“Deor Jenson: Pedaling the Word of Wisdom,” Ensign, Apr. 1988, 70
Deor Jenson: Pedaling the Word of Wisdom
The Sunday bicycle races went on without Deor Jenson, even though he had come all the way to Park City, Utah, from Fairbanks, Alaska.
He chose not to race in the 25-mile Criterion (a hilly, one-mile loop of the city streets), though he stood a chance of doing well.
“I did just what I came to do,” said the sinewy, 39-year-old jet pilot. He had come to Park City to qualify nationally, having won his age group’s district honors in Alaska. He needed to clock forty kilometers in under an hour, which is precisely what he did the day before the Criterion, coming in fifteenth out of 122 starters.
Keeping the Sabbath day holy and living the Word of Wisdom has helped Brother Jenson stay in good spiritual and physical condition. He rides two hundred miles a week much of the year (nearly six months of his biking is done indoors on rollers). When bikers nearly half his age express amazement at his condition and endurance, Deor has a chance to “shift gears and do a little missionary work.”
His physical conditioning is scientific yet pleasurable. He rises early every morning to exercise and eats no refined foods and very little fat. “We rotate our food storage quite easily with my biscuits and rice pudding,” he claims.
The very picture of discipline balanced with sincere warmth, Brother Jenson flies A-10 jets for the Air Force, serves on the high council, and enjoys outdoor sports with his family. Although he began bicycle racing only three years ago, he has made his mark quickly by being able to pedal and not be weary and to race and not faint.
Photography by Diane Evershed