PAMELA LEBLANC: FIT CITY

Bike Month activities include free breakfast, pedaling with city officials

By Pamela LeBlanc
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, April 21, 2008

I'm back to riding my bike to work. Just this morning, after downing my Wheaties, I pedaled the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail, raced a squirrel along a sidewalk and sloshed through a water crossing on my way to the office. I'll take that over stop-and-go motor traffic any day.

Now's a great time to get back on your bike, too. May is Bike Austin Month, and lots of events are planned.

Pedal alongside your elected officials and community leaders during the Civic Bicycle Cruise, which departs City Hall Plaza at 5 p.m. May 2. The ride will wind through Town Lake Park and surrounding areas. Afterward, head to Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, 301 San Jacinto Blvd., for happy hour from 6-7:30 p.m. Valet bicycle parking will be available.

Think you know where the city should build its next bike lane? Feel free to sound off at the Central Texas Bicycle and Pedestrian Summit, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3 at the University of Texas Jester Center, 21st Street at Speedway. Experts in engineering, planning and advocacy will discuss the latest in bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and representatives from the City of Austin, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Texas Department of Transportation will be on hand to hear your input. After the program, participants can join a short bicycle tour of the University of Texas campus and Austin bicycle routes. Register online for the free event by April 30 at www.campotexas.org/programs_bicped.php.

The Kiker Elementary PTA is hosting a bike safety event from 9 a.m. until noon May 10 at Kiker Elementary, 5913 LaCrosse Ave. The event, open to the public, costs $15 and includes a T-shirt and water bottle. To register, go to www.kikerpta.org. Participants can stop by 10 safety and skill stations and ride on three designated courses — a beginners' loop in the parking lot, a 1-mile intermediate closed course on a neighborhood street and an expert ride to the Veloway, led by former cycling pro Kevin Livingston. All bikes, including tricycles and those with training wheels, are welcome. The PTA is also collecting used bikes, which will be distributed, along with new helmets, at Kiker's sister school, Allison Elementary.

Bike-to-Work Day is May 16. Between 7 and 9 a.m., stop by one of the following stations for a little free breakfast on your way into the office: Whole Foods (525 N. Lamar Blvd.), City Hall Plaza (301 Second St.), Texas One Center (505 Barton Springs Road), Texas Bicycle Coalition (1902 E. Sixth St.), Mellow Johnny's (400 Nueces St.), Wheatsville Coop (3101 Guadalupe St.), Bicycle Sport Shop (517 S. Lamar Blvd.) or Shoal Creek Boulevard at the Far West Bridge, Music City Cycles (6301 W. Parmer Lane) and Jo's Coffee (1300 S. Congress Ave.). Additional locations might be added. Check www.austincycling.org.

The Ride of Silence, a group bike ride to honor bicyclists who have been killed while cycling, starts from the Pfluger Bridge at 7 p.m. May 21. The ride, now held across the country, started in 2003 at White Rock Lake in Dallas, where it drew 1,000 cyclists in its first year. There is no fee, no registration and no T-shirt for the 8-mile ride. For more information, go to www.rideofsilence.org.

Take a dip in

Lady Bird Lake

Maybe you've stood on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, eyeballing all that cool, green-blue glory, and wondered what it would be like to leap in and swim.

Trust me, it's good. And on May 4, we all get our annual chance during the Money Box Cap2K, an open-water swim race and pledge swim between Red Bud Isle and the Texas Rowing Center dock. (It's illegal to swim in the river without special permission from the city.)

The best part? No flip turns or chlorine, just a long, straight stretch of river. Did I mention that water temperatures usually hover near 68 degrees? That might sound chilly, but it's perfect for a race. I love cruising beneath the limestone cliffs near Red Bud Isle, swimming underneath rushing cars on Loop 1, and smiling up at onlookers on the pedestrian bridge under the highway. Consider yourself lucky if you get an appreciative squawk from a blue heron, a flap of a swan's wing or a salute from a diving turtle.

The 2,000-meter (or so) race is open to swimmers ages 12 and up. Participants should have previously completed a mile swim in 45 minutes or less. The race starts at 10:30 a.m. Awards will be presented in masters, youth and high-school divisions. Last year's winner, Caleb McDermott, made it to the finish line in 26 minutes, 12 seconds. Wet suits are allowed, but those who wear them are not eligible for awards.

Spectators can watch from the Loop 1 pedestrian bridge or they can buy a ticket ($12 adults, $5 children) to ride on a double-decker boat that will accompany the lead swimmers. A party with food, live music and a silent auction will follow the swim at Eilers Park next to Deep Eddy Pool.

Registration (which includes lunch) through April 27 is $90; it's $105 on race day. A portion of proceeds will benefit Swim Safe Austin and Friends of Deep Eddy Pool. To register, make a donation or buy a ticket for the escort boat, go to www.cap2k.com. For more information, call event coordinator Sandy Neilson-Bell at 327-2260.

Up and running

Professional triathletes Andrea Fisher and Jamie Cleveland have swung open the doors of their new shop, Hill Country Running Co., at 215 S. Lamar Blvd., Suite E. The store caters to runners, triathletes, adventure racers and recreational athletes (plus their four-legged training partners) with an array of shoes, clothing and gear. It also offers on-site gait analysis to ensure proper shoe fit.

Fisher and Cleveland are the longtime head coaches of Texas Iron Multisport Inc.

"We've dealt with athletes on a regular basis asking us what shoes they should be in," Cleveland says. "We thought it was time in a city like Austin, with so many runners, that they have choices. And choices in shoe fitting are just as important as choices in what brands you're going to be in."

Besides staple brands such as New Balance, the store will stock some brands new to the running shoe market, like Zoot, best known for its triathlon gear, and some that have reinvented themselves, like Avia and Etonic.

"We're trying to get products that have been proven, but maybe not everybody knows about," Cleveland says.

Among those is Skins, which makes tights and socks that utilize compression technology once only used for people with circulation issues but now popular among endurance athletes.

"We're trying to be the complete package. If you're a trail runner, we can fit you for trail shoes, pick up a light, get a hydration pack," Cleveland says. For more information, call 294-2866.

Happy birthday, RunTex!

Congratulations to RunTex, which celebrates 20 years in business this month. Credit owner Paul Carrozza for helping to make Austin the running-crazy city that it is. Besides running the stores, Carrozza helps put on foot races all over Central Texas and serves on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The council, by the way, is currently sponsoring the President's Challenge, to encourage people across the country to get active. To register for the free program, go to www.presidentschallenge.org.

Lather on the sunscreen

I'm fair-skinned and freckled. I slather on the sunscreen, but I'm outside so much I'm still brown as a nut by the end of the summer. I've found one more way to battle the blazing sun — a bar of soap with sunscreen built right in.

No, it doesn't mean I'll never have to rub on the sunscreen when I'm going for a bike ride or a swim. But it does provide daily protection against incidental sun exposure. Bethesda Sunscreen Soap, SPF 10, sells for $8 a bar at www.bethesdaskincare.com, and will be in stores nationwide in 2008.