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July 2009
Win copy of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist”
You’re a cyclist, but you’re also a working slack. Who has time to train 20 or 30 hours a week?
Chris Carmichael, a former Olympian and Lance Armstrong’s personal coach since 1990, says you can get faster and stronger in just six hours a week. The key? High-intensity interval workouts.
Carmichael’s got a new book to explain his philosophy, and I’ve got a copy of it.
To win my copy of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist: Fit, Fast and Powerful in 6 Hours a Week” (Velopress, $19.95) you must do TWO things: Post here telling me why you need the book, then email your snail mail address to pleblanc@statesman.com.
The book begins with a test to determine your own training intensities, and includes four training plans with workouts, intervals and instructions. It also includes information on nutrition, taking advantage of your new power and speed and case studies.
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Outside: Austin 4th best place to live
Austin came in a solid fourth on Outside magazine’s annual list of best places to live in the United States. All I can figure is they wrote the article before the never-ending inferno that is July began.
The magazine used public data to rank the country’s most populous cities, ranking them on cost of living, unemployment, nightlife, commute time and access to green spaces. The top finishers were then scrutinized based on percentage of population with college degrees, income level in relation to home prices, and weather. Finally, they factored in quality and proximity to biking, running, paddling, hiking and skiing.
Colorado Springs topped the list, followed by Seattle and Atlanta. Austin was the only Texas city on the main top 10 list, although the West Texas town of Alpine made the list of top 10 suburbs. (Alpine a suburb? Of what?)
To see the entire list, go here.
Here’s what editors said about us: “This young, remarkably active city is affordable and sustainable — why wouldn’t you want to call Austin home? Wilderness in the heart of downtown, an astounding 900 miles of bike lanes and paths by 2020, a music scene that lives up to the hype … The accolades keep pouring in.”
We even came in above Portland, which ranked seventh.
Not to knock Austin (we’ve got lots of amenities, not the least of which is our access to the Highland Lakes) but I’m surprised they noted our bike lanes. That’s an area we need lots of improvement, in my mind. And the weather? We can train outdoors in the winter, but the summer is brutal.
What do you think? Is the ranking legit?
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Eco-friendly sunglasses?
Here’s a concept bound to hit in tree-hugging Austin — recyclable sunglasses.
Oakley just introduced a pair of shades made with excess plastics from the manufacture of other sunglasses, organic bamboo and eco-friendly packaging.
The Bob Burnquist Signature Recycled Gascan(r) is named for a skateboarder who has long championed green initiatives and environmental protection. A portion of proceeds from sales will go to the Action Sports Environmental Coalition, an organization he co-founded to educate people about environmental responsibility and the importance of preserving resources.
Don’t toss them in the recycle bin too quickly, though. The sleek, mod-looking sunglasses, which look to me like something straight off “Star Trek,” cost $100.
For more information, go to www.oakley.com.
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Women’s bike clinic on Saturday
Sometimes, it’s just less intimidating to learn in a women-only environment. On Saturday, the Austin Flyers Women’s Racing Team will host a women-only cycling clinic at Texas Orthopedics, 4700 Seton Center Parkway.
The day starts with a morning skills and demo session, followed by on-road lesson. Cyclists will break into small groups to practice cornering, bike handling, hills, gearing, group rides, etiquette, pace lines and safety. During lunch, cyclist and attorney Brad Houston will discuss the rules and rights of cyclists on the road. In the afternoon, participants can choose from two of three break-out sessions: Core, Stretching and Strength Training, Equipment and Maintenance; or Training and Racing.
Cost for the clinic is $65 and includes coffee, pastries and lunch. (Discount to Austin Flyers Club members.) Reserve a spot at bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=8806. Online registration closes at 8 a.m. Thursday. Email austinwomenonbikes@gmail.com if you have questions.
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Fitness freebies!
I’ve got some freebies for you.
To win, post your name here, tell me why you need the book or DVD, then email your snail mail address to pleblanc@statesman.com. Let me know which prize you prefer.
Up for grabs today: A copy of Janice Taylor’s hilarious “Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal”; a copy of “Love Your Body: The Real Secret to Weight Loss and Lifetime Fitness,” by Bethany Hughes and Vince Grbic; and a copy of the DVD “Ruby, A Journey to Lose the First 100 Pounds.”
Good luck!
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Sound off on exercise etiquette
I’m sensing some tension of late. Maybe it’s the heat. Let’s get it all out, folks …
What kind of behavior really bugs you when you’re swimming, biking, running or pumping iron at the gym? I think we can all use a reminder of proper exercise etiquette.
Clearly, a lot of swimmers are annoyed by people who don’t want to share a lane at Deep Eddy Pool. What else drives you nuts?
People who won’t yield the right of way on the running trail? People who shave in the sauna at the health club? People who grunt like baboons when they hoist heavy weights at the gym?
Sound off! What’s the most appalling thing you’ve seen?
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Full-length tech swimsuits banned!
Big news on the swimming front: The International Swimming Federation has voted to ban full-length technical swimsuits.
Under a new resolution, only suits that cover waist-to-knee for men and shoulder-to-knee for women will be allowed, starting next year.
To be legal, swimsuits must be made of textile materials, according to an article in The Australian on Friday. (Read the entire article here.) No more NASA-inspired, performance-enhancing materials that provide buoyancy — and an advantage only to swimmers who can afford them.
The tech suits debuted in 1998; by the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, most elite swimmers were wearing them. We’ve been debating ever since how much advantage tech suits provide to swimmers.
Records dropped, but no one knew how much of that was due to the swimmer and how much was due to the suit.
They’ve also created hassles for swimmers who struggle to put them on, using tricks like putting plastic bags on their feet to slip into the suits, which can cost $700 or more.
The news thrilled my TeamTexas swim coach, Keith Bell. (He likes to joke that swimmers should race naked, to really be fair.)
“All I can say is, ‘it’s about time,’” he wrote on his blog. “In the near future we’ll be back to a sport without equipment, one in which performance is the result of the performer: swimming, not assisted swimming.”
Read Bell’s entire post here.
Next question: Should FINA now void records set in the tech suits?
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Olympic swimmer Shaun Jordan on Deep Eddy
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun Jordan, who swam for the University of Texas from 1988 to 1991, called this morning to chime in on the Deep Eddy lane-sharing controversy.
(If you missed it, scroll down to the entries below on the reluctance of some swimmers to circle swim at one of Austin’s public pools.)
“Not sharing a lane is like letting one guy tee off every 15 minutes at a golf course, or playing one-on-one basketball at the YMCA. It’s like not wanting to pass anybody on the running trail,” Jordan says. “We have limited resources and unlimited wants and if you can’t handle sharing a lane … it’s ridiculous.”
Jordan, who won gold medals in the four-by-100 freestyle relay in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, says even though he’s a faster swimmer than most, he can easily circle swim with much slower swimmers.
“Never, ever have I had a problem with anyone who was not unconscious,” he says. “I can swim with an 80-year-old woman and another person between her and me in ability and never have a problem. It forces me to mix up my workout and I’m capable of being invisible in a lane.”
Jordan, who swims at Deep Eddy Pool four times a week, also notes that it’s a pleasure to swim with triathlete Andrea Fisher, who initially brought the lane-swimming issue to my attention. “She’s not at all disruptive,” he says.
By the way, Jordan, who was captain of the UT Swimming and Diving team when it won four consecutive national championships, now works as director of marketing and Austin branch manager at Abraham Trading Company.
His 18-month old son thinks the water at Deep Eddy is too cold.
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More on Deep Eddy lane sharing
Wow. Deep Eddy swimmers are a passionate bunch, aren’t they?
First, please keep it civil on the blog.
We’re swimmers! We all love the Zen experience of swimming. To get angry about sharing, waiting, or using the pool is counter to every reason that we swim.
My point is that circle swimming allows more people to get in the water. Some folks are unable to wait 30 or 45 minutes for a lane. Circling allows more people to get in the water and use our city’s wonderful resource.
Second, I’ll reiterate that it’s fine to swim slow in a circle swimming lane. It’s up to the faster swimmer to pass without kicking or swamping the slower swimmer. You can still hang at the end of a lane if you want (please hang on the right side to allow the faster swimmer to push off the wall on the other side.)
I think the system of designating a few lanes as self-regulating, meaning folks can have a lane to themselves if they want, and others as circle swimming lanes, will ease the problem. Several folks have made a good suggestion: Labeling circle-swim lanes according to pace. That way faster swimmers can circle in their own lane, making circle swimming less intimidating to slower swimmers.
We all pay for Deep Eddy through our taxes. Slow swimmers and fast swimmers, zen swimmers and competitive swimmers, we all have a right to use the pool. Overcrowding is an issue, and while we’d all like our own lane, that’s not possible during peak hours. The good news is with a little practice most people — even slow swimmers — can learn to circle swim.
We have to share. We have to be polite about it.
We have to make it work.
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Where can we swim when Barton Springs closes?
Ack! I just can’t stand it! More bad news for Austin swimmers.
First, swimmers at Deep Eddy don’t want to share lanes in the pool. Now news that the city needs to shut down Barton Springs for six to eight months to make repairs to the bypass tunnel that runs under the sidewalk on the north side of the pool.
That means Deep Eddy — and other city pools — will get even more crowded. It also means that we all need to learn how to comfortably circle swim.
I’ve fielded phone calls the last few days from swimmers who prefer to swim alone in a lane. I do, too! You just can’t get the same zen feeling of swimming if you’re worrying about six people in the water next to you.
That said, swimming alone isn’t always an option. (Heck, I’d like to drive up MoPac without any other cars on the road, too, but that’s not an option either.)
And when people are waiting on a wall for their turn, I’m happy to share. I always tell slower swimmers to maintain their usual pace and not worry about me. I will swim around them. I also ask if they want me to tap them on the foot when I approach. Sometimes they want to know I’m there; many times they do not.
I try to be polite. I try not to intimidate. I try to be invisible so we can all enjoy the serenity that comes with swimming.
We all pay taxes, so the pool belongs to all of us. When people are waiting to swim, we need to accept the fact that this isn’t a private pool, that we have to try to get along and share the resource.
I also understand that for medical reasons some people cannot share a lane.
The pool recently designated four lanes as circle swimming lanes and left three lanes to self-regulate, meaning that people can swim alone or split those lanes with just one other person. Let’s hope this new system works.
No word on when the Barton Springs repairs will take place; the drought is complicating the issue. We can’t let the endangered Barton Springs salamander dry out when they drain the pool to make the repairs.
So where can open-water swimmers get their fix when Barton Springs closes? One reader already suggested Lake Pflugerville. I haven’t been there to check it out. Have you?
There’s always Lake Travis. The buoy line along the swimming area at Hippie Hollow is a popular destination for swimmers who like long swathes of water. (Remember, it’s a clothing optional beach. Some folks don’t like that.) Bob Wentz and Mansfield Dam parks are other options. But the water in Lake Travis is very warm right now.
Lake Austin is a cooler option, but only for skilled swimmers. To do it safely, you need a kayaker or support boat to accompany you, and you need to make yourself as visible as possible. (Think brightly colored swim cap.) Stay near the shore, out of the way of boaters. Do not go alone!
I’ve gotten in some good swimming at Blanco State Park, but that’s an hour away. Same for the San Marcos River. Here in Austin the pickings are slimmer.
Members of Pure Austin Gym at 4210 W. Braker Lane in North Austin have a wonderful option — Quarry Lake. But only gym members can swim at the small lake, so if you don’t belong to the club, you’re out of luck.
What other options do we have? Help me compile a list!
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Win “Training Plans for Cyclists”
Thinking of riding the Ride for the Roses this fall? Dreaming of a cycling tour through Italy? (I am!)
You need a copy of “Training Plans for Cyclists,” by Gale Bernhardt (VeloPress, $21.95). And you can win it right here.
Just post at the end of this blog why you deserve the book. Then email your snail mail address to pleblanc@statesman.com. The person with the best answer wins the book.
The over-sized paperback is packed with training plans for people planning to ride centuries, multi-day tours or mountain bike races.
Bernhardt, who coached the USA Triathlon team at the 2004 Olympics and served as chair of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Committee for five years, puts training in plain English. The book includes sections on nutrition, bike fit, gear and training intensity. The bulk of the book is devoted to workout descriptions.
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UT wakeboard winners
My column today included a bit on local wakeboarder Billy Garcia, who recently won the master’s division at the Wakeboard National Championships in Oklahoma. After it ran, I heard from some other local wakeboarders, who weren’t recognized back in April, when they competed at a national wakeboard competition for college students.
We’ve got a vibrant wakeboarding scene in Austin, where we’ve got access to lots of fresh, clear water. I’m out on Lake Austin a couple of mornings a week myself, practicing slalom skiing. I love to watch the boarders, who leap and flip like they’re on a trampoline.
So here’s the catch-up info:
University of Texas student Hank Carter (that’s him, above) won the overall individual championship of the 2009 The Collegiate National Wakeboard Championships in Mission Bay, Calif., with a routine that included 540 spins, Tootsie Rolls, Whirlybirds and backside180s. (If you don’t know what that means, it’s a lot of spinning, twirling and soaring, while attached to a short, wide board that’s pulled behind a speedboat.)
The University of Texas team placed second in the competition, behind a team from Florida. They beat their rival, the top-seeded team from Texas A&M University. (Hey! That’s my alma mater!)
In all, 16 teams of seven riders competed for the team title. Each team had to qualify for the four days of elimination competition. The competition was part of the ALT games, which includes less traditional sports like snowboarding and beach volleyball.
Congrats to the UT boarders!
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Why can’t Deep Eddy swimmers share a lane?
What’s up with Austin swimmers who refuse to share the lane?
It’s hotter than Hades out, and Deep Eddy is one of the city’s only cold-water swimming pools. But head there to get in a workout, and chances are you’ll be queued up at the north end of the pool with a dozen other folks for a good 30 minutes before you can get in the water.
I just fielded a call from professional triathlete Andrea Fisher, who was frustrated by the refusal of some swimmers to share lanes earlier this week. About 20 people were sitting on the wall, waiting for a chance to swim. But only two swimmers were sharing each lane. She asked if they could circle swim, and got the “look of death” from those waiting on the wall.
“I can’t believe how out of control it’s gotten,” Fisher told me. “I’ve watched people ask to get in and they say no.”
Fisher has traveled all over the world and never encountered the problem outside of Austin. “Canada circles. Australia circles. New Zealand circles,” she says. “Look at a kids’ swim team. I’ve swam with six or eight people in a lane all my life … Why can’t we just sing Kumbaya and all get along?”
The problem is not that there isn’t enough room in that pool. It’s that many swimmers just plain want a lane to themselves. (I understand that certain swimmers have medical reasons for not sharing a lane. But that’s the exception.)
The lanes at Deep Eddy are wide and the pool is 33.3 yards long. Five or six swimmers can easily swim in a lane simultaneously. All it takes is a little coordination.
Nervous? Don’t be. The faster swimmer is responsible for passing the slower swimmer. Most experienced swimmers have no problem with this. If you’re slow, just stick to the right side of the lane and swim at your usual pace. Faster swimmers can gently tap the foot of person they are about to pass. Just be sure when you get in the water that everyone in the lane is aware that you’re all circling.
I think it’s rude not to circle. Not all of us can spare half an hour to wait to get our workout in. And the pool is owned by all of us!
Until recently, the Deep Eddy encouraged swimmers to circle swim, but didn’t enforce it. The policy — as suggested by the Friends of Deep Eddy — has always been to allow swimmers to regulate themselves. Lanes are available on a first come, first served basis.
“Lifeguards primary focus on the water, not dictating if people circle swim,” says Tom Nelson, aquatics director for the city of Austin. “The decision was made to not create a situation where people have to circle swim, but for everyone down there to work it out.”
That changed a bit this week because of increased attendance at the pool, Nelson said. Half the lanes are designated as “circle swim” lanes. The other half are “self-regulated” lanes, with swimmers encouraged to share.
Apparently, though, the word hasn’t gotten out.
“There’s a lot of people wanting to use a small area. It’s not like the trail that can accommodate everyone. It can be frustrating, and we’re not going to please everyone. Hopefully with this we can see how it works out. We’re open to suggestions.”
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I’m off to camp
I’m heading out now to visit Camp Balcones Springs near Marble Falls. Every summer I pick three camps and pay them a visit. The stories I write based on those visits are featured in our Summer Camp Guide, which publishes in February.
I love it. I didn’t get to go to camp as a kid, but the last four years I’ve made up for all that lost opportunity.
Water slides, horse back riding, crafts, archery, secret camp rituals - it’s great fun!
So far this year, I’ve visited the John Newcomb Tennis Ranch and the Austin Film Society’s Summer Filmmaking Camp.
I’m staying the night at Camp Balcones Springs. I’ll report in tomorrow afternoon!
Did you go to camp when you were a kid? Do you have a suggestion of a camp I should visit next year?
UPDATE:
I had to post this, my favorite picture from my summer camp visit. I loved Camp Balcones Springs! (Photo shows me with the resident llama, Rider.)
Besides snuggling the llama, I swam, rode a zipline across a spring-fed lake, did something called “The Screamer,” made it halfway up a climbing wall and rode a horse. Great food, too!
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: travel
Swim, bike, run — propose
A pair of Austin athletes took last weekend’s Couple’s Triathlon literally, getting engaged at the finish line.
Keegan Ferguson sprinted past girlfriend Di Wightman during the run portion of the event, then dropped to his knee and whipped out a ring at the end.
She said yes.
Wightman and Ferguson met at Pure Austin Fitness, where she worked and he was a member. She says the proposal came as a surprise. The two have been dating about 16 months.
They started in the same wave of the race, but Wightman surged ahead during the swim. As Ferguson started his run, Wightman was still ahead. Her sister yelled at him, “You have a minute and 30 seconds to catch her!”
He did.
The couple finished sixth in their division. Results are tabulated by adding the two partner’s times together.
Several of the couples’ friends were in on the secret. They held a series of five signs that put together read “Di Will You Marry Me.”
“I think I skipped ‘will’ and ‘you’ and saw ‘marry’” she says. “Then my mother was screaming ‘Did you read the green sign?’”
So who’s the better triathlete? “He’s a very good runner and cyclist and I’m a strong swimmer and runner,” Wightman says. “We both have our strong points.”
Clearly this marriage will last.
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Help plan 34-mile Walk for a Day Trail
Want to help plan a 34-mile trail system between Barton Springs and Hays County? This just in:
Organizers of the Walk for a Day regional trail system are asking for citizen input at a public meeting from 6:30-8:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Auditorium, 4801 La Crosse Ave.
The meeting is part of the public process conducted by the City of Austin and Hill Country Conservancy to ensure public involvement in the trail planning.
The Hill Country Conservancy is leading the effort to acquire land and access rights for a continuous trail and to provide resources to fund planning and construction, as well as perpetually endow operations of the trail.
For more information on the proposed Walk For a Day trail, visit www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/wildland/walkforaday.htm.
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Win “Zinn and the Art of Triathlon Bikes”
Need to know how to ship your bike to the next triathlon? Wonder what body position will give you the best aerodynamics on a tri bike? Want some help installing a third brake lever on your aero bars?
Triathletes, take note. I’ve got a copy of the most excellent “Zinn & the Art of Triathlon Bikes: Aerodynamics, Bike Fit, Speed Tuning, and Maintenance,” by Lennard Zinn ($24.95, VeloPress). It caters specifically to triathletes, and covers everything from bike tuning and maintenance to equipment choice and upgrades and shipping a bike safely from race to race.
Want it? Post here, telling me why you deserve it or need it. Then email your snail mail address to pleblanc@statesman.com.
The 340-page oversized paperback is stuffed with illustrations, tips and exploded views of components. It even tells you when you’ve got a problem best handled by a bike shop pro.
Good luck! I’ve only got one copy!
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Help me find Austin’s fitness A Team
I’m putting together a story about some of the most outstanding people in the Austin fitness community, and I need your help.
I’m looking for five people from all walks of fitness life. Do you have a personal trainer or coach who’s whipped you into shape? Know a weight lifter or dancer or gymnast who amazes you? A runner or cyclist or swimmer you respect?
I’m not looking for Austin’s celebrity athletes or the usual Austin fitness suspects — I’m looking for people you know and can personally recommend.
Post their name here, and tell me why they should be featured. What makes them special? How have they changed your life? Why are they notable?
We’ll take beautiful portraits of the folks we choose and run them in the paper with a short description of why they’re important to our fitness scene.
Thank you!
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Lance Armstrong documentary in the works
More than the usual crowd of cameras are focused on Lance Armstrong as he makes his Tour de France comeback this year.
It seems Hollywood is training a hopeful eye on Austin’s favorite cyclist. Sony Pictures Entertainment sent a crew to France to track Armstrong’s every move.
The filmmakers say it doesn’t matter if Armstrong wins, that his cancer-patient-turned-sports-hero story makes great footage no matter how his return to racing after a 3.5-year hiatus turns out. But they’ve got to be secretly smiling at the 37-year-old cyclist’s performance so far in the world’s biggest bike race.
So far, they’ve filmed Armstrong training with Team Astana, crashing and breaking his collarbone during the Vuelta Castilla y Leon (bet they loved that!), and getting a surprise visit from a drug tester.
What do you think? Would you go see the movie?
Read more about it here.
(Above: Lance Armstrong during the first stage of this year’s Tour de France. Photo credit Associated Press.)
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Should bike helmets be required?
I know bike helmets are a hot topic in Austin. Remember the push a few years back for a law that would require cyclists to wear one?
People got fired up, arguing over the merit of such a law. Some said it would discourage folks from cycling. Others said it would keep those who cycle safe. Many said they wore a helmet but didn’t want anyone telling them they had to.
It seems like everyone’s got an opinion, so I was intrigued when I saw a Consumer Reports article that said more than half of Americans don’t wear a helmet when they’re biking, even though they see the value of wearing one to prevent injuries. Read the report here.
The online report includes recommendations for fitting a helmet, tips for bike safety, and bike helmet ratings for kids.
So far, we don’t have a helmet law in Austin. Still, I wear a bike helmet every time I get on my bike. I don’t trust the motorists.
What do you think?
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Help set skinny dipping record!
With the weather so hot, who needs clothing?
And if you’re going to peel off those extra layers, you might as well head to the Star Ranch, Bastrop County’s favorite nudist park to join a nation-wide effort to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people simultaneously skinny dipping.
The big event happens at 2 p.m. Saturday at Star Ranch, 166 Eely Road in McDade. Besides the skinny dipping, music, water volleyball and door prizes for children are planned. Admission is $5 per person.
In conformance with Guinness rules, participants must be completely nude in order to be counted. Guinness doesn’t currently have a record for simultaneous skinny dip, so any number of participants will set a record. Nudist ranches around the country are participating.
“First-time skinny-dippers are welcome and shyness can be accommodated,” says a press release from Star Ranch, a family-oriented nudist park that opened in 1957. It is a member of the American Association for Nude Recreation.
“Skinny-dipping, a wholesome tradition as old as mankind and frequently honored in art and movies, celebrates the natural joy of plunging into water without hindrance of clothing,” the release says.
Star Ranch is situated on 110 wooded acres and has a clubhouse, two swimming pools and tennis courts. A few months back, I wrote about a nude footrace held there each year. Staffers emphasize that it’s a wholesome place, and there’s no room for funny business.
For more information about Star Ranch go to www.starranch.net or call 512-273-2257. For more information about other clubs participating in the record attempt, go to www.aanr.com or call 1-800-TRY-NUDE.
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Fitness freebies!
Happy fitness freebie day!
Today I’m giving away some exercise videos. One is “Dance Your Body Thin!” and it comes with an adjustable weighted dance belt. The second is “Knock Out Body!” and it comes with weighted gloves. The third is “Hip Hop Dance Mix.” (I’ve got one copy of each.)
All three star coach and fitness expert Jessica Smith.
Post your name and tell me why you need the DVD on this blog and email your snail mail address to me at pleblanc@statesman.com. Let me know which of the prizes you’d prefer, in order. I’m heading off to do a few days of camping, so I’ll alert the winners early next week.
Remember: Two things - post your name and email your snail address to pleblanc@statesman.com. You’d be amazed how many folks forget to do one or the other!
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Tour kickoff party at Mellow Johnny’s
Oooooo, cycling maniacs. This is it. The Tour de France kicks off Sunday, with our own Lance Armstrong back in the saddle. Can he make it number eight?
Who cares? (Well, I do.) It’s a reason for a party, and Mellow Johnny’s, Armstrong’s Austin bike shop at 4th and Nueces streets, is brewing up a big bash to mark the occasion.
The shop will host a Tour launch party complete with Euro-fan costume contest, a bike parade featuring the Austin Bike Zoo, and a podium photo booth where you can fake a triumphant victory shot complete with yellow jersey, champagne bottle and podium girls. You’ll get a chance to paint the streets like a real Tour fanatic or make your own Tour poster at a craft table. Mellow Johnny’s own Publicité Caravan will shower fans with trinkets, samples and swag. Plus, there will be hourly raffles for chances to win cool bike gear.
French-inspired food including crepes and french fries will be served, along with beer, wine and champagne sold by Royal Blue.
Just like being in France!
The party runs from 6 to 11 p.m. The store will stay open until 9 p.m., when the festivities move to the parking lot, with Stage 1 viewing on the Alamo Drafthouse’s big screen.
Anyone want to predict how Armstrong will do in the Tour this year?
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Cyclists beware on Quinlan Park Road
Warning fellow cyclists. In case you missed this posting on my blog recently, watch out when you pedal Quinlan Park Road.
Here’s the comment, posted by someone named Kirk:
“Cyclists are always proclaiming that they have a legal right to be on the road. They are correct. They are also supposed to obey all the laws of the road. This includes a law that prohibits obstructing traffic. I drive Quinlan Park Road every day. A long section of it is one lane in each direction, with no shoulder or curb, it has several steep inclines and sharp corners. Only a true idiot would ride a bike on that road, but they are on it every day. I have rounded the curves many times going less than the speed limit and almost clipped a bike. If a car is coming the other direction, I am not going to cause a head-on collision. The bike rider is going to get run over, and I will not even get a ticket because the bike was impeding traffic. I have instructed my wife and children to do the same. Bicycle safely, wear a car.”
Thoughts, anyone?
