Logan slowed by surgery, but still exercising in high gear

Bill Logan is done competing with everyone but himself.

For 42 years he has been in the biking business, and he will continue that streak -- just not on a competitive level.

Logan, a 61-year-old Perry County resident, recently underwent surgery and is finding that there is more to life than racing bikes.

"It was my secondary life next to family," he said, "but just the time it takes and the energy it takes. ... I've got quite a few other things I want to put time into, especially my wife and my home. Biking is just not that majorly important."

Meanwhile, Logan continues to exercise five to six days a week, running on a treadmill, lifting weights in his house or riding a bicycle outside with a flashlight at 5 a.m.

Logan became interested in cycling at the age of 18 when he was attending Indiana University. As part of a four-man fraternity team, he competed for four years in the Little 500, a 50-mile race based on the Indianapolis 500.

"It was interesting," Logan said, "and it was really exciting because it was always in front of 20,000 to 25,000 people. It was a big deal at Indiana."

After graduation, Logan joined the United States Cycling Association, in which he competed in about 25 races per year in Canada and the United States. He also participated twice a week in local track racing near Racine, Wis.

"Every weekend I'd travel," he said. "Every Friday after my wife was done teaching, we'd pack up and head somewhere."

Logan encountered his most successful period in 1971, when he tied for the best all-around rider in the U.S., a title based on participants' results in several designated races. While acknowledging that hard work was a major factor, Logan spoke softly of his success and admitted that he dodged many bullets on the road to his No. 1 spot.

"The key thing was to always try to finish in the top five," Logan said. "And all but one race I did. You can have flat tires, equipment failures and other problems, and fortunately I didn't have those."

Logan's training, which included help from training partner Susan Burton, included up to 500 miles a week from March to September. During the winter, he weight-trained and rode the stationary bike indoors.

And as if biking wasn't enough, Logan became interested in running in 1990. Shortly thereafter he began competing in marathons and duathlons, which consist of a 10-kilometer run, a 25-mile bike ride, then a 5-kilometer run.

He's traveled all over the world for duathlons, including visits to France, Switzerland and Spain. He placed fifth at two appearances in the Duathalon World Championships, in 1997 and 2000. While he said the overseas traveling was a fun experience, he added that competing abroad is slightly more challenging.

"It's great competition," Logan said. "They love their cycling and running over there. It's kind of fun because you're biking in small towns on small streets, and there's thousands of people out there."

Although Logan knows his competitive days are over, he plans to continue his quest to stay in shape while enjoying his daily workouts.

"I've always liked to see what I can get out of my body," he said. "I believe I can exercise without having a competition goal in front of me. I'm not sure it's usual for people to enjoy exercising, but I don't feel right if I'm not doing it."