Charley French is no ordinary athlete. He set a record at the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii. He competed in 200-plus triathlons. He biked France’s most grueling bike routes. And, as an engineer for Scott, he debuted the early version of bicycle handlebars that put bodies in aerodynamic tucks, later bending Greg Lemond’s bicycle bars to help him win the Tour de France.
Now in his 90s, Charley French is still out there skiing on the Nordic tracks north of Ketchum. And a couple hundred Nordic racers are expected to take part in the Charley Course Half Boulder named for Charley when the 51st annual Zions Boulder Mountain Tour takes place on Feb. 3.
Eye on Sun Valley’s Karen Bossick sat down with Charley French a couple years ago to get a peek at his many accomplishments. And her only regret is that she couldn’t begin to get anywhere close to all of them in!