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Mellow Johnny’s Spring Classic this weekend
I spent a couple of hours Friday tearing around Juan Pelota Ranch, Lance Armstrong’s hill country retreat, on my mountain bike, checking out the course for this weekend’s Mellow Johnny’s Spring Classic.
Maybe tearing is the wrong word. I cruised.
But the riders coming in for the event, a world class pro mountain bike race, will be blasting up rocky inclines, zipping around leaf-strewn dirt trails and popping over limestone crags at impressive speed.
The property, about 45 minutes west of Austin near Dripping Springs, is beautiful. (It’s also listed for sale, in case you are in the market for a 450-acre hill country ranch owned by a seven-time Tour de France winner.) Much of it has been cleared of cedar, leaving wide open expanses that ripple with long gold and rust-colored grasses and craggy old live oak trees. The Pedernales River borders one side, and Armstrong’s house is perched on a hill that overlooks the whole spread, an infiniti-edge pool in back.
The Spring Classic is the fourth stop of the seven-race Pro XCT national mountain bike racing tour. The course was designed by Armstrong and friends.
The route twists through fields, over a couple of narrow bike bridges, and up a whopper of a hill at the end of the 3.7-mile singletrack loop that will be used in this weekend’s races. Organizers have dubbed that incline Mount Juantoux, and it’s the perfect spot to watch racers jockey for position as they near the finish line.
The race will be run in loops, and it should take riders between 14 and 16 minutes per lap. That means fans can watch a lot of the action. Two fan watching zones will be set up, and people are encouraged to bring noise makers and dress in wacky costumes, a la the Tour de France. A 2011 Mellow Johnny’s Classic Super Fan will be named.
Last year’s race drew 1,200 racers, making it the biggest mountain bike race in Texas. Some of the racers are raising money Livestrong, the Austin-based non-profit created by Armstrong to help people living with cancer. Last year’s event raised about $40,000 for LiveStrong.
No word yet if Armstrong will be in attendance.
There will be a vendor expo and activity area, with food from Juan Pelota CafĂ©, Hat Creek Burgers and Wahoo’s Fish Taco’s. Dogs are allowed but must be leashed. And pick up after your pet!
Always wanted to ride your bike at Armstrong’s ranch yourself? You can! Registered racers and non-racers who sign up ahead of time and pay $5 can ride the course from 2-4 p.m. Thursday. (For more information go here.)
New this year? A kickoff party benefitting the Texas High School Mountain Bike League, which will host its inaugural season in 2012, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St. The league is part of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association.
Top male and female pro riders from around the country, including past winners Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Max Plaxton, along with Adam Craig, Blake Harlan, Jason Sager, Heather Irmiger and Lea Davison, are expected to attend the party, which is free and open to the public.
For more information about the kickoff party, go here.
Gates open at 6:45 a.m. Saturday. Category 3 races start at 8:45 a.m. The Pro Women start at 10:30 a.m., the Kids Cup starts at 11:15 a.m. and the Pro Men start at 1:15 p.m. Juan Pelota Ranch will close at 6 p.m. Racing continues on Sunday.
For more information about the event and directions to the ranch, go here.
(Pam and Ted Arnold of Mellow Johnny’s, above, cycling at Juan Pelota Ranch.)
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By calaustinite
April 25, 2011 5:44 PM | Link to this
way too much bike for those tiny hills.
By Jeff Coyle
May 1, 2011 10:03 AM | Link to this
It was a great event! They thought of everything, right down to the tiered parking prices ($10 for one in your car, $5 for two, free for three or more) to encourage carpooling. Great course, challenging but fun. Hope the race continues, especially since the property is for sale!