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Revisiting the Short Ride

05.23.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

From time to time, I’ll dip into the Bike Noob archives and rerun a post from aeons past — or in this case, three years. I was going to write about today’s ride with my wife, but realized that it would have been almost an exact duplicate of this old post, and since we’re in the middle of packing for a vacation, I thought I’d save myself some effort. But I did tag on a bit of new info toward the end.

My wife has a favorite ride in the neighborhood. It’s only a nine-mile out and back route. It features a long, mild uphill on the way out and a fast fun descent — really a slight downhill incline — for much of the way back. It takes her anywhere from 40-45 minutes to finish it.

I ride it a lot with her. Sometimes, there’s a time crunch, and that’s about all I can fit in. Other times, I’d just as soon do a ride with her as go off on my own. I can’t call it a favorite ride of mine, because it’s not challenging, and in my mind, it’s too short.

But short or not, it’s a bike ride.

My friends over on Bike Forums were discussing this point earlier this week. It seems a lot of them have the same reaction I did: If the ride lasts less than an hour, it’s not a “real” ride. But one old-timer jumped in to point out that a ride is a ride, and regardless of length you will get some physical benefits from it — and the mental benefits might be better.

“Besides,” he added, “just by being out there puts you way above average for your age group.” (This post was on the 50-plus forum.)

We did the ride the other morning. It’s been really humid around here lately, but we’ll put up with that if an early start means we get to finish well before the 100-degree temps we’ve been having kick in.

The first mild incline takes us to the cross street where we turn right. I usually pull over and wait for Pat here, but this time, she was less than 100 feet back. I led her out to the dip into the dry creek bed, then the long incline coming out of it. I got to the end of the street over a mile farther on, and waited at the curb for her to catch me.

She led me around the corner onto a broad new street in a recently-build subdivision. The street ends at a T-intersection with a busy road. We make our turnaround there. We stopped so Pat could take a business call on her cell phone.

On the return leg, I kick it into overdrive for the long downhill. It’s a fun part of the ride for me, and I don’t hold back. Pat trails me by quite a distance here, and I wait for her before we have to make a left turn at a stoplight.

We’ve got one more nice mild downhill and one longish mild uphill in the last two miles of the trip. That uphill is what Strava calls the “HEB Escarpment” segment, because it goes up Escarpment Blvd. past the HEB supermarket. Two days after setting a personal best on that stretch, I got another one today — and not just by a little. I bested the previous mark by a full 10 seconds! I think when I come back from vacay, I’m going to have to really test myself on some of the tougher hills around here.

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Bikes and Planes

05.04.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

One of my biking goals this year is to get out and ride in areas where I haven’t ridden before. A friend shared some ride ideas with me, and mentioned that he and his son would not be able to attend the Kingsbury air show. They were planning on riding from San Marcos down to Kingsbury, about 20 miles away, but the boy had some scouting obligations.

It sounded like a great idea to me though, so I decided I would make the trip. I tossed the bike in the back of the SUV and drove from Austin down to San Marcos, about 30 miles south. San Marcos has the best outlet mall I’ve ever seen (Tanger on one side, Prime on the other — it’s huge). Lots of parking around back for cyclists to start their trips. I had ridden from here a couple of times, but not for several years. A check of Google Maps the night before reminded me of which roads to take, and I started out about 9 a.m.

Some of the roads were in good shape. Some had a rough chip seal surface, that I couldn’t wait to leave. Lots of rolling hills all along the route, although the farther from San Marcos one gets, the more the land flattens out. The corn is looking pretty good already, but we’ll need some rain soon.

 

The road to Kingsbury, looking north. Some bluebonnets are still hanging on in roadside ditches. (Click all pix to embiggen.)
The road to Kingsbury, looking north. Some bluebonnets are still hanging on in roadside ditches. (Click all pix to embiggen.)

Kingsbury, Texas, is a forlorn little hamlet on U.S. 90 alongside the railroad tracks, about halfway between Seguin and Luling. Glad I could clear that up. There’s nothing in Kingsbury, but about a mile south, on Farm Road 1104, is the Old Kingsbury Aerodrome. A group of aviation buffs has assembled a collection of old planes, and has built replicas of several World War I era planes. About twice a year, they have an Air Fair day, and all the planes are assembled on the grass field outside the hangars.

If you're not expecting the entrance to the aerodrome, it's easy to miss it.
If you’re not expecting the entrance to the aerodrome, it’s easy to miss it.
Fokker D-1 Triplane, the plane most associated with the Red Baron. This is a replica, but it can fly. The wind was too strong this day for it to go up, however.
Fokker D-1 Triplane, the plane most associated with the Red Baron. This is a replica, but it can fly. The wind was too strong this day for it to go up, however.
Fokker D-VII. The Allies respected it so much, it's the only plane they required the Germans to turn over intact after the war. Replica.
Fokker D-VII. The Allies respected it so much, it’s the only plane they required the Germans to turn over intact after the war. Replica.
A Canadian-built Curtiss Jenny, called the "Canuck." This one is real, not a replica. Apparently, a lot of the Canadian Jennys found their way to Texas flight schools after WWI. It's painted like a 1920s barnstormer.
A Canadian-built Curtiss Jenny, called the “Canuck.” This one is real, not a replica. Apparently, a lot of the Canadian Jennys found their way to Texas flight schools after WWI. It’s painted like a 1920s barnstormer.
Bleriot. A replica of the plane Louis Bleriot flew across the English Channel in 1909.
Bleriot. A replica of the plane Louis Bleriot flew across the English Channel in 1909.
Cars were featured, too. Lots of rods and customs, WWI ambulances, Model Ts. But this unrestored Model T got my attention. Looking for a little restoration project?
Cars were featured, too. Lots of rods and customs, Model Ts, WWI ambulances. But this rescued Model T got my attention. Looking for a little restoration project?
Period costumes were much in evidence. Note the flag whipping in the wind. Too dangerous to fly the wood and fabric contraptions this day.
Period costumes were much in evidence. Note the flag (48 stars) whipping in the wind. Too dangerous to fly the wood and fabric contraptions this day.
Since this is a bike blog, I wanted to add this photo of an old bike. Poor job on my part, but it's a Chicago-built Crescent single speed. Notable for its white tires, wooden wheels, and that saddle looks familiar, doesn't it? Yep, it's the same Brooks B-17 a lot of riders still swear by today.
Since this is a bike blog, I wanted to add this photo of an old bike. Poor photography on my part, but it’s a Chicago-built Crescent single speed. Notable for its white tires, wooden wheels, and that saddle looks familiar, doesn’t it? Yep, it’s the same Brooks B-17 a lot of riders still swear by today.

I took too long looking at the planes and such, and it was past time to leave. A  cheeseburger and a Diet Coke were on the agenda before heading back to my bike. “What’ll it be?” I asked the nice lady at the food stand. “Just a donation, whatever you think it’s worth,” she replied. I was generous.

I was looking forward to the return trip to San Marcos, because I would have a tailwind. But I also remembered the rollers I dealt with on the way down, and figured I could bypass them if I took a different route. So I turned west on Farm to Market 20, and headed for Geronimo. Bad move. The turn took me right into a strong headwind. The 10 miles to Geronimo were a slog, and I began to tire.

But then I could turn north on Texas 123, a straight shot back to San Marcos. It’s a four-lane highway with a small shoulder, and I made great time. Amazing how a tailwind lifts your spirits. Even five miles from the outlet mall parking lot, when I got off 123 onto country roads again, the rollers weren’t so bad as long as the wind pushed.

So, I had a great time, but the downside of a great time on the bike is that domestic chores go by the wayside. Instead of my usual Sunday ride with the club, I stayed home to cut the grass, trim the bushes, rake some stubborn leaves, and sneak in a short ride late in the afternoon. It was a tradeoff I was glad to make.

 

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Favorite Rides – The Zoo Ride

04.13.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

When I consider rides I like, it’s easy to overlook the Zoo Ride. That’s because it’s not as long as most of our other marquee rides. But it does have a lot of features that make it worthy of consideration. In fact, our club has an informal “Friday Zoo Ride” that I might be able to join one of these years. In the meantime, I have mostly ridden it by myself.

As the name suggests, the Zoo Ride heads to the Austin Zoo. Our zoo is not in the city, but is several miles west. From our neighborhood, we get a quick taste of the hills that highlight the Zoo Ride. We take an easy climb through one of the newer subdivisions and cross Ranch Road 1826 into an older subdivision with large lots.

We get to zoom down a couple of nice hills here — hills that allow us to easily top 30 mph. Because of the way the route heads, we will not be coming back this way, so we don’t have to climb those hills. On one of our other routes, we do make a return trip through this area, and coming near the end of the ride, the hills can take a toll on worn out riders.

Anyhow, the route takes us across U.S. 290 west of Austin, and on to Circle Drive. This is a nice two-lane road with minimal traffic, although speeds tend to run high. We’re on Circle Drive for less than two miles, though, and then we turn right onto Rawhide Trail, at a sign pointing to the Austin Zoo.

These horses were close to the road when I turned the corner onto Rawhide Trail. But by the time I got my camera out, they had retreated.
These horses were close to the road when I turned the corner onto Rawhide Trail. But by the time I got my camera out, they had retreated. (Click all pix to embiggen.)

From this point, it’s all downhill. The road twists and turns through typical Hill Country landscapes, rocky ground covered in cedar and live oak. Some suburban-style subdivisions are being built out here, too. With all the sprawl in Austin, we wonder how much longer we’ll have decent biking around here, or whether we’ll have to drive to worthwhile riding areas. I’m afraid it will happen sooner rather than later.

Rawhide Trail takes a jog to the right, and the zoo isn’t too far down. If you decide to go that way, the entrance to the zoo is a short way down. Once past the entrance, you’d never know the zoo is there. Its fences are camouflaged by the heavy brush along the road. At the end of the road is Paisano Ranch, the former home of the late Texas author, J. Frank Dobie. It’s now owned by the University of Texas, and two writers in the graduate school there are awarded fellowships to live and write at the ranch for six-month periods. They can work undistracted, in isolation. However, entrance to the ranch is blocked at this point.

The road to the zoo. I prefer to take D. Morgan Road to the left.
The road to the zoo. I prefer to take D. Morgan Road to the left.

I prefer to jog left near the zoo entrance, on D. Morgan Road. It’s not long — a little over a half mile — but it’s great fun. The road twists and turns, dipping downhill all the way, sometimes steeply, sometimes near level. I have never encountered a motor vehicle on this stretch, although there are entrances to some homes along the way.

Of course, when the road ends at a locked gate, the cyclist has to turn around and head back — and that means a climb of almost a mile and a half. According to Strava, the grade averages only about three percent, but there are spots where it touches 10 or 11 percent — and two little places where it’s 14 and 15 percent. So that short slog can take much longer than the typical 1.4-mile jaunt.

DSCN0841

Two views of the curvy uphills on D. Morgan on the way up out of the valley.
Two views of the curvy uphills on D. Morgan on the way up out of the valley.
An ultra-modern house peeks out over the cedars and live oaks.
An ultra-modern house peeks out over the cedars and live oaks.

The next leg of the ride takes us over some semi-busy two-lanes, up to Southwest Parkway. Southwest Parkway is a six-lane divided highway with a generous shoulder. It’s very popular with bikers. It hits its high point by the big AMD semiconductor complex, then makes a nice, fast drop down to Travis Country. Travis Country is a nice upscale subdivision with a road circling it. Ridden in a clockwise direction, it’s more downhill than up, so the cyclist gets a nice reprieve after all the ups and downs around the zoo and on Southwest Parkway.

Southwest Parkway looking back up the hill to the AMD complex. (Picture from Google Earth Streetview.)
Southwest Parkway looking back up the hill to the AMD complex. (Picture from Google Earth Streetview.)

Leaving Travis Country, we take some major arterials again, but the traffic isn’t usually too bad. Our final stretch is along Escarpment Blvd., the main north-south road through our Circle C Ranch subdivision.

The route. D. Morgan Rd. is the single line at the upper left, Travis Country is the irregular oval at the upper right.
The route. D. Morgan Rd. is the single line on the left, Travis Country is the irregular oval at the upper right.

In total, the ride is around 25-26 miles. Again, not all that long. But the hills add a bit of challenge to it, and the scenery is a bit different than what we get on our rides to the south and southeast. If I feel like testing myself, the Zoo Ride is a good choice.

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