How Vulnerable Should You Be in Your Blog?

Darren Rowse, the Australian founder of ProBlogger and co-author of the book by the same name, recently wrote “his most personal post in years.”  (You can find the article at this link on Medium.)  It got me to thinking, what is the appropriate amount of sharing?  Allow me to share my answer.  Because sharing is caring, and if nothing else, A Dude Abikes cares.  About some things some times.  Right now, it’s about finishing this awesome blog to watch more Tour de France (yes, still, I know, it’s almost Vuelta a Espana time!).  But all seriousness aside, this is a good question to ponder. Continue reading

Friday Night Lightning: A Chat with A Quiet Austin Bicycling Luminary

It was a bit humid but not too hot for an August evening in Austin.  With warm temperatures and lightning illuminating the night sky and holding the possibility of much-desired rain, I went to a nearby house for a long-standing Friday night gathering.  The Green Man Coffee House is a rotating, rag-tag collection of friends, co-workers and neighbors.  They bring snacks and drinks, sit around and talk around the back porch, with music playing in the background, and the occasional mosquito or firefly.  A dozen or so mostly grey-haired folks were there, some came, others went.  I had watermelon and cantaloupe, grapefruit mineral water and popcorn.   Jethro Tull tooted away.  Cue the crickets, lemonade and mellow vibes, and you can imagine yourself there with us. Continue reading

I Just Passed 10,000 Miles Riding My Fuji Bicycle in 2.5 Years. That’s Awesome!

Fuji 10,100.7 miles
Strava doesn’t lie.

The other day I checked my Strava stats and found that I had biked 10,100.7 miles on my Fuji Silhouette since Janurary 1, 2016.   I knew that I was honing in on this milestone but was surprised that it snuck up on me.  It’s a pretty awesome achievement — another notch in the belt of my amateur bicycling story.  Not too shabby!  In fact, that’s awesome!  So in this blog I’ll cover some of the thoughts I’ve had after reaching this pretty incredible achievement. Continue reading

Hottest Day of the Year Bike Austin Group Ride + Half a Metric Century (50 km) Solo

Saturday I got myself down to Bicycle Sport Shop on South Lamar for Bike Austin’s 9th Annual Hottest Day of the Year Ride.  About 40 folks from a young age to not so young arrived to sample the mocktails, peruse Bike Austin t-shirts and brave the heat.  The good part was that the route was a short 10-miles and took us to two splash pads and two pools.  While technically not the hottest day, it was warm enough, 99 F heat index.  A Dude was serving as one of the ride leaders, and it was an eventful afternoon.  The next night I put in the first longer ride in a while, 31 miles total.  So let’s check them out. Continue reading

Speak Up, Legs! Slowly Easing Back Into Bicycling & Houston Bike Shooter Update

It has been five days since I got on my Fuji Silhouette bicycle and rode it.  So this evening as I finally worked up the guts to do just that and was mulling over a title for this blog, I thought of the words, “Shut Up, Legs!” This is the catchphrase of Jens Voigt, who rode the Tour de France 17 times, a record only beaten this year by Sylvain Chavanel.  He retired in 2014 the day after his 43rd birthday and setting a new one-hour bike record — the farthest anyone had ridden a bike in one hour.  You can see my ride today on Strava here.

While I’m slowly getting back to riding (I hope) and watching the Tour, Jens has been commentating on it for NBC Sports Network.  As mentioned in my previous post, about the Tour de France, Top 5 Reasons I Love Watching Le Tour de France and You Should, Too.  You should go read my post and then come back.  It’s really good!  I’ll wait here.  Done?  Great.  Let’s continue.

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Top 5 Reasons I Love Watching Le Tour de France and You Should Too

The Tour is over for this year, but you can still watch it by subscribing to NBC Sports Gold Cycling Pass.  (Go to this link to subscribe; it lasts for the whole year so you can watch La Vuelta a Espana and other races, but only in the US.)  I’m a little late to the party since I’m still watching it on a Roku donated to me by dear mum.  (So don’t spoil it by commenting on the winner or anything past Stage 11, please!  I however may spoil it if you are are on Stage 1.)  I am way behind because of life getting in the way but still enjoying it.  Like many Americans, I got into the Tour a few years after a certain famous Austin cyclist won it seven times in a row.  After that was, um, cancelled, I stopped watching for a few years (also like many Americans).  But I couldn’t stay away, so I’ve been watching it every year for a while now, and still think it’s worth it.  Here’s why I think you should watch it, too.

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Getting Back on the Horse (aka Bicycle) After a Medical Break + Janeane Garafolo

Ten days off the bike is the longest break I’ve had since I can remember.  It’s possibly the longest stretch sans bici since I began doing long distances back in January of 2015, pre-Strava.  It has been hard, sad, relaxing, and other things — just a weird time.  And I’m not out of the woods in terms of the medical situation that put me there.  Of course, I’m not the only person who’s had to stop activity for a health challenge, of course, and it could be far worse.  Some people have crashes (Tour de France, on parle de toi!), surgery, or life-altering issues.  I hope I’m not one of them.  Physically, there are changes, and there are also psychological ones.  That’s what this post is about, so click on through and check it out, already! Continue reading

Some Thoughts on My Upcoming Interviews with Bicyclists in Austin, Texas

When Pam LeBlanc interviewed me for a profile in the Austin American-Statesman that was published on January 15, 2018, it set into motion a series of most fortunate events that are still bearing fruit.  When I first suggested the idea to her by email in late 2016, it fell flat.  I guess the 5,306 miles I bicycled in 2016 was not that impressive.  But I kept riding, and I kept writing this blog, albeit irregularly.   And I managed 4,714 miles in 2017.   So riding 10,000 miles in two years did catch her attention.

Then Pam, who is a total badass herself I hope to interview one day, expressed interest in putting me in her Fit City blog.  After that, her editor wanted to run the piece in the print edition of the newspaper with photos, I was happily surprised.  My persistence of pedaling and pontificating had paid off.  But the main thing I learned was that if my bicycling story was interesting to the mainstream newspaper of the 11th largest city in the United States (or at least the lifestyles editor), then other peoples’ stories would also have value.

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Eight Days a Week… Off the Bicycle: Viewing Setbacks Through a Buddhist Lens

It’s been eight days since I’ve ridden a bicycle.  Why?  Heat.  Illness.  Lastimas. Life.  (Lastimas is wounds or injuries in Spanish. So that spells H.I.L.L, doesn’t it?  I meant to.)  When thought of in this way, it’s another set of obstacles, another rise in the road to climb, something that tests you but also makes you stronger.  Part of me is relieved, and lucky to have use of a car.  Another part of me is pissed off that I’m losing whatever fitness and form I had.  Another is panicking that I may not get it back, or get back to it, or even be able bike at all without more injury or at least pain.  Breathing in deeply, I notice I am not riding my bicycle.  Breathing out, I notice that I am writing a blog post about not riding my bicycle. Continue reading

Dog Day Afternoons: Warm Walks With a Wise Woman Whilst Wheeless

A Dude Abikes is off his bike for almost a week now, due to an ailment, malady, infirmity, affliction, disorder, sickness, condition or attack.  It doesn’t seem to be life-threatening, but it can be a real pain in the tuchis.  (That’s Yiddish for backside, butt, nalgas, derrier, etc.)  It’s getting treated, but taking alot longer to heal than expected.  So I ain’t gettin’ on that bike, as much as I want to, because that would make it worse.  Then there’s another matter also more troublesome, and I’m looking into that as well.  Let’s hope I’ll be able to remount the trusty old steed soon.  Meanwhile, I’m walking a dog for a friend of a friend.  Since I’ve adopted a new habit of walking daily, and missed walking Buddy Willis twice daily back in the winter out in the holler, it’s fun to have a new buddy.  Her name is…

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