I'm 26 years old and consider myself in decent shape. Maybe not the best, but decent. I try to make it to the gym three, four days a week, lift a little weights, run a few miles. You know, the basics.

But, man, I need to be in Jimmy Watkins shape. He's 26, about 6-1 (maybe 6-2), in top physical condition, has forearms the size of my calves, and is built like a fullback. Which makes sense when you think about it because that was Watkins' position at Stockdale High. In fact, in my interview with him, he told me he had planned to play football after high school at Bakersfield College but said he re-injured his shoulder the summer before in an all-star game, forcing him to think twice about it.

So he became a Kern County firefighter, started out as seasonal for a few years, then became full time in 2004. He knew he needed to stay in tip-top shape and so, in effect, began his cycling career. Now here he is just a few years later a national sprint champion.

What I wanted to do in this piece was tell the story of a guy who started cycling as a hobby, as a way just to stay in shape for his grueling job. But he found a strength in cycling, which made him take it seriously, and began competing, and eventually became one of the best. I also wanted to convey that Watkins has other top priorities and that cycling, even though he takes his training seriously now, is still just a side gig.

He's married and said he just bought his home on the northwest side of town, where I interviewed him. He's got two small dogs, one of them a dachshund I believe, and the other I'm not sure (both kept barking at us through the sliding window while we talked). And he mentioned that he and his wife are thinking about starting a family soon.

If he's cycling four years from now, he'll try for the Olympics. But he won't spend these next four years training specifically for London 2012. It sounds like Watkins will compete as long as he can, but it doesn't seem like the success will alter his life plans.

Hey, you can't fault a guy for having his priorities in line.

- You can read the story about Jimmy Watkins by clicking here.