ALAMO — Though now in their very early 60s, Rick and Suzanne Cordes have no plans to ease their grueling training sessions of 5K runs followed by steep uphill bicycle rides.
After all, their high-octane lifestyle was rewarded again when they recently nabbed the 2021 USA Duathlon National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“We’ll go out to a nice dinner (after a competition) and have a few glasses of wine, or we’ll have a donut,” Rick Cordes said in an interview. Then it’s back to work.
The lifelong Bay Area residents have been competitively cycling for years, winning multiple times. At last month’s national duathlon (bicycling and running), 61-year-old Suzanne placed first in two races and 60-year-old Rick notched a pair of second-place finishes in their respective 60-65 age gender groups.
They will now compete as part of Team USA at a global event in Australia next year and would have headed to the Netherlands in the coming months had the coronavirus pandemic not forced that event’s cancellation.
For some, the stay-home health orders were an excuse to scale back exercise routines, but the couple kept up their regimen throughout the year, avoiding treats and regularly cycling to the top of Mount Diablo, near their home in Alamo.
“There’s no way I could stay in and not go out, knowing the benefits of sunshine and staying active,” Suzanne said in an interview.
The couple trains…
