Novi couple places in top 10 at National Senior Games

NOVI — A Novi couple placed within the top 10 in multiple events at the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last month.

Personal trainer Lola Faleix, 61, and her husband, Alain, 52, qualified for the National Senior Games in cycling by placing in the top four in the Michigan Senior Olympics last August. The couple then trained extensively for the national event.

“We were successful in our races and we both set personal records in all four events,” Lola said of their performances in the national competition.

Lola competed in the women’s 5K time trial, 10K time trial, 20K road race and 40K road race. Alain competed in the men’s 5K time trial, 10K time trial, 20K road race and the 40K road race.

Lola said the weather was hot and humid, with temperatures in the 90s. The couple placed within the top 10 in all but one of their events, with awards being distributed to the top eight.

Alain competed in the men ages 50-54 category with 21 registrants. He finished seventh in the 5K time trial, seventh in the 10K time trial, fourth in the 20K road race and eighth in the 40K road race.

Lola competed in the women ages 60-64 category with 31 registrants. She finished fifth in the 5K time trial, fifth in the 10K time trial, sixth in the 20K road race and 11th in the 40K road race.

According to Lola, she came in 11th in the 40K road race because she was diverted off of the route, which cost her some time. She said it was a “huge disappointment” that a miscommunication between police and course marshals directed some of the racers, including her, off of the race course. She said they were allowed to finish but were knocked out of contention as top finishers.

Patrick Collins, of Canton, has trained with Lola and Alain and knew they were capable of great results.

“I’m not surprised. I know the hard work and dedication that Lola put into it,” said Collins. “Alain is a very accomplished cyclist; Lola hasn’t been cycling as long as Alain has. So like any couple that bikes, it can go either way — a lot of time your spouse or partner can get overwhelmed and turn away from it, but Alain has been a great coach to Lola, as well as a lot of people that Lola surrounds herself with on the bike, and I have personally seen an incredible transformation based on where they were a few years ago.”

The Senior Olympics is an athletic competition geared for people ages 50 and up. According to the National Senior Games website, nsga.com, the national event drew more than 11,900 athletes from all over the country.

The national competition usually takes place on odd-numbered years, but because of the pandemic, the event had been postponed until 2022. In order for the event to get back on track, the National Senior Games will be held again next summer, Lola said. According to Lola, the oldest male competitor was 95 and the oldest female competitor was 92.

“Our experience at the National Senior Olympics was awesome,” said Lola. “There were lots of strong, strong competitors. It was nice to meet so many like-minded men and women with similar strength our own age.”

Lola plans to race in the Michigan Senior Olympics in August and hopes to qualify for the 2023 nationals, which will be held closer to home, in Pittsburgh in July 2023. Alain is undecided at this time as to whether he will compete.

For more information about the Michigan Senior Olympics, visit michiganseniorolympics.com.

Prior to the 2022 Michigan Senior Olympics, the couple plans to participate in the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, which begins July 23. This is a seven-day touring ride where participants will ride more than 462 miles across Iowa starting at the Missouri River on the west side and finishing on the east side at the Mississippi River. According to Lola, the ride typically attracts 25,000 riders per day. More information on that race can be found at ragbrai.com.

A week after the RAGBRAI, on Aug. 6, they will compete in a 69-mile gravel bike race in Amana, Iowa, the “Jingle Cross Gravel Grinder,” which is part of the Trek UCI Gravel World Series. Lola said that the top 25% of each age category will qualify for the 2022 UCI Gravel World Championships to be held in Tuscany in October.

“It would be exciting to qualify for the World Championships, and I love to travel, and it’s fun to dream,” Lola said on the prospect of going to World’s.

More information on the Amana race can be found at ucigravelworldseries.com/en.