The Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — The underdog has blossomed.

In December, during her first year of bicycle racing, Mary Smith arrived at the Florida Senior Games State Championships in The Villages with rain-soaked leather loafers. The day featured pouring rain, freezing cold and windy conditions — three situations that cyclists abhor. But after borrowing shoes from a friend, Smith pumped the pedals of her heavy Wal-Mart bicycle through the morning’s heavy rain, and said she was giving all of the race’s glory to God.

From the looks of things, it didn’t seem as if there was going to be much glory to be given. She was racing against semiprofessional athletes who had invested thousands of dollars in lightweight gear. But Smith won all four medals for her age group.

“I got lifted up by the Lord. He wanted to edify me or something,” she said.

Five months later, Smith arrived at the Bridgeport course for The Villages Florida Senior Games as the Belle of the Ball. In less than a year, while taking care of her husband’s 90-year-old grandmother, Smith has become a local cycling celebrity. GeezerJock magazine is sponsoring her as the woman cyclist who will face off in a triathlon against a team of seasoned athletes. The magazine will follow up with her every three months.

Training hard, she lost 5 pounds by cycling almost every day. She invested in a new, lighter Lance Armstrong bicycle and leads The Villages Cycling Association as they bike on local treks. She plans to start running, walking, and building her bone density and upper body.

“She beats a lot of these guys that are out here,” said cyclist and event organizer Jim Mount. “She rides fast and hard.”

Fellow cyclist Gary Jones said when Smith has a good workout, she raises her arms like a champion when she crosses a finish line. “You’d think she’s Lance Armstrong,” he chuckled, adding, “She’s a very strong rider; you wait and see, she’ll post a good time.”

But Smith showers her enthusiasm back on the team. “She puts fun back into the biking,” Jones said.

On Sunday, when some 50 cyclists lined up to race against the clock and qualify for the state games, Smith rooted them on, snapped their photos and cheered with The Village Cheerleaders before mounting her own bike. Her head held high, she strutted confidently in a bicycling suit emblazoned with a frog.

“I’m going to race till I croak,” she laughed.

Her enthusiasm was greeted with cheers and laughter.

Sunday was the very first time Smith’s grandchildren had come from her son’s home in Tavares to see her race.

“They’re gonna give me my fuel and the Lord is going to give me my strength,” she said before shooting out from the starting line.

Her granddaughter, Zecarra Payne, 6, wore yellow “I love Jesus” barrettes in her blond hair in honor of Grandma Athlete.

“Grandma prays to God to win the race,” Zecarra said.

Daughter-in-law Layna Payne added, “She prays for help.”

Whereas other bicyclists hunched over their handlebars, Smith launched with her body poised and straight, her thin legs pushing with strong but birdlike delicacy beneath her. She was using part of what she calls “the golden nuggets” of advice that Villages cyclists and her “coach” husband, also a cyclist, have passed her way. She says they taught her everything she knows about technique, like how to tuck for less wind resistance, to stand up and shift, to upshift gears while breaking out of the start.

“You pump and get gears working for you for faster takeoff,” she explained after the time trial.

On Sunday, the advice paid off when Smith’s bike sped to 26 mph. She pedaled the 5K in 9 minutes, 20 seconds, shaving 33 seconds from her time in December, and cycled the 10 K in 20:03, 23 seconds faster than five months ago. At almost 59, near the top of her 55-59 age group, Smith won both gold medals and qualified to race in the state games in Cape Coral in December.

Christine Giordano is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119 ext. 9071 or christine.giordano@thevillagesmedia.com.