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Mark Savery looked to the right at the start line of the masters cyclocross world championships and saw Pete Webber, a silver medalist at the elite national championships back in the 1990s.
A few spots to his left was Mark McCormack, a 1997 champion.
"My biggest hurdle was competing against these ex-national champion quality riders," he said. "I think I figured they have six national championship medals between the two of them."
But the 41-year-old from Omaha wasn't intimidated. He'd piled up a few credentials of his own this season in cyclocross — cycling's steeplechase, as it's often called — placing fifth in the U.S. masters cyclocross championships on Jan. 7 and second in the eight-race Gran Prix of Cyclocross series 35-plus division.
"I knew I belonged in the front row," he said.
He proved that in Saturday's race in Louisville, Ky., sticking early with those former champions before Webber pulled away for a victory in the first world championships held in the United States. Savery ended up with the bronze medal over the other 54 finishers in the 40 to 44 age division.
"I was almost surprised to find myself in that position to fight for a podium spot," Savery said. "It's one of those things where you have that goal and you see yourself able to do it, but when you are actually doing it, it almost seems unreal."
It was the culmination of about two years of effort for Savery, a former elite junior racer who had turned to the design and development side of cycling since leaving high school at Lincoln Southeast and the early days of riding with his dad, Doug. While in California working for a mountain bike company, he helped obtain the patent for mountain bike fork technology.
Savery returned to Nebraska in 2001 and helped establish the Trek Bicycle Stores in Omaha, where he is now a buyer. He stayed active in cycling, but just for fun.
That all changed in 2009 when he saw that the masters world championship was coming to the U.S. A combination of road racing and mountain biking, the sport has exploded in the U.S., Savery said, and the International Cycling Union wanted to take advantage of that popularity.
Savery was determined to be a part of that wave, as long as he had the support of his wife, Anne, an assistant principal at Omaha Bryan High School.
"Before I bit off the lofty goals I had, I asked her to play along with me and give me three years to be a kid again and go bike riding," he said. "She let me sign off and start doing that."
It wasn't all fun and games. Savery lost 35 pounds off his former 200-pound, 6-foot frame. He immersed himself in the specialized training that the sport requires.
The races on a typical mile-and-a-half course never last more than an hour. But a competitor might find himself running over obstacles with a bike on his shoulder. Or riding through a sand dune one second, then sprinting up a steep rocky stair case the next.
"There are lots of obstacles you need to navigate around in addition to open grass paths as well," Savery said. "It's really fun to watch and really fun to do."
He's eager to return to the podium next year, when the championships will be held in Louisville for a second time. More than 500 cyclists from 11 countries competed last week and the elite, or pro racers, also will be part of the event next season.
"To take that next step, to maybe climb those two places, I'll have to lose a few more pounds. Cycling is a power to weight ratio sport," Savery said. "I'd like to think I still have a little room for improvement, so I can climb the final two steps on the podium next year."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com
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