Tag Archives: Texas Grande Fondo

April 5th and 6th Rides!

 

Spokes n' SPurs
Spokes n’ SPurs

For the first time in a long time we had great weather this weekend.  The blue bonnets were out and there were plenty of athletic events to participate in.

Saturday was the LBJ100 Ride which is a great ride on country roads and the proceeds go to preserve the history of LBJ and his ranch for future generations.  As many of you already know LBJ was the only American President that was born and claimed Texas as his home.  Also this year is the 50 year anniversary of the Civil Rights Act being enacted.  I believe next month all the living Presidents will be visiting the LBJ Presidential Library downtown so you might want to check that out.

Sunday only a hand full of us showed up for a nice flat 30 mile ride out to Spicewood and back.  It appears that many people did the Run the Ranch.

This upcoming weekend there will be a number of options for rides to choose from.

For Saturday rides there have been a lot of people asking for an A and B group with each group rolling out 5 minutes apart.  Maybe we can see who is interested in that.  An A group would be for those that want to go all out balls to the wall and the B group which will still have a brisk pace will be for those that want to ride at talking speed.  So next time we have a big Saturday turnout maybe we can try it out and see how it works.

Many of you have been asking for new routes to add to our rotation of rides that leave Steiner Ranch and there have been some great ideas.  Please send me a link to Google Maps and I’ll get it on our rotation.

If you are interested in racing or watching a race you can do so on Thursday’s at the driveway.  The races run through October 16th and you can learn more at http://www.drivewayseries.com/

If you are in need of a new bike or cycling gear both Bicycle Sport Shop and Mellow Johnny’s are having their Spring sales from April 4-6.  Both shops are offering deep discounts.  Check out their website at www.mellowjohnnys.com and www.bicyclesportshop.com

TEXAS GRANDE FONDO – Saturday April 5th in Fredricksburg

Roam the wonderful landscapes of the Hill Country and crown your experience in the festive environment in Downtown Fredericksburg come April 5th. The choice of three routes: Gran Fondo 100 miles, Medio Fondo with 65 miles or Piccolo Fondo with 35 miles, is in your hands. Take on this experience at your own pace, according to your skill level.

www.texasgranfondo.com

OR

SPOKES n’ SPURS 10th Anniversary Ride – Saturday April 5th at Spirit Reins in Liberty Hill

The Spokes ‘n Spurs is the core fund raiser for Spirit Reins’. Spirit Reins’ offers a variety of counseling services to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or other traumatic events in their lives.  The ride is a great Hill Country ride.  Courses range from 6 – 62.5 miles and it is a fully supported ride with a bunch of fun activities after the ride.  There will also be a 5k and 10k brick available for a post ride run.  The cost of the ride is $45 and it is for a great cause.  In prior years the first people off the line were racing and I think you could buy into a pool.  I don’t know if they still do that but you can go fast if you want.

Learn more about the ride and register at:   http://spokesnspurs.org/sns-register-now

MYSTERY RIDE – Saturday April 5th at 8:30am at Cups & Cones

As many of you know there are a bunch of Saturday rides to choose from so just show up on Saturday morning and you all can vote on a route.  I’ll be doing the Spokes n’ Spurs ride.

SUNDAY SOCIAL RIDE – Sunday March 30th at 8:30am at Cups & Cones

On Sunday the Steiner Ranch Cycling Group (SRC) will roll out from Cups & Cones at 8:30 am this Sunday morning for either the Tour de Steiner Ranch or Ski Shores or some other mystery ride.  Typically we stay in Steiner Ranch.  This is a NO DROP RIDE.

ROUTE:

http://goo.gl/maps/asEjI

or

http://goo.gl/maps/6tqey

February 8th and 9th Rides!

Taylor Phinney - Dubai 2014
Taylor Phinney – Dubai 2014

NEW KIT FITTING PARTY Please join us February 26th at The University of Texas Golf Club in Steiner Ranch in the bar area.  We will be doing fittings from 6pm until 8pm.  If you want a kit show up for the fitting or make arrangements with Tom Delaney at delaneyt@earthlink.net to drive out to his area for an alternative date to get fitted.  The kit looks awesome and we are making final touches.  Brandon O’Keefe has been our designer and he is making some final tweaks for us.  We are moving forward with Descente and we are going with the top of the line pro kits.  Tom Delaney is our contact there.  We have solidly committed 5 sponsors and trying to nail down the final two.  I have received checks from Austin City Living and Resolute Fitness.  If everything goes smoothly we may have our new kits by the end of March.

Happy hour runs all night on Wednesday the 26th which means half price drink specials.

STRAVA HIGHLIGHTS

The Strava highlights for last week by category are as follows (need to ride over 75 miles in the week to be included in stats below):

Distance                    Marek Kacprzak     194.4             Miles
Mountain Goat       Jason Schaller          1,645 Feet
Speed Demon         Andrew Struck        30.4 over 97.9 Total Miles

NEXT WEEKENDS RIDES

AUSTIN SCIENIC LOOP – Saturday February 8th at 8:30am at Cups & Cones

This Saturday the Steiner Ranch Cycling Club we will be doing the Scenic Loop.  The ride is about 56 miles round trip to and from Cups & Cones.

The ride will start at Cups & Cones and we will grind it out of Steiner Ranch via the Steiner Ranch Blvd hill up to 620.  We will take the 620 down to Anderson Mill Road and make a right on Spicewood.  Then we will work our way through a few neighborhoods and end up on Jollyville and work our down Jollyville through the Domain and will cross 360 and get onto Mesa up Mt. Bonnell and then ride through Terry Town and follow Scenic route along Lake Austin Blvd down to Mellow Johnny’s for a break.

Please print out the below route if you are not familiar with the route.

ROUTE 1 (on the way downtown to MJ):

http://goo.gl/maps/2ZcEe

ON the way back there are two routes.  I’ll be taking the Shoal Creek route but many go the Bee Caves route.  You will get to choose.

ROUTE 1 (on the way home via Shoal Creek):

http://goo.gl/maps/uChP8

We will probably have two groups.  We will have a faster group that will average about 18-20 mph and a slower group that will average between 15-16mph.  That being said there is no designated sweeper behind me so you need to keep up with me at a minimum or you will be dropped.

Mystery Ride – Sunday February 9th at 8:30am at Cups & Cones

Come join us for our Sunday easy (recovery) ride.  We will just meet and take a vote on Sunday but the rides can vary from Steiner Ranch, Ski Shores or some other local routes all of which will be under 30 miles.  The speeds can also vary but rarely average more than 15 mph.  This is a great ride if you are beginner, getting back into cycling, or just want an easier ride.