Today’s post is one I have been saving for a rainy day. It’s pictures and stories that go with all my bicycle jerseys. And it’s raining in Austin finally, so feast your eyes on the colorful designs and logos, and hear about what is behind them all. Continue reading
As returning readers may know, last April 29-30, I bicycled 202 miles in two days from Houston to Austin, Texas. That was extremely challenging for A Dude, but I did it, even adding 30 miles to get the “double century.” I’m also very proud of the fact that I obtained donations totalling $2,167 for treatment and research for the degenerative disease. That was also challenging, since I didn’t (and still don’t) have social media available as tools to reach people. But all the effort, suffering and training and even cramping on the ride was totally worth it, because in the end, I kicked butt both on and off the bike.
Today, the National MS Society had a gathering to thank us “Superstars” for last year. I received a spiffy silky-smooth grey tech-t-shirt. They had a nice spread with beverages We’re having nicer weather, so I got in a bike ride to do errands get downtown. At the gathering I met some biking friends, and a few of us went out to play pool after. It was a perfect ending to my half-birthday. Then I biked home, making for a decent 20-mile day. I know that’s not a real holiday, but it’s harmless fun. I hope you enjoy the photos. Continue reading
Check out our ride on Strava. Continue reading
The short answer is this: I don’t know. That’s the first thing that comes to mind a month after my personal best on a bike. It was definitely a peak life experience. But it sometimes seems like I imagined the whole thing. I mean, who does that distance in a car or motorcycle on an average weekend, much less on a friggin’ bicycle? There was wind, heat, hills on day one, and wind, cold, rain, and hills on day two — repeat riders say it was the hardest in a decade. There were 9,000 other people out there (I never claimed to be special.) Yet there are GPS maps proving I did it, and well, Strava doesn’t lie. So when I think back to the entire experience – the rolling community of all kinds of people with all kinds of bodies on all kinds of bikes, the lush, rolling, green countryside, and of course, the sweaty, serene and sometimes serious suffering – it seems surreal. But I definitely, most certainly, indubitably did it. I have witnesses. Here’s how I did it. And many of you can too.
A Dude Abikes 