Why You Should Take a Fast Chick Out for a Ride Women's Competitive Cycling

By Kathryn Hunter

You don't know she's fast. It's just a guess. Cyclists come in all shapes and sizes – stocky, narrow, short, tall, skinny legs, big legs. The best indicator is not a single physical characteristic, but a mental one. She's the type of woman who'd dive for a ball, jog through the rain, sacrifice a happy hour to fit in a workout, wake up for practice at five in the morning... In other words, she's the type of woman who likes to, or can't help but, test her physical limits.

Photography by Jim Hicks – Sheri Rothe Crushing the Men's Dreams

And she doesn't know cycling is out there. It's like not knowing there's an underground wine cellar in your backyard, or never having heard of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter sandwiches. Do the fast chicks you know and the cycling community as a whole a favor, and introduce them to each other.

The challenges, and a few words of encouragement

While there are more Cat 5 men than ants in an anthill, their movements similarly erratic, women are in short supply at local road races. Often men's Cat 5 will start out at 40 or 50 riders, or sometimes 100 split into two groups, but the women – all the women, from Cat 1 to Cat 4 – can be lumped into a single field of 10 to 20 riders.

It's a strange phenomenon. Today athletic women are the social norm rather than the taboo, and there's no shortage of female marathoners, triathletes, and runners. Cycling's an endurance sport, too – so where are they?

One reason is that, regardless of gender, cycling is something you tend to stumble upon by accident. Most people start in their 20s or 30s. Many female triathletes make the switch when they discover their strength on the bike. Other women find the sport through a boyfriend, husband, or friend. To be honest, this tends to make getting started much easier, especially since (not to stereotype, but it's true) women seem far less likely to delve into the world of gear and strategy on their own. They just don't, as a rule, have the Cat 5 bravado and instant obsession with parts reviews. That comes with time.

Some say women aren't aggressive and competitive enough for the sport. One male cyclist I know went so far as to blame the scarcity of female cyclists on an innate lack of bike handling skills . I don't mean to villainize him or the other naysayers – it's true that women are generally less aggressive. But in some ways that's more of a pro than a con. You could say that women are simply more familiar with and honest about their limitations.

For example, men are four times more likely to die an accidental death. Even in the 75+ age group (I'm quoting a rather gray area of statistics here, no pun intended) when they're considerably outnumbered by the sweeter sex, men are still twice as likely to die as a result of an accident. When surrounded by a group of his peers, a man can be convinced to zap himself with a cattle prod, or do a triple somersault off a roof. (Evidence A: the movie Jackass; Evidence B: the fact that there's a sequel.) A woman, in a similar situation, would simply say, "No thanks."

So, while it's true that women may take more time to become comfortable with pack riding, it doesn't mean they're incapable of it. And if, as a woman, your fine-tuned safety meter is what's preventing you from signing up for your first race, there are a few pros to the Men-are-from-Mars-women-are-from-Venus conundrum that you should know about. A women's race is just plain different. Beginning men are overzealous, often bordering on dangerous. This balances out as they get more experience, or in other words, when they actually know what they're doing versus pretending to know what they're doing. But for women, especially since the field is usually much smaller, races are far less hair-raising. And you don't have to be extremely aggressive to do well. Once you get a feel for how it all works – and don't worry, it's intuitive, to a large degree – you'll know how to maneuver around in the pack without ever having had to elbow anyone in the gut, Cat 5 style.

That's not to say it doesn't take hard work, or that, coming from another sports background, you'll have instant success. You will get dropped. (Don't worry, it's good medicine.) You will suffer humiliation. (Learn to change a flat now, so you don't have to play damsel in distress.) And you'll have good days and bad days. But that's just the sport training montage leading up to total domination. Right? Right.

Tips for riding & racing

When I asked her what tips she would give a female cyclist just starting out, pro cyclist and coach Jen McRae said, "Be patient in learning your strengths, and have a friend or expert show you some secrets about bike handling and pack riding. If you do this right away, you'll enjoy the bike much more."

Jen got her start as an undergraduate at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She was a swimmer in high school and did some triathlons in college. The university bike club encouraged her to try bike racing because they thought she might do well, and they were right. She did her first race in 1989, and was hooked. In 2007, she came in second at the US National Crit Championships, and in 2008, won the USA Crit Finals in Las Vegas, placed third in the US Crit National Championships, and placed fourth in the US Road National Championships . "And now, 20 years later I find myself loving the sport just the same," she says.

Jen McRae of the clan McRae

Jen has made a life out of cycling. She and her husband, Chann McRae, own their own coaching business, and still actively compete. She regularly comes in at the front of the Cat 3 men's race. "Competitive cycling for me is one of those things that just gives me the opportunity to feel completely alive," she says. "Whatever sport it may be, it's when you can feel your adrenaline kicking in, your eyes wide open with a bit of fear, and your heart beating out of your chest to outperform the competition."

As a newbie, what you should know going into the sport is that no one feels completely at ease, and if they seem like they do, well, most of the time they're bluffing. There's an element of excitement and suspense to every race for every rider, because in road racing you're not out to set a best time. In fact, time doesn't matter much at all - rather, it's how you stack up to the rest of the field.

Jennifer Mix, recently upgraded to Cat 2 and member of 787 Racing, has the reputation of being a tough competitor. And yet, she says, "I still learn something at every race, whether it be tactical or something about my physiology. And I'm still very anxious at the start of the race, often in awe of the talent I'm among. I still feel like that five-year- old little kid trying to play with the big girls."

Jennifer Mix at The Driveway

Jennifer, originally from Boulder, Colorado, was a competitive gymnast from the age of 7 to 16. Later, she dabbled in weight-lifting and running, then when she was 28, started taking spin classes. Just before her 30th birthday, a friend suggested she go for a ride, borrowed a bike for her, and took her out on the dam loop. Two weeks later, she bought her first bike, and has been putting it to good use ever since. She began racing competitively in 2009.

She admits it can be an intimidating sport. "For most women I know, they use cycling as a way to 'stay fit,' not compete," Jennifer says. "Women's racing is generally not promoted and there's a lack of awareness of a competitive side for women in cycling. Thankfully, Austin promotes cycling and racing for women."

"As for someone entering the sport," Jennifer says, "it takes time, patience, and enjoyment of the process. A successful cyclist does not happen overnight. Going to The Driveway and meeting some of the racers, finding a local cycling club, or going to a bike shop and asking for help are all ways to get started." The Austin Flyers, an all-women cycling team, regularly puts on a women's racing clinic at the Driveway.

While it's true that most female cyclists are competitive to the core, when you're new and you have a question, nine times out of ten they'll answer it, even during a race. In fact, they seem to like giving advice. Note: it's best not to expect that level of friendliness the last 500 meters if you're sitting at the front. And get a bike computer if you want to stay abreast of the distance remaining – sometimes your neighbor will tell you, and sometimes she won't. It's all part of the game.

---

Free bike fit

So if all you're lacking is a little experience and general instruction, let us help. Austin Tri-Cyclist is offering free bike fits for beginning women until May 31. You can bring in your own bike, or get set up on a new or used bike at ATC. We won't give you a hard sell on anything unless we truly think you need it (most employees actively compete themselves, so a dirty drive train or rusty chain ring will pain their souls), and you don't have to come in with the intent of racing the next weekend. You do, however, have to have two X chromosomes (no exceptions on this one). Just walk in any time during normal business hours and ask for Adam.

---

And now, straight from a newbie's perspective, a completely unsanctioned and inexpert step-by-step guide to getting started:

• GET A ROAD BIKE – You don't have to have an expensive bike to start with. Steel, carbon fiber, aluminum – it doesn't matter. A fancy bike won't make a difference until you're fast already. If you want to go all out on the equipment (this is what a man would do) you can, but starting out the most sensible purchase is a good set of tires, along with a proper tuning. That said, pay attention to components (we'd recommend at least Shimano 105 or SRAM rival components), or your bike won't shift right for long, and the parts won't be compatible with common upgrades and replacements. Spending at least $600 on a bike will save you money in the long run (this pricing is meant for new bikes, not used). Great bargains are available on the used market and previous year's models.
• GO ON SOME GROUP RIDES – For beginners, the most important skill in road racing is simply being comfortable and safe riding in a group. Join a "no drop" ride, and you won't have to worry about getting lost or left behind, and you can get a feel for pack dynamics. Jack and Adam's bike shop has a ride that leaves at 8:30am every Sunday, and the Austin Flyers cycling club has women-only rides. There are many other options around town, sponsored by local bike shops and/or bike teams. The ATC ride is on Saturday mornings at 8:30am, but the best cyclists and triathletes in town show up for it on a regular basis, and the pace is brutal. Punish yourself with that one later. Making the ATC ride your first group ride is like cooking your first-ever omelet on Iron Chef.
  
  Triathletes, this tip is for you: Don't bring your tri bike on a group ride. And if you must bring it, stay out of the aero bars. A tri bike is fine for riding on your own, but in a group, you'll be the squirrely one making everyone else nervous, especially in the aero bars, where it's harder for you to reach the brakes and to see what's going on ahead of you. Besides, you can't use a tri bike for a road race, so you might as well practice on the right equipment. Again, you can get a decent road bike for around $600, and it's great for tri training, too – a good road bike will make long rides safer and more comfortable, not to mention easier on your back and neck.
  
  When you're riding in a group, here are a couple of things to pay attention to and experiment with:
  • Follow close, and notice how much easier it is to ride behind someone than out in the wind. When you're going into a headwind, stay just behind the person ahead of you, but slightly to the left or right – this is safer if the person suddenly slows or stops.
  • If there's a strong crosswind, it may make more sense to ride to the left or the right of the person, parallel but a foot or two behind. (See this video for an exaggerated and entertaining example) When you're riding with a pack, most of the time you can just follow other people's lead on this. The pack will fan out in a staggered row, or echelon (like birds).
  • When you're going around a turn, always put the outside pedal down. If you put the inside pedal down and take the curve, you're more likely to clip your pedal on the pavement.
  • Most importantly, try to stay relaxed – if you're holding your arms stiff on the bars, that interferes with your bike's ability to "roll with the punches," so to speak. Jenn McRae explained it this way: "Keeping your upper body relaxed and remembering to exhale helps keep you rolling smoothly. Also, it's more our reaction to things that causes us to crash – so trust your bike, let the tension go, and enjoy the ride. One thing that helps you have this relaxed mindset is to know the riders around you and trust in their skills."
• SIGN UP FOR A RACE – You'll start out in category 4, a group of newbies like yourself. Some races will have a "Women's open" category, as well, which anyone can sign up for. A rider "cats up" by scoring points at races – the number of points depends on how you finish and how many people were participating in the race. (Visit USA Cycling for more information on scoring and categories.) Since women's races are often small, sometimes all the categories will start out together even though they're not scored together.

Types of races:

• Criteriums (aka crits) – The course consists of loops, and is defined by time rather than distance. "Prime" prizes are often awarded for the first person who crosses the line on a given lap - sometimes you won't know which lap is a prime lap until the officials ring a bell, which tells you it's the next one. Crit racing involves a lot of high speed turning and the course is often crowded, which can make it challenging for newcomers. (Try a road race, too, for comparison.) The Driveway offers a great crit series every Thursday night from March 17 to October 20.
• Time Trials – Triathletes and duathletes, this is familiar territory, and you finally get to use that tri bike. If you don't have a tri bike, don't worry – it's still fun, even if it is much slower. Your position is very important on a tri bike, so get properly fit at a shop. Do get in the drops if you're on your road bike. In a time trial, you'll get a specific start time, and you'll need to line up just before it. Each rider starts out individually, and there's no drafting out on the course. Often you roll out from a small ramp (that's not as bad as it sounds, and you can opt to start out flat if you want), which means you can get going without having to shift up. Someone holds your seat while an official counts down to your start time, then the person lets go (no pushing involved), and you pedal down the ramp. From there, you just follow the course and go as hard as you can. Unfortunately, while a TT can help you win overall at a stage race, a TT alone won't get you points to cat up. Road races and crits do.
• Road Races – Distances vary for road races. A standard distance might be 30-60 miles, with the higher end of the range at 100 miles or more. Road races are usually calmer than the crits – more open, often slower, and with less turns. At the start, you tend to roll out "neutral," meaning no one gets to take off from the pack until you've passed a certain landmark. From there the contest is often who can do the least work for the longest amount of time, which you can play along with, or forego completely. If you choose the latter, be prepared for the pack to let you go, then slowly reel you in and spit you out the back. It's an educational experience, either way. Keep in mind that 5th or 6th position in the pack is ideal – you get more of a draft, but you can still chase down a break if you need to, or stay with the lead pack if there's a sudden acceleration. Often the best place to attack is on a hill. Keep this in mind both for attacking and for staying with the attack. Your No. 1 goal in road racing is to never, ever let the lead pack get away from you. Once that happens, you're toast without the draft, and if you're not toast, you will be by the time you catch them again. So go ahead and kill yourself to keep up – the fast parts are usually brief, and you can depend on having a rest soon. Stay on that wheel.
• Stage races – These involve multiple races. Sometimes you'll have a road race and time trial in the same day, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, and then another road race the following day. GC means "general classification." You're scored by total time with a stage race, so the more time you can get on your competition in any of the events, the better you rank in the GC. Keep in mind that if you finish with the main pack at the line, you'll get the same pack finish time. Stage races require extra stamina because of their duration and the strategy involved, but they're a lot of fun, and you get to pretend like you're in the Tour de France.

Some terminology:

• Center-line rule – No one's supposed to cross the center line of the highway, and if they do and they're seen doing it, they're disqualified. Sometimes riders will sit right on this line so that the rest of the pack can't draft, and if the crosswind is coming from the opposite direction, ditto with the right side of the road.
• Neutral – If an official in a car tells you that you've been neutralized, it means another race/category is coming up behind you, and you have to let them come around without interfering (i.e., getting in front of them, jumping into their draft, etc.) Once they get out of the way, then the race is back on.

For more info, visit these websites:

• The Driveway - Austin, Texas crit series
• Texas Bike Racing Association - All things Texas bike racing
• Dallas Tuesday Night Crits
• USA Cycling

You don't have to compete to enjoy cycling, but it does keep you from getting complacent (i.e., lazy). You're always learning, always challenging yourself, and always pushing your training a little bit harder because you know it'll be put to the test. Plus, it's fun.


Email us at atcblogs@gmail.com with questions or comments. And don't forget the free fit for women!! (See above.) This is open to beginning cyclists of all stripes – triathletes, cyclists, and weekend riders. Read up on how it works here.

Copyright 2011 Kathryn Hunter

Local Austin Pro Matt Russell By Brandi Grissom

A year ago, Matt Russell didn’t know how to swim. Now, the 28-year-old New York native is starting his second season as a professional triathlete.

“It keeps the mind really fresh,” said Russell, who moved to Austin in October, after three years as a professional duathlete, to perfect the swim stroke he taught himself. “It gives me a new challenge.”

Russell is among the newest professional triathletes to make Austin home. He’s quickly becoming a fixture in the triathlon community, training, racing and coaching – and all with his contagiously positive attitude and ever-present grin. You might have seen both in action at the Blue Norther Duathlon in Seguin last month. He was the male overall winner, finishing in 34:10.

Russell grew up in rural New York on a small farm. There were just 40 students in his school, which included grades K through 12. That’s where Russell said he discovered his passion for running. His tiny school only offered three team sports, so he commuted 20 minutes each way to another campus, where they agreed to let him run with the cross-country team. “I never had my true colors shine until I found individual sport,” he said.

But Russell’s youth wasn’t all shiny. When he was 8 years old, his mother, a kindergarten teacher, was diagnosed with Lou Gherig’s disease. She died when he was 13.

“It was tough, but God has a plan for everything,” Russell said. “I’ve learned a lot in the growing process.”

His mother’s motto – never give up and always try your best – has stuck with Russell and guided him.

At the University of New Hampshire, he walked onto the track team and wound up with a scholarship to run the steeplechase and 5K. He was on the cycling team, too. After graduating with a master’s degree in occupational therapy, he moved to Colorado in 2007 and started working and racing duathlons.

Turned out duathlon and Russell got along very well. He quickly earned his pro license and in 2008 won pro nationals. Until last year he was on the world duathlon team. He traveled the globe: Scotland, Colombia, Switzerland and Italy – racing and gracing the podium.

But last year, Russell said he decided he wanted to learn to swim. He moved back home to New York and taught himself. In July, he visited Austin for the Couples Tri. Apparently, “Quadzilla” didn’t ruin his impression of the place. “I was thinking if I’m going to pursue this, I need to go somewhere to work on my swimming,” he said. “So I ended up moving to Austin.”

Shortly after moving to Austin, Russell met T3 Head Coach Maurice Culley through fellow tri pro Natasha Van Der Merwe. Russell started swimming with Culley just about the time some coaching positions were opening up. “I was looking for job,” Russell said. “He offered me a position, and I started working in January.”

Now, he’s coaching spin and run workouts and leading long weekend bike rides and runs with T3 while he works on that swimming technique. And he said his swim is improving. His time in the 1.2-mile swim, he said, has fallen from about 36 minutes at the Longhorn 70.3 in October to about 29 minutes now. “I shaved off some time, but I still have some more time to shave off,” he said.

For the season ahead, Russell said his plans include five half-ironman races, including the Lonestar 70.3 in Galveston this Sunday, and three full ironman races.

“My goal this year is to consistently place in the top 10 or top five in races,” Russell said. “Hopefully I can get on the podium next year a little bit.”

Though he hasn’t yet been through Austin’s sweaty summer, Russell said he’s enjoying training here so far. A lover of the outdoors, who spent a summer living in a tent – technically called a “yurt” – in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Russell said his favorite training venue in Austin is the Greenbelt. He runs there about three times a week. “It kind of feels like I’m in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “It probably keeps my sanity.”

Russell said he enjoys most the diversity of training that triathlon offers and the balance it requires for success. He may not be the most talented at each of the sports, but he said what sets him apart is his determination to work for improvement.

“I pretty much try to live every day as my last,” he said. “I learned a lot of life lessons from my mother and I don’t take one day for granted.”

(C) 2011 Brandi Grissom

The (Real) Life of the Pros, Part 3:Tristan Uhl & Mountain Biking

Photo by Lester Rosebrock

Life's trajectory is simple - you grow up, you go to college, you get a BA, and then maybe an MA or MBA or MD, you meet someone, you get married, you get matching dishtowels, you have kids...and then you die. Right? Isn't that the way the game is played?

Not for some. Tristan Uhl, 22 years old, has been a pro mountain biker since he was 18. In 2009, he started working at ATC as a mechanic. You may have seen him behind the counter, though he's easy to miss - not the blustery type, he's usually got his head down over a bike or a wheel, more often than not painstakingly gluing a tubular. At first glance, you'd think he was just some college kid earning beer money. But then that's you seeing him in street clothes, not on his bike beating the field by 10 minutes (Miles of Discomfort Marathon, Comfort, TX, Jan 2010).

At 17, Tristan won the national series in Texas, qualifying for and competing in the world championships in Italy. And at 18, after a repeat performance at nationals, he went to the world championships in New Zealand, as well as the continental championships in Brazil. In recent years, he has continued to perform well in regional races, and already has a string of top finishes in 2011

A native of the small town of Smithville, Tristan says his interest in cycling peaked at 16, when his success meant that he had the opportunity to take off on cross-country trips with his parents' approval. "Town was boring," he says, which makes him sound like he'd been a normal-enough teen. But Tristan's training had begun well before then.

Paul Uhl, Tristan's father, says that Tristan took his first spill at one year old. Paul and Tristan's mother, Diane, had rented mountain bikes in Colorado. It was their first ride ever, and Diane had wiped out in a creek bed with Tristan on the back. No damage was done, Paul says, but he and Diane were hooked on the sport. They began competing, and not long after, started organizing races themselves.

"My parents actually built a lot of the bike trails in the town I grew up in," Tristan says. "They wanted me to be able to race, so they started a kids' series at nearly all the TMBRA races they went to. My Mom started promoting races, and made the whole kid's cup thing a reality."

Tristan competed in his first event when he was five, a kid's cup race in Warda. "I think it was three laps around a pond, maybe a mile and a half total," he says. (He doesn't remember if he won.)

He kept competing, of course. Paul says, "Around 12 or 13, he showed some really great signs, some really great races. Then John Kemp of the DEVO squad picked him up, and at 15 he did a national race in Vermont." The DEVO squad has brought up most of the nation's top pros, Paul explains, with no small amount of pride. "It was as close to a professional team as a junior could get."

Plenty of kids get the same level of instruction and encouragement. After all, what parent doesn't want his or her kid to be the next Michael Phelps or Tiger Woods (minus the controversy)? But not everyone who's given such opportunities makes it this far. One might argue that many, in spite of their promising roots, don't want to make it this far. Tristan may have gotten an early push, but there's more to it than that.

I asked him why he liked mountain biking, and why this sport rather than road biking. While road racing in Texas as a pro isn't a particularly profitable career, either, it does have the benefit of team sponsorship, and greater notoriety. Competing as a pro mountain biker is often, in more ways than just the one, a much tougher road to travel.

But at 5'6" and 130 pounds, Tristan excels with technical riding, or with very hilly courses, which are in short supply in Texas road racing. Crit racing is more popular here, he explains, and says he'd prefer not to race in circles every weekend.

Tristan describes himself as an outdoor person. Riding his mountain bike clears his mind, he says. "I'm a lot more sane when I ride my bike in the morning. And it's more challenging than road riding is – as opposed to just pedaling fast, you have to pedal fast and avoid obstacles. It's good to be out in nature, too, out in the trees. To play in the mud and stuff like that is fun."

He trains an average of 15-18 hours a week on the bike, sometimes spending several hours a day on the trainer, depending on the season. Nearly every weekday morning he rides his mountain bike, a Cannondale Scalpel, at the Barton Creek Greenbelt – Austin's mountain biking mecca. All hard efforts are done on his mountain bike, and his road bike he saves for longer rides, which allow him to spend more time in the saddle with less abuse. Depending on whether he has a mountain bike race or road race coming up the following weekend, he uses one or the other for his commute into work. And when he doesn't have a race scheduled, he often takes part in what might as well be considered a competition – the Saturday morning ATC ride.

The toughest thing, Tristan says, is time-management. "You have to train on the road enough to be fast, but ride your mountain bike enough to be technically good, so there's a really tight balance there. You can lack the training on the road that you'd need for speed at some crucial point, or you can ride your road bike too much and run into trees, and the speed wouldn't matter."

Another challenge that pros, in any sport, face is the daily wear and tear on their bodies. The pros who "make it" aren't just the fastest or most talented or most stout of heart – they're the ones who, whether by benefit of luck or good genes, have bodies that can withstand hours and hours of practice and racing without falling apart. Of course, being stout of heart doesn't hurt anything, either – even the most chromosomally fortunate have their share of injuries, many of which, for the normal soul, would be more than enough reason to change career tracks.

Photo By Mark Thome

Tristan's biggest setback occurred a little over a year ago, a result, not of over-training or a bike crash, but of a bad car accident. He fractured his back, collapsing several vertebrae. He was in a back brace for two months, and completely out of commission for most of the race season.

Following the accident, after a few days in the emergency room and two weeks in bed, Tristan could walk, but walking was painful. At the time, he had a job at a restaurant, so was no longer able to work. "I didn't have much I could do," he says, "so I just sat on the trainer and watched movies." A lesser or perhaps more reasonable individual might have stayed in bed, but Tristan biked on the trainer for hours, still in his back brace, like a stationary Robocop.

When the doctor told Tristan he could take off the brace, he also said it was "probably okay" to ride his bike (the good doctor had no doubt mistaken Tristan's intent for a streamers-on-the-handlebars pleasure cruise around the block). A week after the brace was off, Tristan did his first road race.

From the soft-spoken, but easy way that Tristan talks, you can tell he's not the high-strung, obsessive type. He looks and sounds like a skateboarder (he was, when he was younger), not like a guy biting his nails over his training calendar and evaluating the flatness of his abs in the mirror. Training, for people like Tristan, is simply like breathing. The draw is not the end so much as the process.

Tristan's younger sister Kara is going to college on a mountain biking scholarship at Lindsey Wilson. Tristan had received similar offers himself in Kentucky and Tennessee, but he'd turned them down. "I'd rather work full-time and spend it on me than spend it on school," he says.

You might cringe at that statement. I did. But then I started really thinking about it, beyond the "supposed to's" and "should do's," and I wondered if I was wrong. College is the right path for many, if not most. It's like a holding pen - you have the luxury of drinking beer and deciding what you want to do with your life in the relative safety of your peers, most as naive as you are. But if you know what you want, and what you want doesn't require a diploma?

What we're weighing with such a judgment is not simply the value of an education, but the viability of a career as a professional endurance athlete.

Paul admits it's not a very secure future, but as an artist, he himself chose a path less traveled. "I would love to see my kids have the security of a real job, but at the same time, you only have one chance to live your dream, and if you're good at something...and Tristan is good at this...you can always go back and change your career at 30 or 35. He needs to go for it now while he's got the ability. I support him trying to do this."

Of his own career, Paul admits that there will be challenges ahead. The friends who've complained over the years about their office jobs will be coming up on their retirement soon, a luxury that Paul will not have. "But I've spent a lifetime doing what I love doing," he says. "I'll just continue making pots until one day I don't."

Tristan doesn't really have a plan for the future. He just wants to ride his bike. It's as simple as that, though the decision is not always an easy one to live with. He doesn't have company health insurance, and meeting travel expenses is often difficult. But he's got big dreams – qualifying for the Olympic long team this year, perhaps, and in the distant, rather rosy-hued future, living a life where he can race his mountain bike every weekend and get paid to do it.

When you start talking about payouts and odds, sacrifices and sprains, the "why" of it starts coming up more and more. But "why" is a silly question. Why does a man like Svein Tuft cart his 80-pound dog across the country, when there's no money in it, no sponsor, no charity or cause? Why do countless domestiques, without any hope of recognition, put in their most heroic efforts carrying water bottles to their star teammates? Why do you participate in the sport, when unlike even those overworked, lycra-clad pack mules, you don't get paid a dime for it – and in fact, have to shell out thousands of dollars yourself?

When you do it because you love it, because it's somehow a part of who you are, well then maybe that's reason enough.

Paul says he enjoys riding with his son, though his version of fast doesn't quite measure up even to Tristan's slow pace. And watching Tristan's races makes him proud. Paul says he's observed a new sense of determination in Tristan since the accident. "It let him know his own mortality," Paul says. "It let him know that if he wants to achieve things then he's got to do it."

At the end of last season, in his comeback after the accident, Tristan had finished second in a string of races. In Comfort, at one of the earliest races this season, Tristan leaned over to his father before the start and said, "I'm done with seconds. I'm going Ricky Bobby style – I'm either going to blow up and finish last or I'm going to win."

That day, his all-or-nothing approach worked. Sometimes life is a similar gamble – a person either succeeds or fails completely. But bravo to those who'll take the risk, who make a foolish decision, or a million foolish decisions, and experience the bittersweet taste of life beyond the safety net.

If anything represents the real life of the pros, it's that – a grueling walk on the wire that can only end, because of age or circumstance, in a free fall. But don't we all come to that same precipice in our lives, whether we're 200 or 20 feet off the floor? One thing can be said... People with the courage to take the high wire will at least have one hell of a trip down.


(C) 2011 Kathryn Hunter

RACE REPORT: Enchanted Rock Extreme Duathlon March 27, 2011

Photos by Earl Nottingham / Texas Parks & Wildlife

This Sunday was the third annual Enchanted Rock Extreme Duathlon at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, 30 minutes north of the historic, German town of Fredericksburg. This race features a five mile hilly trail run, a 16 mile out and back bike on hilly roads (with cows!), and a 1.2 mile run – straight up Enchanted Rock. Actually, "run" is a bit of exaggeration, since very few competitors have actually managed to run up the whole way, perhaps as few as three people in the three-year history!

My wife, Kat Hunter, and I have gone to this race every year, and this year was not just for fun – this was serious. In our three previous duathlons, I had yet to go faster than her. Obviously this could not stand, so this year I would have my revenge. Finally I had some solid run training before the event, so all I had to do was stay close on the run and pass her on the bike. No problem!

The run starts nears the pavilion area, and we all gather for a mass start. Kat and I position ourselves near the front, where I notice a young woman ( Apryl Mortenson of team Tri-Sition) who looked very fit. "Look out for her," I whisper to Kat, who replied "I know." She already had her game face on, had already identified her main rival. This was going to be fun!

This is not blurry, the start is just that fast

The race starts and we all take off down the narrow trail. The first bit is relatively flat with a few rocks and stairs to navigate up and down. Then a quick run through the parking lot and back onto the trail, where it starts to get pretty steep uphill for about a mile. I pace myself on these uphills and Kat pulls away from me and her rival Apryl in the early going. I'm thinking Kat has the race won for a minute, but then when I look up again, Apryl has taken the lead! I'm not too worried yet. Last year the same thing happened when Monica Longlorai of the Texas A&M Tri Team threw down an amazing run time. Kat had managed to take the lead back on the bike, and I was sure she could do it again this year.

Darrel Williams takes the lead on the run

I pull up alongside the guy just ahead of me. "We're getting chicked," I joke. He says, "Yeah, by TWO of them," but he says that he's used to it, that it's his wife up there. "Me too, my wife is the other one!" I say. I try to get some intel out of him by super cleverly asking, "So does she beat you on the bike, too?" He answers, "Oh, we're about neck and neck." Uh oh! Ronald Mortenson looked like a pretty fit guy, and was running a decent pace. If his wife could bike with him, Kat might be in trouble. "This could be a good battle then!" I say.

We proceed to go back and forth on the run, trying to keep our wives in sight, but eventually they pull away as we get close to transition. I heard later from a spectator that Apryl came into transition with a good lead on Kat, but was sabotaged by her husband's bike when it fell over as she tried to get her own bike out of the crowded transition spot. She was far too kind and actually stopped to put his bike back up, losing a few seconds in the process. To be fair, the racks really were far too close together, one minor quibble in an otherwise perfect race. Kat took advantage of a smoother transition to take the lead at the start of the bike. (Though apparently she was not aware of that, as she hadn't seen Apryl in transition, and was quite worried!)

Ryon Talbot posting the 2nd fastest bike split

My transition was uneventful and I was ready to get on the bike and crush it to catch Kat, then drop her with authoritah! However, my lack of run fitness seemed to be getting the better of me. While I could maintain a fast, steady pace, when I tried to shift into ludicrous speed, every muscle in my legs would start to scream. There were 16 miles of hills to go, then a run straight up a huge rock, so I didn't want to blow up yet. Ludicrous speed was not an option.

I still managed to pass quite a few of those who outran me. Thankfully, I got ahead of all three Aggies (minor collegiate rivalry there, though I'm not a Longhorn, but an Owl). I was only passed by one competitor. As he pulled up next to me on a hill, I noticed his power meter and asked how many watts. "Three-fifty," he said. I kind of doubted that, but then he pulled away – far, far away, and I became a believer.

Aggies sweep their age group

Approaching transition, I became aware that I would not be catching Kat, again, this year. Her and her Cervelo P2C must have gone as fast as I had (wrong, she had gone minutes faster). Goals had to be adjusted – now I just wanted to podium in my age group and go as fast as I could. Off the bike, and onto the trail to the climb.

Once again I decided I would try to jog the whole way up. Three steps later, plans had to be adjusted. The steep grade just makes one's heart rate instantly max out, and legs burn. I switch to hands-on-knees power walking, which serves me well. Regular park visitors along the trail look at us, wondering who these people are in funny outfits, sweating and moaning, barely going any faster up than they are. As you approach the summit, the grade finally levels off and you can manage to run again. This is convenient because the spectators at the top can't really see you below that point. So as far as they know you ran the whole way!

Linda Lazo at the finish

The finish line is marked by two flagpoles with the E-Rock Duathlon logo. I sprint for the finish and look for Kat and our families, who are up there waiting for us. She is smiling and okay, and now three-time women's champion! (and fourth overall!) I come in three minutes later and 2nd in my age group. We both had our fastest overall times, each improving by six minutes over the last year. I have a moving target, but maybe next year I will be victorious...

Apryl Mortenson came in 2nd overall woman with a solid finish, and her husband Ronald had a strong showing as well at 2nd in his age group. Jamie Cleveland of Texas Iron, overall winner of the 2009 race, repeated in 2011 with another strong showing and was one of the few who actually ran up the rock. Kat and Jamie also won the King and Queen of the hill awards, for fastest male and female times up the rock.

The Enchanted Rock Du is truly one of the greatest multisport events in Texas. The views at the finish line are amazing and there's an amazing atmosphere, great trails, and tons of good German food and beer to be had in nearby Fredericksburg. Also, our Texas state parks are one of our best and most under-appreciated resources, so what better way to help support them than by training, racing, and spectating at the great venues they provide? We highlighted three state park rides in a previous blog post. Add Enchanted Rock to your list. Cycling is huge in and around Fredericksburg, and the park itself offers superb running trails, rock climbing, hiking, and camping. Go there often enough, practice that run up the rock, and maybe you can be King of the Hill one day.

Full results are up Here

Special thanks to Earl Nottingham of TPWD for the race photos, and for his dedicated coverage of the event. (We have to note that, of course, the blurry photo of the race start was not the work of this professional, but rather, our own meager contribution.) Look for more of Earl's photos and Kat's article about the race in Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine in 2012.

RACE REPORT: Fayetteville Stage Race March 19 & 20, 2011

Race Photography by Lee McDaniel Photography

Update: View the 2012 report over at the Ghisallo Foundation Racing Team

The thirteenth annual Fayetteville Stage Race – two long, lung-busting road races with the all-important, utterly lung-shattering 6.6-mile time trial sandwiched between. Put on by Houston's Southwest Cycling Club, the event is centered at "The Hall," and although there's no polka or square dancing (The Hall's general ambiance makes it seem like there should be), there's plenty of entertainment throughout the day if you like fancy bikes, fast riders, and know the names and lingo to follow the remote play-by-play from the announcers.

Keep reading for links, highlights, and for starters, the highly intellectual perspectives of our four fearsome embedded reporters.

Cat 1
Reporter: Gray Skinner of Austinbikes/Revenant

Gray Skinner, recently upgraded to Cat 1, finished 6th in the Pro/1 GC. There were 45 riders in the category, with Saturday's road race course set at three loops and 68 miles, and Sunday's at six loops and 95 miles.

Gray's teammate Sol Frost at the front

"The first stage started out fast, with attacks going from the start," Gray says. "This continued throughout the first lap with no group ever gaining more than a minute." But after the second lap, a group of three (Russ Walker, Steven Wheeler of Super Squadra, and eventual GC winner Scott Simmons of Velossimo) got away before the hot spot time bonus line. Then two more riders managed to escape near the feed zone – seven-time Tour de France rider and white-jersey winner Raul Alcala and local legend Brant Speed. The break was then five and would not be caught. Simmons, Alcala, and Speed stayed together until the end, with Alcala taking the stage and the trio gaining three minutes on the field. Gray tried to gain a few seconds at the end by taking a flyer at the 1k mark, but the fast sprinters caught him and he finished at 11th for the first stage.

In the time trial, David Wenger had a dominating performance, taking the fastest TT time of the day with 13:53, the only rider to make it under 14 minutes. Simmons came in at 7th, and Stefan Rothe at 8th. Stage 1 winner Alcala, who rode a road bike, took 20th, conceding a full minute to Simmons. Speed, unfortunately, fell victim to a slow clock and missed his start by two minutes, finishing at 25th. Gray managed a respectable 6th after a warm-up that included 30 minutes of motor-pacing from his teammate.

So the final stage was set on Sunday, with no one saving themselves for the long day ahead. The attacks came early. Sol Frost and Warney Crosby of Elbowz Racing broke away in the first few miles, and would stay away for the next 60, with a gap of 4.5 minutes at one point. "The break was caught around mile 70 and it was back to status quo," Gray says. "I put my fresh legs, courtesy of my teammate Sol, to the test with several attacks, trying to force another break. The leaders were quick to preserve their spots on GC, however, and no group was able to get very far." In the last ten miles, Gray attacked again, getting a gap for a short period with Alcala, but was brought back into the fold by hard riding from Speed. "I attacked again in a last ditch effort to gain some places on GC and maybe a stage win," Gray says. But Carlos Vargas was sitting on his wheel. As Gray drove on, with an effort comparable to the previous day's time trial, with 100 meters to go Vargas came off his wheel and sprinted ahead for the stage win. The gap to what was left of the field was 30 seconds, so Gray moved up to 6th on GC, and the top five came in together unchanged: Simmons, Alcala, Speed, Wheeler, and Wenger.

Cat 2

A quick Cat 2 highlight!: Chris Trickey, of ATC-sponsored Team Wooly Mammoth, won second in the Cat 2 GC, and was part of a six-man breakaway on day two that put three minutes on the rest of the field.

Cat 4
Reporter: Yancey Arrington

"The Saturday road race rolled out to nice weather but due to a weak pace ended in a 60 plus group sprint," Yancey Arrington says. At the end of the first day's 46-mile road race, he managed to navigate the minefield of dying riders for a 14th place pack finish. "Not a bad start."

Since the time trial was scheduled later the same day, it played a big part in how the first road race went down for Cat 4, as well as most other categories – riders seemed to be saving up right from the beginning, unwilling to push the pace unless they were coming up on the time bonuses at the hot spot or the finish line. But perhaps that was for the best. On the time trial course, riders were faced with an unrelenting wind, rolling hills, and hot temps. For some, it took as much mental staying power as physical to keep the pace strong until the finish.

In the TT, Steve Quick of Shama Cycles came in at 15:19, which put him nearly 45 seconds ahead of the field in GC contention. Our embedded reporter extraordinaire snagged 7th with a 16:03. "Only five seconds separated 2nd through 6th places in the time trial and the GC standings were shaping up to be a game of seconds," Yancey says.

The Sunday, 49-mile road race was a three-loop course, and Yancey says this race was nearly as uneventful as the first for the Cat 4s. "Hard accelerations up the hills and out of the corners split the field in half by the 3rd lap, but the peleton hive mind never let any breaks dangle more than 20-30 seconds down the road before pulling them back." And then about four miles from the finish, at a point when the pace was about to start weeding out the pack further, the Cat 4 lead group had to allow another category's break and pack to pass, which provided a few precious minutes of coasting for everyone's legs to refresh. The finish was a 30-40 person sprint, with Yancey coming in at 12th with a pack finish time. The weekend's efforts were enough to get him 5th in GC, along with a sweet $50.

Cat 5
Reporter: Jack Mott of team ATC

Jack and Stuart Page chat at the start

This was our Cat 5 reporter's first stage race, but his strategy was simple – stay with the front groups for both road races and dominate in the TT. "Mission accomplished so far as I finished with the front group and the same time," Jack Mott says of the first road race. "The only tactical error was riding 2nd wheel for quite a long while on the approach to the finish. This was a bad setup for the sprint and I had to really dig deep just to say with the pack." His right leg cramped, and he was worried that would come back to haunt him in the TT.

But tires were changed, the disc wheels came out, and the Cervelo P3 Aluminum "tri bike of doom" was ready for the TT, and so was our intrepid Cat 5 Hero. "I had in recent weeks been advised by my wife, who has a bit more TT talent than me, to simply go harder, and go harder sooner in my TT efforts," Jack says. "I decided to put this HTFU ethos to the test and from the very start it was an all out, leg burning effort. The plan was brilliant, I was able to sustain the pace the whole way." (His wife was so excited to hear "you were right," for once, that she refrained from saying, "I told you so.")

The winds gave his front wheel a few wiggles, but like any good triathlete, Jack stayed in the aero bars and hammered on until the finish. He came in with a solid third place, putting enough time on the first road race's winner, Edward Dominguez of Team Nick Lopez, to overtake his time bonus, as well as to get far enough ahead from fourth place to be safe from any time bonuses on day two. First place in the TT was James Perrin of Team Bike Barn, who "put on a clinic," beating the rest of the field by a minute, and second place was Stuart Page of Shama Cycles, who'd been riding hard at the front for a good portion of the first road race.

So alliances began to form, boasts were made, and Jack's new strategy was to hold onto his third place spot for dear life, and just stay with the front group on the 2nd day. No problem.

"Big problem," he says. "From the very start of the race Edward was on the attack, with teammate Carlos Barrios, who was then 4th in GC, working well with him. Edward and Carlos took turns attacking, and a few short-lived breakaways got away." Jack had agreed to work with Perrin and the Bike Barn team to hold off the attacks, and they did a reasonable job of it...in the beginning. After Jack's rather ill-advised aero water bottle setup ejected his bottle to the ground, he offered to pull back the current breakaway for Perrin in exchange for a few drinks of water.

But then Dominguez and Barrios attacked together, and since they were 4th and 5th in GC, Jack felt he had to chase. And because Jack chased, Stuart Page was also compelled to attack to protect his 2nd place position. So a four-man breakaway with real staying power was born, gaining a lead on the main pack by 45 seconds. Jack assumed Dominguez would tire from the endless attacks and ease up, but as Page put it so aptly later, "No, Edward doesn't get tired." Jack went from cooperating to just sitting in, but the pace was so furious that he finally just dropped off to see if he could work with Perrin to bring the escape group back. But by then only about eight remained in the chase group, Perrin had lost the rest of the Bike Barn team, and even Perrin's cries of "Come on, work! Remember the water!" couldn't inspire Jack to keep the pace. Perrin eventually tried to bridge the gap solo, but didn't get far, and Jack drifted back into no man's land, his podium dreams disappearing. "I felt terrible for James and it was awful to lose 3rd place, but I felt like I experienced an entire Tour de France of action in one weekend, a great time, and plenty of suffering," Jack says.

Dominguez and Page's breakaway survived, with Page giving Dominguez the stage win in exchange for the help in getting Page the overall GC win, and a deserving one. Page had been at the front for the first day, put down a killer TT time, and worked like crazy in the break on day two. So sometimes the hare does get the prize, after all.

Women's Open
Reporter: Kat Hunter of team ATC

This one's me – the time-trialing triathlete, sometimes referred to as the "f---ing triathlete" (overheard at a TT results board a few years ago). People still come up to me at cycling events and say, "Hey, so you're the triathlete." I love triathlons, but I perform better at duathlons and time trials, and have done probably three times as many. Still, I suppose there are worse things to be called than "f---ing triathlete." My middle school basketball coach called me "Big Girl."

This weekend was my first real taste of road racing, and it was humbling. I discovered crosswinds; the talent level of the top echelon of women's racing in Texas; pack dynamics; the "hive mind"; why you'd ride the center line; why someone will occasionally give you a friendly, jock-style pat on the rear; the need for the appropriate brakes for carbon wheels (otherwise, every stop sounds like an out-of-tune orchestra performance...fellow riders, I sincerely apologize); and that you should pay attention to the sinus problems of the person ahead of you or you'll wish you had. I learned that there are different kinds of "fast," and in some ways road racing is harder than time trialing, because someone else gets to decide for you how hard you're going to pedal, and when. I discovered that I don't like, no, hate, sprinting. So there you have it, straight from the "triathlete's" mouth – roadies, you now have my full respect

Courtney Lowe, a newcomer from New Zealand and member of the FCS/Metro Volkswagen team, was undoubtedly the star of this weekend's stage race. In the first road race, she took off on a solo breakaway only a few miles from the start ("Ah ha," I say to myself, "that is what you're not supposed to do," and I overhear a scornful comment from another rider, "Wow, someone's already going?"). But then Lowe kept it all 46 miles, coming in a full ten minutes before the rest of the pack. For the rest of us, the first road race was slow – sometimes painfully so, with a lot of soft- pedaling at the front – but the "hive mind" was saving up for the time trial. It was a miscalculation. The TT might decide the rest of the GC, but a ten-minute lead? I don't think there were any illusions about first place after that. The rest of the field finished mostly intact, with a dead-out sprint at the end for the line and a pack finish.

Kat Hunter in the TT

One might assume (I did) that Lowe would be tired after her 46-mile solo effort, but she also took first place in the TT with a blistering fast time of 16:09. Louise Smyth of Team LaS'port was 2nd, Lauren Robertson of FCS/Metro Volkswagen was 3rd, and Amy Gray-Smith of Pro Design Porsche Bike Source was 4th.

I came in 5th, knowing when I crossed the line that I hadn't pushed it enough. I berated myself for the slow cornering and general lack of moxie, but in my heart of hearts I knew that even on a better day I couldn't have shaved 31 seconds off my time for first, not in six miles.

Sunday's road race was another schooling. Fellow newbies, please note that on a steep hill, it doesn't matter where you are, so long as you're in a position where you can escape if you need to. Otherwise, you're throwing on your brakes to avoid smashing into the rider slowing up ahead of you, watching 10 of the lead riders (suddenly and ferociously accelerating) split the pack in half and leave you in the dust, and then chasing them for miles in a solo TT that you know you can't really afford.

When I caught the lead pack, I was done, but they weren't. It was attack after attack, a night and day experience from Saturday's race. I doggedly hung on to the back, wishing, in fact, that I had given up, because then the pain would have been over. My goals at the beginning of the race – making up time by getting a time bonus, maybe trying to break away at the end – were very much readjusted by mid-race. I just wanted to finish with the lead pack. And that was shaping up to be a real accomplishment. I was out of water about halfway through the race, and hadn't brought any food. I was, in short, feeling completely miserable, so unlike the first day ("when-are-we-gonna-catch-her-dang-it, when-are-we-gonna-go..."), I didn't care when the first solo break came from Kate Chilcott of Metro Volkswagen, nor when just as we were about to pull her back, Lowe joined her teammate and they rode out of sight.

By the end, I had suffered enough to pat myself on the back for simply catching up with the lead pack (even if falling off was my own mistake) and then staying with them to the finish. Lowe and Chilcott ended up taking the stage win by 3.5 minutes, and the FCS/Metro Volkswagen team took all first three spots in the GC (with Lauren Robertson in 3rd). Their team effort was nothing short of amazing.

Many thanks to SWCC for putting on a great race!

Have something to add? Email us at atcblogs@gmail.com.

RACE REPORTS: The Blue Norther & The Cronometro

If you didn't race this past weekend, you missed out. Good weather, great courses, friendly people, expert organizers, and the local superstars, aero-helmeted and out to crush your dreams – you have to love a city where you can race twice in a weekend, and some months twice every weekend, within an hour's drive.

The Blue Norther Duathlon, Sunday, March 13

The night before the race, you set your alarm for five, then realize you'll be "springing forward" for what's really a 4 a.m. wake-up call. Ah, the things we do for fun...

Yesterday the 21st annual Seguin Sunrise Lions Club Blue Norther' Duathlon, a long-standing ATC favorite and one of the first races of the season, was held at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin. The 3.1-mile run/14-mile bike/3.1-mile run event is small (at about 150 participants), but attracts many of the fastest age groupers in the area. The run course is two loops, on quiet campus and neighborhood streets, and the bike course is gently rolling, with very little traffic. It's the perfect setting for an early season test run for your equipment (and person), and an all-around good time. Post-race, they served up snacks like baked potatoes and homemade chocolate-chip cookies, along with a healthy dose of small-town hospitality (volunteers don't get any friendlier than this) and live bluegrass music.

The top three in each age group took home a medal. (Click here for results.) Matthew Russell was first overall male at 1:08:40, with Weslie Anderson coming in second overall about a minute later, and Tony de Silva at third a minute after that. The top three women finishers were Kat Hunter, Marla Briley, and Erin Anderson.

Adam and Don battling for bragging rights

But perhaps more importantly, the ATC smack talk finally came to proving time. Corey May bested the rest with 1:17:41, taking first in the 40-44 age group. Adam Stroobandt came in second of the ATCers, and first in 25-29. Flu-stricken (we'll be kind) Don Ruthven was third in the rivalry and his age group. Tim Dove was fourth, and first of the Clydesdales with a 1:21:43. Not quite a party to the rivalry and heated debate, but in the ATC jersey were Missy Ruthven and Rita Stroobandt, competing as a relay team, with Missy on the bike and Rita taking the overall female lead for both runs. And Tony de Silva, third overall, and John Trowbridge, first in the 45-49, were racing for ATC, as well.

All proceeds from the Blue Norther' and other Lions Club projects go to charities, including the Seguin Women's Shelter, EATS food bank, Teatro de Artes, scholarships for Seguin high school seniors, and other local programs.

Big thanks to the volunteers and organizers who are out, year after year, making this event run smoothly! And thanks to Chris Garlington, Thomas Bressie, and Sara Askey for the photos!

Race website

The 2011 Cronometro Time Trial, Saturday, March 12

That "good weather" we mentioned doesn't exactly apply to the Cronometro. The day was warm, but the wind was strong enough that even Mary Poppins would have balked at a deep wheel. Still, many riders had them, with the first overall male finisher and female finisher on HED Stinger 9 fronts and disc rears.

Gray Skinner on the start ramp

The Cronometro attracts many of Austin's cycling celebrities. David Wenger took first (again),with a time of 30:47.4 and an average speed of 27.9mph on the 14.3-mile course. Stefan Rothe came in second with 31:31.2, Brant Speed third with 31:43.3, John Korioth fourth with 32:19.7, and Gray Skinner fifth with 33:10.0. Some of Austin's top female cyclists were present, as well, including Maggi Finley (triathlete and newcomer to the Austin scene), Nadia Barrera, ATC's Missy Ruthven, Jenn Mix, and Annick Beaudet. Kat Hunter came in first overall female with a time of 36:53.8 and an average speed of 23.3mph, Maggi was a close second at 36:56.9, and Nadia third at 37:20.1. In the road bike category, the top five finishers were Brant Speed, David Wenger, Gray Skinner, Patrick Darragh, and Frank Kurzawa. (Click here for all results.)

The course was a little different this year, two loops vs. one, due to road construction. But there was still one massive hill to contend with (twice), which also happened to be on the section of road heading straight into the wind...

Like the Blue Norther, the Cronometro is a race with character. And you don't have to be the fastest of the fast to enjoy the atmosphere and the company. The time trial's start is at J. Lorraine Ghost Town in Manor, a collection of Old West replica buildings, complete with a saloon and a jail with squeezable bars. This year, the first 100 to register got a free "Ghost Burger," and a live band played on the outdoor stage. And the post-race isn't a lengthy award ceremony, but a never-ending raffle of prizes (stick around and you're almost certain to get something, if not multiple somethings), like Tifosi sunglasses, Polar bottles, Pure Austin gym memberships, and Driveway passes, just to name a few. The best part about the Cronometro? A trail ride leaves from the same location earlier in the morning, so while you're unstrapping your P2 from the roof, cowboys in full chaps are saddling up their horses and readying the wagons. Two beautiful, slightly antique modes of transportation and a ghost town - can you get much better than that?

Race website

Check back for race reports from upcoming events:

Fayetteville Stage Race, March 19 & 20

Enchanted Rock duathlon, March 27

3 State Park Rides

Sometimes the best rides are the ones that go somewhere. Austin is a great hub for state park visits, so check out the routes below to get in your workout and see more than just the pavement.

All routes are from MapMyRide users, so starting points differ. For distance, we use an approximation from downtown Austin to the park.

Pedernales Falls State Park - ~80 miles

A route to Johnson City, out and back

The Park

This route takes Fitzhugh Road – pretty scenery in itself – for roughly 20 miles. You can also tack on some extra mileage on the park roads. To see the falls area you'll need to walk a short trail, so bring a lock and a pair of shoes with you, or plan to carry your bike half a mile or so. There's also a swimming area in a separate part of the park – again, you'll need to walk a little to get there. The river is often very shallow, so don't expect to get your swim practice in.

The falls area is worth spending some time exploring – there are lots of fossils, interesting rocks and eddies, and climbing around. The swimming area is typical Hill Country river, with cold, clear water and old cypress trees lining the banks.

Fitzhugh doesn't have a shoulder, so it's best to start early or on a weekday.


Bastrop State Park - ~80 miles, or ~24 miles if you drive to the park

The route to Bastrop, out and back

For the route within the park, just grab a map at the park and follow Park Road 1C to Buescher

The Park

This park is a great place to take the family or a beginning rider. The paved, rolling road from Bastrop State Park to Buescher State Park is about 12 miles and has very little traffic – it's just you and the "lost" pines. Within the park there are many good running trails and a few CCC-built cabins that make a nice overnight stop.

Or if you're looking to spend more time in the saddle, the 80-mile route takes the back back roads to Bastrop. Leave the race wheels at home, though – you may encounter some unpaved portions. And plan to meet some unfriendly dogs, as well.

McKinney Falls State Park, ~24 miles

The Route

The Park

This ride is fairly short and not scenic at all, but McKinney Falls is the closest state park to town, and offers great running trails and a good swimming hole. The swimming area is, again, too small and shallow for open water training, but it's perfect for cooling down mid-ride in the summer.

Other info:

More than 90 percent of Texas is privately owned, so every green spot on the map is something special. With the current budget crisis, the axe is coming down hard on all state agencies, the Texas Parks & Wildlife department included. If you like your state parks and other green spaces, the best way to keep them around is to use them.

For other ideas of where to go and what to see in Texas (cycling and otherwise), check out Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. (This month's feature is "The Best of Texas, Naturally: 25 Outdoor Favorites for 2011.")