Looking Ahead

This time last winter I was finishing cyclocross season and starting base training for the upcoming year. The 2009 season didn’t work out the way I had planned, with health issues forcing me to miss most of the events I normally partcipate in. However, I've finished all of the cancer-related treatments, and I celebrated by racing the 2010 Texas Cyclocross Championships on January 16. Fittingly enough, the event proved to be a classic CX event with mud and more mud. What a great way to return to my favorite sport! If you want to get a sense of what the conditions were like, take a look at the pictures posted at http://cxmagazine.com/lonestar-cyclocross-austin-day-1.

January means trail running time here in San Angelo, with the three event Trail Running Series kicking off on January 23 and continuing with event #2 on Feb. 6 and the final race on Feb.20th. This year’s event is being directed by the San Angelo Road Lizards running club. There will be a long course race on each of the three event dates (10K, 12K, and 15K), in addition to a shorter 5K run on each date. If you haven’t given trail running a try, come on out – this is the most fun you’ll ever have with your running shoes on.

San Angelo will host the Texas short course duathlon championships on April 18. This event, Striders Duathlon, is one of the oldest and best multisport events in the state. The race will be a 5K run, 40K bike, 5K run, with the start/finish located in Middle Concho Park. The run course is on the roads in Middle Concho and the “Dirt Road from Hell” outside the back gate, with the bike course leaving Middle Concho and going to the turn around point at the base of the “big hill” on the Knickerbocker road.

The SABA road and mountain time trial series will kick off in April with the first road TT scheduled for April 3. Note that these events are scheduled for Saturdays this year. For more information, visit http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/events/calendar.html.

ASUFit was the subject of a nice article in the Standard Times last week. If you missed the article, click on this link to read it on-line. ASUFit is putting on a 70 day Spring Fitness Challenge starting January 31st that is open to the public. Take a look at the event information at and get your team signed up!

There are some great out of town events coming up this year. Here are a few to think about:
   * April 10-11: Fort Davis Hammerfest cycling stage race,
     www.txbra.org/db/events/2010FortDavis.pdf
   * April 11: Austin Statesman Capitol 10K,
     http://www.statesman.com/cap10k/
   * May 29-30: Mellow Johnny’s mountain bike classic,
      http://www.tmbra.org/
   * June 6: Fredericksburg road race,
      http://www.txbra.org/events/event.asp?EventID=1978
   * August 15: XTERRA Camp Eagle, http://www.xterraplanet.com/



UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

Jan 23: Trail Running Series race #1, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/SARLTrailSeries_2009.pdf.

February 6: Trail Running Series race #2, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/SARLTrailSeries_2009.pdf

February 20: Trail Running Series race #3, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/SARLTrailSeries_2009.pdf