Muscles rippling as he grips his handlebar to take a corner at full speed, Bob Walker looks more like a cross between Wolverine and Santa Claus than he does a competitor in the Southeast Idaho Senior Games.

    But there he was, at 58 years old, blasting his way around the Holt Arena parking lot en route to his eighth straight criterium event title.

    He likely would have won more of the 30-minute races, but you can’t compete at the Senior Games until you’re, well, a senior. But as a professional skier and eventually a cycling enthusiast, the Pocatello transplant jumps at any chance to compete. It’s his nature.

    “I’d wrestle you for a nickel,” he said.

    Walker moved to Pocatello to attend Idaho State in 1973. He decided to stick around and make a living in the real estate business. His passion for bicycling started 29 years ago when a neighbor, Doug Stewart, introduced him to the sport as a way to stay in shape when it wasn’t ski season.

    “He talked me into going to a race,” Walker said. “I didn’t do so well, but I was really challenged by it.”

    From there, that competitiveness and drive to win had him hooked. Cycling became another challenge for Walker to conquer.

    And did he ever.

    Walker won the Criterium event in the “Licensed” division (highest), age 50-54, at the 2005 Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah.

    He also rides for Bountiful Mazda, a cycling team based out of Bountiful, Utah. He competes in about 30 bicycle races each year, then hits the slopes when the snow starts to fall.

    “I still ski a lot. I still ski 70 days a year,” he said. “Cycling is my other passion. It’s turned into a life-long sport for me.”

    And that’s the point of the Southeast Idaho Senior Games. They provide many athletes a way to stay healthy and active in their later years. Thursday, many of these participants were racing in the criterium, but not for the same exact reasons as Walker. Their competition was between themselves and the finish line.

    “I think it’s great. It’s hope for the future,” said Tony Chesrow, Vice president of the Idaho Cycling Enthusiasts Club and Senior Games volunteer. “When I’m 80 years old, I want to be right here, doing this.”

    For others, the more serious contestants like Walker, the Games are another chance to scratch that competitive itch.

    Walker and Idaho Falls resident Gary Azevedo rode almost side-by-side during Thursday’s race up until the final lap. That’s when Walker kicked it into full gear around the last turn, looked back to make sure the win was his, and stormed across the finish line all alone.

    “Gary just took off from the gun and was pretty relentless,” Walker said. “I think his objective was to try and take the sprint out of me. I have big acceleration. He’s a triathlete and a big, strong guy.

    “It was on.”

    “(Those two) have that camaraderie, that one-upmanship,” Chesrow said.

    The victorious Walker, still looking like he could ride at least another half hour in the Holt Arena parking lot, began thinking about his next endeavor, his next challenge.

    “I’m headed to a swim meet in Portland, Ore. with my daughter on Tuesday,” he said.

    No rest for the weary. Then again, Walker likes it that way.

    “It’s a lifestyle,” he said. “At 58 years old, I can do anything I’ve ever done.”