- NARRATOR: Meet Fred Schmid.
- Ah, there we go.
- NARRATOR: He and his wife, Suzanne, are gearing up
for a bike ride.
- FRED: It's a lot of stuff to get ready. [laughs]
[shoe ratchet]
- NARRATOR: Fred and Suzanne don't just take
leisurely pedals.
They are both skilled mountain bikers.
- Okay, we're ready.
[laughs]
We're very fortunate.
The trails start about 30 feet from my driveway.
- NARRATOR: Those trails are part of a 20-mile network
along the Brazos River at Waco's Cameron Park.
The trail system has provided the perfect opportunity
to take up mountain biking a little later in life.
- SUZANNE: What do you want to do then, Freddy?
Do you want to do Slinky and then California?
- Yeah, let's do Slinky.
My wife gave me a bike in 1994
and uh I could hardly ride the thing in Cameron Park
but I started trying.
Nice way to start off- it's all downhill.
I'll be 78 this month.
So yeah, I'm pretty much of an old- old guy.
- NARRATOR: For someone pushing 80,
Fred certainly keeps moving.
- FRED: I never have been one who sat around much.
My wife tells me I'm hyperactive, so...
[laughs]
- SUZANNE: Cycling is something that anybody can do.
- FRED: That loose stuff gets me.
- SUZANNE: It helps us both stay active.
- NARRATOR: Though Fred did not begin until his sixties,
biking quickly became his passion.
- SUZANNE: Remember this?
- NARRATOR: Before long he was racing in competitions,
in Texas and beyond.
- SUZANNE: When people ask why you race, you can always
say it's for the podium girls.
There are some of your very first races.
- Boy, I was younger then, wasn't I?
[laughs]
- FRED: This was Tyler...
- NARRATOR: By now their photo album is running out of pages.
- FRED: That was in Idaho, wasn't it?
- SUZANNE: Yeah, Sand Point.
- Big Bear, California, outside of Phoenix,
snow in the mountains.
- SUZANNE: Beautiful.
- When I look at this, I'm astounded at how many places
I've raced and how many places I've ridden.
It's just extraordinary.
- NARRATOR: Though the Schmids travel the country for biking
events, they feel fortunate for the wealth of bike trails
in Texas.
- FRED: Texas is a lovely place to be a biker.
Where are we going?
- NARRATOR: Cameron Park has more miles than most.
But many local parks offer paved and unpaved trails
for biking.
And across the state, dozens of state parks offer biking
opportunities as varied as the geography.
In the Dallas area, mountain bikers have multiple options
within an hour's drive.
Cedar Hill State Park is a favorite destination.
- It is an escape right here in the middle of the Metroplex.
[tires on bridge]
We want everybody to come out and be able to enjoy it
at their level, take their time if they want to.
- It goes right by the lake.
We're right here at the trailhead.
- LONNIE: But even for the most advanced rider,
there's plenty of challenge.
- ROGER JAFFE: You've got some really thick wooded sections,
sections that you go along the lake, followed by some prairie,
so, a good variety.
As you ride and as you run through the park,
you're going to be engaged.
You won't be bored.
- I like the diversity of the trails.
They're not necessarily real technical,
but they're beautiful.
We have a lot of switchbacks, a lot of climbing,
some long slopes that'll wear you out.
But of course then that means that you've got
a nice downhill coming.
There's always a reward at the end of it.
[bikes whizzing by]
- NARRATOR: One reason cyclists enjoy these trails so much
is that they built and maintain them.
- MALEA: DORBA does a really good job of organizing
the trail workdays.
[group talking]
- RICHARD SZECSY: DORBA is the acronym for the
Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association.
[chainsaw starting]
The trail itself has been 100% maintained by volunteer hours.
Last year was a record year for us, we had over 10,000 hours
contributed to trail maintenance in North Texas,
and on this trail alone, we exceeded over 750 hours.
That's in one year.
- You can hit those mesquite stumps with
your weedeater.
Most of our work is in cutting back the vegetation.
[weedeater whirring]
It's a labor of love.
- MALEA: Especially as much as we're out here, we owe it.
But you know, we've past that now, I mean,
this is where we want to be.
[people chatting]
- This is a good way to stop work.
A cold drink of water and breakfast.
We take a lot of pride in the trail.
We're out here anywhere from two to five times a week,
running, riding the trails, or maintaining the trails.
- MALEA: This place is just like a gem in the Metroplex.
I would highly recommend it.
Oh my gosh, look at the sun.
Wow!
- NARRATOR: Of course Cedar Hill is just one park
with scenic trails near a city.
San Antonio has Government Canyon.
Near Houston is Brazos Bend.
Or, if you'd like to bike as far from a city as possible,
you might prefer a place like Big Bend Ranch State Park.
- FRED: I just love the feeling of isolation
that you get out there.
If you want to be remote, that's the place to be.
- NARRATOR:
the state,
but today they are in the Texas Panhandle.
- FRED: Well, we came here to do this mountain bike race
here at Palo Duro Canyon.
Nice little place we picked here today, huh?
- SUZANNE: We are so proud of the Texas State Parks.
Turkey!
They are beautiful.
- FRED: My goodness, look at that.
There's a turkey right by your back door!
I think he's walking back over there.
- SUZANNE: Bird-watching, geology, you name it.
- FRED: The Llano Estacado as they call it.
- The bicycle is a great way to see a lot of area.
Usually when we go to a place for a race,
we're there for a few days in advance to look at the trails,
and so I get to ride all the race trails with him
but without the pressure.
Look at the scenery.
- FRED: It's a lovely setting, I mean it's exquisite.
There are good trails out here.
Looking forward to it.
- NARRATOR: Now Fred is no stranger to the excitement
of race day.
- FRED: I've been world champion twice, national champion
numerous times.
It's been fun.
- RACE ANNOUNCER: We are now staging for cat one and pro,
cat one and pro.
We need all racers to the back please.
- SUZANNE: Have fun.
[kiss]
- FRED: Two nine-mile laps, 18 miles.
- SUZANNE: Good luck, guys!
- FRED: If things go well, I should be able to do it
in an hour and a half, hour and 45 minutes.
[dramatic music]
[horn]
[gears grinding]
- Go go go go go!
- FRED: Frankly, I've never really analyzed why I do it,
it's just a challenge to do and I like winning, obviously.
But I like riding and I like riding in competition.
[heavy breathing]
I felt okay, but I rode as hard as I've ridden in a long time.
[rhythmic music]
You come to some steep hills there that...
[straining]
...it's very hard, racing.
[rhythmic music]
- SUZANNE: I do enjoy providing support.
There's lots of doggie support.
Here he comes.
- FRED: I'm okay.
- SUZANNE: Okay.
Go get 'em Freddy.
45 seconds.
He's not that far behind those guys.
[rhythmic music]
- RACE ANNOUNCER: The pros are coming in...
[rhythmic music]
Frederick Schmid.
Third place.
- Alright Freddy!
Way to go boys!
[applause]
- NARRATOR: This time, Fred has to settle for 3rd place
in his division.
- There you go. Woo!
- I said an hour forty and got about an hour forty-three,
I think.
- Yeah, good job.
- NARRATOR: Of course, just crossing the finish line
is a victory.
- You did really great!
- Well, thank you.
If I didn't race, I wouldn't train, and if I didn't train,
I wouldn't ride well, so.
- NARRATOR: So, another race, in another pretty place,
seems to have been fun for all sorts of people.
- It's a great place to bike.
Best place in the world.
- Going to clean me up.
- SUZANNE: It's a wonderful community.
They don't care how old you are.
It's something that you can do for a lifetime, definitely.
- FRED: I like the fact that people look at me and say,
"Well, maybe I can continue to be athletic
and in reasonably good health for a long time."
On to the next one.
[tires rolling on trails]