Dr. Thompson returns to the race track
September 1, 2012
By Victoria Blake

On Sunday, September 9, Dr. Jim Thompson of Thompson Chiropractic Center in Bonners Ferry will compete in the master's division of the U.S. National Road Cycling Championships held in Bend, Oregon.

Thompson will be competing in the Criterium 25 Mile road race, a technically challenging circuit. In a Criterium, bikers race a circle route for 45 minutes. A bell is rung and they have two loops to the finish.

"The course is 0.6 miles in length involving six corners and will require extreme bike handling skills," Thompson said. "There will be about 50 of us competing in this race, all going over 30 miles an hour through this course, with a finishing sprint that will exceed 40 miles per hour. It'll be very fast, exciting and fun."

Thompson was also racing in cycling 41 years ago. That was the year he won the California State Track five mile Championship. That same season he went on to win the North American Track five mile Championship in Portland, Oregon.

"Some things have changed since then in cycling," Thompson said. "There are many more avid racing cyclists competing now than there were years ago. Cyclists like Greg LeMond have really been a plus to the sport of cycling. With health and fitness now being an everyday part of our lives, cycling associations all over the country encourage all ages to ride and compete and not just the 'youth' like it used to be. Bicycles are still basically the same as they used to be but now are far more expensive as more people want to go faster and faster with lighter equipment. The biggest change for me is trying to train in a four season climate like Idaho, compared to the ease of training in places like California, Texas and Florida, where outdoor training is available all year round. It's been a long hard haul for me this season, especially staying motivated during the winter. But getting to this point of qualifying for the nationals has made it all worthwhile."

Thompson will be representing Idaho when he competes Septemer 9 for the national championship in Oregon.