It’s been way too long since I did an athlete spotlight! This one is for an athlete that started with me this year with the plan to race the self-support Trans America Race. Yeah…that’s correct…a race across the USA you do solo! While that event was unfortunately canceled he has stayed focused while we shifted his training towards shorter events. Enjoy learning a bit about Austin Key!
1) Athlete: Austin Key Discipline: Cycling Location: Adams Center, NY Coach: Noel Bonk
2) Tell us a little about yourself? I work for an Architecture and Engineering firm in Watertown. I love boating, playing with our Doberman and Lab/Pit dogs, and riding my bike.
3) How did you originally get into cycling? The father of the girl I dated in college was a crazy cyclist down in the Catskills. He bought me my first road bike for my 20th birthday. I spent the next 8 years just trying to catch up with him.
4) What was the hardest event you have ever done? How did you overcome it? Hardest event was Sapper School in the Army. It was 28 days of hell. There were three of us that were really good friends and we made a pact that only one of us per day could complain and the others had to stay positive. That camaraderie got us all through to graduation
5) What are your personal training/racing goals? Race goal is to compete in the Trans America Bike Race next year. I also want to win a 50 mile road event.
6) What your favorite route/ride or race? Favorite ride is anything along Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence Seaway
7) What’s one thing people are surprised to know about you? I have my ham radio license and went to Space Camp as a kid.
8) What do you find most challenging and rewarding about cycling? The better you get the faster and further you go, but it never gets easier. You’re always pushing the limits.
9) How has BonkWerx coaching helped you? Having someone in my corner to plan my training and guide me makes all the workouts easier because I know Noel has done the thinking for me. I just get to ride.
10) What’s your favorite training quote? Its an old one from my Cross-country days. There was one kid I raced against that was on another level. I could win races if he wasn’t there. I pinned a newspaper article about him to my closet door for motivation. The title was “Run silent, run deep.” To this day, I think of that every time I pass someone. I try to never let anyone see me breath hard when I pass them. A second one would be, “Strong people are harder to kill than weak ones.”
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