Monday Heavy Metal Fitness Ride - RUN TO THE HILLS!

Keith emailed me the info for the Metal Ride yesterday, but as my internet went kaput at the house sometime while I was out I didn't get the chance to read my email until just now. Thanks Time Warner. Tomorrow Keith has something new in store for you, and by "new" I mean "HILLS"!

Heavy Metal Fitness Ride

Ok Metal Heads, we’ll be heading in another direction this week. The southern route has provided some good hard urban riding for us so far. But it is time to point our bikes westward and, as Iron Maiden and another evil influence implores us to do, RUN TO THE HILLS!!!

No, we won’t be riding through dustclouds and barren wastes, but we WILL start off with a nice warm up stretch along along the aptly named Scenic Drive, then when we are good and warmed up, we hit the hills for some excellent leg and lung burn. Glance westward and you will get to see a nice sunset on the top of Mount Bonnell that you will have just ridden up. After a few more fairly good climbs and descents, we get to pick up the pace as we head back along Shoal Creek, wind our way through tarrytown until we cross the pedestrian bridge over the lake and hit Barton Springs for a well deserved chilling.

After that we are off to the Jackalope where they throw down 100 pints of ice cold beer, half-priced pizza and that sweet heavy metal music for all riders who finish… and for those who don’t but vow to try again next week. Thanks Jackalope!!!

Here’s how we like to do things:

Meet at the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge on Monday at 7pm. We’ll leave the bridge at 7:30pm SHARP! Don’t be late as there’s no catching us once we leave. (Yes, that’s a challenge). Expect a reasonably fast pace, covering 25.6 miles on an urban route. Next, we’ll hit Barton Springs for some cold water goodness. Once we’re nice and chilly, it’s to the Jackalope, always generous to the two-wheeled kind. Once we get there, expect free beer, heavy metal madness, half-priced pizza and happy hour ($2.00 wells) all damn night.

This is not a your normal road ride. This is a fast paced urban ride for all types of bikes. Single-speed, fixed-geared, multi-geared, bmx, road bikes and mountain bikes and all other kinds of bikes are welcome. You will be riding with friends, not your mother, so bring all of your gear. YOU NEED TO HAVE WATER, tools to change a tire, a tube or patch kit and a pump, your swimsuit and a lock. The pace will be pretty fast. If you can’t keep up, that’s cool, just drop off and meet us for swimming and drinks later.

The Heavy Metal Fitness Ride is for cyclists that enjoy riding in a diverse group and like a little pain, followed by a little pleasure in the form of chilly spring water, free beer and heavy metal music.

Oh and speaking of heavy metal… i’ve dropped 10 pounds of it and gotten some gears since the last ride.

See ya’ll on the bridge, Metal Heads!

Route here

Facebook here

I've done rides very similar to this route before and it's a BLAST. That Steck/Mesa neighborhood is a good one to ride fast through, and Mt. Bonnell is always a treat, though gears definitely help. Once you crest the hill it's a lot of fast descent and some good rolling hills, if you keep your momentum up you can fly through this course. Damn Keith, you may actually see me on this ride...

P.S. Sounds like Keith and the crew are going to have spoke cards for this one: