Kyle And Rachel Strait

When Kyle and Rachel met in 2012, Kyle—a freeride phenom who won Red Bull’s notorious Rampage at age 17, in 2004—was burned out. Rachel, the 2006 junior national cross-country champion, was switching to enduro, stage races where riders are timed only during downhill sections. The pair, who married last year, found that they helped one another with their performance weaknesses. Kyle went on to win the 2013 Rampage, and Rachel now competes in the Enduro World Series. 

- Peter Vigneron

Play to Your Partner’s Strengths

RACHEL: “My training is much more structured than Kyle’s. I work with a coach, and if he tells me to do something easy on a particular day, like a two-hour ride, Kyle comes along. He’ll critique me on the down, and I’ll push him on the climb.”

KYLE: “When Rachel and I started hanging out, she was returning to the sport, just like I was, so she had a fire. It helped to have a partner who wanted to train and ride. Any time I ride on trails with her, I struggle. That for me is training.”

Focus on More than Just Fitness