With fogging goggles and instantly visible breath, cyclist Mark Wolowiec runs down wintry Clarkston roads with his bike slung over his shoulder.
While carrying a bike in subfreezing temperatures might not sound fun to most people, for Wolowiec, this is just one more training day well worth the physical pain and time.
In his attempt to stay physically fit for the cycling season which starts near the end of March, Wolowiec of Springfield Township must often ride when freezing temperatures would render most to warm couches indoors.
‘Sometimes you have to stop and do jumping jacks or run with your bike for a while to get the feeling back in your toes,? said Wolowiec, who described his cyclist level as a master category 1 elite cyclist.
Wolowiec’s training and determination paid off Feb. 4 as he won ‘Rider of the Year? for 2005 while riding as a member of Clarkston’s Flying Rhinos Cycling Club. The award came from the club who gather yearly to recognize accomplishments of members at a banquet. The Rhinos are a cycling group based out of Kinetic Systems Bicycles in downtown Clarkston. The group consists of over 200 men and women meant to facilitate participation in cycling on all levels.
The award, which Wolowiec also received in 1999, 2001 and 2002, capped off a successful 2005 year for the 49-year-old Southfield dentist, who also won four Michigan state cycling championships in the season for his age category.
Wolowiec took top honors at each of the four types of races throughout the year including: a time trial, criterium, road race and cyclo-cross. Wolowiec described criteriums as a race of laps through streets of a downtown area. Cyclo-cross races require the cyclist to dismount their bike several times and run around barriers.
While Wolowiec managed to win several state championship races in previous years, including seven cyclo-cross championships, this was the first time he swept all four in the same season.
?(The championships) came with being super relaxed, really focused and almost having a clear vision of what I had to do. There was no anxiety or butterflies. It was almost as you’d envision it in a dream,? said Wolowiec, who started racing 10 years ago at the age of 38 after dabbling for years.
‘Imagine if a sprinter could win the sprint, mile, marathon and decathalon. Those are four totally different things. It’s the same in bike riding,? said Flying Rhino’s founder and coach Jeff Noftz, who stressed the amount of determination and different skills needed to win all the types of races Wolowiec won.
‘I used to coach nationally and professionally, so I’m used to handling the best athletes? Sometimes you have athletes that have all the physical properties, but lack the drive. And then you have the athletes who have all the drive in the world, but not the physical tools. (Mark) has both.?
‘Joining the Flying Rhinos helped spur me on to kick it up a notch and start racing,? said Wolowiec.
‘We don’t race for money, it’s for prestige to see how you compete with your peers nationally.?
With most of his races at the masters level in age categories of either 35-and-over or 45-and-over, Wolowiec often finds himself surrounded by younger riders.
‘You look at him and think he’s 35, but he’s almost fifty years old and he’s racing with the 20-year-old kids,? said Noftz.
When not racing against younger cyclists, Wolowiec must deal with riders who have accumulated over 20 years of racing experience.
To compensate for his late start in racing, Wolowiec trains year round, riding five days a week which translates to about 10-16 hours per week on the bike. In a year, Wolowiec generally racks up 8,000-10,000 miles.
This winter proved no different as Wolowiec and other Rhinos continue to tally miles cycling.
‘There’s a joke in the club that if it’s not below negative 10 degrees, we will be riding,? said Wolowiec. ?(This winter) has been great. The only downside is the dirt roads have been muddy and we’ve had to stay on the paved roads.?
Wolowiec’s racing throughout Michigan and in some national races has put him in all types of weather conditions. He recalls one race in Bakersfield, California as being the hottest.
‘I was driving past oil derricks pumping oil. There was no one around (watching) and you’re seeing mirages. The heat was coming off the pavement,? said Wolowiec. ‘I literally melted in that race.?
Aiding Wolowiec’s accelaration to the top of Michigan’s cycling ranks in his category is the experience he acquired downhill skiing recreationally for 20 years.
‘There’s a lot of similarities as your upper body is virtually motionless while the lower body is propelling you in both (skiing and cycling),? said Wolowiec. ‘Some skiers train by riding so the two sports compliment each other well.?
In addition to the motivation provided by the Rhinos and his skiing experience, Wolowiec credits training earned in tai chi classes with Noftz over the last six years at the Independence Township Library as key to his cycling success.
‘A lot of that has transfered to the bike. That strong, relaxed focus that allows you to focus energy to maximize your athletic potential,? said Wolowiec.
Wolowiec explained tai chi focuses on inner energy and promotes health and fitness as it helps with body posture, alignment, flexibility and overall health. He began attending the classes when Noftz suggested the martial art to many of his athletes to help their bike riding performances reach new plateaus.
‘I think I’m faster now than 10 years ago. That’s the amazing thing. You can get faster as you get older,? said Wolowiec.
After completing a successful year at the state level, Wolowiec wants greater success at national races where he has competed for the last six years for road and criterium races.
‘I’ve kind of got the local thing down, but each season I have the goal of winning on a national level,? said Wolowiec, who noted his highest finish at a national road race was 12 out of 100 contestants in his age category.
In addition to cycling and tai chi, Wolowiec enjoys helping raise leader dogs for the blind with his wife Mary.
‘As much as I’m into cycling, Mary is into raising the leader dogs,? said Wolowiec.
The couple started by raising dogs around 1995 for a leader dog school in Rochester. They keep the golden retrievers for a year, allowing the animal to socialize in a variety of social environments before the dog is sent to leader school.
‘You do get attached. It breaks your heart and you’re in tears, but the the purpose of helping a blind person be independent is bigger than your pain,? said Wolowiec. ‘The pain of letting them go is the joy that comes with giving a blind person independence and interaction with people.?
The Wolowiec’s enjoy raising the dogs so much, they now own a golden retriever named Whistler they breed. Thus far Whislter has six litters or 35 puppies, three of which are also now used for breeding.
Mark and Mary Wolowiec moved to Springfield Township in 2001 and have been married since 1991.
For more information on the Flying Rhinos Cycling Club visit www.flyingrhinocc.com.