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4/4/2026: Bicycle Commuting in Austin, Texas aka DEATH RACE 2026

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been riding my bicycle to and from work since I got a temporary job in late January. The job is the reason for my anemic biking mileage, exhausted brain and body, and also my pathetic blog writing. I haven’t even finished last month’s sole entry: Bicycling Formulas: Or Why My Mileage Sucks Nowy My Bicycling Sucks Now. (But I promise I will.) Anyway, I ride on Guadalupe Street, which I once read is the most dangerous road for people on bicycles in Austin. So, here are few thoughts about… HOW I NEARLY DIE EVERY SINGLE DAY! But also the common issues bike commuters have to deal with. If you’re considering doing it where you live, perhaps you’ll find some useful tips here.

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Lean Into It: When Bicycling and Life Throw You a Curve Ball

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 5 Comments

One day maybe a year or so ago — the pandemic has proven that time is a human construct and has lost all meaning — I was talking with my father, who art in another town in Texas. I must have been griping about some problem or another when he just blurted out, “Lean into it.” I was taken aback that he would know this phrase uttered more by hipper millennials. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I gathered my wits and said, “What do you mean?” I don’t remember the exact words but they were along the lines of “go with the flow,” or “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” possibly an explanation, “just accept that’s how things are and do your best, don’t worry about it.” Good stuff, Dad!

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How I Bicycled 22 Miles in a Thunderstorm and Tornado Watch (Shark-Free)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

After two days out of town and off the bike for the holidays with family, I returned to Austin ready to get back to bidness.  I needed to take my computer into the shop and to retrieve my mail, so I had two destinations.  There was some light rain but the temperature was in the high 60’s, not much wind.  A little rain never hurt anybody (except the Wicked Witch of the West), so I suited up and headed out.  So it was not all storm all the time.  But soon after errand number one, I had to put on my poncho and shoe covers.  For a while it was fine.  And then, it wasn’t.  I felt the wind pick up from the north and with it, the temperatures dropped and gusts increased.  There was also that part about a tornado watch.  Did I wisely throw in the towel and head straight home?  No.  Here’s why and how. Continue reading →