End of May

I'm back from my vacation to Stowe, VT at the Trapp Family Lodge. I still need to upload some photos, I will update the post when that happens.

Here's the visit to Ben & Jerry's Factory. The flavor of the day was a cinnamon / oatmeal concoction, quite tasty.

I picked the start of June for when I'll begin fundraising for the LAF. Since the Challenge for Austin occurs later in the year, I wait a while before starting. I guess I don't really have to, but it makes sense to me.

Bike commuting

I added a Topeak Explorer rack on the bike, in preparation for a trunk bag and/or panniers. Installation was pretty easy as my bike has the mounting holes for all the attachment points. I used some snips of an old inner tube where the rack connects to the seat stays, to stop the metal from marring the paint.

Armadillo Hill Country Classic 09

The Armadillo Hill Country Classic was held May 9th, starting at Liberty Hill High School (btw, they were 2006 & 2007 State Champs in football, 3A). This is the longest of the sponsored rides I participate in, topping out at over 100 miles.

The weather was good today, although it was warm, it stayed overcast till well after noon, making the ride much more comfortable. Last year was similar, with the sun breaking through somewhat earlier.

I was surprised to have some pain in my left foot, I typically have this occur to my right foot on these longer rides. Some massaging though kept the pain at bay to a great extent for the remainder of the ride (~40 miles).

I was able to hang with a couple groups of fast riders for a bit, they eventually pulled away, maybe one day I'll get faster... You have to resist the urge to stay with them, especially when you're less than 1/2 way into the ride. There's a long, long way to go and you need to not burn all your energy too soon.

The pictures from the ride are here.

Red Poppy Ride 09

The Red Poppy Ride was held on April 25th, starting in Georgetown, TX. The route was the same as last year. This weather this year was a little worse, rain on and off, not much, but enough to keep the road wet for the 1st hour or so. There were not many tight corners so bike handling was not hampered too much. It was relatively windy, obviously humid and warm. Only two sections of the route were directly into the wind, alot of the time, it was cross wind. That's sometimes just as bad, you have to pay attention.

The full set of pictures from the ride is here.