Who is your cycling hero? Eddy, Indurain, Lance? Yeah, they all had their great years, but they always seem to lose their devotion shortly after they are no longer paid to be fit.

George Wilson has broader ambitions. He’s 67 years old, but aside from the crow’s feet and the gray whiskers that fall below his helmet, you would never know it. George played sports through school, then progressed to distance swimming in his early 20’s, and aside from one occasion when an injury prevented him from working out for a few months, he has never been out of shape. His weight is about the same as it was in high school, and in five decades, it hasn’t fluctuated more than four of five pounds. The big pay-off is immediately apparent when you meet him: He is exceptionally happy and healthy, with a family he adores and spends a lot of time with. And before you get the idea that this is a story about a nice old man who is still able to get up every morning and get a leg over his bike, just try keeping up with him and his trusty old black Bianchi Pista track bike in the park one day. You will quickly learn he is one of the strongest riders in the city, of any age.

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NYVC Seems like you’ve been riding around the park forever. What changes have you noticed?

George I’ve been riding since 1965. In the old days, the bikes controlled the park. Now the runners and Rollerbladers seem to call the shots. I think cycling was at its peak around 1976. In the early ‘70s, before the Marathon came, there were so many more cyclists. Not necessarily as many racers, but far more recreational cyclists. “Tourists,” they were called.

NYVC How did you get into endurance sports?

George I started as a distance swimmer in my early 20s. Then when my brother came back from the service, we began running together. A marathon seemed like a logical next step. The first one I ran in 4:03–I’ll never forget that number. I knocked about forty minutes off that time in the next one, and I just went from there.

NYVC What’s your secret to staying in shape?

George You have to drive yourself everyday, and you have to want to do it–you can’t just force yourself. I never run low on motivation for long because I am doing something I enjoy. If you really don’t feel like it, take the day off.

NYVC So why do you always ride a track bike?

George When I stopped racing in ’79, there was a fellow in the park who advocated riding track bikes. I had been dying to try them, and sure enough, once I did, I was hooked. I’ve been riding them ever since. They were much harder to find back then too. Now many more models are available.

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NYVC Tell us about racing in the early ‘60s and ‘70s in Central Park.

George In the early 60s, the races were quite small. I raced for the Metros, which was a rival to the CRCA. The guy behind the Metros was named Larry Lebowitz. He got control of the finish at Cat’s Paw Hill and knocked off the CRCA, and as you can imagine, the CRCA and especially its leader, Lou Maltese, didn’t like that much. The riders from the different clubs didn’t really have any fierce animosity though. The two clubs races were at the same time, and once in a while the fields would collide but it didn’t present too much of a problem. The Metros had 90 riders total the CRCA had more (of course there were no sub teams back then). Once Larry left town, the Metros folded into the CRCAs.

NYVC What is your current workout routine? How has it changed since your retirement?

George In the summer, I ride most everyday in the park for a few hours. Last year I rode 9500 miles. I have been able to put in more miles since I retired. I still run too, four or five days a week a in the winter about two days a week when its warm out. When I worked (for thirty years at Xerox), I had to get up very early to go running and when I rode, it was in the evenings and the weekends. When I look back on it, it’s hard to imagine how I got up so early to meet my friends for a 6:00 A.M. run before work. It took a while to get used to retirement, but now I’ve been retired for five years, I love it.

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NYVC Where did you grow up? Did you do many sports as a kid?

George I grew up on 103rd between 2nd and 3rd. I belonged to a gang, as all the kids did in those days. When I was 16 (around ’54), they tore down the old neighborhood and put up the projects. As a kid I played basketball and baseball, but wasn’t especially good at sports.

NYVC What do you think has changed in our culture with regards to fitness and aging?

George There used to be a different mindset. People didn’t think it was possible to be so fit for so long. No one would have believed a man my age could be this fit, so no one tried.

NYVC I’ve often heard people say you are inspiring to them. Who inspires you these days?

George People inspire me everyday. It gives me a good feeling to see the efforts people make to improve their sport. I’ve watched so many people begin tentatively and progress and maybe take up racing after a while. I really love to watch that progression.

NYVC What about kids and grandkids? Have you imparted your love of exercise to them?

George Yes, and they always let me know what they are up to. My youngest son is planning on running a marathon this year. I got my second youngest daughter into running. For years she ran just three or four miles, but then she ran a marathon when she was 29, which was an accomplishment because she was never interested in sports when she was growing up. We crossed the line together and it was a lot of fun. (George smiles thinking about the day.) My oldest grandkid is 19 and starting college. He is an excellent basketball player, but a couple summers ago we had a chance to go running and roller blading together.

NYVC Can he keep up with you?

George Well…not really…(laughs.) My wife always says stop picking on the kids.