Tag Archives: plant based cyclist

Goal Achieved! Finisher of Rapha 500

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Yesterday I achieved my goal of finishing the Rapha 500. I road 516 kilometers to pass the 500k goal of the competition. What a great way to end 2011!

Some highlights:

  • Road a century with friends and family on Boxing Day
  • I had a personal best for longest ride at 212 kilometers
  • Road with a new friend discovered through the Rapha 500
  • Helped a friend achieve a personal best and finish her first century
  • Managed to keep it rubber side down and finish with no mechanicals
  • Discovered several new cycling buddies on Twitter and Strava
  • Managed to stay awake to see the New Year’s fireworks

Rapha 500 Progress

Here are some photos from the rides:

Stopping at Catfish Corner for a photo

The gang at Catfish Corner

Just me and the cows

Discovering quiet country roads on Rapha 500

Fireworks ringing in the New Year!

Thanks to Rapha, Strava, my family and friends. The Rapha 500 was epic!

Ride Number Three For Rapha 500

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Ride number three for the Rapha 500 was outstanding. Accompanied by friends and family, the ride was 100k heading on a loop southeast from Dallas.

Sadly, my Garmin and my iPhone died during the ride so I only recorded 39 miles.  Oh well!

 

Ride Number Two For Rapha 500

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Ride number two was an easy Christmas ride with my brother Joshua.  We rolled around White Rock Lake and Lakewood.

The ride was just under 30 miles, about 47 kilometers.  With that ride I am now about 52% complete with the challenge with 6 days left.

 

 

The Quest for Great Wheels

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Ask 10 different cyclists what wheels you should get and you’re likely to get two dozen different answers.  And for good reason.  There are options for virtually every circumstance and even then there are different preferences.

My quest for great wheels lead me to skip the carbon (working with only $1,000 budget) and go with an aluminum rim.  From there I was looking for a strong rim with decent aerodynamics that I could run tubeless on.  I settled on HED’s Belgium C2 rims, proven yet innovative.

My buddy Ben pointed me towards Clive de Souza at Glory Cycles who hand builds a lot of wheels with C2 rims.  I was able to catch up with Clive and describe what I was looking for and he helped me settle in on my hubs and some finishing touches.  Chatting with Clive and bouncing ideas around was a great opportunity and left me feeling comfortable that I had made the right choice and was in good hands.

Wheel Bench at Glory Cycles  Read more... (349 words, 6 images)

Local Bike Shop Review – Bike World San Antonio

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November 14th, 2011

readyforplanb.com review of Bike World San Antonio bike shop in Alamo Heights

I paid a visit to my brother’s LBS, Bike World in Alamo Heights, and had a great chat and a chance to learn more about the shop.  At first glance, it feels like a lot of bike shops, offering the full range of gear and road, mountain, fitness and urban bikes.  After spending a little time with them, though, you quickly get a sense for what makes this shop special.

Some highlights:  Read more... (921 words, 2 images)

  • A staff made up of experienced cyclists
  • One of the best fit studios in Texas with fit specialist Tim Tilton
  • A demo program that lets you experience higher end products before you purchase
  • A return program that takes some of the pain out of buying a bike for your child
  • A new coffee shop on the list of ‘coming attractions’

Goal Achieved – 5,000 miles in 2011

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I went on a quick and cold ride tonight that pushed me beyond the 5,000 mile mark for 2011.  I’ve had a lot of great rides this year with a lot of friends and family and I’m very grateful for how healthy I have been.  Hopefully 2012 is even better!

Ride Report for Day 4 of the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava – AKA “The Marauding Minivan”

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November 27th, 2011

Readyforplanb.com ride report for Day 4 of the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava.

On the final day of the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava I was greeted with temps in the thirties and the wind blowing over twenty miles per hour.  With those winds Ben and I decided we would do a leisurely tour around Dallas and enjoy the ride rather than heading out to the country and just banging out the miles.  It turned out to be a great call.

We rolled down the Santa Fe Trail and cut through a very quiet down town, enjoying the wide open streets cutting through the high-rises.  The Christmas decorations were already up and the tourists were out by the Dealey Plaza.  Still, we both laughed at how amazing it was that in a city of 6 million people downtown felt deserted on a cold Sunday morning.

Other early highlights of the ride were rolling through the Bishop Arts District and the Katy Trail.  The Bishop Arts District has such a cool vibe, every time I’m over there I promise myself I will go more often.  The Katy Trail was bustling with runners and walkers.  Read more... (539 words, 1 image)

Ride Report for Day 3 of the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava

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November 26th, 2011

Readyforplanb.com ride report for Day 3 of the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava.

After a travel day on Friday it was great to be home where I could enjoy warmer weather, my own bike, and familiar roads.  With one hundred and seventy miles to go over the next two days to finish the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava, I was excited to get rolling.

Looking forward to a century on Sunday with my buddy Ben, today’s goal was a seventy mile ride.  For any ride over fifty miles coming up with a fun route is always good to keep boredom at bay.  With rain expected in a couple hours and concern over having a mechanical far from home, I decided to stay close and listen to a good book and hit some of the cool old boulevards around East Dallas.  Helping a woman fix a flat was the omen I needed to confirm I had made the right choice.

The Bridge at White Rock Lake in Dallas  Read more... (284 words, 1 image)

Ride Report for Day 2 of the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava

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Readyforplanb.com ride report for Day 2 of the Rapha Turkey Takeoff Challenge on Strava.

 

As I started to gear up for my day 2 ride, I couldn’t help but smile at how my first ride had ended.  In a bit of a rush to race inside, I had put the bike aside and ditched my shoes quickly.  Observing the bike in the light of day, it was entertaining to see how much sand and grime a bike picks up on a wet and windy ride on Cape Cod.  I gave it a quick rinse with the hose and cleaned the chain and checked my cables.  It made me appreciate the abuse that a rental bike takes on the Cape.  Seeing my shoes in the same wet, cold and sandy state let me know this was going to be a chilly ride.

Rolling out I decided to skip the Cape Cod Rail Trail and just explore the area.  The CCRT trail was a safe bet, but I figured the roads would be quiet because of Thanksgiving.  I was also pressed for time, so my plan was to just get some good spinning in.  Get the blood flowing, take it easy and just enjoy the time I had on the bike.  Read more... (1000 words, 3 images)