Carson City attorney Bryan Nelson placed third and fourth in two bicycling events at the World Senior Games held last week in St. George, Utah.
Racing for the International Christian Cycling Club, Nelson placed fourth in the time trial and third in the criterium at the World Senior Games.
The 2000 World Senior Games involved more than 5,500 athletes above the age of 50 competing in 18 sports. Athletes from across the United States and more than 40 foreign nations have competed in the games, considered to be the premiere athletic competition in the world.
Nelson finished third in the 25-mile time trial and fourth in the criterium in the 50-54 age division of the Nevada/Northern California State Championships 50-54 age division held earlier this year. He then achieved his best career performance at the Senior World Games.
Nelson achieved his feat after a near fatal accident 16 years ago when he was hit from behind on his bicycle by a car going 60 miles per hour near Genoa. He said it was hard to imagine as he lay in a hospital bed recovering from hip surgery that he would ever compete again.
His surgeon advised him that he would most likely need a hip replacement every five years due to avascular necrosis unless he could increase the blood flow to his injured hip by cycling one to two hours every day.
Motivated by that prediction, Nelson pursued bicycle training and ultimately became interested in racing, particularly after attending a Greg Lemond Racing Camp in 1985 in California. To this point, Nelson said his hip is doing fine.
In his career, Nelson has had numerous top five finishes in his age group at the state level and numerous top 20 finishes at the national level, with his best performance coming in the USCF National Championships in the 40-45 age division when he placed 12th in the criterium.
For the past three years, Nelson has served on the Governor's Bicycle Advisory Board for Nevada.
Nelson said while his doctor's efforts and his extensive bicycle training allowed him to come back after his accident, he also credited his Christian faith.
"I know that the Lord was instrumental in making the recovery possible," Helson said.
He also said he now races for the Lord as part of the International Christian Cycling Club. He said the club's mission is two-fold:
To unite Christian cyclists for a worldwide testimony in lifestyle, training and sportsmanship; and to expose cyclists to the love and grade of Jesus Christ, so that they may want to have a personal relationship with him.
On the back of the club's t-shirts is the Scripture message, 1 Cor. 10:31, 33: "Whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God."
"Whatever limited success I have achieved while racing my bicycle can only be attributed to what the Lord has done in my life," Nelson said. "It is for his glory that I race my bicycle and he alone is deserving of any praise."
