Sports

Marathon cyclist covers miles in the 100s

Larry Oslund

By BRADLEY COLE, Published: November 4, 2017

Larry Oslund has only been a part of the Ultra Marathon Cycling world for three years and has left his mark in dramatic fashion.

At the age of 58, Oslund has won over a dozen races in the UltraMarathon Cycling Association using a recumbent bike, the kind that puts its rider in a laid-back position.

Oslund has traveled the United States competing in different races, including setting multiple world records. Through the good times and the bad, the Hendersonville resident is a force to be reckon with in the cycling community.

Oslund began cycling three years ago. After riding his bike from work every day, he started to find a love for the sport. He started to ride on the weekends for fun. After some time, he found his road bike he was using had become uncomfortable.

“About three years ago, I started looking into the recumbent bikes after my regular bike gave me so much pain. I found one I liked and started riding it,” Oslund said. “It was like an epiphany. I just enjoyed riding so much more.”

He gradually rode the bike more and more. Eight weeks after riding the bike on a daily basis, he got a call from the maker of the bike. They told Oslund that they were going to host a race six hours away, and he went. He participated in a 12-hour race that covered 237 miles.

“After my first race, I wanted to try more,” Oslund said. “I got a faster bike and entered some more races.”

Oslund started to invest more and more time into the sport. He gets up early to train and also works from home as an information technology developer. He found himself entering more and more competitive races, and winning them.

Throughout the last three years, Oslund has won over a dozen races. One of his biggest highlights throughout his career is the records he has set. Two years ago, he set the world record for the fastest time on a recumbent bike in a 100-mile road course in Lumberton. Oslund had a time of 3:59:51. In August of this year, Oslund traveled to Chicago and set two records — a time of 3:48:10, in a six-hour 100-mile race in a velodrome race track setting and a record in 100-kilometer (62-mile) race.

Although Oslund has enjoyed plenty of success, he has experienced his fair share of setbacks.
In a race in Florida, Oslund wrecked and damaged his rotator cuff. The injury required surgery. Although, he continued to train as he much as could.
Only six weeks removed from the wreck, Oslund took the track again. With his arm in a sling, he won the 2016 National 12-hour championship in the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association.

Now in the offseason, Oslund has sights set on bigger and better things. He looks to break another world record next season.

“My primary goal for the next year is to break the one-hour record for anyone over 50 years old,” Oslund said. “I'm going to be training heavily to see if I can go that hard for an hour.”

The reasoning for his goal is a simple one.

“It’s like a mark that somebody has set,” Oslund said. “When you’re racing and trying to do your best, you look at who has done the best. To go faster than that is a nice personal accomplishment.”