Durata Training Athlete Bob Cowley is looking to secure an entry in the Rise Across Texas Challenge, a charity ride that will cross the state from the eastern border to the west. To support Bob and his fundraising efforts, click here. From March 6-20, 2010, 50 cyclists will cover 800 Texas miles, starting in Orange and finishing in […]
It’s about that time for many of us. The end of the season is here or is right around the corner. In Austin, the end of the season never seems “finite” as it is not marked by the start of ski season as it was in Colorado.
Here, many people take the “off-season” to train running or even to focus on a marathon. It’s a great shift of focus, but not quite the same as truly taking some downtime and maintaining fitness by getting away from the swimming, cycling and running routine. That being said, I think it is so important to do something different during the off-season. Break from the routine. Explore some other activities.
Back in 2006, when we moved to Austin, I got into climbing. Derick bought me some climbing shoes, a harness and all the basics that I needed. I got a local gym membership and for a month, I spent my evenings scrambling around the rocks, looking for the biggest holds and feeling pretty cool (until I realized there were ‘real’ climbers there who actually knew what they were doing). I finally got outside on real rock with our friend John a few months later, and boy did I suck. I recall getting to one spot and just standing there, trying to reach up for another hold with my leg quivering. To my credit, it was wet and very slippery so maybe I did not suck that bad, but it was pretty humbling. I guess the gym fooled me into believing I actually knew what I was doing. I was also doing some Bikram Yoga at the time, and I simply noticed that my body felt different (read: lean, dehydrated, water-loss- lighter). But, it was kind of cool to take a month or two in the winter here to explore some other activities. I was still running, cycling and swimming but much less and really just enough to make me feel good. You know, sane amounts of exercise.
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Durata Athletes and some of the strongest riders in the Texas peloton Kevin Kremke and John Korioth teamed up this year for the annual Tour de Gruene two man Time Trial. The pair obliterated the competition, catching teams that started over 2min ahead of them and coming scintillating close to the course record set by John Korioth and Lance Armstrong last year. Here’s an interview with Kevin on the race […]
The state championship road race was not really a major goal for me in this, my first season. After crashing out of the Tour of Austin and spending the following month barely training while my bike was being mended, I assumed I was not in top condition and finishing at all seemed like a long shot. So little was I thinking about the podium that I did not even muster up the energy to warm up more than the ride to the start line, but sometimes things just work out. I am not one for wet and windy descents so I lost postion on all the downhills, but my 130 lb frame easily caught back up when the road leveled out or pointed upwards. It was clear to me from the start that of all the pack, my former teammates Cody foster and Zach Bergh would be the ones to beat so I stuck to them like white on rice. But in the one instant I was not with Cody or Zach, Cody’s wheel slipped on a white line and the two were down in a flash.
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