this weekend, Henderson placed third behind teammate
John Nobil, who came in first. "Keith Henderson is riding supremely
well," teammate Martin Tanner said. "His desire to win is
never-ending and I don’t see him giving up his title easily." Ask
Henderson about cycling and he will talk about his love for the
sport. This is his most lethal weapon in a race. Henderson believes
he can win every race, and does not overpower people but rather
outsmarts them. In a sport where position is extremely important in
the competition, Henderson picks and tears at small openings to get
an advantage before the final sprint. "Most racers before a meet
will go to sleep early and only focus on the upcoming race,"
Henderson said. "For me, I go out and shoot billiards, have some
fun with my friends. Victories are sweet but it is more fun if you
go to the races to be with your friends. If I spent time worrying
about the race, the sport would stop being fun." Henderson
continues to have fun during the race as well. While a lot of
cyclists stop racing because of burnout or fears of crashing,
Henderson relaxes, dons his sunglasses, and rides for enjoyment.
"I’ve had a lot of donation of my skin (to the asphalt)," Henderson
said. "Crashing feels like you’re driving 35 mph in a car and jump
out. Some racers get scared but it is one of the best feelings in
the world, going around a turn not knowing whether you are going to
end up on the asphalt or not." This weekend, he will try to do
something he has never done before, capture the state championship
at Stanford. In a conference filled with some of the best racers in
the country, Henderson will have to perform flawlessly if he wants
to improve on his fifth-place finish from last year. But ever since
Henderson put on the national championship jersey (which is a
replica of the jerseys worn by Olympic U.S. cyclists) last spring,
he has become a marked man. Two of the men who will try to beat
Henderson are his teammates Nobil and Lane Packwood. Nobil has
impressively climbed to a No. 1 ranking in the state and Packwood
has continued to place in the top 5 in every meet. "John Nobil and
Packwood are great racers. They are going to give me a run for my
title," Henderson said. "Nobil grew up in La Jolla with me but I
never knew him before we began racing together. He constantly
pushes me to do better because he is so young and spirited." After
this weekend, Henderson has 14 days to prepare for a trip to
Durango, Colo., where he will try to defend his national title and
overcome the change in elevation. "It’s going to be hard for
Henderson because Durango is at an elevation of 7,000 feet," Tanner
said, "and since he trains at sea level, the locals will have an
advantage." Ironically, most of Henderson’s competition has come
from the California Conference and "ringers," a name given to
ex-professionals who have returned to school and decided to race
again. "Ringers are hard to beat. It is like Michael Jordan
returning to Division I basketball to play again," Henderson said.
After the national championship, Henderson is looking forward to
the 2000 Sydney Olympic trials. It is his dream to race for his
country and represent UCLA cycling in front of the whole world.
Meanwhile, as the trials approach, Henderson plans on racing
professionally to train for the Olympics. Either way, he hopes to
stay out of the shadows and represent UCLA, as a professional or in
the Olympics. BRENDA ZUNIGA/Daily Bruin Keith Henderson, national
cycling champion, competes this weekend in the state championship
at Stanford.