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Interview with Dan Okenfuss,
Dan Okenfuss, loyal and dedicated member of SFP, welcomes you to northern California! After ten years in the Washington metro area, Dan moved last September to California to be closer to his girlfriend Ericka. Now a resident of Sacramento - the California state capital - Dan works as a legislative aide for a member of the California State Assembly. Sacramento is located in north-central California - equidistant from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the east and the San Francisco Bay Area to the west [pictured here]. Actually, if you drive on US 50 for about 3,000 miles, you'll run into Sacramento. In Sacramento, one enjoys close proximity to many California pursuits. It is very possible to go skiing in the morning, grab lunch at a Napa winery and be on a Pacific beach for the afternoon - all in the same day! Come visit! Life is good here! 40,000,000 people (and rising) can't be wrong!
Online Interview - 2001
SFP Editor: How long have you been biking, and how long have you been training for the ride? Dan: My biking inspiration is my oldest brother. He got me hooked on the sport. I have been biking actively since I moved out to the DC area in 1993. Training has been going very well. Since June, I have biked over 500 miles on official and unofficial training rides in DC, Maryland and Virginia. I even biked with my brother in July somewhere in southern Missouri. Up until last week, I was training on my first bike - a KHS mountain bike (www.khsbicyles.com) that I modified over the years to make it lighter and faster. Now I have a Bike Friday (www.bikefriday.com) - a collapsible bike that has been custom-built for my stature. With its advanced frame and components, I can ride like the wind! SFP Editor: What is the most challenging about training for a 111-mile one-day bike ride? Dan: Time in the saddle! I am figuring that I will be riding my bike for close to ten hours on race day. That's ten hours on a seat the size of a banana! Therefore, my training rides increase in time and distance every week to literally prepare my ass for El Tour. SFP Editor: Where is you favorite place to bike and why? Dan: Believe it or not, my favorite place to bike is my route to work, which is about 9 miles between Arlington and Capitol Hill of D.C. My commute takes me past Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Mall, the Capitol and Union Station. Biking gives you time to soak in these wonderful sights - you can't do that riding Metro or driving. SFP Editor: What is your ultimate biking goal? Dan: To be the best cyclist in the world! (That means beating 3-time defending champion Lance Armstrong in the 2002 Tour de France.) SFP Editor: What do you do when you are not biking? Dan: I am probably at home in my kitchen cooking up that ultimate cycling training beverage from scratch. It is completely nourishing, 100% natural, and loaded in carbohydrates - it's called beer. I am following in the footsteps of my German ancestors in the brewing trade. But when I am not home-brewing, I am probably on a jet plane to some exotic vacation location. SFP Editor: What advice can you give beginning bikers? Dan: Start out with a basic hybrid bicycle. It gives you the flexibility to bike on-road or off-road without breaking your wallet. Get a feel for the area's many biking trails. Then when you have honed your technical skills, upgrade to a better mountain bike or road bike, depending on your interest. SFP Editor: What do expect to be the most exciting part about your trip to the upcoming Tour de Tucson Ride? Dan: Riding with a great bunch of friends from my Team In Training crew who I have bonded with over the past six months. Together, we have dedicated a lot of time and physical effort since July to fighting leukemia and lymphoma cancers. [Team In Training is my cycling training program sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (http://www.tntdc.org/html/events/tucson.html) I have raised close to $5000 in donations to benefit the Society as part of my team commitment.] |
