Southwest Austin Hills

Ride Summary: Get ready for some steep (but short) climbs on some of Austin's best cycling roads. 

Distance: 23 miles

Elevation gain: 2376'

Roads: mostly smooth pavement, wide shoulder on Bee Cave, other roads have small or no shoulder but low traffic

Driver tolerance: Generally very good, I've never had anyone buzz me or shout at me in this area that I recall.
The bad: Don't do this at rush hour, Bee Cave Rd can get very congested and Redbud Trail gets some traffic from folks using it as a cut-through. 
The good: Lost Creek Blvd (so pretty), Redbud Trail, tree-sheltered Yaupon Valley (3 miles of bliss), a lot of very expensive houses.

Austin's annual Tour Das Hugel subjects riders to virtually all of the most infamously difficult hills in town in an odyssey that is over 110 miles and 12,000' feet of elevation. Yes, the hills are short--no climb is going to take you more than 10-15 minutes--but they're STEEP (up to 30% grade!!), they just keep coming and total a shocking amount of elevation gain. Ride 100 miles in Colorado and you're not likely to total 12,000 feet...

I can't claim to have completed it--I didn't know about it until I started seeing folks bragging on Strava last November--and it's safe to say I wouldn't have attempted it even if I had known. I'm just not there yet. But it's one of my goals for 2018 and so I've been practicing sections and have done the hills that are most frequently named as the worst (Jester, Beauford, and Smokey Valley/Ladera Norte are my picks).  

About to descend on Lost Creek (blind curve ahead)

This ride, which includes some of the hills off Bee Cave Rd, hits several of the hills on the first half of the ride (I didn't get to High Road today--see below). There are bigger hills but the hills on Lost Creek Blvd and Yaupon Valley can't be beat for beauty (in Austin, at least). Largely repaved in late 2017 (thank goodness, it was scored pavement before), is baby-soft, features a couple awesome descents with sweeping curves (careful!!) and there are three hills that to grind on. I like to turn off at Whitemarsh Walk and then go up the quite steep Falcon Ledge.

From there, you go to the verdant and decadent stuff around Redbud Trail, my favorite riding in the whole area. There are a lot of roads to explore back here and they all feature some good hills.

If you have some extra time, add the High Road to the Redbud trail section by taking a left at Caravan, a right on Terrace Mountain (bomb down), a left on Westlake and another left on the High Road. This is, in my opinion, the toughest hill on this side of town.

The other half of Das Hugel is more brutal but less scenic (it's just a lot more development and, for the most part, more cookie-cutter McMansions). I'll be chronicling that in the weeks ahead, before it gets too dang hot...

Enjoy the ride and stay safe!

Riding in Yosemite

I had some work in Merced, California, which is about 90 minutes from Yosemite National Park. I'd never visited, so I made sure I had an open day so I could spend some time in the park. 

My trusty guidebook, Northern California Biking, described the bike path quite nicely and I found a blog that said, despite frequent arguments to the contrary, you could find some great riding in Yosemite. 

I was there on a weekday in February so the crowds were thin, especially in the morning. Tioga Rd and the road to Glacial Point were closed as was Mariposa Grove due to some renovation. The bike path and auto loop were open, though, and this was still plenty.

I arrived about 8 or 8:30. First stop was tunnel view and, except for one car with a sleeping/camping driver, I had it to myself, which was quite the treat as this place gets crowded even in the off-season, as I found out later (read on).

After absorbing that beauty as best as I could, I headed down to Yosemite Village to park the van and get on the bike. It was chilly, about 35-40 F, but clear and, again, I had the place pretty much to myself so I was feeling giddy. 

I hit the paved bike path and pedaled leisurely under tall trees, in the shadow of Half Dome and other, magnificent, granite landforms whose names I don't yet know. Here's my Strava route for the morning ride.

Puttering along on my Vaya, and stopping frequently to breathe in the beauty, I somehow got off the bike path and onto an earthen hiking trail--I didn't know it at the time but bikes are not permitted. There was hardly anyone to be bothered on the trail and no one called me out, thank goodness.   

I finally figured out where the road was and descended the auto loop down to a riverside scenic pull-off. I snapped a pic of a couple of tourists and they did the same for me.

The car traffic was pretty much nonexistent still so, when I saw the turnoff for Wawona Rd up to Tunnel View, I decided to make the climb, which is about 475' in elevation over 1.5 miles. This time the crowds were present but it was still not too bad, definitely glad I'd made the climb. I think I got passed by two cars on the way up--none on the way down ;-). 

I headed back to the village, continuing to check out the sites and exploring every trail I was permitted on. There's too much to describe and it's best I leave you to your own explorations. 

By this point, it was lunchtime and I was definitely ready. I promised my wife I'd check out the Majestic Yosemite Lodge so I rode up to that, locked up the Vaya and headed to the restaurant, where I had one of the most satisfying burgers and gelatos of my life as I basked in the sunlight streaming through the high, hundred-year-old windows. 

I had been carrying a backpack with my hiking shoes all morning and my neck was sore so I stashed that in the car after lunch and headed to Mirror Lake, figuring I'd come back and pick up the pack and do the Mist Trail. 

I headed back downhill and rode along on the roads that the shuttles use but tourist cars are not allowed to use. (afternoon Strava route) Since I was still in "take-every-turnoff-you-see" mode, I stumbled upon the Mist Trail trailhead. Hmm, could I go up in my cycling shoes? Let's try...

The whole trail was paved, as it turned out, so there I am going "crunch, crunch, crunch" up the mountain. I finally just took off the shoes and went barefoot, making it to the first bridge and then turning around before I got serious blisters. I'll have to make sure not to make that mistake again and make sure to leave time for hiking next time. Live and learn.

I got in a walk to the bottom of Yosemite Falls which was nice but I was feeling like the day was about done. I stopped in the Native American museum and the theater, grabbed another bite to eat and some kitsch for friends and family and then headed out while there was still daylight for the drive back to Merced. I snapped this last pic of Half Dome in the parking lot, which was one of the best pics of the day, I think. 

I don't know when I've had a better day and the bike was definitely a great way to see it. Otherwise, I'd have been missing out on sights or riding a shuttle, which is fine but not nearly as fine as a bike. 

So, yes, there is great cycling in Yosemite, at least in the offseason--if great can mean seeing things and meandering. I think the auto loop would've been unpleasant with tourist hordes but the bike path and the shuttle roads were good for getting from place to place and getting around the main attractions in Yosemite Village. I definitely missed out on the hikes, which are surely the main features of Yosemite, but I had a day I'll never forget. 

Is this blog for you?

This blog is made to help folks find good, safe, scenic rides and to provide no-nonsense info on training, equipment, and other cycling stuff. If you're a racer, this probably isn't for you. If you just love pedaling a bike and seeing the world around you and/or getting in shape, then you might be able to find some good stuff here.

I'm a typical MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra): I don't race but I spend a good 4-5+ hours on my bike a week; typically at 15-17 mph. I seek out hills and avoid highways whenever possible. I have a touring/gravel-ready bike (Salsa Vaya), a skinny-tire road bike (Scott Solace), and a shiny new Giant Trance 2 mountain bike.

I live in southwest Austin but I travel a lot and bring a bike when I can. You'll find lots of good routes in the Texas Hill Country as well as many around the state. I've done some riding in California and quite a bit in Colorado (you can find 'em on my Strava profile).

Most likely, this is a blog that few will see and will serve more as a personal journal than any kind of public resource but I welcome your comments and questions and will reply.

I've been riding off-and-on since the early 80s. It's added a lot to my life and keeps me healthy, physically and emotionally. There are folks who know a lot more about maintenance, training, touring, equipping and other things bike-related but I still think I have something to offer here. 

Sound like you? Then read on!