This post was going to be about an open house held by the City of Austin Transportation Department which I attended. It was about the redesign of a nearby street to have bike lanes, sidewalks, trees and parking. Not terribly exciting, yet pretty interesting at the same time. But then this happened. So I’ll save that for another day (or not), and tell you about this crazy, wild-ass, scary, dangerous, and fun ride.
Check out this ride on Strava.
Oops! I did it again. Rode my bike for charity. The 10th Annual Texas Mamma Jamma Ride to Beat Breast Cancer, to be precise; my third participation. While the ride was many things, the most important thing is that I have so far raised $1,554 for the seven area non-profits benefiting from this event. The money will go to provide services to women living with the disease. And, I’m still hoping to raise more. You can help at this link:
Before anyone gets up in arms about the title, SAG stands for Support and Gear. (I almost said panties in a wad, but decided it was in poor taste.) SAG is the vehicle that roams around the course in a bike ride with extra tubes, tires, food, water and first aid. And while the day featured rain, wind, sun, loose dogs, crashes, tutus, and longhorn cattle (not the miraculously currently 3-1 winning University of Texas football team), and even a flat tire that the SAG car did help out with a little (so I wouldn’t get my hands oily), A Dude Abikes has a clean sheet so far of never having to SAG out.
So here’s the low down on the non-SAGging breast cancer charity ride.
Hey there! Yes, you, reading this blog. Let me say thank you. I really appreciate it. You’re one of a select, special number of people who will see this. That’s pretty cool. Sure, it might be nice if thousands saw it, but I kinda like it like this. It’s more intimate. Although I’ve never met most of you, it’s like I’m telling a handful of friends about my bike ride. So yeah, let me tell you about it. Continue reading
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
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
One of the themes of this blog is that bicycling is both a solo sport and then again, it’s not. You pedal your own bike, unless you’re chilling out on the back of a tandem. But from the people that made your bike, all the gear and accessories, the roads, the food, the beer… it’s all connected into part of what we tend to call “the bike community.” And by “we” I mean people, usually white ones, with the privilege to go to happy hours. (You could say opposing racism and xenophobia are also one of my sub-themes.)
But hey, don’t even white people who happen to bike deserve to live in a bikeable, walkable city that works well, and not get killed in the process? Yes! So when I heard that the advocacy and membership group A Dude is part of, Bike Austin, partnered with the Congress for the New Urbanism Central Texas Chapter (CNU-CTX) for their monthly gathering, I got myself down there to check it out. What follows is my short report, with plenty of pictures. Continue reading
Tonight I jetted over to a nice but sorta weird place for a bike meeting — a neighborhood emergency center — to learn how to lead group and bike shop rides. It was organized by the active transportation (bike and walking) advocacy and membership non-profit organization for which I occasionally pitch in to volunteer, Bike Austin, led by new director Katie. The training was given by Bicycle Sport Shop Road Captains Daniel, Laura Jane (LJ), and Stephanie and with some of the dozen of attendees contributing some amusing stories of what people do on their bikes. So listen up kids, class is in session! Professor A Dude Abikes is on the mic, talkin’ trikes, and safety things he likes… Continue reading
Today I went on yet another 30 minute daily walk. I try to go early because it’s so friggin’ hot and humid here in Austin, Texas in late June. Summer came early this year (thanks, global warming!). While there are strategies for dealing with the heat that I outlined in a previous blog, acclimation – getting used to it – is inevitable if you want to keep up a fitness routine. (Thanks to Julie78787 for reminding us of this important step.)
But I’m finding my walking is getting a little stagnant. I’m not a morning person but that’s the best time to go to get some Vitamin D without too much harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. It’s not led to any weight loss, noticeable gains in strength, or huge uplift in my mood. But I keep doing it because I believe that it will pay long-term benefits. Here are some: Continue reading
For some time now, my left crank has not matched my right crank. It was making me a little cranky! So tonight I took a spin again to see my friends at the Austin Yellow Bike Project, www.AustinYellowBike.org. The free shop has evening hours and is staffed by helpful volunteers called Coordinators. Pete, Zack and Conti were there to offer pointers. But it’s very much a Do It Yourself affair. Come peek under the hood! Continue reading
Tonight I took my old Fuji bicycle to the free community shop, Austin Yellow Bike Project. The brakes were very worn, which I consider a point of pride, because it means I’ve ridden my bike a shit ton of miles. That’s right, I used a curse word. So sue me! I’m just trying to spice things up a bit. Actually, please don’t sue me. Normally A Dude Abikes is a family friendly blog. We still have free speech here in ‘Merrikuh, don’t we? But biking 10,000 miles in two years was so much work, one swear word doesn’t even begin to do that justice. Anyway, YBP is cool, so let me tell you about it. Continue reading
A Dude Abikes 