While you may be fit from a cardiovascular standpoint, focusing on cycling without agility training doesn’t do anything for your ability to maintain your balance on an icy sidewalk, for example.

Gannon created a climate-controlled agility training facility, McFarlin converted his yard into a training course and Etheridge trains at the Lucky Dog Training Center near Tyler.

The key to a good agility program is exercises that quickly change direction, said Milica McDowell, a physical therapist in Montana.