Ken Fuller Doesn’t Put On Brakes En Route to Becoming Best : Cycling: Road racer and criterion titlist, who made his mark with blazing speed, competes in the 1990 Masters World Cup today in San Diego.

When Ken Fuller was 28 and fresh off his tour of duty with the 1976 U.S. Olympic cycling team, a gangly teen-ager approached him one day and began asking questions.

The kid wondered about Fuller’s training routine. He asked how to deal with certain competitive situations and strategies. Fuller patiently answered him.

The teen-ager was Greg LeMond, and he apparently asked the right man the right questions. LeMond, the winner of the Tour de France the past two years, is regarded as one of the best cyclists in the sport’s history.

And Fuller can take a little bit of credit for that.

“I coached him when he was younger,” Fuller said. “I wasn’t his full-time coach, but he used to come up to me after races I had won.”

Fuller, now 42, dominates the masters division (35 years and older) the way LeMond rules the Tour de France. Fuller is the masters division world champion in road racing and the national champion in the criterion, which is a race of about 25 miles around a tight course that features high speeds and emphasizes cornering skills.

It is Fuller’s skill in the criterion, an American invention, that will be tested today in the 1990 Masters World Cup of Cycling Championship at San Diego. This event marks the first time international competition will be held in the event.

If Fuller wins, which he is favored to do, it will be his second world championship of the year.

But it’s not just that Fuller wins, it’s the way he wins. He pulls away from the competition the way a prized thoroughbred pulls away from the field after the final turn. He enjoys pedaling up hills, and he has the ability to reach speeds that don’t seem possible on a bicycle.

In fact, after he set a course record at one of the time trials before the world championships in St. Johann, Austria, the German riders protested. According to Fuller, they accused him of drafting behind a car to cut down on wind resistance. The protest was denied, but it served as motivation for Fuller in a later preliminary race.

“I decided to attack early because I was mad at these guys,” he said. True to his word, Fuller cruised to an easy victory.

All of which set the tone for this year’s World Championship last month in St. Johann. Fuller won the title in 1985, but finished 12th in ’87. His schedule didn’t allow him to compete in 1986 or ’88.

Fuller began his push midway through the 120-kilometer race and peddled to a comfortable 1-minute 15-second lead with 20 kilometers to go. But instead of easing up, Fuller kept pushing hard until only 300 meters remained and no other cyclists were in sight. He eased up and crossed the finish line in a course-record 2 hours 48 minutes.

Fuller, who became the first U.S. rider to win the event twice, credits his success to training and attitude.

He pedals between 350 and 400 miles per week. Working as a real estate broker in Anaheim Hills, Fuller often rides his bike instead of driving a car to look at property or to deliver business papers. He also trains with younger members of the Canyon Velo team of Anaheim Hills.

“There’s more of a challenge riding with the younger guys,” he said.

While training is important, Fuller’s greatest asset might be his attitude.

“He’s real aggressive and a real smart rider,” said Joel Austin, a 22-year-old member of the Canyon Velo team who is one of Fuller’s newest proteges. “I’ve seen times where people would try to pass him on the inside, and when you go on the inside the fence begins to angle in with the next curve. I’ve seen Kenny just sit there and hold his line until either the person passing had to hit his brakes or he’d go flying into the fence.

“He pushes himself hard and pushes me hard,” Austin said. “He’s teaching me a lot.”

But don’t expect to see Fuller in a pair of coaching shorts with a stopwatch anytime soon. He has his sights set on the 1992 Olympic Trials.

“I just want to see for myself if I can still be competitive,” Fuller said. “I think most of the top riders think the same thing, they like the competition. I know I like the competition.

“I usually don’t go to a race unless I’m there to win.”