THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608100094
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 31 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MICHELLE SCHLOFF, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 67 lines
BILL COLLINS is on the fast track to success. The 33-year-old Virginia Beach resident has been cycling for only five years, but he's already won a state championship.
Collins, who represents the Virginia Beach Velo Racing Team, won the 35-mile State Amateur Criterium in Richmond last month.
Although Collins is already making a name for himself, don't expect to see him on television or in the Olympic Games. At his age, Collins is one of the oldest racers on the circuit.
Collins got a late start in racing. He didn't begin until he was 28. When he was younger, Collins excelled in track. He ran the 800 and 1,500 at James Madison and was good enough to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, but he missed the trials because of a stress fracture in his leg.
In cycling, Collins is a Category II racer.
The Olympic and professional cyclists, the ones with the fancy sponsor patches and the aerodynamic helmets, are Category I racers. They have moved up the ranks through five categories, Category V being the lowest for amateurs and Category I being the highest.
In order to advance, for instance in the Category IV group, racers must either win races or compete in a certain number of events. By the time an individual reaches the Category III status the racer must place highly in 25 competitions. By the time a racer enters Category I and Category II, they enter a points system status in which they travel outside of Hampton Roads to compete with some of the world's most talented and celebrated cyclists.
Collins has no intentions of becoming a Category I racer. He says that he is happy at Category II.
Collins, a divorced father and lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, said, ``It's hard to leave'' his job and family to compete.
Although the Category II cyclers don't travel as much as the Category I group, they still need sponsors for the weekend competitions away from home.
``I am currently talking to Saturn and the Family Channel,'' Collins said. ``Sponsors like the Colley Avenue Bike Shop help guys on our team that don't have enough money to take five hundred dollars to stay at a hotel on the weekends.''
Because Collins is not a Category I cyclist, and because he doesn't have a big-time sponsor, he must work a full-time job. Collins, a manager with Business Systems Communications Inc., finds the time to put about three to four hours each day into practicing. He rides between 300 and 350 miles a week.
On rainy days and when his children visit, Collins rides his stationary bike at home in front of his television.
``I feel a lot better if I ride every day,'' said Collins. ``There are so many times that I say I don't want to ride today and when I reach that point I just take a day or two off.''
Gerald Teeuwen, president of the Virginia chapter of the U.S. Cycling Federation, said of Collins, ``He's a pretty good racer, not to mention a good guy.''
Teeuwen has seen many racers come and go. About 2,000 cyclers are known to compete in the Virginia and Washington, D.C., area. Only about 250 amateur racers in the United States reach the Category I status.
Even though Collins is climbing in age, he says that he has no idea when he'll stop pedaling up mountains or around town. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by Mike Heffner
[Billy Morris] by CNB