At 65, B.C.'s Jonathan Lyons not slowing down at Canadian Track Championships

TORONTO - At 65 years old, Jonathan Lyons, a seasoned author and former journalist isn't showing any signs of slowing down. On the contrary, he recently placed fifth in the 500-meter time trial in the Master’s D 65+ category during the Canadian Track Championships, which took place at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario, concluding on Sunday. Although Lyons has a preference for extended races – as proven by his bronze wins in the pursuit on Saturday and in the points pursuit on Sunday, he has continued to improve his performance in the shorter distance races, as evident from the recent B.C. provincial championships. Lyons expressed his delight at participating in the event.

This year's national championships, which has attracted over 170 participants from various divisions, saw the introduction of a 65+ category for both men and women for the first time. Previously, Lyons, who resides on Bowen Island, B.C, has had to compete in the 55+ division. Lyons advocated for this change by writing a letter to the leader of Cycling Canada, arguing for the recognition of older riders for their contributions to the sport.

With a career spanning 21 years with Reuters as a foreign correspondent and editor in various countries before leaving in 2007, now retired, Lyon has turned his focus on cycling while completing his doctoral studies in sociology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Besides juggling his doctoral studies, Lyons found time to author four books focusing on the interplay between Islamic culture and Western society.

A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and now a Canadian citizen, Lyons sparked his passion for cycling while stationed in New York for Reuters. An accident involving a truck at the age of 50 didn't deter him from taking up the sport again during his doctoral studies. He moved to Canada in 2018 and has been training at the Burnaby Velodrome ever since. Lyons enjoys pushing his limits on Canadian designed Argon 18 bike, coached by Hans Loeffelholz.

Lyons doesn't show any signs of slowing down with recent gold medal victories in the masters' individual pursuit, scratch and points races at the B.C. track championships. Despite the strong competition, Lyons reiterated that participating in the championships and to be in good health and strength was an achievement itself.
Lyons is positive about the future of this category and is hopeful that more 65+ competitors will join in the future to allow for separated age groups.

Despite the age-related myths, Lyons maintains that the competition can still be tough and you get a strong competing field when older athletes come together. When asked about his future, Lyons hinted at the possibility of participating in UCI World Masters Track Cycling Championships, which has categories extending to 80+.