According to Lynn McClintock, he “shouldn’t be here.” Born prematurely on November 29, 1918, Lynn weighed in at about 2 ½ pounds and has maintained his lean physique ever since. His mother reportedly brought him home “in a shoe box” and he slept “in a dresser drawer.” Now almost 92, Lynn’s positive attitude and commitment to cycling has helped him stay trim and healthy. He used to ride his bicycle 6,000+ miles per year, but now is averaging under 5,000 miles per year with his son and two other riding buddies, or 80-100 miles per week (!), not to mention occasional rides with other friends from Sonoma County and elsewhere. Lynn has downsized from owning five bikes to ‘just’ two road bikes at this time: a steel frame Waterford, and a carbon fiber Trek Madone. You gear-heads out there will know what that means; for the rest of us, suffice it to say they’re pretty impressive bikes!
Lynn has been legally blind in his right eye for about fifteen years, but that hasn’t affected either his riding ability or his spirit. He moved to Santa Rosa’s Oakmont Village senior community with his wife, Lorraine (“Raine”) in 1981 and has only missed “3 or 4” of the annual Wine Country Century rides hosted by the Santa Rosa Cycling Club throughout this 30 year span, despite moving to Woodland several years ago to be closer to his son. And yes, he’s ridden the full 100 mile century each year.
Lynn’s attitude about life and the ease with which he has climbed the hills and mountains along the road are truly inspiring. Born and raised in Southern California, he studied animal husbandry at Cal Poly and spent several years on his uncle’s cattle ranch preparing to become a cattle rancher himself, but health issues prevented him from pursuing this physically demanding vocation. So he entered a business college and worked for Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based pharmaceuticals firm, in veterinary medicines and supplements. He traveled extensively for work, and spent many lonely nights away from home. Then in June of 1969, Lynn happened to notice six+ cyclists in a pace-line formation near his home in Arcadia, and told Raine that he thought it ‘looked fun.’ At her urging, Lynn bought his first bicycle since his paperboy days, and soon started bringing his bike on business trips. He started riding two to three hours at the end of the work day to pass the time away from home…and a forty+ year exercise habit was born!
Lynn learned a thing or two from his father, who met his own fate re: cattle ranching when he bought a head of cattle to start a cattle ranch: the business was “wiped out” when they discovered the cattle had hoof and mouth disease. Trudging on, he developed a retail meat trade in supermarkets throughout Southern California and became quite successful. Success had its own price tag, however, as the family moved almost annually during Lynn’s formative years as his father was transferred from one store to another.
You’ll understand the meaning of true love when you hear Lynn speak about his wife of 69 years, Raine, who passed away on July 4 of this year. They met in a most unusual way: via his sister’s ex-boyfriend. As the story goes, Lynn had grown fond of this young man, and was in Alaska hoping to land a canning job when they split up. Hearing the news upon his return to California, Lynn decided to visit the young man’s family home and extend his condolences regarding the breakup. When a young woman opened the door, “that guy with an arrow” pierced Lynn’s heart. Yes, it was the young man’s sister, and love at first sight which continued throughout Lynn and Raine’s “special” marriage. She lives on in the memories and carefully placed mementos throughout their home in Woodland, including the first birthday card Lynn gave her that still sits on the bedroom dresser; or the jumbo Mother’s Day card from their son, prominently displayed in the living room.
Lynn’s tips for living a long, healthy life include exercise; watching what you eat; and a good attitude. Despite his own health challenges from infancy on, this philosophy has certainly worked for Lynn, as he currently takes no medications; “not even an aspirin”. His advice for today’s youth: “Don’t be influenced by what you think others think you should do, and don’t be afraid to do something different. You can do anything if you’re motivated and have a good attitude.” And for those of you over fifty who are considering cycling for exercise? Lynn says, “if you cycled as a kid and like exercise, you can’t beat cycling now because you use everything with no jarring”. You also get to enjoy the landscape and wildlife from a unique vantage point.
When asked what his own future will hold, Lynn quipped that he’s “signed on for ten more years,” at least as far as cycling is concerned! So be sure to look for him at the 2020 Wine Country Century…
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