Since getting on a mountain bike for the first time three decades ago, Fred Schmid has amassed a huge collection of national championship jerseys. Between mountain bike, cyclocross, gravel, and road, the 92-year-old from Waco, Texas, has earned 49 national titles.
At this year’s Masters & Junior Road National Championships, being held June 28-July 2 in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he’ll aim at collecting a few more, starting with the criterium, followed by the time trial, and finishing with the road race. (Race schedule here)
But first, Schmid is making a stop with his wife/soigneur/feed zone supporter Suzanne to complete some unfinished business at UNBOUND Gravel, on May 31. The couple are washing their trailer, getting Fred’s bike ready, and leaving home in late May for the Flint Hills of Emporia, Kansas.
“I did the 100-mile version of UNBOUND twice (last year he beat nearly 100 men of all ages), and I’ve attempted the 200-mile version three times and haven’t succeeded,” he says, in a soft Texas accent. “We’re gonna give it one more try this year.”
A former surveyor who spent most of his 50-year career in the south, Schmid started cycling at age 61 when Suzanne bought him a mountain bike for Christmas. “The bike was full suspension with clipless pedals, and I was using tennis shoes, so that wasn’t good,” recounts Schmid, who also wore blue jeans or cut-off shorts back then to ride.
Fortunately, there was a MTB trail system just 50 feet from his driveway. “It was easy to put on my gear and gradually ease my way down the hills, because I was terrified at first,” he admits. “I went over the bars several times.” He found a friend to ride with who encouraged him to race, and Schmid started doing pretty well in his age group. He won MTB World Championships, first at age 67 and then at 70.
A local bike shop owner encouraged him to try road riding – he was 65 or so – and Schmid took the challenge. “I was fairly strong,” he says. “I remember going up a hill in the big ring and beating someone, and he said, ‘You big-ringed me!’ So I felt good about that.”
Though he didn’t have a big athletics background, Schmid’s surveying job was super-physical. “I didn’t know how hard you had to work when I first started. It was hot as the dickens, there was poison ivy, and we were bush cutting through the woods, swinging an ax and getting calluses and blisters. But after two weeks, I toughened up a bit.”
“The idea of being called lazy is absolutely unacceptable to me,” Schmid says, “and that motivation has driven me ever since.”
Though he enjoys winning, it’s not his main focus. “I just go out there and do what I can and don’t worry about if I win,” says Schmid. “I enjoy the ride, and if I win, that’s always sort of surprising.” These days he trains with a neighbor, Whitney Fanning, age 79, his teammate on team Geri Atrix, and the two will compete at this year’s Masters Road, UNBOUND, and Masters Gravel championships. They train on mostly gravel roads that run near Fanning’s ranch and Schmid’s home.
“Fred doesn’t like to toot his own horn,” says Suzanne, “but a lot of people come up to him at races and tell him that hearing about him inspired them to get out and ride or race.”
Schmid has no interest in getting off the bike. “When you get older, you do feel tired and not as strong, but what are the alternatives? You can sit on your butt, then lie on your butt and shortly you’ll be pushing up daisies. I’d like to make it to 100. I feel like I’m doing something right. I feel good.”
- Racing and competition is a great incentive to train. If it’s cold and dark in winter, or 102 degrees in summer, and you’ve got training rides to do, you’ll be more motivated.
- Get the best bike you can afford. You’ll be more inclined to train than if you buy a cheap bike that’s not comfortable.
- Find a friend or group to ride with, especially if you’re starting out. It’s safer, plus it gives you an incentive to ride.
- Set goals, whether it’s completing an organized ride, doing a group ride, or your own 50-miler. You need a reason why you’re riding.
- Get good equipment and clothing. “When I started riding, I rode in my jeans because I thought an old man wearing Lycra looked stupid. I finally switched to what I call ‘speed britches’ and that helped.”
- Upgrade or modify to make the bike comfortable. “I have a front fork and a seat post with suspension on my gravel bike and those reduce discomfort remarkably.”
- Don’t let pain, discomfort, or even failure discourage you. “I rode Leadville three or four times and finally finished it in the 12-hour time limit at age 79. (At age 80, he also finished, at 10 minutes over.)
The 2025 USA Cycling Masters and Junior Road National Championships will take place 6/28-7/2 in Wisconsin. For more information, visit https://roadnats.usacycling.org/masters-juniors-road.
Gear up for your own Road to Nationals and find out if you’re eligible to compete in one or more of this year’s National Championships!
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