False Flats, False Tempo

Brad had to set a false tempo so that I would not break away. (Note sarcasm) All I saw was butt, wheel and tarmac. Almost did a Leipheimer but I was able to keep it upright. At that point, I let his wheel go for the upteenth time and rode my tempo (crabby slow) on FM 1626. 50+ miles in 2:45 - felt like 50+ miles in 2 hrs. #^@*#!*%

Grand Tour of San Antonio Central & Riverwalk

San Antonio Fashion

This is what happens when you live out of a hotel. When we did the Sunday, S.A. Wheelmen ride, we thought we would be going back to the hotel so I did not pack an extra set of cycling clothes or any "going out" clothes. After the first ride, we realized we did not have time to drive back to the hotel. Then, after the tourist ride, it made sense just to stay downtown to check out the Riverwalk. Luckily I had the shorts. I was styling.

Dam Loop

Yeah, the famous ride Lance wrote about in his first book. But eight years later with developments and shopping malls lining the route, I would not recommend doing the ride without having a local with you. Luckily, Andrew Stackhouse, who I met at Mellow Johnny's, had the day off and graciously took us out on the loop.

We rode on 6-lane highways. Crazy. The weather was in the mid-60s and it quickly rose to the low 80s. I felt as if I was moto paced by the guys (and probably traffic) all the way to Mansfield Dam. When we took the Low Water Crossing Road right after the Dam bridge, my legs started to fail. We climbed a walking path off of Low Water Crossing Rd for Bradley. Road across the bridge again and then climbed. The next hill that killed me was Big View Dr. Our detour (River Pl Blvd, Big View Dr-down&up, Narrow Ridge Dr, Westminster Glen Ave then left onto City Park Rd) to avoid the death defining descent of route 2222 became a dead end at the bottom of Big View Dr. Flying down Big View was scary enough and it was in a posh neighborhood. 2222 is 4-lane highway with no shoulders so I was happy that we had the detour until we had to TURN AROUND and climb up Big View Dr.

Brad cruised along City Park Road and Andrew and I sucked wheel to the bottom of 2222. The highway rolled up and down and the heat started to take a toll on me. All I could say is that I soaked it all in and was surprisingly not freaked out about all the traffic. At one point I almost grabbed a car because my legs were not used to all the tempo riding and I wanted help to get my ass back to the shop. Thanks to Austin Andrew for giving us an awesome 55 mile ride West of the city.

Liberty Bar

We had a late lunch at the Liberty Bar with Jim and Dave. The house was structurally off kilter. I had a great meal (Chile Relleno a la Vino Andrea-stuffed chile ancho w/shrimp, almonds, black currants, apples, garlic & onions-Yum!) and Brad sadly did not (Roasted Leg of Lamb Sandwich with Aïoli Morita). Check out the menu - they have a great selection of meals.

Since we were close, we drove downtown to do the Riverwalk. Yay! Dinner was a 60 oz Margarita. Thank goodness we shared it and had a little help from Dave.

Out of Towners

We rode 45 miles with the San Antonio Wheelmen - A fairly flat ride southeast of the city. I had my 2002 OCLV Trek "trainer bike" that I had lent to a friend and I forgot about double checking the saddle height. I remembered that her son borrowed it but all I thought was - at least I know the bike would be functional on the road. (I know-space cadet!) We rolled out of the parking lot and I was all jacked up. I thought about doing the pro thing and lower the saddle while riding but my team car wasn't with me on this trip. So I stopped and dropped the saddle 3 cm and hoped on Brad's wheel and we chased. The group was already single file so Brad rolled up to the front. Little did I know that the other guy was an out of towner and they set the pace. Luckily, most of the riders were able to hang as the pace was probably about 16 mph until the other out of towner (Denver Dave Haar) who was late to the start, caught us. I was so thankful for the rest stop as I did not lower my saddle enough. When I got off the bike, my hip flexors were throbbing. Doaph. Fueled and readjusted, we rolled with a smaller group doing the 50 mile loop. We met great people and Brad hammered the second half of the ride, dropping all of us one at a time.

At the rest stop, I was able to talk Denver Jim into doing a second s.a.w. ride in the PM; "grand tour of San Antonio Central (City)". As I unhinged into the wind, and took a few pulls with Denver Jim and another guy, I questioned the 2nd ride - even if it was going to be at 12 mph. Brad finished his interval and we caught back on. We let him roll off alone on his next effort and for the last, one guy and I worked the sweet spot until we hit a pass over.

So the out of towners ruled the ride and I hope it was okay - Thanks S.A.W. Denver Jim, Dave joined us for the 2nd ride and we made it halfway. If you thought an "any town club ride" could be dangerous, try doing one that was geared towards tourists. Wow, we were six abreast after the ride leader gave us a detailed "rules of the road" lecture. Luckily, the drivers were gracious. I rode in the back "sweeping" with the camera. Not used to riding the Trek in a while, I had to stop to take pictures. Multi-tasking didn't work so the sweeping turned into sprinting. It was a fun and entertaining way to see the city as Ken, the rider leader, knew his history. The best part was Williams St. This area's restoration was started by one man. Right, I was taking pictures and did not get to hear all the stories first hand. Google hasn't helped me out and I am getting sleepy.

Tomorrow is a big day as Brad, Denver Jim, Dave and I will be riding 87 miles from a "mapmyride" ride. Hmm. Hasta manana.

Traveling Thoughts

Traveling by myself, I get to listen and observe. The train ride from Lancaster to Philadelphia was reflective. Farmland, Amish buggies, goats and cows for the first half of the ride reminded me that we live in a beautiful place. As I dozed in and out of other people's conversations, I was glad to hear a woman in her late 40s appreciate her liberal arts education. I work at a liberal arts, state university and the some students just shy away from the importance of general education. The woman has an Arts History degree and she said if she never did anything with her degree (which I doubt has happened), she appreciated taking writing courses, the sciences and social sciences as they are necessary for everyday life.

They talked about their professions (one is a special education teacher working with autistic children, husband unemployed, art historian??), their kids, family, veteran/war experiences and the state of the economy. These people did not know each other before they entered the train but they could have as they lived in many similar places across the country (Portland, Fairfax, family in Lancaster). It is comforting to know that we still have an interest and care for each other.

As I waddled from one train to another, a smile or a chuckle at what a sight I might have been made me laugh, too. I love the sense of independence, connection and freedom in traveling. Wishing I could stay in Philadelphia to go to the Art Museums, eat in fabulous restaurants and just breath the city, I am again thankful of my home. We live near the best metropolitan cities in the world (DC, Philadelphia & NYC). We could be at any one of them in less than three hours (especially if Brad is driving). So here I am, sitting at the airport, loving home.