Category: cycling

I saw on the Shiner GASP web page today that the ride has been permanently cancelled. This used to be a 100(ish) mile ride from Austin to Shiner, with some beer and brats at the brewery after the ride, then it moved to an out and back from Shiner where they added 25 and 50 mile courses. And now, it is no more.

This is sad news. I rode the distance from Austin to Shiner four times, then skipped many a year after it switched to the out and back. In 2021 I rode the 50 miler when they moved the event to the Fall due to the COVID lockdown. In 2022 they had the ride on my son’s birthday in April, so I skipped it. I’d planned on riding 100 miles this year, but now that it’s permanently cancelled, that’s a non-starter.

They gave no specific reasons for canceling the ride, but I’d speculate that cost and insurance play a role, and maybe boorish behavior by some riders. Maybe traffic became an issue, though the out and back avoids the problems with traffic from Austin (even thought it started in East Austin and I never saw issues with traffic along that course). Possibly the brewery and its owners decided it was time. Who knows. All that matters is that a classic Central Texas bike ride no longer exists.

Saturday, November 2nd I cycled in the 30th annual Tour de Gruene. This was my first time riding Tour de Gruene, though I had heard of it for many years. 2013 essentially was the first year I did any major bike rides, having focused on running until some injuries forced me onto the bike.

Tour de Gruene begins from the tiny town of Gruene in Central Texas, rides into the edges of the Hill Country, and returns along the scenic River Road along the Guadalupe River. A week prior to the event torrential rains raised the river level ten feet and washed out part of the road, but county crews quickly repaired the damage. Aside from some water still trickling on the road from higher ground, there was no visible sign of damage. Over 2,000 cyclists participated, and the event was split into four distances, ranging from 35 to 65 miles. I chose the 65 mile route, which was advertised as “hilly” and “challenging.” They did not lie. Continue reading

The past three months I have focused almost exclusively on cycling. For over two years I ran on average five times a week, until a foot injury forced me to slow and then eventually stop running. I keep hoping that not running will let it heal, but so far that hasn’t happened to the point where I can run again. So, since I’ve completed a few triathlons I figured I would work on cycling.

Whereas with running I just throw on some decent running shoes and some clothes that won’t hurt me while I sweat, with cycling there’s a lot more preparation. Living in the suburbs there are few open roads, so I have to drive at least 20 minutes, often more. More equipment goes into cycling. Then, once I’m in the country, cars still zoom past (some fairly close, but most move over), though there are some great roads with very little traffic. With cycling you get to see more, since it’s easier to ride great distances than run them. I don’t feel quite as alive as when running, since my heart rate never elevates to the same level.

I usually ride solo during the week, and then on Sunday join a local group ride. When I started riding with the group I ended up somewhere in the middle. I usually got dropped by the fast group – the hammerheads, as I call them – after four miles or so. I also found I was a little faster than the next group, and so I’d end up riding solo for 90% of the “group” ride. But the way to improve is to challenge yourself and have others challenge you, and lately I find I can hang with the fast group, except when climbing hills. At this point my speed drops, and I fall further and further back. When I conquer the hills I will have reached the next level. When on the flats and downhill I’m almost a hammerhead myself, but a junior hammerhead.

I have a great deal to learn about cycling, both solo and in groups, but I’m hoping that if I’m ever able to enter another triathlon all this effort will pay off on the bike. In the meantime, I’m learning just to enjoy riding more, and trying hard not to think that I’d rather be running.

Bike helmets are promoted as critical to rider safety. For time when falls are imminent threats (kids, races), that might true. But should you be forced to carry a helmet every time you hop on the bike? With bike shares popping up in cities everywhere, this is maybe not as stupid as it sounds. Aside from the libertarian position that you should be able to decide whether or not you want to wear a helmet, if you want to take a one-way bike trip, carrying a helmet can be a pain. As a cyclist I wear my helmet most of the time, especially on rides where I can reach fast speeds, or on roads with car traffic. Just running an errand in the neighborhood? Sometimes I leave the helmet at home.

In October 2012 I rode 160 miles over the span of two days, as part of the MS 150 in central Texas. The first day I rode 103 miles (three of those by mistake when I took a wrong turn). On May 4th this year I plan to ride my second Century, the Shiner G.A.S.P. which is a 100 mile ride from Austin to Shiner.

I am considering riding the Bergen-Voss 100 mile (160km) bike ride one year, possibly 2013 or 2014 if I can work out the expense and logistics. I’ve cycled that far once in my life, and though I’m currently in the middle of marathon training for a January endurance event of 39.3 miles in one weekend, I hope to resume bike training thereafter and maybe get on track for a long ride up three mountains in western Norway. My family is originally from the Bergen area, and I’ve lived in Bergen and visited Voss. I’ve driven the route in a car many times, or at least large portions of it, and it’s a daunting route. My brother cycled it this year, so if everything works out I’ll ride it with him one year.

This year I added more cycling into my exercise routine. In 2011 I finished my first triathlon, a short or “sprint” distance that included a 10 mile bike ride. Prior to the triathlon I barely trained on my bike, and it showed. Prior to around 10 years ago I rode fairly often around Austin on my road bike, but I quit to focus on other things. Since I resumed running in 2009 and pushed that from casual 2-3 miles twice a week to at times 50+ miles a week, with a race here and there, and to date three marathons, I figured that incorporating cycling as cross-training might benefit my running. Adding triathlons then seemed a way to motivate me to stay on the bike, and also add swimming as another form of exercise.

I even bought a new road bike, to replace the one that I faithfully rode for 10 years, upgrading to a Cannondale CAAD10. While not carbon fiber, this bike takes off like a rocket when you apply any power, at least on flats and downhills. I find that my leg muscles that were so finely adjusted to running aren’t necessarily to my advantage when I climb hills. Still, I’ve working on increasing my mileage, going from 20 mile bike rides to 50+, then 75+, then a couple of a weeks ago 103 miles in one day, followed by 58 the next.

This marathon bike ride took place in an event called MS150, one of several such in Texas. This event, from San Antonio to New Braunfels and back over a weekend, aims to raise funds to find a cure for multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease. I rode as part of a group, though during the ride the group fractured due to different cycling levels, like many of the other groups in the ride. The first day gave the riders a choice of 70 or 100 miles, also called a century in cycling lingo. I’ve wanted for many years to finish a century, but never thought it possible. Due to a wrong turn on my part while riding alone, I ended up riding three extra miles. In retrospect, I’m not 100% it counts as a century, as the trip contained many rest stops, including one for lunch, and we took advantage of every single stop. The ride for the most part appeared relaxed, despite spending more than six hours in the saddle. The pain emerged around mile 80, when trying to catch up my group after my wrong turn, and then dealing with fatigue, anger, and hills the final 10 miles. I don’t think a shower ever felt as good as that night, after finally getting to the hotel from the finish line.

The next day I expected to be sore and tired, but we took off from New Braunfels early Sunday morning after a rain delay, and the first five miles zipped along. I passed several cyclists; it was not a race, but I had told the family I would be home by a certain time, and having started two hours after schedule, I had to make up for lost time. Then the hills arrived, and the headwinds, and my pace slowed to a crawl. Rather than skipping the rest stops this time as planned, I staggered into each one, drained by the constant wind and the endless small climbs. Not until the wind turned and the roads flattened the last few miles did I managed to return to my planned pace. Still, having covered the distance of a half-Ironman and more in a couple of days, I think I am ready to ramp up my triathlon training in 2013 and aim for a half-Ironman. The mental barrier is gone, and now I just need to combine all three events in one day, which no doubt is easier said than done.