The combination of work, rainy weather and short winter days have been cutting into the outdoor activities, so no photos or stories for the blog lately. Thanks to more summer-like weather, the time change to Daylight Savings Time and longer days means we can get out a little more, that’s what we are doing.
The longer days and time change give us a couple more hours to do something after a long day of work, luckily, there is a nice little road bike ride near my workplace. It winds around the northeast corner of Lake Travis, through the village of Volente, Texas. Not many flat sections, as a matter of fact, there are a couple short, steep hills that make you think about that Mark Cavendish sprinter cassette you have for the “flat” Texas roads. This is hill country after all.
I met up with this guy who lives in the area. He told me that this road was used for training rides by the old 7-11 racing team, featuring a young bike racer named Lance Armstrong, who lives in the area. Maybe it’s true, maybe not, but the punchy hills on this route would be good training for the Spring Classics. No cobbles though. It would be OK with me if Lance passed me going up one of the hills…..
OK, road bike ride after work, a little bit of a workout every day; that’s more like it. Want to be in shape for mountain bike riding on the weekends. Around this part of the country; either in state/county parks or private ranchos, it costs money to ride; usually about $10, so you want to be able to get your money’s worth.
Today, we hit Pace Bend State Park, in Spicewood, Texas. First time I’ve been there. It’s on the shores of Lake Travis. Due to the drought here in Texas, the water level of the lake is really low; typical of damned up sections of the Colorado River where cities like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Austin get their water. I can’t say for sure if “global warming” is a real thing, but come this summer, this place is going to be hurting for water. Look for a lot of brown lawns. Anyway, the bike riding here is great, especially now in the springtime when everything is green and it isn’t too hot. Good idea to get started early
This time of year, there is “toolie fog” in the morning and dew on the grass, but it burns off quick, it will hit 90°F today
Riding around the interior of the park, you can get about twenty miles of riding in, most of it on smooth singletrack with technical sections thrown in along the way. Like most riding in this part of the country, the tricky rocky sections come up on you pretty quick.
It’s a little different than Reveille Peak Ranch, where it’s extremely technical trails with a few smooth sections thrown in, Pace Bend is mostly smoother singletrack with tech sections along the way. Better for intermediate riders, you can get off and walk the tricky sections without hiking most of the trail.
A few trail features along the way
This time of year, things are still really green and the bluebonnets, the Texas state flower, are in bloom
All in all, Pace Bend is a great place to ride. So, “Straddle Yer Saddle” and get on out here
