LATE BLOOMER: KAISER PEDALS WAY TO TOP OF USCF FIELD

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Jerry Kaiser was never much of an athlete in high school but he's certainly making up for that these days.

Kaiser, 40, a Cape Girardeau native who now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., is one of the premier cyclists in the nation for his age group.

In fact, a case can be made that Kaiser is the best at his age because last summer he was named United States Cycling Federation champion of the 40-to-45-year-old group.

"I really enjoy cycling," said Kaiser during a telephone interview from Scottsdale. "It clears my mind and gives me time to get out and away from work and the city. I enjoy the scenery and the thrill of competition."

Kaiser, a periodonist by profession, began to compete as a cyclist at age 34. Prior to that time, he competed in triathlons and won U.S. Triathlon Series Bud Light championships in Portland and Houston.

"I had some pretty good success with triathlons," he said. "I really like to swim and bike but training for triathlons just got to be too time-consuming. Cycling was my best event so I went with that."

Kaiser has been a competitive cyclist for about four years and he puts in up to 400 miles some weeks.

"I generally put in between 200 and 400 miles a week, but mileage isn't too important for me," he said. "The type of training you do is what's really important. It's just like any other sport, you go through different stages of training."

A 1968 graduate of Cape Central High School, Kaiser played golf for the Tigers. He attended Southeast Missouri State University and then went to dental school at Missouri-Kansas City.

Kaiser, who said he gets back to Cape to visit his parents about once a year, moved to Arizona 12 years ago for a simple reason.

"I wanted to go to a warmer climate," he said with a laugh.

Kaiser has competed in many major races across the country and even in other parts of the world. He doesn't know how long he'll keep cycling competitively, but he's certain of one thing.

"The nationals are in July," he said. "I'll be there to defend my title."