Durward Higgins is not a typical 70-year-old man.
The retired General Electric field engineer from Signal Mountain took up cycling when he was 41 years old, began racing soon after and in 2009 won the over-65 national championship in the 20-kilometer time trial.
Now Higgins is attempting to set a new age-group record in the 3,000-mile Race Across America, which begins June 12. He and three teammates will try to cycle from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md., in seven days and set a new record for racers over 70 years of age.
Durward Higgins“I’ve never done anything at all like this before,” he says. “The races that I do tend to be anywhere from 25 to 50 miles and they’re a one-day thing. But the Race Across America – I’ve never been in an event like that. Few people have; it’s a 3,000-mile race.”
The race will travel through 12 states and features 170,000 feet of climbing over the 3,000 miles. The complex undertaking requires a crew of 15 people – including mechanics, medical staff and drivers – in five vehicles driving in support of Higgins and his teammates.