Bastide qualifies for U.S. Senior Olympics

Orrington’s Marcel Bastide has once again qualified for the U.S. Senior Olympics.

This time the transplanted Frenchman will be competing in the 5K, 10K, 20K, and 40K bicycle races when the Olympics are held in Hampton, Va., at the end of May 2003. Bastide won all four events at the Maine qualifier for the Senior Olympics at Kennbunk on Sept. 8.

Bastide won a gold medal in the 20K race, 50-59 age group, at the 2001 games in Baton Rouge, La.

Bastide, 58, said he was visiting in southwestern France on Sept. 5 when he learned that the qualifiers were to be held in three days. He had booked a round-trip flight with Air France but learned that the airline’s pilots were on strike. After switching to American Airlines, he finally arrived back in Maine the day before the qualifying races.

“I was tired,” Bastide said. “But I was also extremely motivated.”