The Only B

It was Mother’s Day, and I anticipated a small turnout for the Sunday club ride. But riders kept pulling into the parking lot in front of Starbucks. As we sat around the outdoor tables before the ride, there was a lot of good-natured banter. But once the women riders started to come in, New York John said it was time to stop.

“We sound like a buncha construction workers from the ’50s,” he said. He was right.

I was starting to get concerned. The women — Janice, Pippa, and Judy — are all pretty fast. All the guys were fast. When the club president said we should get going, it was apparent that I was the only B-level rider out today.

We always start out easy. I rode at the front with Joe, the president, and we talked about my rear wheel. Our club mechanic had it all day Saturday, and told me it was on its last legs.

“If you replace the rim, the hub is still shot,” he said. “If you replace the hub, the rim is in bad shape.” He said I should start shopping for a new rear wheel.

Joe offered to lend me a set of American Classics he has in his garage.

“It’s nothing imminent,” I said.

“That’s not the point,” he answered. “Use this time to try out some different wheels. You’ll find out what you don’t like, as well as what might work for you.”

I think I might take him up on that offer.

The riders separated at the first big hill, about three miles into the ride. By now, I was in my accustomed place — at the rear. But Joe’s wife, Judy, wasn’t much ahead of me. She had ridden a killer club ride yesterday, which saw lots of hills out in the country. After that 66-mile jaunt, she was spinning easily today. Joe, as he often does on these rides, held back to ride with her. I caught up, and we were the gang of three, as the peloton quickly disappeared ahead.

Jordan, a club member who lives closer to downtown, met us about 15 miles into the ride. He had tried to time his start to meet up with the main group. “But they were having a criterium!” he exclaimed. Joe and he talked about how the Sunday ride does tend to become a race among the faster A’s.

We rode along Shoal Creek Drive, which is a popular in-town biking route. It is a two-lane arterial through a nice residential part of the city, and has generous bike lanes in each direction. By this time, I wondered where we would meet the A’s on their return leg. I guessed that they would be at a convenience store where we make a rest stop on this route. But they weren’t there.

However, it was only another mile or so before we encountered them, blasting down Shoal Creek in our direction. We turned around to ride with them, and all pulled into that convenience store for a break.

Joe had proposed a departure from the usual return route, to tackle more hills on the west side of town. New York John had other ideas. He had also been on the previous day’s long ride, but he rode an extra 20 miles, because instead of driving to the ride start, he rode from Starbucks. That effort was catching up to him.

“I’m goin’ back the way we came,” he said. “And head home on Mopac (an expressway) instead of the long way.” I agreed.

I thought we had more takers, but it was just John, me, and one other guy. We hit some big hills just past downtown.

“My legs are like jelly!” John complained. He still managed to stay ahead of me. John is 65, but rides a carbon Specialized Roubaix, and is probably 60 pound lighter than yours truly. Over the last two miles, he steadily pulled farther ahead of me. By the time I got to Starbucks, his bike was already on his car’s rack.

It was a good ride for me, but if two tired A riders hadn’t hung back from their usual Sunday pace, I would have been completely on my own. I’ve got some time off work until the summer session begins, and I’ll be spending a lot more time on the bike than I have been. I’ll never become an A, but at least I can build up the stamina to stay closer to them.

Different Rides, Same Result

Because of the odd schedule we’re on at the university during final exam time, I didn’t get home in time for my usual Friday evening ride. So on Saturday, I decided to combine that ride with one I normally reserve for Saturday morning.

I headed for Convict Hill, a neighborhood nearby. As its name implies, there are some hills there and I try to do this every week. It builds leg strength, but it’s not all that tough. One of the nice parts about it is the end. I get to ride a bike lane down the hill, and it’s fun to exceed the posted speed limit for vehicles. In fact, I could sense someone beside me during the descent, and when I looked, it was a guy in a pickup truck, keeping pace with me but not trying to pass. I think he was trying to get a read on just how fast this crazy cyclist was going (33.7 mph).

After Convict Hill, I headed back to my neighborhood. The route stays in the bike lane of a nice wide residential arterial out to Farm to Market 1826. I turn around there, and wind my way through Circle C Ranch, on a route I’ve talked about before. Then it’s a run over to the nearby Veloway, where I did one lap and headed home. A nice way to spend two hours.

This morning, the club ride was doing one of their hills excursions. I’m still not in the ballpark with them when it comes to climbing, so I decided I’d ride on my own. “Oh,” said my wife, as she saw me drinking coffee at 8 a.m. “You’re not riding this morning?”

“I am,” I said. “In fact, I’m leaving right after I get dressed.”

The morning was bright and cool. The wind was light. I decided to do the “Zoo Route,” which a lot of the club members have taken to lately. I rode the first six miles on the same streets we take when we do Fitzhugh, but as soon as I crossed U.S. 290 I turned onto a different road. This one could be considered semi-rural, with houses on large lots hidden behind old stands of live oak. After looping through that area for awhile, I was back on Circle Drive, but soon turned onto Rawhide Trail for the next two miles to the Austin Zoo.

They’ve done a good job of screening the zoo from the road. Some of my friends tell me they’ve seen critters through the trees in the past, but none were in evidence today. At the end of the road is the old Paisano Ranch, formerly owned by renowned Texas author J. Frank Dobie. The road ends at the gate, and I turned around .

I had come just a tad over nine miles, so I was looking for more mileage. I knew that some riders will head back, but divert onto a road that intersects Texas 71, several miles west of our neighborhood. I got through the stoplight at that intersection along with a large furniture delivery truck that had no use for me, and eventually made it to Southwest Parkway.

I used to like riding on Southwest Parkway. The shoulder is wide, and the road is hilly. But a few years ago, the county chip sealed it, and for much of its length, it’s jouncy.

At the high point, where AMD has its new semiconductor plant, the parkway dips in a longish downhill where you can achieve a decently-high speed. Farther on is a neighborhood called Travis Country, and I turned onto the road that loops around the periphery. Lots of cyclists like to ride this area, and there were a number out this morning. I didn’t make contact with any of them however, and continued my solo ride.

After Travis Country, it was time to head home. I pulled into the driveway, stopped, and glanced at my bike computer.

27.7 miles. One hour, 59 minutes, 33 seconds. Avg. speed: 13.9 mph.

Remarkable.

Not because I broke any speed records or anything, but because the numbers were so similar to Saturday’s: 27.5 miles, one hour, 59 minutes, 5 seconds, 13.9 mph average speed.

Except for the first three blocks, I did not ride any of the same roads on Saturday and Sunday. Since I had never ridden the Zoo Ride before, I had no idea what to expect in distance or time. But they came out to almost the same distance and same riding time.

I’ll have to figure out a route next week on still different roads, and try to approximate the same distance and time again. I think I know where I can do it.

Sometimes, Everything is Good

Have you ever had a ride where everything — I mean everything — fell into place perfectly? Sunday’s ride was that kind of ride for me.

After going many weeks with no other B riders out for the Sunday club ride, I posted on our club’s Yahoo board that I wanted to get a B ride going. Two others responded: Buddy, who has often ridden with us before, but hasn’t been on the bike regularly lately; and Maggie, who did her first ride with the club last weekend. She found herself with the A’s, and told me she wasn’t sure about coming back this week. But she was ready to try a B-level ride and see how it went.

Maggie arrived at the Starbucks where we start our rides to find that she had forgotten her cycling shoes. “I’m just five minutes away,” she pleaded. “I’ll be right back.”

But 8:15 came and went, and the main ride started to head out. “Are you coming, Ray?” asked one of the riders.

“We’re waiting for Maggie to get back,” I said. “I don’t want her to get here and find there’s no one left.”

“You’re going to go to heaven, Ray,” laughed Laura, who pedaled off after the group.

Maggie arrived within a few more minutes, and the three of us set off for Creedmoor, about 17 miles away.

Weather conditions were great. Temperature about 45 degrees (7C), sunny, and no wind. We chatted while riding along Davis Lane, and I learned that Maggie had done a lot of the routes we do, and was familiar with the one we were taking today. Sometimes she passed me and took the lead for awhile, other times, she dropped back to talk to Buddy, who was deliberately pacing himself after not riding with the club since September.

Our route passes an exotic game ranch near a large landfill. Usually, the animals are far back from the road, but today a mother emu was right up to the fence, with a gaggle of emu chicks. Maggie, who had already pointed out a large hawk perched on a nearby power pole, clucked with joy when she saw the chicks. A few hundred yards farther, several African antelope gathered near the fence. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten as good a look at the animals as today.

I noticed that I was getting stronger, if anything, on this ride. I accelerated from stoplights faster than usual, and I had more reserves of power going up the mild rollers out in the country. I didn’t know why — maybe it was the oatmeal I had for breakfast instead of my usual eggs, or maybe it was the intervals I had done the previous day. I had trouble believing that one interval session would make much difference, but whatever the cause, I was glad for it.

We stopped for a short rest at the convenience store in Creedmoor, then set out on our return leg. Buddy, who has issues with cramping, continued to pace himself, but managed to stay close to us. He said later he had a few twinges near the end of the ride, but nothing he couldn’t handle. We climbed the last major hill about three miles from the finish, and settled in for an easy ride the rest of the way.

Nothing out of the ordinary. No great feats of riding heroism. No Strava KOMs. Just a ride that was just the right distance, the right amount of time in the saddle, the right pace. We all agreed we were up for more like this. We’ll see what the coming weeks bring.

The Decline of the Group Ride?

This week, I got the monthly email newsletter from the Austin Cycling Association, a group I belong to. One item in the missive caught my eye: it said participation in the ACA’s “classic” rides has fallen off considerably. These are group rides the organization (It doesn’t call itself a “club,” so I won’t, either) hosts every Saturday and Sunday. The locations rotate among a couple dozen different spots, and riders can choose from several different distances for each ride.

“Ten or 12 years ago,” said the newsletter, “a typical ACA suburban or country ride would draw 50 or perhaps 70 riders; nowadays, they draw only a dozen or so.” The newsletter expressed bafflement as to why this would be the case.

The ACA is the largest cycling organization in the Austin area, with about 1200 or more members. The rides have always been one of the group’s attractions, so the news that participation was down that much was unexpected.

However, I must admit that although I’ve been a dues-paying member for several years, I myself haven’t taken part in that many rides. When I have, it’s often been because they’re merged with a ride some other group is putting on, such as a training ride for an upcoming charity event. For a couple of years, I’ve resolved to get out on ACA rides more often, because they go to places I rarely ride, and the change of scene would be welcome. But those different places are often 30 or even 40 miles from where I live. In my part of the city, the group doesn’t offer many rides.

Riders mill around before the start of one of our club rides.

Riders mill around before the start of one of our neighborhood club rides.

Those it does put on around my area are routes that I ride a lot — usually with my neighborhood cycling club, so I always go with my club rather than the ACA. And maybe that’s the reason for the decline in ridership. In the five years I’ve been riding, I’ve noticed lots of groups spring up that offer group rides. My neighborhood club is one example. We also have group rides on Saturday and Sunday, and lately, our Saturday rides have grown.

Then there’s the Austin Cycling Meetup group. Meetups are informal gatherings coordinated via a Meetup website — they exist for a wide variety of avocations. The cycling meetup sprang up about five years ago. I’m listed as a Meetup member, but I don’t ride with them anymore, for the same reason as above.

Several bike shops put on their own weekend or weekday evening rides. I’ve been on a few of those. And there are a number of other clubs in the area that all stage their own rides.

I can’t speak for any of the other groups, but my neighborhood club rides attract anywhere from a dozen to three dozen riders on Sunday mornings. That’s dependent on the weather, of course. In fact, I’d say our rides have grown over the last year or so by a little bit. Our Saturday ride had the reputation of being a “fast” ride, but some members will informally post that they’ll be heading out at about the same time, perhaps on a different route, at a different pace, and some of those rides draw decent numbers.

A bright spot in the Austin Cycling Association is the growth of so-called “hosted” rides. These differ from the “classic” rides in that a trained ride leader organizes the ride, they’re rated for speed and climbing, and they’re “no drop” rides. When you go to a classic ride, a ride “starter” furnishes you with a map and cue sheet, says a few words about the route and riding etiquette, and then the riders set off. They separate quickly, and it’s easy to find yourself on your own. I suppose that could be daunting for new riders, but anyone with some experience should be comfortable by themselves, especially with a map to help them out.

So, I don’t quite know what to make of this. Maybe it’s just that people prefer riding in smaller groups. Maybe it’s the early start time — most classic rides start at 8 a.m., which is another reason I’m not likely to drive 30 miles to get there. The ACA seems befuddled by the trend.

What’s your experience in your area? Have you noticed a falloff in group ride numbers? Or are yours flourishing? Are they large rides, or small? Do the routes vary, or are they repeated week to week? Let know in the comments.

New Year’s Day Ride

Skipped the Bicycle Sports Shop Resolution Ride I’ve done the past two years. I could use the weather for an excuse — it was raining steadily when I got up at 7 this morning. But the fact is, I had never planned to ride it. Instead, I wanted to start the New Year off with a ride on my own.

For awhile, it looked like there wasn’t going to be a ride. Our club’s Yahoo group was buzzing with back and forths about going, not going, waiting a couple more hours, waiting until this afternoon…

I decided that when I did go, I’d go on my own, because I was ready.

In the meantime, Mrs. Noob saw a blurb on the “Today” show that Jan. 2nd is the best day to start a new diet. So she figured she’d pull out all the stops for breakfast. A nice omelet stuffed with lots of different veggies, toast, and bacon baked in the oven. I think 2013 is going to be a good year.

Amazing how quickly 10, then 10:30 rolls around. It looked like some of the clubbers were going to ride at noon. No way I would make that start time. I gathered up my stuff and hit the road at 12:30.

The whole point about doing this ride, for me, was to set a good precedent for the year. Don’t let little things — like chilly weather — be your excuse to skip a ride. The temperature, which was supposed to go up throughout the afternoon, was 48 degrees (9C) when I took off , and instead of rising over the course of my ride, it fell off a bit. That, coupled with a brisk wind from the northwest, made for some effortless riding — as long as I was headed south. Once I finished up a Veloway lap and turned toward the 2.5-mile ride home, that wind was in my face. I was chilled when I pulled into the driveway.

That’s fine, though. The first ride of the year was 22.6 miles in a little over an hour and a half. Maybe some lunch, and some bowl games on TV (Uh oh…Mrs. Noob is watching a Jane Austen movie), and New Year’s Day will be one for the books.

Back to Normal

“It’s a glorious day for bike ride,” exclaimed Mrs. Noob, as she walked back into the house after her Sunday morning jaunt.

I acknowledged her comment, but sitting in my robe drinking coffee and reading the New York Times on my iPad, I wasn’t in a position to dash out on my own and embark on my version of the ride. I had driven down to Austin from Dallas the night before, and I was savoring the extra hour of sleep I got from the time change, and the joy of not having to get up early for a Sunday club ride. Most of the clubbers were at a team time trial 40 miles south of here, anyway — one that I had not entered.

But she was right. Early November in Austin, and the temperature was hovering around 70 degrees (21C), the sun was out, and the wind was moderate. I got my stuff together to head out on the bike.

I decided to go to Creedmoor, since that was the route I had done two weeks ago when my wife had to sag me home because of a recurring flat. Because of the later than usual start, I knew I had to be prepared for heavy traffic around Interstate 35, but I expected the rest of the ride to be uneventful.

I was right about the traffic. I have to take the lane on Slaughter when passing under the Interstate, and even though I rode as far to the right as practicable, several bike-hating drivers laid on their horns. The ones that baffle me are the ones two lanes over, who aren’t even affected by my presence. Several versions of a speech I could give them, along the lines of, “What’s your problem, pal?” went through my head over the next few miles — from polite, reasoned discussions to profanity-laden tirades.

But it was too nice a day to spend a lot of time on that topic. I was alone on country roads by now, and when I reached the turnaround at the store in Creedmoor — 16.7 miles out — I was pleased to see that I’d reached it in just about one hour, for a 16.7 mph average speed. Since the route home was more uphill than down, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold that average. But I was just enjoying myself today. I was pedaling steadily, with seemingly little effort, and still riding at a good speed.

On the way back, I realized that part of the reason I’d done so well on the way out was that I had a helping wind. Now, I was into the wind, and although it wasn’t strong, I did have to pedal harder against it. That just added to the interest of the ride. Negotiating the traffic at I-35 wasn’t as tough as on the way out, and the climb up the backside of Davis Hill felt easier than usual. That could be to the fact that, being in Dallas, I hadn’t done my usual rides on Friday or Saturday, and so was still fresh.

In the end, nothing earth-shaking. I rode 36 miles in a little less than two-and-a-half hours — average speed 15.0. I showered, made a sandwich, sat down to watch some football, and immediately felt myself falling asleep. I headed for the bedroom, and three hours later, woke up to find that the big chore of the day — mowing the back yard — wasn’t going to get done.

After a sub-standard October, this was a great way for me to get back in the swing of things. I expect I can resume a regular riding routine that will only be broken by Thanksgiving weekend. It feels good to be back to normal on the bike again.

The Month-Ender

Dashed home from work this evening to get in an hour on the bike. After chilly weather over the weekend, it got up to 79 — which means one MUST pedal a bit. The Veloway was loaded with bikers, who all seemed to have the same idea I did: This can’t last much longer, so let’s make the most of it while we can. 

A familiar rider passed me. Our club president, Joe, often does Veloway laps if he wants to work on speed. Tonite it was two minutes all out, followed by two minutes easy. Joe is doing a two-man team time trial this weekend, and he was prepping for it.

“How many laps will you do?” I asked. 

“Until I can’t last the full two minutes anymore,” he said.

He stood up on the pedals and took off. What the heck, I thought. I’ll stick with him.

Yeah, that lasted for about a minute. He disappeared around a bend, and I slowed down to a medium-fast cruise.

I had orders from headquarters to get back for dinner anyway, so I left the Veloway and headed home. The final tally: 15.3 miles at an average speed of16.9. Not bad, considering I wasn’t moving fast on the way over there.

This would also be my last ride of October, and my total for the month was about what I thought it would be: 189 miles. That’s the lowest monthly total I’ve had all year. But that’s okay. I’ll ride more in November. Time to mount the headlight on the bike.

Finally — Fall!

It’s been a tough summer around here. Maybe not as bad as last year, when we hit 100 degrees (38C) for 90 days. This year, states in the Midwest farther north of here got clobbered with really hot weather.

So I was looking forward to today’s club ride out on the Fitzhugh route. A cold front was due to pass through our area overnight, and lower temperatures to the bearable range. Now, bear in mind that this is a Texas cold front. While we pride ourselves on doing everything bigger and better in Texas, our cold fronts leave a lot to be desired. When I stuck my head outside to get the paper, it was 70 degrees (21C). For much of the country, 70 is often the high temperature on a fall day. Here, it’s the overnight low after a cold front.

Still, it meant we’d be riding in conditions we haven’t seen since April. I had planned to go the full route, for a 46-mile round trip, but Mrs. Noob was leaving at noon on a business trip out of town, and wanted me back home by then. So I decided to cut my route to the usual “B” rider turnaround, at Ranch Road 12.

A good turnout today, probably because the weather was so benign. In addition to temps we haven’t seen for awhile, there was almost no wind. Yesterday, a stiff wind blew from the north all day, and predictions were for it to continue today as well.

The weather must also have put some zip in the legs of the peloton. I was hard pressed to keep up with them as we pedaled through the neighborhood, on our way out to the country. A couple of B riders fell back right off the bat. I expected they’d catch up later.

On Circle Drive, I saw Buddy and Jan as two dots in the distance. I was pedaling easy, waiting for Brian to catch back on. He had been held up by two stop lights the rest of the group had missed. But when I looked over my shoulder a couple of miles later, I saw nothing. I rode with Rob and a young German exchange student, who I thought would be a fast rider, but who seemed content to hang back with us.

It was on this stretch, about six or eight miles into the ride, that I realized something — I was strong today. I caught Buddy and Jan on Fitzhugh, and when the road started to dip and curve in a nice series of mild downhills, I turned on the juice. The German was the only one who kept up with me. I took the hairpin curve at the low point of the route faster than I ever have before, but the student was unimpressed, and sailed by. Okay, so I wasn’t as strong today as I was trying to convince myself I was. But I got to the turnaround about 16 miles out well ahead of the others.

Jan was the first to catch up. “I’m going to keep going,” she said.

“Do that — the route is even more scenic from here on out,” I replied, feeling a little pang of envy since I had hoped to make that same extended trip as she was doing.

Buddy caught up, and told me Rob had turned around, along with Brian. I had already seen New York John heading back — he went even shorter than we were today.

So it was just me and Buddy on the return trip. I still had lots of energy, and covered lots of ground at 26-28 mph, terrain assisted of course. We got to the Starbucks where the ride had started, and grabbed two seats under an umbrella to stay in the shade. Even by this time, the temperature had only risen to 80 degrees (26C).

Eventually, the first of the A riders came in. As they joined us at the outdoor tables, most of the talk concerned the weather — and just how great it was to ride in conditions like today. I said my goodbyes and headed home, noticing that I wasn’t awash in sweat the way I have been for the last several months.

It was a nice ride in the country, under clear, sunny skies — but moderate conditions. Couldn’t be better. It’s for days like this that I took up cycling.

A Little Heat Training

A biking buddy I haven’t ridden with for awhile contacted me the other day. He’s been off the bike lately, and wants to get back into it. He suggested we do a few Veloway laps after work. While I knew it would be a hot ride, I readily agreed.

John juggles his young sons, his 29-inch mountain bike and his road bike with his other obligations. He’s ridden rides of decent length before, and last year even did a guest post here about riding the Atlas 4000 kickoff ride under hot conditions.

But he says he’s slowed down quite a bit, and just wanted to turn the cranks in the heat to build up some tolerance for the temperatures he’ll face when he tackles organized rides again next month.

I had my concerns driving home this afternoon. The forecast had called for highs in the 100s most days of this week, and the car thermometer showed 107 at around 3 p.m. After getting my stuff together and setting off to meet John at our agreed-upon ride time of 4:30, I saw that it had dipped — to 106 (41C). One of the official weather stations in Austin recorded a record 109 today. My wife was none too pleased that I was heading out in such conditions.

She forgets, though, that just last weekend she played golf in temperatures almost as high, and had a great round. I slathered on the sunscreen, put lots of ice in the water bottle, and headed out.

The Veloway wasn’t completely deserted, but I saw only a few other bikers rounding the track. While I waited for John, I made sure the bike was parked in the shade, so it wouldn’t be a hot seat when I climbed back on for our laps.

Any shade is good shade.

We set off at an easy pace. John said he’d been averaging about 12 mph lately, and wanted to see if keeping up with me posed any special problems. He monitored his heart rate as we rode, and noted with satisfaction that it was at a reasonable level.

The Veloway is a 3.1-mile circuit, and John said three laps would be plenty for him. Coupled with my ride from home and back again, I would clock about 15 miles. In this weather, I figured that was just right.

The heat wasn’t too bad. Really. Some breeze would have been nice, though. Since we weren’t doing intervals or anything stupid like that, I thought the ride was just the kind of easy day I could always use. I noticed that John was pushing a bit to keep even with me, and once, when I kicked it into high gear, he lagged behind for about half a lap.

John catches and passes me.

After three laps, we pulled into the canopy that offers some shade at the head of the track.  Sweat glistened off both of us, but otherwise, we were fine. That is, until John suggested it was time to head to the parking lot so he could get his bike back on the car rack. I set off to see if any water was left in the coolers at the parking lot entrance (nope), and when I got there, I looked back to see John still under the canopy, staring straight ahead.

“Take the picture already, so I can go refill my water bottle!” The Noob with the borrowed bike.

My average speed for the trip, including the run between the house and the track, was 14.7 mph, just a tad slower than I usually do. If John was adding 2 mph to his typical speeds, and on a day like today, that could really stress him. He’ll be fine if he keeps up his riding this summer, but today was a good reminder to take it easy in extreme conditions. I wonder how some other acquaintances of mine did. They planned a 60-miler late this afternoon!

Biking With Another Blogger

On Friday, I treated myself to a ride I’d hoped would happen for several weeks now. I rode with a fellow named Don Bynum, who writes a biking blog about his rides with a group of his buddies in rural Texas. I had stumbled across Don’s blog, with the catchy name, “Don Bynum’s Blog,” some months ago, and was attracted to it because he does the kind of biking I’ve come to enjoy: Low-key rides in the country with leisurely stops for lunch. I managed to invite myself along on one of his rides.

Don lives about 75 miles from my house in Austin, on the shore of Lake Buchanan (Buck-CAN-nan) in Llano County. The nearest city of any size is Kingsland, which is an unincorporated blue-collar retirement community. Because of the distance, we decided to leave rather late — at 10 a.m. Three of his regular biking buddies — Richard, Doug, and John — joined us.

I knew from Don’s blog that we would be an older group, so I wore my “50 Plus” jersey for the occasion. But 50 doesn’t cut it with these guys. At 61, I was by far the youngest. Richard is 65, Don & John 68, and Doug 70. They kidded me about not making them work too hard. It turned out not to be a problem.

Don (right) with John and Richard before we set off. (Click pictures to enlarge.)

Don suggested we head for Inks Lake State Park and one of his favorite routes — Park Road 4. Getting there was a bit of a challenge. We rode Texas 261, a two-lane with no shoulder that was busier than I’d expected, to Texas 29, a four-lane with a decent shoulder, but lots of traffic. The road crossed the bridge over the Colorado River where it flows into Inks Lake, and soon after, we turned off onto Park Road 4. Almost immediately, Richard flatted. We thought it was because of a field of broken glass we’d passed over on Texas 29, but it turned out he had a faulty tube — it split along one of its seams. Don’s wife Peggy sagged Richard out to our lunch stop, while the rest of us continued our ride up the park road.

Our route. We rode in a clockwise direction. (Click here for the Ride With GPS page.)

The undulations on Park Road 4 at the entrance to the state park give a hint of what’s to come.

Don’s ride of choice is a three-wheeled recumbent called a Catrike. It sits low to the ground and can really fly going downhill. Going uphill, he slows drastically. But he can always put it into a 1 x 1 gear and spin up the steepest hill.

Don’s Catrike climbs the hill to a scenic lookout. Inks Lake is in the background.

The hills in the park were entertaining, and not too difficult. But soon we hit a straight, flat stretch of road. We were out of the park and into an area called Hoover’s Valley. And that meant it was time to stop for lunch. By this time, Peggy had collected Richard and delivered him to the Hoover’s Valley Store where we had gathered. She also brought Don’s mother and granddaughter, so we filled a large table in the store’s little restaurant. A cheeseburger and a bottomless glass of ice tea hit the spot, but two of the guys went for the meatloaf, mashed potato and green beans special.(!)

More than a store — it’s a nice little restaurant, too.

Bike Noob and Doug wait outside the store…

…while John tries to fix Richard’s flat. We decided to let it be and eat first. The flat was fixed after lunch.

Leaving the store, we continued south on the flat road, cruising at about 22 mph, when the advantages of the Catrike showed themselves. Don shot by me easily going about 30. He could have led most of the trip if he’d wanted to, but preferred to stay back in the event traffic came up from behind. The odd form of the trike caused cars to give us a wider than usual berth.

Don swings wide to pass us on a flat stretch of road.

When we reached Kingsland, the group broke up. Don had to get home to clean up, because he had an engagement later in the afternoon. Richard and John opted to go with Don. Doug offered to show me the “Llano Slab,” and we rode through Kingsland until we hit River Oaks Drive, which borders the Llano River. At the end of the drive, we made a short run down to the river itself, and I could see the slab — a formation of pink granite that breaks the river up into a number of rivulets, flowing fast and cold. It looked like the kind of feature you’d see in Utah, rather than Central Texas.

The Llano Slab. It’s much more extensive than can be seen in this picture.

The Llano River downstream from the slab.

Doug led the way back to Don’s house. I was hard pressed to keep up with him. He shifted into the big ring, and pedaled slowly but smoothly in a cadence that put the miles under his wheels. “I just find my comfort zone and go,” he said. I was in my small ring, pedaling at a higher cadence, trying to figure out why I couldn’t catch a 70-year-old.

Back at Don’s place, we unwound with some brews. L to r: Bike Noob, Richard, John, Doug, Don. Partially obscured behind Don, his mother, Ann.

As I said earlier, this is my idea of a great biking day. Some interesting topography, nice scenery, a good, but not too brisk, pace, a nice burger break, and then beers to top it off. Thanks to Don and the guys for showing me a good time.