Shop ride Sundays: September and rolling

September is with us and summer will be officially over on Friday 21st.  As I’ve come to learn since moving to Austin in 2006, that really doesn’t mean anything for cycling, except later ride starts. Unlike other places the leafs don’t really start to change, the mornings are not really cooler and so you don’t need long sleeve and fleece jerseys, knee warmers etc. It’s just another great morning to ride with and endless blue sky. How lucky are we?

We have a few changes though this month. To start I’m going to add an informal, unsupported Saturday ride to give people who are doing either the Livestrong ride, or the Austin 70.3 an excuse to ride longer. Starting this Saturday I’ll be out at Decker Lake, outside the entrance to Walter E Long park, planning to ride 56-miles of the Austin 70.3 course starting at 7 a.m. or as soon as it is light enough depending on cloud cover.

I had hoped to be able to do this ride every Saturday, leading up to twice per Saturday in early October, as I have for the last 4-years, but it looks like work and travel commitments will mean I can’t make a few Saturdays.

Also, the last w/e of the month is the Kerrville Triathlon Festival from High Five Events and the last event of the 2012 Texas Tri Series. Given the race is over 2-days, many of the ride leaders will be taking part, and most of those not racing will be volunteering. So for the first time in 4-years of the Sunday Shop ride (since we’ve been leading), we’ve decided there will be no ride at all that w/e, not even the no drop.

Here is the ride plan for September, as always all rides start prompt at 8:30, Steiner is the w/e of the 22-23.

2nd Route: No Drop only, Shoal Creek
8th Austin 70.3 Course rides, Livestrong training – led by MC
9th Route: No Drop, Advanced, Tempo Intermediate, Decker Lake
16th Route: No Drop, Rollingwood; Advanced, Temp Intermediate Cedar Creek(long ride)
23rd Route: No Drop, Advanced, Tempo Intermediate, Steiner Ranch Steakhouse
30th Event: Kerrville Triathlon Festival +++++NO RIDES+++++++

Please be safe on the rides, and when riding in general. ++Mark.