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12/12/2025:  52,000 MILES BICYCLED IN 519 WEEKS!!!

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 14 Comments

A Dude Abikes has done it! I AVERAGED 100 MILES PER WEEK FOR A DECADE! I started tracking my miles on the Strava sports app on 12/19/2015, so I actually completed this monstrous achievement a few weeks early, on 11/28/25. This converts to 9 years, 49 weeks, and 2 days. It was all done on regular bicycles and trainer bikes under my own power (no e-bikes aka motor-cycles here!). My “epic velocimania” has reached its zenith, finally. What a lengthy, weird journey it has been!

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5/5/2025:  Is Bike Month Useful? Or Just Performative Bragging?

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

It’s bike month–again. Oh joy. The usual brouhaha is made over how wonderful bicycles are. How kids should bike to school and workers should bike to work. Everyone should ditch the car and bike to the grocery store, etc. Bike bike bike. There are group rides and media and sponsors and beer and fun and so on ad nauseam. And that’s all well and good. More butts on bikes means less pollution, less traffic, and less overfat people such as this dude. There’s nothing really wrong with having a month dedicated to bikes. I could have used the encouragement to do it years ago myself. I guess it just all feels a little fake. So  this blog is gonna be a bit of a rant. Again. Nothing too crazy. I promise you’ll be alright.

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10 Years Ago Today, I Bicycled 50 Miles in My First Charity Ride

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

Way back in the autumn of 2014, two things that happened that led to me signing up for my first torture I mean fun fest also known as a charity bike ride. First, I was gifted a bike which would come to be known as Sonnie, my 25-pound steel triple triangle GT Arette. Second, I was working for a beneficiary agency of the event when and somebody said, “Hey dude, you ride your bike everywhere, why don’t you do this charity ride?” They tempted me with a shorter distance than when I was riding on the day we spoke. In previous years I had always said “The first word is hill, so no thank you.”  As a fat yet somewhat fit middle-aged dude, I didn’t think I would survive the distance or elevation. I figured I could just back out, but for some reason, this year I didn’t. So, after struggling and suffering on numerous training rides, on April 28, 2015, I joined hundreds of other riders out in the beautiful and terrible Hill Country west of Austin, Texas, and rode my bike half a hundred miles. Which ain’t nuthin’. And as they say, the rest is history. Here’s how it went down.

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4/4/2025: Bike Story Night in Austin, Texas

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

As a dude who’s been telling bits of his bike story here for going on a decade, I was curious to check it out an event called Bike Story Night. The stars aligned, meaning I heard about it in time and wasn’t busy. So, last Saturday I pedaled Soqi the Cannondale over to the University of Texas at Austin, commonly known as UT (you tee). (Check out my post about UT: The University of Texas and Me:  A Short Autobiography.) There I saw a few familiar faces and a few dozen new ones. The premise  is fairly straightforward:  people come together to tell and hear stories about bikes. Here’s a short report.

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Safe Streets Austin Had Another Fundraising Party, So I Went

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 2 Comments

Safe Streets Austin, formed from the merger of Bike Austin, Walk Austin, and Central Texas Families for Safe Streets, had their annual fundraiser back in late November. Yours truly attended their first one a couple of years ago, missed last year (though am not sure they had one), and was invited again this year. I’m filing this belated report. Don’t sue me. I know lawyers.

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How Writing Has Helped My Bicycling

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 8 Comments

It’s Leap Day, 2024. Let’s jump right in. I have kept a journal for most of my life since being a young teen, encouraged by my maternal grandmother. There have been plenty of long gaps and since starting this blog in 2016, many days that I skipped both to work on my bicycle memoir. Writing is a way to express your feelings, and in a journal it’s private. Blogging is sometimes an online extension of that, depending how personal you want to get. Either way, helping to clarify thoughts, process emotions, outline goals, and refine motivation are all good for your health. Which in turn is both what one needs for any sustained exercise habit or practice and a benefit of the same. The fact that I’ve written a whole book (or two, since it’s too long–even as I try to revise it a third time, what it really needs is funding for an editor) is another way I’ve expressed myself, usually about all my biking. Sure, I could still ride a bike without writing, but both are entertwined and part of my daily do’s, and so far as I’m able to continue, I plan to and hope I will.

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2/2/2024: 5 Reasons Why Austin, Texas Is Not as Bicycle-Friendly As It Thinks

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

Austin, Texas. Just the words call up images in the minds of people who have lived here a long time, the recently arrived, and those dreaming of coming here. I know this because I’ve been all three, obviously in reverse order. I’ll stipulate that we’re much better off than Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and most other cities in the state. This isn’t a comparison with them. But compared to the great bike cities of the world, to which Austin can aspire, we are surely lacking. And Austin sure thinks highly about itself. It’s evident in our slogans — The Live Music Capital of the World, Keep Austin Weird, The People’s Republic of Austin, Silicon Hills, The Third Coast (as if–we’re over 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico).

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BOOK REVIEW:  Bicycle Diaries, by David Byrne

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

Talking Heads were active as an independent pop rock band from 1975-1991. They became world famous in the 80’s, the era of Music Television (MTV), with numerous danceable and singable hits that still get heavy radio play today. A big part of that fame were the whispery to soaring vocal sounds and quirky, herky-jerky dance moves of tall, angular, and gangly frontman, lead singer, guitar player, and co-songwriter, David Byrne, Spoiler alert, he’s also a bicyclist! This post is not a literary critique, but some random thoughts about his book. But stick with me, because as Byrne sings in the “Burning Down the House” lyrics: “Watch out, you might get what you’re after.” One thing is for sure: it’s doubtful such a multi-talented dude is being honest when he sings, “I’m an ordinary guy.”

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Austin Bike News Roundup for August 1, 2023

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

It’s been a while since I did one of these roundups, and since a new month is starting, I figure why not? Like many places around the northern hemisphere, Central Texas is suffering through a record red-hot sweltering summer. We just passed 22 days in a row of temperatures of 100 F or over and are on track for an all-time record of 30 consecutive days. So far this summer we’ve had a total of 41 days in the triple-digits… and counting. It’s enough to make you want to stay inside in the air conditioning.

Which is exactly what the doctor(s) ordered for this dude. So, I’m mostly biking inside on the boring, loud trainer to avoid the soul-sapping sultriness and the very harmful ultraviolet rays. Bicycling may be a solution to pollution, but not if you’re collapsing from heat stroke and getting skin cancer. Don’t do that. I’ve learned the hard way that we need to over-hydrate and slather on that sunscreen. Still, bike news in Austin continues, so here’s a little of that.

New Bike Polo Court

Credit ATXBPSC

According to the local NBC station KXAN, Austin got a new bike polo court. Thing is, it was exactly on the site of the previous place where bike polo was played. A little like The Who’s “meet the new boss, same as the oldboss.” The Austin Texas Bike Polo Social Club asked for a grant for the City to upgrade it, and that’s what happened.

I’ve been by to watch them players a few times, and it’s entertaining. A special bike like a BMX helps, and you need some excellent bike-handling skills, a willingness to get hurt, although it’s certainly tons safer than street cycling. Abs of steeel don’t hurt. After the games there are celebrations with libations, often the case with cyclists of all stripes.

Here’s a shot from ATXBPSC of Israel Tellez on the old court, who was going to the world championships in 2019.

Battle of the Bike Lanes

While individual short sectoins of road or intersections are still getting improved thanks to the 2016 bond money, there’s stll a ton of dangerous and missing infrstructure. There was going to be an agenda item at a recent City Council meeting on the ATX Walk Bike Roll plan. Axios Austin and others reported on this in relaton to an increase in cyclist deaths (four in 2023) and a lot more pedestrian deaths. Word from an informed source said there was likely going to bee a postponement.

The goal is to build 1,200 miles of lanes, but they are only at around 415 miles. At the rate they get built, something like 50 miles a year, we’ll all be dead before they’re installed. Especially if there’s not enough funding. Or the roads are melting or Texas is under an ocean again due to global warming. I wish them luck, but I’ll file this in the “I’ll believe it when I see it department.

Mamma Jamma Time

The ride to support women with breast cancer took a hit during the pandemic. It has downsized and relocated an hour north to Taylor, Texas. Instead of eight Austin agencies, the proceeds all go to the Big Pink Bus which conducts mammograms for underserved and uninsured women in Central Texas. It’s still a grat cause. I did three of these rides myself. If you’re around and want to ride, register here, or wherever you are, you can donate here.

Bike Texas Annual Member Appreciation Gathering

I don’t have much to do with these folks but I once went to their Cyclists in Suits lobby day, which was kinda fun. Their annual meeting is coming up on September 10, 3-5 pm. It’s a members-only appreciation event. They closed their office and now have a trailer on a lot on Springdale Road, so let’s hope it’s less hot outside. The meeting will include:

  • Meet and greet BikeTexas board members, staff, and fellow Texas bicyclists
  • Check out their new donor appreciation wall
  • Admire their beautiful new mural by our own Faith Schexnayder
  • Enjoy beverages, light snacks, and plenty of shade
  • Share what’s happening for biking and walking near you
  • Hear from folks who are making a difference for Texas bicyclists

Go to this link to register.

Mellow Johnny’s Moving Sale

SALE.png

It’s your last week to save with the MJ’s Moving Sale. The long-time shop owned by Lance Armstrong is moving into a newer building closer to, ironically enough, the Lance Armstrong Bikeway after many years on 400 Nueces Street.

This summer is shaping up to be too hot to pack up EVERYTHING in the shop and move it to their new spot. So they’re having a moving sale with their best prices ever on all in-stock new bikes, clothing, helmets, MJ’s branded gear, sunglasses, and more.

Through August 6 save 10, 20, even 30% on bikes. Every bike is on sale. All accessories purchased with a new bike are also 20% off (normally 15%). All MJ’s branded gear–kits, tees, gloves, socks, bottles, and more–all of it is 30% off. All clothing is 30-40% off. All sunglasses are 30% off. Car racks are 15% off. All helmets are 25% off. And all bags are 30% off.

Shop early for the best selection! Sale prices are for in-store, in stock items only. No special orders. No combining offers or discounts. (For example, no Mellow Bucks on sale items, no club discounts.) Discounts applied at register.

That’s all for this edition. Remember the three Hy’s: Hydrate, Hyde from the Sun, and Hy-Tail it to your indoor trainer.

Copyright 2023. A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved.

6/6/2023: Owen Egerton’s Last One Page Salon

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

Owen Egerton founded One Page Salon nine and three-quarters years ago. Now he’s leaving for greener, cooler, and less politically conservative pastures than Texas. From Austin to Boston, to be exact. I wrote about this monthly series where writers read a page of a work in progress two months and two days ago here at this link. (You know you want to click and go read it and then come back. Be my guest.) But since this was his last OPS, it’s worth another post. It was a fitting tribute and send-off with some special guests. Let’s just say we all got a little verklempt from all the feels, as the kids say.

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