Put the Pedal to the Metal: How training for a 100 mile ride and an opera go together

Indianapolis Opera Ensemble tenor, Jon Jurgens started cycling in 2001, before he was a singer of any sort (Jon is a latecomer to the world of opera and didn’t start singing at all, not even in choir, until he was almost 20 years old). Today singing and physical fitness are tied together in his life. The discipline that it requires to train for a long-distance bike ride carries into his practicing. Singing is a workout and being in good shape, physically, benefits Jon’s opera career as well as his physical health.

The last role that Jon sang was Ruggero from La Rondine. “That role is a marathon. Very physical. You need to be in shape for it,” Jon says. “Learning to manage a large operatic role is very similar to training for a long ride. Pacing yourself, for example. You don’t sing the entire role. You sing it in small sections. If I’m training for a 100-mile ride, I don’t just get on the bike and ride 100 miles. You break it down into small increments first. For example, if you give it all in the first 60 miles of a ride, you have nothing left for the last 40 miles. Similarly, the final aria in La Rondine is exhausting. If you give it all in Act II, you don’t have anything left for the final aria. ”

Jon’s interest in cycling started when he found an old road bike in a friend’s basement. His friend hadn’t cycled in years and Jon’s enthusiasm got them both biking again. The first ride they took together was 25 miles. Today Jon is training to do a double-century ride, with a goal of doing a 200 miles in just one day. His singing career is rather active right now as well – for the first five months of 2012, he will be Indianapolis Opera’s resident tenor. Immediately after that, he’ll travel to Des Moines, Iowa to be a part of the Des Moines Metro Opera young artist program. Being busy as a singer is both a blessing and a curse – it’s great to have consistent work, but that means that he’s too busy to do traditional cycling training programs or sign up for group races. Jon imagines that his double century ride will probably be solo, something he organizes when he has time between gigs; he’s looking forward to it.

So how will Jon train while he’s here in Indiana, busy taking the IO touring children’s opera all over the state? Jon laughs at this. First of all, it’s winter here. Secondly, Indiana is flat. He’ll cross-train indoors, he says. Runners make good cyclists, so he’ll hit the treadmill and then immediately get onto an exercise bike. He also owns a stationary training bike that he’s got set up in his house and he’s considering starting p90x, a regimented workout program, to strengthen his core. Even though cycling seems like a leg- centric exercise, core strength is essential and improves your riding ability. He’s going to get the rest of the Ensemble into it, too. So watch out! It’s not over till our fit ladies (and men) sing!