REDMOND — He still remembers daydreaming of cycling as a student at the University of Washington.

That was long before Lance Armstrong’s total dominance of the greatest race on earth or even Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France  who put America on the world-class cyclist map.

Manchester resident Aaron Berntson does not compete anywhere near that level of LeMond or Armstrong but in a sense, he is pursuing his passion from college. And doing it well.

Last month, Berntson won the gold medal in the scratch race in the 45- to 49-year-old classification in the 2012 USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. A scratch is where riders compete in a specified distance and the order of finish determines the winner.

In Colorado, Berntson also teamed with the Slalom Consulting trio of Matt Haldeman, Eric Johnson and Pete Baughman to finish fourth in the team pursuit at the championships.

“It’s been the realization of a lifelong fantasy,” said Berntson, who works as a software salesman. “I had the drive [to be a competitive cyclist], just not the engine.”

That is part of the reason why Berntson was surprised to place first in the scratch race at the Masters, which is open to people who are at least 35 years old.

“It is funny because I’m not a sprinter,” he said.

Berntson, 47, entered this season with three goals. He already won the state time trial in the 40-kilometer race for his age group and medaled at nationals. That left advancing to the next classification level and becoming a Category I Internally Ranked cyclist. Berntson, who travels from his home roughly twice per week to compete at the Marymoor Velodrome Association in Redmond, hopes to earn enough points to accomplish that by the end of the season.

To help with those goals, Berntson enlisted Kenny Williams as his coach. Williams, who won the 1999 national criterium title at the U.S. Cycling Federation Road Cycling Championships, is one of the sport’s most accomplished amateur competitors.

“I knew he was a stronger rider who had potential,” Williams said.

In order to realize that potential, Williams felt Berntson needed to be more efficient with his workouts. Williams said, “he likes to work too hard” in some ways, but was not doing enough in other areas. He encouraged Berntson to have shorter, “hard-effort workouts,” and to start weightlifting and taking yoga classes.

“The yoga helps with keeping a lot of balance between the core and cycling-specific muscles,” Berntson said.

Another significant factor has been staying healthy. A March 2010 crash resulted in Berntson fracturing his collarbone and three ribs. Six months later, he broke the other side of his collarbone and two ribs. Both accidents occurred when Berntson was tangled up in the wheel of another cyclist.

“I got all of my breaking out of me,” said Berntson, laughing.

Berntson long has competed in cycling events, including the old 90-mile Tahuya-Seabeck-Tahuya Road Race a decade ago, but only became a regular in 2010.

“I started racing 2 1/2 years ago as a lark to get my buddy into it,” he said. “He raced for a little while and then work got crazy.”

Instead, it was Berntson who could not move away from the sport. He knows that time eventually will come — Berntson and his wife and have children ranging from 8 to 15 years old — but he said he is thankful that he is able to pursue his hobby for now.

“I’ve had amazing support from my family,” he said. “They’ve made sacrifices for me.”