You have two options for getting your bike to Austin -- bring it on the airplane or ship it.  Either way you should pack your bike into a padded hardcase beforehand.  Your local bike shop can ofen rent you a box and can carefully pack your bike for a fee.

If you ship your bikes to Austin then we’ll have them assembled and waiting.  We ask that you include a what UPS calls a “return ticket” with the shipment so that return shipping is already paid for.  (We cover labor to unbox/assemble/tune/dissemble/box the bike but don’t cover shipping.)

If you bring your bikes on the airplane then we’ll have plenty of room for them when we pick you up in our van.  We can also unbox/assemble/tune/dissemble/box the bike for you in this case.  There is a reasonably current list of airline bike fees here. They vary wildly from airline to airline, from $50 to $225 each way.

Shipping should be cheaper & logistically easier for you but it means that you are without your bikes for a few days before & after the trip. 

We strive to provide a fantastic and memorable experience for athletes of all abilities.  Our pro staff can ride with you for as long or as hard as you like, but we're here to accomodate you and to make it your best training vacation ever.

Depending on the variety of athletes at the Ranch on any given day, we sometimes offer multiple ride options of varying distances.  Each group is accompanied by a staff member, either on a bike or in our follow car -- and often both.

Swim and run workouts are easier to customize.  Runs will mostly be about volume this time of year and our preferred running routes offer a choice of easy-to-follow routes.  For example, the Town Lake Trail runs along both side of the river/lake in the middle of town for about 7 miles.  You can choose between 6 different bridges in order to create a run loop between 1.5 and 13 miles in length.  And yes, this trail is all dirt so it is easy on your knees!

As for swimming, we can travel to the pools together but we need not all do the same workout once we are there.  Barton Springs, for example, is conducive to swimming 400m "laps."  Faster swimmers might swim up to 10 or 12 laps in a session while slower swimmers might do 3 or 4.  The pools are close to our house, too, so it is easy to go longer/shorter or at a different time of day than the gorup if you want to "double dip," so to speak.

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Eventually our artist will be doing a bigger run of t-shirts as well as some musette bags for snack hand-ups. But for now you can check out our Cafe Press store at www.cafepress.com/EnduranceRanch.

We strive to ensure that all of your training needs are taken care of in the all-inclusive package.  This means that lodging, meals, snacks, training food, ground transportation and basic mechanical support are all covered.  We also want to give you a taste of Austin during this trip, so expect that a Tex Mex meal and a BBQ meal at local restaurants will be included.  We cover entry fees to any parks or pools, whether we go for training or for "recovery." We cover some morning coffee stops and some evening desserts.

But there are some extraordinary circumstances which could lead to additional out of pocket expenses.

• For a bar night, we'll drive the interested folks to and from the bar and may spring for a round but can't promise to cover the whole tab.
• Similarly, we'll pay cover or admission for entertainment events but probably won't buy you any souvenirs.
• If some campers want to go explore an attraction outside of town on their own, they may need to find their own supplemental ground transportation. We'll try to get you there when possible.
• If you have a major mechanical issue with your bike while in town, we'll help you get it fixed quickly and competently. But we will have to charge you for parts!

The camper:staff ratio during a typical week at the Endurance Ranch is 8 campers to 3 staff members.  This allows for campers to have a lot of interaction with the staff.  We generally do most of our training together, but this high staff:camper ratio lets us break into smaller groups at times.

During our longer group rides, we generally put one staff member on a bike at the front of the group so that we stay on course.  Another staff member rides towards the middle or back of the group if things break up.  The third staff member drives our awesome Support Van.

Our house is located in the Travis Heights neighborhood in South Austin.  What's nearby?
 * Stacy Pool is 2-3 blocks away -- a short walk!
 * South Congress Ave is 0.7 miles away
 * the nearest point on the Town Lake Trail is 1.1 miles away
 * our bike shop partner, Austin Tri-Cyclist, is 2.3 miles away
 * the famous Sixth Street entertainment district is 2.6 miles away
 * the flagship Whole Foods Market is 3.2 miles away
 * the nearest grocery store, HEB, is 1.0 miles away
 * the back entrance to Barton Springs Pool is 3.1 miles away
 * Austin-Bergstrom International airport is 6.2 miles away

Pictures are coming soon.