Ride Interview – Katy Flatland Century 2016 – Katy, Texas (July 17)

On the surface of it, doesn’t the very notion of being in charge of rounding up volunteers for any large-scale event sound like a thankless task? Sure it does.barbara-wu

But don’t tell that to Barbara Wu, volunteer coordinator for Houston’s Northwest Cycling Club for 5½ years. Her mission takes her where few dare to go and she loves it!

With five major cycling events every year plus 52 Saturday morning club rides, there’s plenty on her plate. That’s because NWCC is one of the largest and most active cycling clubs in the country. And one of the best – it was named USA Cycling Club of the Year in 2005, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The next big gig for Barbara is NWCC’s Katy Flatland Century on July 17.  Ride options are 32, 42, 55, the metric century 62 and, of course, 100 miles. And as the race name suggests, it’s a level playing field out there on the bald prairie west of Houston – perfect for those tackling their first century ride. Register at www.kfc.bike.

Barbara gave Wheel Brothers some insight into what it’s like to be responsible for assembling the volunteer troops and giving them their marching orders.

 

How many riders are expected for KFC? How many volunteers do you need to sufficiently staff the ride?

We are anticipating 2,000 to 2,500 riders for the Katy Flatlands Century Ride and we will need around 150 Northwest Cycling Club volunteers to fully staff all of the positions, which include registration, parking, rest stops, corner monitors, SAG and miscellaneous others.  In addition to our NWCC volunteers, we enlist the help of two Boy Scout Troops to staff rest stops.

 

Is the number of riders to the number of volunteers needed a strict ratio, or is more of a need-based number based on a number of variables?

There is not a strict ratio, but rather it is based on a number of factors as determined by the ride director.  Some things that play into this equation are the length of the routes, number of corners along the routes, number of rest stops, the time of year and of course the number of anticipated riders.  NWCC has developed a very good reputation over the years for putting on some of the best rides in Texas!

 

Your volunteer positions for the Katy Flatland filled very early.  Is that the norm for NWCC?

Actually, it is!  All positions are usually filled at least 3-4 weeks before the actual event.  Almost always, I will have a waiting list of people wanting to volunteer if someone has to cancel due to a last-minute emergency or work commitment. Many of our volunteers are repeat volunteers who also enjoy giving back.

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Is buttoning down volunteers this early common for all NWCC events? In your estimation, is it common for most cycling events?

It is common for us. I don’t like surprises and like to have volunteers lined up well ahead of time.  It helps when I can give the individual work area coordinators their lists of volunteers on a timely basis, as we all have very busy schedules.  It also helps the ride director, who has to make the decision to add additional volunteers if needed.

 

I can’t really address if it is common for most cycling events, as I have not helped other organizations staff their events.  But, from everything that I know, I don’t think it’s common to have the volunteer component completed as early as we do. Then again, other cycling clubs do not have the large membership to pull from that NWCC enjoys.

 

Also, as a club, we also offer incentives for volunteering for our events, and that really helps.

 

Is there any downside for completing your volunteer roster early?

Not really.  I like to get volunteers early so we can move on to the next event.  On rare occasions, members need to cancel at the last minute, but I usually have a backup list of members to help fill in where needed.

 

What are the most popular volunteer positions? What are the least popular posts, but ones that still need to be filled?

That is a hard one to say!  Registration positions for the morning of the ride fill up quickly because we offer the incentive of being able to ride the event   free, as do parking volunteers, which is staffed by our junior race team. Corner monitors and rest stops fill quickly because they are so much fun!     You get to see everyone, slow riders and fast and can shout out words of          encouragement, and often they are our first responders if a rider is in need of assistance!  SAG drivers are popular in that you are there to assist riders who     may be having a mechanical issue or to offer help to the rider who has overestimated their abilities with the Texas summer heat!

The least popular positions would be the ones that involve helping with food service and setup and loading up equipment and returning it to storage at the end of the day.  But often times family members of club members take these positions. They want something to do while waiting for their significant  others who are riding!

 

Some positions preclude the volunteer from riding in the event. Does this make these positions difficult to fill? How do you work around that?

Most of the volunteers on the day of the ride are not able to participate in the ride itself, but it does not make them too hard to fill.  Many of our volunteers have a particular favorite ride that they like and they will participate in some and volunteer for others.

 

We offer club incentives for volunteering for club events, such as the KFC.  As a club, we charter a bus to Wichita Falls for the Hotter-N-Hell ride in August and in order to qualify for that trip you must work one event or be one of our Saturday morning ride starters.  If a club member works two events, they are eligible to attend a special Volunteer Appreciation weekend.  This year we have a new incentive. If a club member volunteers for all five  events that NWCC puts on  and also volunteers as a Saturday morning ride starter they will receive a “Super Volunteer” jersey at the end of the year.

 

But often times club members volunteer not for the rewards, but for the reason that someone along the way in their cycling career gave them some encouragement or helped them in some way. This is their way of paying it forward!

 NWCC-vols

What are some of the communication means you use in reaching out to potential volunteers?

First, I compile a list of volunteers needed for each of our rides and ask for volunteers at our monthly club meeting.  This usually takes place 2-3 months before an event.  Then, with the help of social media and Facebook, I begin posting the need for volunteers. But the most effective means, I believe, is the face-to-face contact with club members at our Saturday morning rides at Zube Park.  This direct contact works because often club members have a hard time making it to our club meetings because of work schedules, living on the other side of town or the ever-changing road construction that take place on Houston highways. Also, our Saturday morning rides are often full of new club members who have not yet been to a club meeting and are not aware of what NWCC has to offer.

 

NWCC sponsors a number of events during the year. Do you adjust your volunteer methods to suit each race, or does “one size fit all”?

NWCC sponsors five different events throughout the year, plus we need ride starters for our club rides every Saturday of the calendar year (52).  I do basically the same thing for each one. There are also a couple events that are considered competitive races, rather than fundraiser “rides.” The majority of these volunteers come from our race team and their families.

 

Is being volunteer coordinator a thankless task?

Some may think so, but I don’t!  I enjoy giving back to a club that has taught me so much about cycling and inevitably about myself and what I am capable of achieving.  I have been a club member for 10 years, and there were so many along the way who helped me learn how to ride, beginning with the “no drop” groups.  The greatest rewards about being the volunteer coordinator for the club are all of the people I have met though out the years, many of whom have become lifelong friends!

 

Are you going to be able to ride in the Katy Flatland Century on July 17?

I will not. I will greeting riders at one of the rest stops.  All part of the fun of being a NWCC Club member!

Ride Report: The Old Stone Fort Ride

By Steven Amen

It’s not everyday that there’s a charity ride within riding distance of where I live, in Nacogdoches. Usually the closest ones are Freeze Your Fanny in Longview or The Purgatory in Lufkin, both are still a 30ish minute drive away, but I was fortunate to have the Nacogdoches’ Rotary Club hold this one within 10 minutes of me.

After getting up and ready, I left my house and warmed my legs up with the spin to the Civic Center. The morning sky was grey and a little wind came from east to west, so we would be fighting the wind on the way out and a tailwind on the way back, which I find preferable. Since the ride was on home turf, most of the Nacogdoches bike club was present and I linked up with them for the ride. I did the 100 kilometer route, which I knew well because there were roads or segments of road that I ride on a daily or weekly basis.

At the start I departed with the full bike club, but after a few miles of weeding through the crowd of riders and picking my way up front, behind the wheel of Dayne Martin, a local Cat 2 racer and Texas Time Trial Champion, we linked up with Paul Carroll, a cyclocross racer from Fort Worth. The three of us dropped the pack and we rode on.

There’s a joke I’ve heard out on a ride that casual group rides turn into a Cat 6 races, sitting behind Paul, who is a monster on climbs, and Dayne, who is presumed to be a robot born in a wind tunnel (I can’t attest to the validity of that statement), it was no exception. The two in unison pushed our average speed up just under 20 miles an hour for the first 50 minutes before I hit my limit and sat up, which is perfectly fine, I enjoy riding by myself, but doing the next 50 miles seemed to be daunting after the energy expended with Paul and Dayne.

The route was littered with rolling hills interspersed with false flats that turn upwards into 2-3% gradients then into nasty kickers which would be rough enough on their own without the preceding miles.

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There is a problem when you’re riding a Cat 6 race, or most races anyway: any and all scenery is lost when you’re concentrating on the cyclist in front of you or the road. After I had gotten dropped I was alone on a small back country road called Elbow Ridge and from then on out I would be alone for most of the duration.

Elbow Ridge Road is like most of the small country roads in Nacogdoches: it’s small, and there’s barely enough room for two cars to squeeze by each other, but most of the time it’s desolate and covered by a tunnel of trees keeping wind and sun off, but the roads are pockmarked by trucks larger than the road can handle, creating potholes. If and when they’re fixed, all that’s done to them is they’re filled with dirt and oil topped over again, creating an uneven surface. But this is not to say they’re without merit, it’s amazing to get lost on these kinds of roads.

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The Green Inferno

The roughness of the roads was emphasized by riding past the naturally occurring Tonkawa Springs, towards highway 95. I came out of the backwoods onto a small “highway,” I use that term liberally, and it all had been, to my surprise, graveled.

95 led to a small satellite town about 15 miles out from Nac called Garrison, but there had been no warning of the gravel. It wasn’t even compact gravel that you can muscle over. It was loose chunky gravel that gave me nightmares about flat tires and busted spokes.

A woman in a car pulled up next to me as I looked down the road and asked me if I was going to ride my bike on it. I shrugged and told her that I didn’t have any other option. I asked how long ago they had graveled it and how much gravel there was going that direction into town. She said it had happened not too long ago and there was 2.5 or 3 miles of gravel.

When she pulled out onto the road I waited for her dust to settle before pedaling out. I was really careful with my line because, embarrassingly, I was riding dirty. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s where you go out on a ride and you don’t bring inner tubes or a pump or C02 cartridges on a ride. If you flat your ride is over and you’re waiting for SAG wagon or your annoyed girlfriend to come pick you up on some godforsaken road. For a ride on home territory I fully embraced “Death before SAG.”

In Garrison, I stopped at the rest stop, filled up my bottles, and ate a banana. It was the first rest stop I actually stopped at, and I mentioned my surprise at the gravel to the locals who were working. I asked them if anyone else had come through and they described two people that resembled Paul and Dayne stopping briefly just a minute or two before I did.

I took that as my cue that I wasn’t far behind, so I might be able to chase my way back to them. I left town and kept a high pace on another back-road-green-inferno that dumped out onto 95, on the south side of Garrison, and fortunately this portion of the road was smooth as glass.

After two miles of 95, the road turned off into Fitze Mountain. Fitze Mountain is just hyperbole. Perhaps before the dinosaurs, while this part of Texas was the floor of the ocean, it might’ve been a mountain but now it’s just a hill with a long false flat leading up to a small kicker to the top of the hill. On Strava it looks much more severe than it really is. As I was climbing up Fitze, the winds changed directions and the daunting clouds from the morning cleared up some and the sun shone through.

The route took me up to 159 for a couple miles of mostly descending over rollers to the bottom of Lake Naconiche. There’s a good climb into the rollers around Naconiche, but the view is always beautiful around that portion of the lake because the sky seems to open up overhead.

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Behold, beauty!

Picture by Brian Phelps,

Model: Tom Judson

The people manning all the rest stops were fantastic, each stop I rode by they cheered no matter if I was going to stop or if I was going to keep on going. I wanted to stop at most of them, but the internal clock I had in my gut kept telling me to skip it and stop at the next. The one on the rollers of Naconiche was no exception but they had set up at the between a descent and a climb, and I had no desire to go from a complete stop at the bottom of a hill to start a climb. So I powered down and zipped on through. Another perk of a ride like this is that I knew we were about to loop back onto roads we had already ridden on and there was going to be another rest stop a few miles up the road.

I started to pass up riders from the shorter rides and I offered to pull them for as long as they could hang onto my wheel as I rode up to Geldmeier road, which was another of those false flats — for a little over a mile — before getting really steep at the top. After cresting I crossed over highway 59, uneventfully with the help of the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s department and rode onto FM 698. The road, to me would be a great road for a time trial to be held on, if it were to be 40k long: sweeping turns into rolling hills and a high average speed if you can keep your average up on the climbs.

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More Beauty!

From there it was a left turn onto the Old Tyler Road, and back to the start/finish line. When I arrived back Dayne looked like he had been there for a while, Paul had already changed out of his kit. All in all, an excellent day of riding, with just under 3k feet of climbing over the 65 mile course.

 

Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/4174949

How Going Clipless Will Boost Your Speed And Deliver Explosive Power To The Pedals

Of the many great choices you have to make in cycling, one of the biggest is where to put your feet. Do you choose flat pedals, which are ‘traditional’ and straightforward to understand, or do you go clipless, which, ironically, uses clips to secure your feet to your pedals? Clipless pedals are more than just a gimmick or fad; they actually serve an important purpose and can have a big impact on your power and speed while you bike.

pedal and chain of pink bicycle
pedal and chain of pink bicycle

Here are the benefits of choosing clipless pedals and tips on how you can choose the best shoes for them.

 

Better Pedaling Efficiency

This is the reason most people try going clipless. Who doesn’t want to maximize efficiency? Unlike flat pedals, which can really only create motion when you push down while pedaling, clipless pedals allow you to use your drivetrain on the ‘up’ motion, too. By utilizing both the upward and downward strokes, you create constant power, making your pedaling efforts more efficient. You should know that there is a lot of debate about exactly how much power is created during the upstroke, if any at all. (ref) But nobody is arguing how much being clipped to the pedals allows you to apply more force on the down stroke by unweighting you “dead” leg on the upstroke. Try doing that on a flat pedal and your foot will come off the pedal and end up in your shin.

 

Better Traction On Steep Climbs

If you’re a mountain biker, the constant power created when you clip into the clipless pedals has another benefit that you’ll appreciate–better traction. This is especially helpful when pedaling up steep, loose terrain because you don’t lose power on the upstroke. While it’s true that there’s not as much power in an upstroke than when you push downward, there’s likely some power there when you use clipless MTB pedals. Even with really good shoes and top quality flat pedals, you still can’t get the traction that you’d get with clipless pedals, especially in wet conditions. You may get your tires to grip the terrain, but what about your feet gripping the pedals?

 

No Slipping

The most obvious benefit of using clipless pedals is also one that most flat pedal fans don’t understand. Because your feet are literally locked in place with clipless pedals, you are connected to your bike. There’s no slipping off the pedals and grinding your shins into a mess when the errant pedal comes back around again. Of course, some people wonder about what happens if you crash or fall off your bike while using clipless pedals. The nature of clipless pedals means you have greater control of your bike, so you shouldn’t have to worry about crashing quite so much, but if you are, just know that the art of unclipping your shoes can be easily learned with practice, so you don’t have to sacrifice the benefits of the pedals for safety’s sake.

Being physically connected to your bike has another benefit, too. Your bike will start to feel more like an extension of you instead of something you are just sitting on, and you’ll naturally gravitate towards better riding posture because you’ll learn the right position to keep your shoes clipped in place. Consequently, you’ll have a lower risk of injury (ref) for bones, joints, and muscles in your feet and legs.

 

How To Tell If Clipless Pedals Are Right For You

If you’re wondering whether to try clipless pedals, go for it, but with one caveat. They really aren’t meant for casual use. Your body needs time to develop the muscle memory it takes to clip and unclip your shoes from the pedals when you come to a stop, so if you aren’t going to be riding regularly, you may struggle with this.

If you are just learning the basics of biking, there’s no harm in learning on flat pedals and switching to clipless later on. In fact, that’s probably a good idea, since you won’t be struggling to learn how to control your bike and unclip your feet at the same time. Flat pedals do have their place, but it’s very hard to beat the efficiency and control that clipless pedals offer a more experienced rider.

 

Will You Be Walking?

Clipless pedal systems and shoes come in two main styles. One is called ‘road’, the other is called ‘walkable.’ The names are pretty self-explanatory. Road systems are designed to be as efficient as possible while riding. The shoes are thin, lightweight, and have the cleats extending from the soles of the shoes, making them very difficult to walk in. Walkable system shoes feature cleats that are recessed into the bottom of the shoe’s sole. This means the cleats don’t touch the ground when you walk, making them ideal for walking into the grocery store or hiking over rough terrain if you’re a mountain biker. A walkalble shoe tends to be more popular with casual riders and people taking spin class don’t want to walk awkwardly through the aisles of the grocery store or through the weight training area to get back to the locker room.

 

Choosing Shoes for Clipless Pedals

Once you decide to go clipless, the easiest way to ensure you get off to a good start is to buy a pedal and shoe system. In other words, buy the pedal and shoe that are made for each other. This way you’ll know that your shoe will clip in correctly and you won’t have any problems. You can buy shoes from one manufacturer and pedals from another, but you need to make sure that the clips on the shoe are compatible with the clips on the pedals. This gives you more options and allows you to find the ideal fit for your shoes. This also allows you to try more than one pair of shoes once you get a pedal you feel comfortable with. Before you head to the store, familiarize yourself with some of the more common features, brands, and lingo that sales people will be using. You’ll be more prepared to have an informed discussion and get a shoe you’ll be happy with for years. You’ll find a good guide here at Best Exercise Shoes as well as some road and walkable shoe recommendations.

 

Ultimately, the best way to choose your shoes is to go and try them out with the pedal system. You can try different tensions to see how easy or difficult releasing the clips will be and you can decide if you want shoes that are flexible enough for hiking and walking before, during, or after your bike rides.

When you boil it down, the type of shoes you buy is going to depend on where you’ll be riding your bike and how efficient you want to be when riding. A casual rider will at most want a pair of walkable clipless shoes, but after your first race in a pair of walkers you’ll likely want to upgrade to a pair of clipless before you sit in the saddle again.

 

Bike Ride Across Texas 3: Surfside Beach to Texline

bikerideacrosstexas

“Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.”  That’s something I heard my mother say more than once when I was a child and unable to eat everything on my plate.  Our third long-distance bike ride with Leadership Studies Program students at Hardin-Simmons University proved to be bigger than realized by a number of would-be participants.

 

Originally conceived to run from the Gulf of Mexico at the Texas-Louisiana border to Sault Ste. Marie at the top of Michigan, our third ride was planned to span 1,600 miles and include all of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  The route was mapped, roads check via street and satellite views on Google Maps, and overnight stops identified.  Besides training, money, and finding places to stay, the biggest thing lacking from making the ride a reality was complete student commitment.

 

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Tour de Ted training ride with BRAT3 participants in Abilene.

 

With less than a month to go in the Spring 2015 semester and seven weeks before the scheduled start of the ride, four of the six student participants dropped out of the ride.  The remaining participants were committed to a cycling expedition and quickly re-conceptualized an alternative adventure.

To accommodate schedules of several additional participants who didn’t have time for a ride to Canada but could do a shorter excursion, a new ride across Texas was mapped and planned.  Within weeks, a route from Surfside Beach to Texline was developed and lodging arranged—through families, former students, churches, and sister universities.  The 825-mile route, like the first two BRAT adventures, would put us in Abilene for a mid-point break.  Once again, we would drive to the starting line, cycle four days to Abilene for a day of rest, cycle four more days to the finish line, and drive back to Abilene.  The logistics of the third ride were similar to the previous rides, but the route, participants, and on-the-road variables would all be different.

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Loading up on campus for the drive to Surfside Beach.

 

The team of cyclists would also be different from the previous years.  We ended up with only two HSU students enrolled in the workshop class who actually planned the trip.  One cyclist from BRAT2 came back for an encore ride with BRAT3 as well as the two faculty members.  Three friends, including an emergency room nurse and experienced cyclist, and the rest of the team set out from Surfside Beach at the beginning of the ride.  Another student, recovering from a broken ankle, joined the team as a support vehicle driver.  At the mid-point break, one team member dropped out of the ride for a family emergency and another joined us for the second half.  The ride started and ended with nine participants—with eight completing the entire journey.  We once again used two support vehicles for the ride.

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Starting point at Surfside Beach on Day 1 of cycling heading to LaGrange.

 

Our ride began on a Monday morning from the beach house of team member’s uncle at Surfside Beach.  After eating, lathering up in sunscreen, and loading up gear and supplies in the support vehicles, we rolled out of Surfside Beach on our way to LaGrange and our evening hosts in Giddings.  The pleasant temperatures and breeze on the coast gave way to hot and humid conditions later in the day.   At West Columbia, we took our first rest and food break.  Fred Green, a friend and former colleague of one of our riders, joined us on the ride to West Columbia.  Fred had previously completed a two-month, northern-route, cross-country ride.  Being familiar with the roads in the area, Fred helped us navigate from the causeway at Surfside Beach to West Columbia.

After nearly 75 miles of riding together in a group on the first day, the team decided to split into two groups and begin our traditional method of leapfrog riding in order to make it to LaGrange for dinner.  By the time that we arrived for our first night of rest, we had completed almost 140 miles.  We stopped riding in Fayetteville and drove into LaGrange and Giddings for relaxation, repairs, food, and rest.

 

 

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First rest break in West Columbia, Texas with Fred Green, a veteran cross-country cyclist.

 

On the start of the second day, we drove back to the town square in Fayetteville to begin the day’s ride.  The mostly flat terrain from the first day, with a gradual elevation gain, gave way hillier roads.  Sore legs from the first day, when two riders completed century rides and one made 93 miles before cramping up, prompted the team to leapfrog for most of the day.  The long ride of the first day was nearly matched on the second day—our lodging for the night was 125 miles away in Belton at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.  The day’s route took us through LaGrange, Bastrop, Elgin, and Taylor on the way to Belton.  At UMHB, Dr. Jamey Plunk had arranged accommodations for us at the university’s Peacock Ranch.  We all had beds to sleep in and a hearty home-cooked dinner with the family of one of our team members.  Our overnight stay in Belton was relaxed and enjoyable.

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Dinner with the Dennis family in Belton, Texas.

 

We left Belton early the next day and took roads away from the congested highways through and around Belton and Temple on our way to Gatesville, Goldthwaite, and eventually Brownwood and Howard Payne University.  Day three, like most of the trip, presented us with a consistent and gradual gain in elevation throughout the day.  When planning the ride, we chose to ride north and gain elevation with the hopes of having tailwinds from the south to aid us along the route.  Reflecting back on the completed ride, we discovered that winds were not much of a factor on BRAT3.  One day in the panhandle presented us with favorable winds, but they were otherwise rather uninfluential.

The ride from Belton to Brownwood was 125 miles.  Combined with the mileage of the first two days, the team completed almost 400 miles in the first three days of cycling.  The 80-mile ride on the fourth day from Howard Payne University to Hardin-Simmons University seemed like a piece of cake for the team.  Local news crews and campus supporters expected us back on campus at 1 p.m. for a campus celebration.  We needed to time our arrival back to campus to coincide with the arrival of the news reporters on campus and the return of university staff from their lunch breaks.   We arrived into Abilene quicker than expected and ended up killing time at a convenience store on the edge of town to get us to campus at the right time.

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Mid-point stop at Hardin-Simmons University.

 

Since BRAT3 occurred in June, instead of May like the previous two rides, schools were out for summer break and we didn’t get to make school presentations on our mid-point break.  Instead, we rested, washed clothes, stocked up on food and supplies for the second half of the trip, and made some needed bike repairs.

 

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Preparing to begin second half of ride with members of the sTEAMboat Cycling Club.

 

The second half of our ride began on a Saturday morning.  Members of the sTEAMboat Cycling Club in Abilene were invited to ride out of campus with us that morning.  We were honored to have close to 20 club members join us from Abilene to Anson—three gentlemen even rode with us all the way to Hamlin.  By the time we made it to Aspermont, we were hungry and ready for a Dairy Queen break.  We also suffered our first flat tire heading into Aspermont—an amazing accomplishment after getting 13 flat tires in BRAT2 (we ended BRAT3 with only three flat tires).

 

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Rest stop and photo opportunity in Anson, Texas with sTEAMboat Cycling Club.

 

After Aspermont, we made the final push of the day to Jayton.  We were fed and hosted by the family of former students at HSU who went on to get married after graduation.  Wonderful hospitality, route planning, and good conversation made for an enjoyable evening together in Jayton.  The next morning, a Sunday, we rode from Jayton toward Spur with B.J. Baldridge, whose family hosted us in their home.

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Getting ready to roll out of Jayton, Texas with HSU alumnus, B.J. Baldridge.

 

At a rest stop between Jayton and Spur, we realized that we had a slow leak in one of the tires of a support vehicle.  Being a Sunday morning, we couldn’t find a tire shop to fix the leak.  We decided to keep an eye on the tire and inflate it during the day if warranted.  We would get the tire repaired the next morning in Plainview.

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A giant spur in Spur, Texas was too hard to pass up for a photo.

 

The greatest anxiety of the 110-mile day was riding up onto the Caprock on the way to Plainview.  From Spur, our route went through Dickens, Dougherty, Floydada, and Aiken before rolling into Plainview to spend the night at Wayland Baptist University.  The dreaded ascent onto the Caprock wasn’t nearly as bad as expected.  Like all the days before, the ride to Plainview was marked by a steady gain in elevation.

The next day’s ride from Plainview to Vega was also characterized by a gradual gain in elevation.  With little assistance from a tailwind, the consistent elevation gains prevented a reprieve from pedaling while on the road.  Wind was the challenge on BRAT2, the steady gain in elevation was the challenge on BRAT3.  The ride to Vega was hot and exhausting.  We stopped for lunch at a Sonic in Dimmitt before turning north to Hereford and Vega.  Lodging and dinner was provided by First Baptist Church–Vega.  An outdoor gospel music concert, a walk around downtown, a visit to the local museum, and breakfast at a local burrito stand made for a pleasant and memorable stay in Vega.

 

 

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Route check and planning in Dalhart, Texas.  The final push to the finish line!

 

Our final day of riding started off wonderfully.  The sky was cloudy and the temperatures were pleasant.  The road from Vega to Boys Ranch was newly paved with a wide, smooth shoulder and we finally enjoyed a long decrease in elevation—for the first 25 miles of the day!  The remaining 77 miles of the day was characterized by the typical steady gain in elevation like we had experienced for much of the ride.  The final leg from Dalhart to Texline also brought with it a challenging cross-wind.

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Ending point at New Mexico border past Texline, Texas.

 

The full team rode together through Texline to the border.  A time for pictures and reflection at the state line gave us a sense of closure and accomplishment.  First Baptist Church—Dalhart hosted us in their Family Life Center for the final night of the trip.  We woke up early the next morning and drove back to Abilene to successfully wrap up our third trans-Texas bike ride.

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Victory BBQ dinner in Dalhart, Texas.

It was refreshing and inspiring to have encountered so many friendly, gracious, and generous people along the route.  The Krueger-Proske families in Surfside Beach, the Jatzlau family in Giddings, the Dennis family in Belton, the Baldridge family in Jayton, staff and members of the First Baptist Churches in Vega and Dalhart, and the staff and administration at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Howard Payne University, and Wayland Baptist University were all very giving and hospitable to our team on the ride.  People opened their homes, went above and beyond their normal job duties, and took care of weary and hungry travelers.  Biketown in Abilene and Austen Stokes helped us with equipment repairs and gear.  Without the help and hospitality of all of our sponsors, we couldn’t have succeeded in our journey.

Although we didn’t make it to Canada, we had a wonderfully challenging and gratifying ride across Texas.  Riding more as a group on this expedition, each of our full-ride cyclists completed more than 300 miles over the 825-mile route.  One rider ended with 550 miles, one with 640 miles, and one, our high-mile cyclist, reached 700 miles over the eight days on bikes.  The dream of a cross-country ride to Canada wasn’t crushed, it was simply delayed by one year.

To learn more about BRAT3 and other BRAT rides, visit www.BikeRideAcrossTexas.com.

BRAT3 photo movie: https://youtu.be/7i0cSs13yp4

BRAT3 video movie: https://youtu.be/f8xzfe4Ye6M

BRAT3 GoPro movie: https://youtu.be/keVBO86NuIg

 

Coleman Patterson, Ph.D.
Director of Leadership Studies and Professor of Management and Leadership
Hardin-Simmons University
Abilene, Texas

 

The tale of a cyclist – Part 4

March 2016 – Cycling and Warmshowers – Really, what is that?

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Figure 1 – One of my favorite bridges – Rio Hondo, TX

Fourth Article in a Series I hope to publish:

Touring Cyclists and Warmshowers:

By Richard Cavin

A few years ago as I became more and more interested in cycling and touring I started reading journals  on Crazy Guy on a Bike (CGOAB) website at:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/?o=ua

The CGOAB website is a tremendous resource about cycling and touring in general. Just awesome!

In some of the journals the touring cyclists mentioned staying with “warmshowers” hosts during their tour. The more I read the more I became interested.

So I signed up on the warmshowers website in November 2012 and created a profile to see what would happen. Since I live only four miles from the USA/Mexico border in far South TX I did not expect too much of a response. Some people that live on one of the main touring bike routes and who are warmshowers hosts end up with requests weekly from touring cyclists.

Warmshowers is similar to coach surfing in concept but with cycle touring in mind.

So why in the world would I open up my property and even home to total strangers and potential free loaders??? Or at least that is what many of my friends said. From my experience, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Here are some of my fondest memories of cyclists I have hosted so far.

My first request to host came that first month in November 2012. It was from a young man from Canada who had just finished his degree and wanted to tour into Mexico before he entered the job market. Stephen (figure 2) was a bit nervous about touring into Mexico as most cyclists are once they reach my place. We shared some great stories about cycling, education and life in general. Stephen stayed a couple of days and ventured on into Mexico and completed his tour as planned. I reached out to him several months later to see if everything went as planned and he said it turned out great and he was back home in Canada.

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Figure 2 – Stephen from Canada

My next guest turned out to be a young man from South Korea who was on year three of a planned worldwide tour. I received an email from Sungwon (figure 3) about 9 PM indicating he needed a place to stay. He was at a local McDonalds a few miles from my home. I emailed him back and said he could stay and I would pick him up since I lived in a very remote area and it would be difficult for him to find my place after dark. What a nice young man and very interesting story. Sungwon had already travelled through South Korea, India, Thailand, China (twice), Austrailia, Canada and the United States. He always has a smile on his face. I keep track of Sungown via Facebook and his blogs… He has since finished his tour of all of the Americas (North, Central and South), All of Europe and is now in the middle east…still touring! As I write this article I will never forget the stories we shared and how impressed I was by this well educated, young man from South Korea.

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Figure 3 – Sungwon from South Korea

About a year later another young man from South Korea requested to stay with me. Jisan had been following Sungwon’s tour and knew that he was a guest at my place. Jisan (figure 4) was also like Sungwon in that he was tall (at about 6 foot two inches), well educated and always had a smile on his face. Jisan was able to stay with me several days and really enjoyed the local culture of where I live and work. I also keep track of Jisan via the Internet and he is still touring and currently in Australia. Another nice young man and well educated in the field of computer science and computer programming. The pictures he takes are often stunning with a digital DLSR camera he carries.

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Figure 4  – Jisan from South Korea

Probably my most “interesting” hosting opportunity was a group of 22 cyclists who were on an annual cycling pilgrimage from Austin, TX to Monterrey, MX. The group known as “bikes across borders” (figure 5-6) will once a year assemble bikes from spare parts and ride them from Austin, TX to Monterrey, MX. Once they arrive in Monterrey Mexico they donate the bikes to local kids and find a way home or continue on another journey. Wow, really?? Yes they do. So I hosted this group and was also able to ride with them the next day on their trip to Brownsville, TX. What an interesting group of people, young and old. Some had never toured before while others were veterans. Some of the riders were from Texas and other parts of the USA, but there were also riders from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England and Spain in the group. They purchased food at a local grocery store and proceeded to cook a large meal in my kitchen and it was great. Most of the cyclists camped in my yard (I live on ten acres) but some slept indoors. Prior to their visit I outlined the house rules and they gladly complied.

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Figure 5 – Some of the Bikes Across Borders Group – Breaking “Camp” at my house (note the young girl who was part of the tour)

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Figure 6 – Bikes Across Borders Group and some local Cyclists (including me) in Brownsville, TX Linear Park

 

I even had a cyclist, Raphael (figure 7), from Switzerland ride to the bike messenger world championships in Mexico City on a single speed bike…he got first place in the world!

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Figure 7 – Louis (Netherlands) and Raphael (Switzerland) – Raphael won the World Championships in Mexico City, MX

Only two cyclists have come to stay with me after entering the USA from Mexico. Matteo was from Italy and Louis a retired engineer from the Netherlands (figure 7). Since Louis and I are both engineers and about the same age we got along great and he was a guest for a full week. Louis started at Patagonia and ended in Canada. It was his fifth long tour in different parts of the world.

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Figure 8 – David, Anna (Canada via Europe) and Elif (Turkey) ….plus Milo the dog in the trailer

My most recent hosting opportunity was a retired couple (figure 9 – doctor and ecologist) from Canada who had already been touring for nine months and on their way to the tip of South America…Patagonia. It’s interesting how many of the cyclists ultimate goal is Patagonia, but now that I have seen pictures…I would just say wow! Add a visit there to my bucket list. After staying with me almost a week they crossed into Mexico just last week and are on their way further south. We got along great and shared many stories and also had the chance to ride bikes together.

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Figure 9 – Deb and Lothar from Canada

I have so many other stories to tell about hosting cyclists………. Touring cyclists from the USA, Canada, South Korea, Turkey, Poland, Germany, France, New Zealand, England, Australia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands have stayed with me. The only foreign country I have been to in that list is Canada. So how else would I have been able to meet so many interesting people from other parts of the world without being a warmshowers host!

So why do I do this? Why would I open my home to total strangers and let them stay sometimes for days while I go to work, etc? Because I never would have been exposed to all those cultures and interesting people otherwise. Only once did I feel uncomfortable with a guest and I asked him to move on and only stay one night…and he was an American. The world is full of interesting, generally wonderful people and hosting has been my way to meet some of those people.

More info about warmshowers can be found on their website.

www.warmshowers.org

Figure 10 – I like bridges – this one is East of San Antonio, TX on Hwy 90 – IH 10 Access road

Come visit me if you’re riding in South Texas and I’d love to be your host, we can share stories, ride some bikes and even camp out if you’d like.

If you’d like to discuss cycling, have comments on my short article and suggestions send me an email.

Richard Cavin, is a technology professional who lives and works in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas and is also an avid cyclist. He started cycling at the age of 57 and has ridden his bicycles over 35,000 miles in his four and a half years of cycling.

The tale of an ordinary citizen, a cyclist…..past, present and future. How cycling has enabled me to meet so many interesting people.

Until next time, Be Safe and Ride On!

Richard Cavin

Harlingen, TX

South Texas Regional Brevet Administrator (RUSA)

Email: rwc5830@gmail.com

www.rgvrandos.org

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rgvcyclingfriends/

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: BIKE RIDE ACROSS TEXAS 2

By Coleman Patterson, Ph.D.

It was meant to be a one-time experience.  However, the first Bike Ride Across Texas from El Paso to Texarkana proved to be an even more intense, real, and valuable learning laboratory than initially hoped for.  The sense of accomplishment that came from successfully reaching each day’s destination and the final triumph of reaching the finish line in Texarkana proved to be an addictive feeling that wouldn’t go away. brat2-1

Final preparation meeting on May 9, 2014—the day before departing to Brownsville to begin BRAT2.

Even before we reached the finish line in Texarkana, plans for a second ride were already in the works.

When the 2013-2014 school year started, recruiting for a south-north ride also began.  As with our first ride across the state, we eventually built a team of eight riders—five students, two faculty, and one alumnus (who missed the first ride because of graduation, graduate school, and a wedding).  Individual and group training rides throughout the year helped get participants in shape for the second trans-Texas expedition.

BRAT2, as it came to be known, was developed to stretch 925 miles from Brownsville, Texas, to Liberal, Kansas.  The students reasoned that if they were going to ride the length of Texas to the Oklahoma border, it wouldn’t be much more work to ride another 40 miles across the Oklahoma panhandle to Liberal.  In that way, BRAT2 covered Texas and Oklahoma.

The two-car system of cyclists and support vehicle drivers developed for the first ride with eight participants worked well for the second ride.  Two teams of four would split into two vehicles.  One person in each team would drive their vehicle in support of the others from their team cycling on the road.  About every 15 miles, each team of cyclists would rack their bikes on their vehicle and leapfrog 15 miles ahead from their stopping point—passing the other team of cyclists who were riding the next leg of the journey.  The leapfrog system of riding allowed the group of eight to cover miles relatively quickly.

The lessons learned from BRAT1 allowed the BRAT2 team to move quickly through the processes of securing lodging, making media contacts, and securing funds and resources.  Generous donations from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, local companies, and friends and family members resulted in $4,800 raised for lodging, gasoline, food, and gear—including a larger bike rack, a Garmin GPS unit, and a used 2011 Specialized Secteur road bike.  A couple of loaned bicycles and participants with their own bikes gave us all the needed equipment for the ride.

On Saturday, May 10, 2014, the team loaded up two vehicles with bikes, gear, luggage, and supplies at Hardin-Simmons University to drive to Brownsville.  With a stop in San Antonio to pick up our alumni rider, it took most of the day to arrive and get settled in our hotel.  A good night’s rest and a filling breakfast had us ready to roll the next day.

The first leg of the ride, my leg, took us out of Brownsville on Highway 281.  With a steady tailwind blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico, we averaged 19.1 mph for the first 25-mile leg than ran adjacent to the border and the sections of border wall.  The warm, damp, humid air in which we rode was a drastic difference from what we are used to in Abilene.  We had to wring the sweat out of our gloves after each turn on the bikes.
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Our starting point in Brownsville—ready to roll on our first day on bikes.

 

Once we emerged from the congestion of the border corridor, we began heading north.  We wiggled north and west on less-crowded highways until we linked back up with Highway 281 to Premont.  The wind that aided our departure from Brownsville continued to help us throughout the day.  Despite a gradual gain in elevation, we were able to average over 20 mph on 15-mile legs on 281 north.  The Walmart in Falfurrias was the site of our first flat tire repair and a welcome resting place before the final push into Premont riding as a group.

First Baptist Church in Premont was our host for the first evening on the road.  Showers at the homes of several church members and places to spread out sleeping bags in a couple of Sunday School rooms were all that we needed for the night.  Dinner at the Dairy Queen and a chance to share our story at the evening worship service rounded out an eventful first day of cycling.

The weather report for the coming day and night created anxiety among the team.  More than five inches of rain was forecasted for the second night on the road.  Our planned stop for the next day was Tilden, Texas.  Tilden Baptist Church had planned to host us, but with the impending rain, we decided to nearly double our mileage the next day and ride past Tilden and go all the way to Uvalde—200 miles.  If we had been delayed a day in Tilden due to rain, we would have missed school presentations in Abilene at the end of the week.  Pushing hard to Uvalde seemed like the best alternative.
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Day two of cycling—from Premont to Uvalde.  Pearsall marked 150 miles of the 200 miles for the day.

 

For bodies not yet fully adjusted to the demands of long-distance cycling, the push to Uvalde was tough.  We stopped in Tilden for lunch and met with a newspaper reporter for a story about our ride.  Sections of road with tiny shoulders and heavy truck traffic made for some anxious moments and route adjustments on the fly.  The mother of one of our cyclists found us a motel online in Uvalde and reserved rooms for us for the night.  It was close to 8 p.m. by the time that we made it to Uvalde.  Dinner at a family style restaurant next to the motel, a laundromat visit, and a food and supply trip to Walmart put an end to a long, hot, and exhausting day.

The anticipated rain arrived during the night in Uvalde.  Continued rain and wet roads in the morning permitted us a chance to sleep in and get some needed rest from the long previous day.  The winds that had been favorable for the first two days turned on us with the cold front that had blown through in the night.  We rolled out of Uvalde at about 10 a.m. in a light rain and hard wind from the north—about 20 mph with stronger gusts.
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Riding into a relentless headwind from Uvalde toward Junction on Day 3 of cycling.

 

The HEB Foundation Camps, about 12 miles north of Leakey, was our destination for the night, but we hoped to make it 100 miles to Junction for groceries and to set up the departure point for the next day’s ride—we planned to have friends join us in Junction the next morning for a group ride.  The late start caused by the rain, a consistent gain in elevation, weary legs from a long ride the day before, and the brutal headwinds (which at points made it necessary to draft behind the support vehicle) caused us all to feel disheartened.  When we had made it about 10 miles past the HEB Foundation Camp, about 60 miles into the day’s ride, we had reached our limit—and had a moment of epiphany.

Since we had already committed to driving north to Junction to get food for dinner (there are no towns or substantial grocery stores between Leakey and Junction), we decided that both teams would drive to Junction and while one team went to the store to buy food, the other team would begin cycling south from Junction and back to the place where we had just stopped riding.  By coming up with that creative solution, we were able to average about 20 mph heading back to HEB Foundation Camps from Junction instead of cycling 8-12 mph as we had done throughout the day.  Riding up hills at 20-24 mph in the final miles of the day, after having struggled so hard earlier, was a freeing and glorious experience.

The temperatures were in the 50s when we woke up at HEB Foundation Camps and drove to Junction for the fourth day of cycling.  We were meeting three gentlemen from the Bandera-Kerrville area, John Lusby and friends James and Rufus, to ride together for about 10 miles up U.S. Route 83 out of Junction—where they would turn around and we would continue on.  The wind from the previous day had died down a little, but we now faced a morning of riding hills from Junction to just north of Menard.

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Meeting up with friends in Junction for a group ride into the hills north of town.

 

As the temperatures warmed through the day, the winds also kicked back up.  After making it through the hills, we found ourselves riding into a stiff headwind from Eden to Tuscola.  Instead of cycling in 15-mile legs, we opted for 10-mile legs and putting one cyclist on the road at a time instead of two.  The two vehicles continued to leapfrog, but cyclists only had to endure 5 miles, or about 30 minutes, of relentless headwinds during their turns.  The plan to ride from Junction to Abilene was cut short and we opted to stop cycling at Tuscola and drive the remaining miles to our homes in Abilene for the night.  The following morning, after the winds had changed in our favor, we drove back to Tuscola to ride into Abilene for school presentations and a mid-point break.

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Cyclists with Blue Bear from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas at Taylor Elementary School.

 

The quick ride from Tuscola counted as our fifth day on bikes—we ended up with a short day because we had doubled up on miles from Premont to Uvalde in a single day.  After two days of cycling into harsh headwinds, it was a relief to enjoy a short rest in Abilene.  We were welcomed to campus by news crews from all of the local television stations and the Abilene newspaper.

On Saturday morning, the team gathered on campus to begin the second half of the ride.  Our destination for that night was Paducah, Texas—120 miles up U.S. Route 83.  We were hosted by First Baptist Church in Paducah.  Showers at church member houses, a dinner at Nana’s Café, a refreshing night of sleep at the church, and a quick escape on Sunday morning before people arrived for church characterized our brief stay in Paducah.

As we began the final two days of riding, we decided to forego the leapfrog system of cycling and spend the final 230 miles riding as a group.  Several of the cyclists wanted to ride 100 miles in a day—the remaining rides to Wheeler and to Liberal would provide them with two opportunities to reach that goal.  With our new system of riding, we would stop about every 15 miles along the route to rest, eat, and swap riders and support drivers.  At each stop, those who wanted to take breaks could jump into a support vehicle and those who wanted to cycle could stay on the bikes.  This system would allow cyclists to ride as many miles as they wanted over the final two days.

The ride from Paducah to Wheeler was long and rather uneventful.  We stopped in Shamrock to meet with a newspaper reporter and got to learn about the charming little town on Historic Route 66.  The final push into Wheeler gave us 103 miles for the day—and a century for one of our cyclists.  First Baptist Church in Wheeler hosted us for the evening in their new and spacious youth building.

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Story from the County Star-News in Shamrock/Wheeler, TX on Thursday, May 22, 2014. 

 

The 34 miles from Wheeler to Canadian on the final day of cycling were some of the best of the entire journey.  A favorable wind, nice temperatures, good company, and the excitement of reaching the Oklahoma and Kansas borders made for a fun and exciting morning ride.  The long descent into Canadian let us top 45 mph on the bikes as we approached the town for a stop for food, gasoline, and a visit with a reporter at the newspaper office.  The newspaper staff warned us about the impending climb on our departure from Canadian.  Their words, as we soon discovered, were accurate.  The price paid for the long, fast downhill into Canadian was digging our way up a long uphill heading from Canadian toward Perryton—we all agreed that the cost was worth the thrill of the 45 mph downhill.

The push toward Perryton was miserable.  Just past Canadian, U.S. Route 83 turns northwest.  The strong wind that aided our ride into Canadian was blowing from the southwest and now gave us a strong and uncomfortable cross-wind.  The wind, combined with long patches of highway construction, complete with the smells of fresh asphalt, made that section of road one of the most arduous of the journey.   When the road finally turned north toward Perryton, we began to fly to the border.

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At the Oklahoma border on U.S. Route 83 north of Perryton.

 

A stop at the Dairy Queen in Perryton gave us a chance to refuel, rest, fix flat tires, and energize ourselves for the final push of our journey.  The Oklahoma border was a short ride from Perryton.  Another 40 miles across the hilly panhandle of Oklahoma put us at the Kansas border and only several miles from our destination in Liberal, Kansas.  First Baptist Church in Liberal let us camp out in their Family Life Center for the night.  A victory dinner at the Applebee’s in Liberal followed by an early start to a six-hour drive home on the next day would mark a successful end to our second bike ride across Texas.

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The Kansas border at the conclusion of our 925-mile ride from Brownsville to Liberal.

 

Two team members hit century marks on the final day of cycling.  Over the last two days of riding, three cyclists logged 186, 188, and 193 miles respectively from Paducah to the finish line.  The system of group riding and getting big mile totals would set the stage for BRAT3.

BRAT2 provided a new set of challenges and obstacles for the team to overcome.  Landscapes, changing winds, and longer distances brought about variables that had to be planned for and reacted to during the ride.  The BRAT2 cyclists, each with different personalities and abilities, brought dynamics to the second ride that were different from the first.  Thirteen flat tires (compared to five on BRAT1) and on-the-road decisions about riding and coping with environmental conditions provided students with practice thinking creatively and solving problems.  BRAT2 proved to be just as educational and rewarding as BRAT1.  It also set the stage for a third ride.

To learn more about BRAT2 and other BRAT rides, visit www.BikeRideAcrossTexas.com.

BRAT2 photo movie: https://youtu.be/SGnLRHmNSgc

BRAT2 video movie: https://youtu.be/VSYbmTmW6MU

Coleman Patterson, Ph.D.
Director of Leadership Studies and Professor of Management and Leadership
Hardin-Simmons University
Abilene, Texas

The tale of a cyclist – Part 3

March 2016 – Cycling and Randonneuring- What is That?

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Figure 1 – Local cyclists enjoying a stop on a 200K ride

Third Article in a Series I Hope to Publish:

Randonneuring…

By Richard Cavin

So first a little background. So what is RUSA and what is a Rando?

What is RUSA?

Randonneurs USA (RUSA) is a national organization whose goals are to promote randonneuring in the US and provide service to American randonneurs and randonneuses. Established in 1998, RUSA doesn’t actually organize any rides, but rather, coordinates the brevets of the Regional Brevet Administrators (RBAs) and clubs who do. RUSA also frequently acts as the interface between the Audax Club Parisien in France and American riders and RBAs, especially with regard to ensuring correct brevet result processing. You should join RUSA to help us build a future for randonneuring in the US that encourages member participation.

What is a “randonneur”?

There is no direct English translation of the French term “randonnée”, which loosely means to go on a long trip, tour, outing, or ramble, usually on foot or on a bicycle, along a defined route. A person who goes on a “randonnée” is called a “randonneur”. (The correct French term for a female participant is “randonneuse”, but such distinctions are often lost in America, where we tend to lump everyone together). In cycling, it means a hard-riding enthusiast who is trying to complete a long randonnée inside a certain time allotment. Note that a randonnée is not a race. Overall, about the only thing being first earns is some bragging rights. It is not uncommon for the last finishers to get as much applause as anyone else. Indeed, there is much camaraderie in randonneuring. One does it to test oneself against the clock, the weather, and a challenging route – but not to beat the other riders.
In comparison to other forms of competitive long-distance cycling, such as at the Race Across America (RAAM), where there are following cars with crews supporting the riders every inch of the way, randonneuring stresses self-sufficiency. Help can only be given at the checkpoints along the route, so support crews (if there are any) must leapfrog the rider. Any rider caught receiving assistance from a support crew in-between checkpoints (or, “contrôles” as they are commonly called) will be subject to a time penalty, or even disqualification. Randonneurs are free to buy food, supplies, or bike repairs at any stores they encounter along the route. Once riders have successfully completed a 200-kilometer “brevet”, they are entitled to be called a “randonneur” or “randonneuse”.

 

Reference: www.rusa.org

Please visit the website for more info on the sport.

So why do a Rando?

I asked myself the same question in 2012 a year after I started cycling. For some reason it appealed to me. So for a little history. Around May of 2011 I decided I wanted to take up cycling as a serious hobby. For those who know me well, you might remember the “why” behind that logic.

After riding for a couple of months I decided I would ride in some local charity type events. The first two were in June and July of 2011. From then on I was hooked and realized this was fun! After about six months of cycling I became a bit bored with riding mainly alone and starting seeking out local cycling groups to ride with. Now I was really hooked.  I’ll never forget riding with the Velociraptors Cycling group of Brownsville. They kept urging me to ride both Saturday and Sunday of the weekend. Never thought I could do two consecutive days of riding but they were right! Thanks to those guys; they gave me that extra push I needed when I first started riding.

In February of 2012 I was all geared up to do my first century at the Jalapeno 100 in Harlingen, TX. Even though I had trained on several rides of 80+ miles I’d never done an official century. For those who rode the rode the Jalapeno 100 in 2012 you might remember the weather was a bit crazy that day. Warm muggy start, then a cold front with rain and then super gusty winds out of the north. I was riding with a few friends and they started getting a lot of flats. One friend in particular ended up with six flats that day, so we decided to head back early and only finished with 75 miles…what a disappointment…not my first century! But we started as a group and wanted to finish as a group.

So here comes May 2012 and my next opportunity at a century ride. Not only was it a century; it was a double metric century. In other words, I would attempt my first 200K ACP Brevet Rando. Yes all 128 miles! Even some of my cycling friends thought I was crazy; but why not! So what if there was no SAG or formal support on the route, so what if I broke down on the road, no excuses. I could always call someone to pick me up. Plus I had a nice new bike I got at the beginning of May to ride.

Off to Port Isabel, TX for the start of the ride….sometimes I think “why do I do this”…I have to get up so early on my days off J I get there on time and meet the previous RBA for South TX, Edward Robinson, a really nice guy who has done a lot of Randos. Edward gives me all the details for the ride and I saw a few other people I recognized…but they were all fast and very good riders! So why the heck was I doing this, now I’m really nervous?? And then a friend I had ridden with before showed up….so I felt a little better. Needless to say, my friend struggled through the first 90 miles before having to quit due to the heat and stomach issues but we rode together for those 90 miles.

As I have since learned these long rides are an exercise in dedication, perseverance, fortitude and training. The first 60 miles were pretty good although the humidity and heat was something else. So what, it’s South TX you say!!! Well riding your first 200K and not entirely sure how your body will hold up are two different stories. As mentioned above my friend really struggled and had to quit at mile 90. I waited until I was able to confirm that someone would pick her up…even though the day got hotter and hotter the longer I waited.

At mile 90 I was only five miles from where I lived but my truck was in Port Isabel; so I had to push on! Oh yeah the heat was now something, upper 90s, windy and it just seemed like I could not get enough fluids in me. I even stopped at one of those “windmill water” places (gallon for 25 cents) on Hwy 281 and ran a few quarters through…guzzling water and pouring it on my head. A man in a truck stopped by and asked me if I was OK, he said I looked like a roasted chicken J and yes I felt like one too!! I thanked him for his concern and for some ice and reluctantly got back on the bike. If I could only make it to mile 100 in Olmito, TX or FM 511 and Hwy 83 without “dying”, I knew I would make it.

I drank a ton of water and sports drink in that 10 miles to Olmito…but had not really eaten any food since late morning. Well that was BIG MISTAKE, you can over hydrate; even in South TX. By the time I got to Los Fresnos, TX I had to go into the convenience store and just wait it out until some fluid was passing through my system, so I could eat something. I knew the clerk in the convenience store thought I was crazy at that point, and I wondered the same. Besides I only had to ride from Los Fresnos to Port Isabel…how hard could that be?? Constantly having to remind myself this wasn’t a race!

Well the 30+ minutes rest in Los Fresnos really helped because I felt much better once I got some food in my system and got back on the bike, even though that last leg is very tough with winds I made it safely back. Whew…my first official century, double metric century a 200K to boot! Yes maybe I am crazy after all, but the sense of achievement is special.

So that was my first 200K but not my last!! I’ve done longer rides in one day and hotter rides also and yes I have survived them all so far….

I learned several things that day: I could do this, I somehow liked it and I realized what an average person like me could do with proper preparations and training.

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Figure 1 – Riders about to leave on a 200K on a beautiful day

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Figure 2 – Enjoying the Ride in Rio Hondo, TX – 200K (128 miles)

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Figure 3 – Bikes lined up in Sebastian, TX on a 200K (128 mile) Rando

 

Now three plus years later from my first 200K I am now the South Texas Regional Brevet Administrator (RBA) for South Texas. I’ve hosted and organized many Rando events that have been very successful and well attended.

So if I can do it, you can too!

Richard Cavin, is a technology professional who lives and works in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas and is also an avid cyclist. He started cycling at the age of 57 and has ridden his bicycles over 35,000 miles in his four and a half years of cycling.

The tale of an ordinary citizen, a cyclist…..past, present and future. Why safety and awareness are so important.

If you’d like to discuss cycling, have comments on my short article and suggestions send me an email.

Until next time, Be Safe and Ride On!

Richard Cavin

Harlingen, TX

South Texas Regional Brevet Administrator (RUSA)

Email: rwc5830@gmail.com

www.rgvrandos.org

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rgvcyclingfriends/

The tale of a cyclist – Part 2

March 2016 – Jalapeno 100 and how it became Cycling in Iowa – RAGBRAI 2015

 

Figure 1 - That's me in Bluetown, TX on a 200KM Ride
Figure 1 – That’s me in Bluetown, TX on a 200KM Ride

 

Richard Cavin, is a technology professional who lives and works in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas and is also an avid cyclist. He started cycling at the age of 57 and has ridden his bicycles over 35,000 miles in his four and a half years of cycling.

Previously I published a short commentary on some of the reasons I took up cycling and the need to be safe on the roads.

This time I’d like to discuss one of my “bucket list” rides I was able to complete in July 2015.

First, a little background:

A few years ago I rode in my first Jalapeno 100 bike ride that occurs every February in Harlingen, TX. During the event I met a fellow cyclist who was from Iowa. He was visiting some Winter Texan friends and uses the opportunity of warm weather every year to travel to South Texas and participate in the Jalapeno 100 bike ride.

Since we were about the same age we talked a little bit during the ride and he suggested I attend a big bike ride in Iowa sometime in the future. He even invited me to be on his team. That big ride in Iowa is called RAGBRAI. So why would I go all the way to Iowa to ride my bike for one day, are you crazy? Boy was I in for a rude but pleasant surprise. In February 2015 I again met the same rider from Iowa on the Jalapeno 100 bike ride and he insisted I go to RAGBRAI. I previously did some research and now understood that it was a full seven days of riding with camping.  In my research I also discovered it was widely considered a “bucket list” ride for avid cyclists. So maybe it started to pique my interest.

So what is RAGBRAI? RAGBRAI is an acronym that stands for “Register’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa”, quite a mouthful. Register is the name of the Des Moines, Iowa newspaper. It is a seven day bicycle ride across the state of Iowa that has been held for the last 43 years. Wow 43 years in a row! Since the route changes every year, mileage varies from 400-500+ miles and the terrain from very hilly to flat. Most of the cyclists will camp along the way during the event. This is a really BIG event, the longest running and largest in the country and possibly the world! Texas has nothing that even comes close to this for cyclists. Cyclists can opt for week long riding passes and are limited to 8,500 riders with the option for riders to purchase daily passes for one or more days. Depending on the yearly route there can be up to 40,000 bicycle riders on any given day, that is a lot of bikes on the road! Whew!

Early in 2015 some cycling friends from the RGV and Houston areas decided to form a team and ride RAGBRAI. I was invited, so I joined in, why not? Keep in mind RAGBRAI is not a race, it’s a ride. So we paid our entry fees and entered the lottery to see if our team would get in. On May 1st we received notice that we were selected to do the ride….now we had to start planning all the logistics. Camping gear, clothes, bikes, vehicles, etc.  During the preparation and planning period there were times in the process where I wondered what had I gotten myself into. I had completed a couple of long tours in 2014 but still; am I crazy?

Now that I have completed the ride I will admit it was very challenging. Along with the many, many hills and daily camping of setting up and taking down camp every day it was very tiring for someone like myself, who is 62 years old. Did I ride the entire route of close to 500 miles, yes I did, and I’m proud to have done it. The weather was generally very good with some rain showers that were not a major issue.

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Figure 2 – Sioux City, IA – RAGBRAI 2015 at the start with my friend Floyd from Huntsville, TX

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Figure 3 – Rest of our RAGBRAI 2015 Team – Manuel, Anilia, Me, John, Tony and Lisa (the beast)

We camped at parks, on football and baseball fields and in pastures. Lines tended to be long at the port a potties (KYBO) and showers as well as the numerous places to eat and get refreshments during the ride. The Iowa State Patrol did an outstanding job of controlling traffic throughout the bike route. It was rare where I felt that traffic was an issue, a blessing for cyclists in today’s world of automobiles. Roads were great, clean and safe for the most part. I don’t remember being chased by a single dog in 500 miles of cycling…try that in Texas. Watching out for the rumble strips at intersections became a normal reaction after awhile…..just say “rumble”!

So why is this ride a “bucket list” event? Long lines, portable bathrooms, cold showers, camping, at the mercy of the weather, tired legs, hurting knees/joints (oh my my knees hurt!) and a pain of sitting on a bike seat for 7 days in a row. Crazy!!! Is that fun? Well yes it is…..the sense of accomplishment is amazing. The truth of the matter is the ride is about the PEOPLE you ride with, the PEOPLE in over 50 small Iowa communities we rode our bikes through and seeing those communities on a bike was special. All along the route we were welcomed with open arms; each community had a carnival like atmosphere with food booths, live music, water slides, corn eating contests, human foosball, dunking booths, petting zoos, a live camel, you name it I saw it all. There were often young kids in the small communities handing out free water bottles as we “high fived” them while riding by.

The people of Iowa and the small town communities are something to cherish in our world today. They all have a story and one of the more interesting stories was the community of Parkersburg, Iowa that suffered a devastating EF5 Tornado in 2008 that literally destroyed half the town. Today the community is a thriving, active community that has re-built and is moving forward. To be able to ride through that town and talk to some of the local people was inspiring to say the least, they really have bounced back from the tornado.

I saw cyclists of all ages on the route, some as young as riders with training wheels on their bikes. There were two riders well into their 80s. One 88 year old woman named Lucy and an 89 man with a sign on his bike that read “89 and doing fine!” What an inspiration! There were numerous riders on recumbent bikes that used only their arms to ride since they were paralyzed from the waist down. Riders with prosthetic legs/feet, all overcoming the odds. People on skate boards, uni-cycles, walkers, and even roller blades. Riders in all kinds of crazy costumes, music, what a variety. All were an inspiration to me.

One rider who was blind rode on the rear seat of a tandem bike for the full 500 miles.  He could not see the beautiful countryside but still did the ride….all 500 miles.  Just amazing, and he said he was having the time of his life.

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Figure 4 – Tent City at RAGBRAI 2015 (one of Many!)

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Figure 5 – RAGBRAI 2015 – Each Town Became a Bike Mecca

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Figure 6 – RAGBRAI 2015 – Even the Farmers Helped the Cyclists – Yes that is what it looks like!

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Figure 7 – My friend Manuel enjoying homemade rootbeer float in an Iowa cornfield. Does not get much better than that 🙂

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Figure 8 – That’s me trying to stand on those sore knees 😉

So is the ride special, without a doubt. Anytime something of this size has been going on for 43 years makes you understand how special it is.

In summary, for me, the special parts were the people I met on the ride, in the towns and the first person view of all the towns. Driving through a community is not even close to riding a bike through.

This was my first time in Iowa and I look forward to the next time I visit this great area that is part of the great “American Heartland”. Iowa is well deserving of that title and I was truly impressed.

For more info on RAGBRAI please check out the following website as well as the town of Parkersburg, IA I mentioned.  Spend some time on the websites, view the videos, photo galleries, route maps and read about the event and history of what is RAGBRAI and the state of Iowa and the “American Heartland”.

Until next time I hope you enjoyed reading about my RAGBRAI ride, I sure enjoyed the adventure. In the future I plan to write a more detailed article about my adventure in Iowa. Will I do RAGBRAI again…yeah probably so in 2016!

Remember that our region, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is such a great place to cycle because of our climate, let’s all try to make it safer for everyone. Get out and walk, run or ride a bike.

If you’d like to discuss cycling, have any comments about this short article and suggestions send me an email. Hope you enjoyed reading along.

Until next time, Be Safe and Ride On!

Richard Cavin

Harlingen, TX

South Texas Regional Brevet Administrator (RUSA)

Email: rwc5830@gmail.com

www.rgvrandos.org

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rgvcyclingfriends/

Some websites mentioned in this article.

www.ragbrai.com

http://www.parkersburgia.com/our-community/index.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24840152/ns/weather/t/iowa-town-torn-apart-deadly-twister/#.VttgnU3rt34

 

Why I Ride

By Steven Amen 

 

When I get into a conversation with someone about hobbies and interests and such, the conversation invariably leads to me saying: I’m a cyclist. It’s not a shameful admission. Infact, it’s something I love to do and talk about. Although, it does tend to annoy my girlfriend when the conversation takes a turn in that direction. Usually, I’m asked a simple, three letter word that I couldn’t quite answer until pretty recently: why?

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Why indeed, why do we do anything we do? Why do I feel the need to wake up at an ungodly hour to force Raisin Bran and oatmeal and eggs in my gut when not fifteen feet away from my kitchen is a warm bed? Why do I pull on lycra and sit on a piece of padded carbon on my bike and spin up the hill away from my apartment? Why do I subject myself to the open roads, sunburns, dogs, bugs, and angry duly drivers that give me the finger as they go by?

My Dad also rides, he has been racing and riding longer than I’ve been alive, and after my first two years of running track in college I told him I was ready to hang up the spikes. It was no longer fun for me anymore. The lifestyle is brutal, food pinching, hours of working out, winters and springs of traveling. I told him this and he said, “Well, if you’re going to stop running you need to have something that fills that void.” And he was right. We went out and I found a 1998 Bianchi Veloce, steel with Campagnolo gearing – I’ve ridden on all types of bikes, and I didn’t know it at the time, but that steele Bianchi is arguably the best bike I’ve ever ridden on. We went out and rode all summer, riding hundreds of miles a week from the get go. After it was all over we went and rode the Hotter N’ Hell Hundred, my first large group ride, and we finished it in just over 5 hours.

Out there, though, on those roads out in the sun scorched crops and asphalt, it felt natural – like it was what I was supposed to be doing. Those myoclonic jerks people will get when they’re first falling asleep – often this’ll happen when people are dozing and they dream about tripping and falling and it’ll kick them awake – transformed into me riding and hitting some debris in the road and flipping over my handlebars and I’ll jerk awake right before I splatter across the ground. It permeated into my own subconscious.

My Dad, in all of his infinite wisdom, once suggested to me that people ride or run because they’re trying to get away from someone or something. Undoubtedly, everyone has their own demons, or addictions and you’ve probably ridden with someone wrestling with these problems, but they suffer on the bike; same as me, same as you. Or, they’re riding towards something. Perhaps the person you’re next to in the peloton is reliving a past life.

I don’t expect everyone I meet to understand why, but it dehumanizes me. I ride because sometimes it’s nice to shut out the world and the only thing that matters is the next pedal stroke. The only thing that I’m thinking about is reaching up and shifting my lever down into an easier gear when I’m climbing, how it feels like I have a small human sitting on my chest as I breath, how much this sucks and I just want to be over the top. But then I reach the crest and slide down the back side to the next hill and I feel alive. My heart’s still beating in my chest. When the adrenalin kicks in to make the suffering go away I can feel the hairs on my unshaven arms stand up on end.

It’s a great reducer, I want to reduce the things in my life – obligations and responsibilities – and take my bikes and go live on the slopes of the Italian Dolomites and just ride. Zen buddhists have their meditation, I’ve got a bike.

Official Statement from Northwest Cycling Club

Official Northwest Cycling Club comment on the Bluebonnet Express:


Waller County residents have been understandably frustrated due to the large number of organized rides, training rides, and individual cyclists that are training for the MS150 in their area. The unfortunate situation on Sunday at the Bluebonnet Express was the culmination of that frustration. Northwest Cycling Club was not specifically targeted, but cyclists were.

 

One of Northwest Cycling Club’s top priorities… is cycling safety, as evidenced by our many League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills classes which are available to all cyclists.
For any major ride held by Northwest Cycling Club, the Texas Department of Transportation and local law enforcement are informed and given copies of the routes. We hire abundant law enforcement officers to direct traffic (both cycling and motor vehicle) at busy intersections.

 

These officers are working second jobs, not as officials for their agency.
Northwest Cycling Club advocates following the traffic laws at all times, and does not condone cyclists who do not follow traffic laws.

 

All law enforcement agencies are told this. We recommend that all cyclists learn and follow the laws that pertain to cycling, whether you are on an organized ride or simply a Saturday morning ride.
It is unfortunate that there was confusion on Sunday between our hired traffic control and on-duty officers. There is nothing we can do about that after the fact, and we did not know about it in advance. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable ride. As such, please be considerate of local residents who must deal with many cyclists and many rides.