LEWISTON — A recently retired Bates College professor who was one of the nation's top senior cyclists has died while en route to a bike racing event in Kentucky.

Dick Williamson, 62, died Tuesday night or Wednesday morning while sleeping in a Shippensburg, Pa., hotel room as he and his wife Debbie, also a competitive cyclist, were headed to the National Senior Games in Louisville.

Initial indications were that Williamson suffered a heart attack, the Sun Journal newspaper in Lewiston reported.

The cycling community in the Lewiston-Auburn area was stunned by the news. Friends said Williamson, who trained year-round and ran for exercise, was in phenomenal shape and an inspiration to men and women half his age.

"He was one of the most hard-core athletes around," said Richard Marchessault, who had been riding with Williamson for 15 years. "He was as dedicated as anyone. This is the last thing we would have expected. We have never seen him ail at all."

Williamson also achieved success in the academic world, where he taught French at Bates College for 30 years. He also coached men's hockey, a sport he played during his years at Yale University.

He was named "outstanding teacher of French in Maine" in 1994, and earned accolades at home and from the French government, which lauded his support of the language.

Williamson never had a problem combining the passions of his life, according to friends. He rode with his students, at one time making a 600-mile trek with a pair of them.

Fellow cyclist John Grenier of Rainbow Bicycle and Fitness said Williamson would walk into the Auburn shop greeting everyone loudly, boisterously in the French language he so loved.

"When he came into a room, everybody knew it," Grenier said. "He'd brighten up our day when he'd come into our shop. He was a jolly guy, always very enthusiastic with everyone."

Members of the Maine Cycling Club had a moment of silence Wednesday night for Williamson and said they will look at ways to honor him, perhaps by naming a race in his memory.