Sunday Morning Fixie (or not fixie) RIDE! - A cross-cultural event!

Harry just sent me this week's writeup, chronicling the dastardly deeds of the Sundy Morning RIDE group:

A TOUGH BIRD, A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE AND AN INVITATION

Last Sunday’s ride started on a high note. Rob showed up on a brand-new build, a beautiful Level NJS frame tricked out with A-1 components. What ensued was not so sweet.

The scene shifts to The Big Hill at the end of Far West Blvd. We plummeted down the hill, and as Rob descended, it became apparent to him that he couldn’t slow down enough to make the 90-right onto Ladera Norte. He elected to challenge the dead-end barricade on Far West. Although the barricade did not escape unscathed, it was definitely the victor in this bout. The bike stopped very suddenly. Rob went over the bars, and the bike went over Rob. Astonishingly, he stood up and walked away from the crash with no worse than some pretty ugly scuffs on his leg and some nice black-and-blues on his back the next day. Sadly, the fork of his Level did not fare so well, as it is now sporting a distinctive Art Deco-esque S-shaped contour.

Now, most of us would be seriously dismayed by such an incident. Not Rob. At everyone’s urging, he sat on the curb for a couple of minutes. Then he borrowed a hex key from Joe and turned the fork 180 degrees on the stem so that the front wheel would fit under the downtube. He then got back on the bike and finished the ride. Did I mention that Rob is a pretty tough character?

On another note, I was recently denounced as an elitist tool by a CL reader whose name I won’t mention since everyone already knows it. For the benefit of He Whose Name Must Not Be Mentioned (as well as anyone else who doubts my perfectly sincere commitment to diversity in cycles and cycling) I will report that last Saturday morning I donned my Spandex, saddled up my Soma fixed-gear roadster and went road riding with a group of (gasp!) triathletes. I will admit that I approached the group with some reservations in view of warnings I had received about mixing of the formats. However, I was reassured when I immediately noted that all of the cyclists had only one head and two arms, much like myself. Upon closer inspection, I noted that each of their bicycles had two wheels, two cranks, two pedals and one chain – just like mine! By that time I was really starting to suspect that someone had been pulling my leg about “roadies”. After the first few (quite sociable) miles, I began to think the unthinkable – maybe these folks are OK! We did 56 miles, and I hung with them pretty well – they only had to wait for me once. And they did wait. And they didn’t even razz me about it. Wow. Another cherished stereotype is in serious jeopardy.

So I categorically and absolutely deny any allegations of elitism, and I issue an invitation to He Whose Name Must Not Be Mentioned. Come on and ride with us. You might find out that we’re nice people. You might even find out that you enjoy it. Are you man enough to take that chance? (As far as the allegations of being a tool, I may need to address that issue somewhat more cautiously.)

Last week’s ride was our first foray into the western hills, and there was quite a bit of up and down. Total ascent was about 1500 feet – not exactly Mont Ventoux, but a pretty good climb for a bunch of Sunday morning single-gear slackers. Grades were routinely 5% - 6%, and our max uphill was a challenging (but mercifully short) 13%. As usual, our riders were equal to the task, although there was some suspicion regarding my sudden decision to experiment with a single-gear freewheel. Not to worry – it didn’t work out, and I’m back in fixie mode for this week’s ride.

That ride will roll, by the way, from Posse East at 8:20 on Sunday morning. We’re thinking in terms of a west-to-east ride that would run down the shore of Lake Austin, then across town for a short loop near Decker Lake (although we will forgo the doubtful pleasure of riding the loop around DL) then back home. We’ll assess the mood of the crowd prior to launch. As always, suggestions are encouraged.

By the way, the Throne of Diversity prize was not awarded last week, as there were no rides deemed unusual enough to merit such a distinction. It’s still up for grabs. Come on, let’s see something different!

Those of you who have ridden with us before know how we roll. For those who haven’t, please read the blah-blah below. It’s important. Really.

• Some of us are down with the fixed gear deal, but mostly we’re just about riding. Bring whatcha got and ride with us.

• Every cyclist is responsible for his or her own safety and well-being. We assume that everyone is familiar with basic rules of cycling safety and has enough hours in the saddle to feel comfortable with his or her ride. Use of helmets is optional (but highly recommended). Use of headphones, earbuds, Blue Tooth headsets or any other form of electronic distraction is discouraged. (It’s a SOCIAL ride, dammit!) All traffic laws and rules of right-of-way will be observed. Here’s the deal:

SAFETY FIRST!!!!!

If someone gets killed, it ruins the ride for everybody.

• This ride is 25-30 miles long through mostly urban and suburban areas. There will be ample opportunities to refill liquids and obtain calories.

• IT’S HOT OUT THERE!!!!! Bring a water bottle. Bring two water bottles.

• There is no SAG support on this ride. Bring a spare tube and something that will inflate it.

• The purpose of this ride is for everyone to have a good time and (we hope) to become better cyclists. We ride at a social pace, and all skill levels are welcome. This is a 25-30 mile ride over flat to moderately-rolling terrain. If this is consistent with your riding experience, or is perhaps slightly more challenging than what you’re accustomed to, you should have no problem going the distance.

Come on out and ride.

That's the Good News according to Harry. Be there 8ish at Posse East this Sunday to ride with the crew. From the sound of things they're gonna be all over the place.