How I keep fit

How I keep fit

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By FIDEL “DOGO” OVAS JR.

What is your daily regimen to keep yourself fit?
I do the trails around here on my mountain bike. I also play basketball in our neighborhood for stamina and endurance.

Why do you love to MTB? What do you get out of biking?
I love biking so much because it takes me to places without spending for gas. I can go explore nature without using a motorcycle or a four-wheel vehicle. I enjoy sight-seeing while riding my mountain bike, and negotiating through the highly-technical single-tracks up and down mountain slopes. Sometimes we have to carve our own trails. While riding my mountain bike, it gives me a lot of positive vibe. And even after every bike ride, the excitement remains. Through this posrt, I have met a lot of local and foreign bikers, inspiring me even more.

What techniques/tips can you share with those who want to start riding a mountain bike?
For beginners, you can set your focus first; you have to know what you want to accomplish. Understand what your body is capable of doing, and discover your own capacity for strength. There’s time to develop and attain your goals/dream. No rush. Because it really takes time to develop stamina, and to work on your endurance. I started biking seriously when I was 13 years old, so I have been doing this for more than 20 years already.

What inspired you to learn swimming and running competitively, and compete in triathlons?
As a MTB’er with ONe Bikers (Oriental Negros Bikers), I met other runners-bikers like businessman Sir John Cabrera who started training for triathlons. Before I knew it, I was being encouraged to join training sessions with TriONe (Triathletes of Oriental Negros) whose members were mostly local businessmen and medical doctors. Maybe I didn’t realize it then but I think what inspired me to train was the fact that I wanted to do more [than just biking], I wanted to push myself, and that somehow, I had the feeling I could do better. I wanted to explore other sporting disciplines, and discover what more I can actually do as a person. And then by that time, I had already met many friends who were convincing me to give triathlons a try. But the main person who was telling me to go, just do it was my father Fidel Ovas, now 58 years old, who was my first inspiration to achieve my dreams.

How did you learn to swim? Who trained you?
With the help of Coach Nick [Jorolan] and Coach Michael [Jorolan], they trained me well to become a strong and fast swimmer. I remember in our first-ever training at the Teves Aqua Center pool, my MTB friend Tolits Albina and I were already about to give up because it just seemed like the hardest thing we were made to do in our limited experience. We always thought of swimming as “just easy” to keep afloat at the Banica River in barangay Cadawinonan. But Sir John (who has migrated to Canada), Dr. Daryl Aplaon, and Dr. Simon Flores told me, “Never give up! We can do this!”

What do you do when you are not traning for a competition? How do you relax?

I’m really a nature-lover so I do treks to Mt. Talinis, stay there overnight or two nights on the weekend. Now I can guide other people to help them hike up to Mt. Talinis. I’m also a lover of adventure; I can just follow a trail I’m not familiar with, walk along the riverbanks, and follow wherever the water leads me. I also go open water scuba diving with my partner, Bray.

How has your sport helped you personally? How has it improved your life?

Discipline and to stay focus on what you do , determination and passion as well focus on what will become.


What does your family think about your love for extreme biking?

I started on my BMX [bicycle motocross] way back 1999 when I was in high school; I was 14 years old. I’ve been biking for more than two decades now, with my two brothers in our team — Rendel and Evarie [who eventually married all-time champion MTB’er Jemely “Tibiw” Dinopol]. My big family was our first-ever supportive crew. They have been showing us approval by being our water crew or as spectators. They embrace us whole-heartedly for what we are good at doing. It’s always fun in a big family like that.

What is your dream? Is there still anything you would like to achieve in the near future?
I’m a 34-year-old bachelor. Given the chance before I retire, I would love to be part of an international team like that of Lance Armstrong to compete in the Tour de France. Libre ang mangandoy…..

_____________________________

Dogo Ovas Jr. is a veteran mountain biker in Negros Oriental. He has earned podium finishes (either as champion, 2nd or 3rd) in various competitions like Xterra 2017 and 2018, Karera Habagat in 2016; and has completed the 500-kilometer Giro d’ Luca, LBC Ronda Pilipinas in 2011, Ironman 2013, and Tabuelan 2013. While he’s busy building himself a house, he also helps manage Bray’s AdvenTours Services. His partner lovingly teases him that Dogo may look like your local thug but that he’s the most soft-hearted and most industrious person one would ever know.

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