Passion for racing fuels Fallis

He has been a key figure in producing the annual Burlingame Criterium, an event he has participated in every year for the past 18 years.

"I've had a passion for bike racing," Fallis said. "I've done 1,500 races in the [United States]."

Fallis first got involved in racing while living in Chicago. Always involved in sports, Fallis was looking for an alternative when his knees and back suffered wear and tear from running. He found biking and dove headlong into the sport. He started on the velodrome track in Chicago, got into road racing and moved back to California in 1973 where he got really serious about the sport.

Realizing a dream

Despite racing and training in California, he had always wanted to try his hand in biking's Mecca - Europe.

"I always wanted to go where the action was," Fallis said.

But with a family and career, it just wasn't feasible to drop everything and head off to Europe. Ten years ago, with his kids grown and financially set, Fallis and his wife, Mary, decided to go for it. From 1995 through part of 1997, Fallis hit the roads and tracks in Austria, Italy and Germany.

"I saw the inside of both velodrome and road racing," Fallis said.

In his mid-50s at the time, he had no problem finding age-group races in the United States. Europe was a bit different. The oldest masters category was for 35 year olds and older. So Fallis found himself competing against riders 20 years his junior.

The competition was "brutal," Fallis said, "But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the process. It was a lot of fun."

Other times, there were no master events at all. On those occasions, he was competing against 18- and 19-year-old teenagers.

"I had experience on my side but they had stamina, strength and speed on their side," Fallis said.

The biggest adjustment, however, was the cultural differences. Not only the language but how the locals treated their bodies. Not a lot of vegetarians and a lot of second-hand smoke, Fallis said.

"When I went to Europe, it was much harder than I thought," Fallis said. "It's hard no matter what. It's quite a shock when you go over there not as a tourist.

"It exceeded my expectations. I experienced some pretty tough times (over there). If you have a passion for bike racing, if you have the means, go over there. It's a lot of fun but it's not for the weak of heart."

While professional riders can make a living in Europe, Fallis was not one of them. But he didn't just load up his gear, jump on a plane, land in Vienna, Austria and head to the local track. He had established a support group in Europe to help him with everything he needed. He did make some money on the side as a information technologies consultant and also did some private coaching.

"When I went over [to Europe], it wasn't my intention to [coach]," Fallis said. "When I joined the local team, they found out I had quite a bit of experience and they asked me to help (coach) the junior (team)."

Staying connected to the sport

Fallis doesn't race as much as he used to. He still participates in 35 to 40 races a year but his main focus is on the Peninsula Velo Performance Team - a group of entry-level riders who want to develop a racing career. He meets once a month with the group of men - from 20 to 40 years old - and goes over training regimens, develop racing strategies and skill improvement - from sprinting to climbing. He also works as a personal trainer with three or four elite riders, mainly serving as a mentor.

Fallis is officially licensed by USA Cycling as an "elite" coach, of which there are only about 15 in the state. But Fallis spent years as an "unofficial" coach. When USA Cycling instituted a certification program for coaches about 15 years ago, Fallis went to Colorado Springs, Colo. and took the tests necessary to obtain his "elite" status. It was nothing he hadn't already been doing.

"I knew a lot more about racing than some of the instructors," Fallis said. "I succeeded and failed in every element of bike racing. They knew more physiological things than I did."

Winning is not the only thing

Now in his mid-60s, Fallis is in an age-group where he is competing with riders who are 10, 15, sometimes 20 years younger than he is. At the national level, they have age groups that go up into the 80s but at most races, the oldest category is 55+ - as in the Burlingame Criterium.

And while Fallis concedes he may not win as many races now, he still enjoys every aspect of racing.

"Now if I finish in 10th, I'm happy," Fallis said. "But I don't worry about it. I love to race, love to compete, love the competition."