The weather is warming up, the time has changed and area cyclists are starting to come out of their winter hibernation.With the exception of cyclocross racers and a few other hardcore bikers, most of the two-wheeled lycra-shorts crowd spent the winter going nowhere on indoor spin bikes or substituted gym and running workouts for bike rides.
That changed this past week with multiple group rides kicking off and several area bike tours and races appearing on the calendar.
For those of you new to cycling or new to this area, multiple organized group cycling rides take place each week here in San Angelo to include those listed below.
- Monday 6 p.m., a 12 mile fun/social road bike ride through Spring Creek Park that starts and finishes at the Lake Nasworthy swim beach.
- Wednesday 6 p.m., a moderate pace road ride that starts/finishes at Southgate Church of Christ on Country Club Road with multiple route options to include 14, 20 and 25 miles.
- Wednesday 6 p.m., an easy pace mountain bike ride that begins at the end of the paved park road near the middle gate in Middle Concho Park. The typical ride distance is 10-12 miles and all levels of cyclists are welcome.
- Tuesday/Thursday 6 p.m., the Loop Group ride at TxDOT (Kinckerbocker and Loop 306). This is a faster paced ride that typically splits up into different groups going 20, 28 or 35 miles.
There are also other rides that typically take place to include Sunday afternoon mountain bike rides in the State Park and one-time rides that are ‘called’ by an area cyclist.
The best way to find out about these group rides is to get on the cycling club’s email list (http://angelobike.org) or monitor the club’s Facebook page at: facebook.com/groups/471371822880671.
Early season cycling tours and races are also showing up on area calendars.
Abilene’s Steam-N-Wheels event will take place March 22, the Bikes for Trykes cycling tour is scheduled for April 5 in San Angelo, and the Colorado River Bikefest in Ballinger will be April 26.
The Steam-N-Wheels race and tour (www.bikereg.com/Net/steam-n-wheels) is a West Texas classic that always attracts a sizable number of San Angelo cyclists. Riders can choose from 48-, 32- or 12-mile routes that all start/finish at Abilene’s Nelson Park.
Bikes for Trykes (www.bikesfortrykes.eventbrite.com) is a new San Angelo cycling tour organized by the San Angelo chapter of AMBUCS (www.ambucs.org), a nonprofit organization that provides therapeutic trykes to children with disabilities.
The 35, 20, & 12.5 mile Bikes for Trykes routes will start and finish at Boondock’s Bar & Grill on Red Bluff Road near the entrance to Middle Concho Park. This will be a fully-supported ride with water and snack aid stations on the course.
Ballinger will host area cyclists in late April for the 39th annual Bikefest (www.ballingernoonlions.org/pages/bikefest.html). Activities include cycling distances of 30, 60 and 100 kilometers and a 5K fun run.
In addition to the group rides and cycling events mentioned above, the San Angelo Bicycle Association will start up their monthly time trial events in April. These events include a 6-race TT series for mountain bikes in San Angelo State Park and a 6-race road bike TT series. Visit the club’s website at http://angelobike.org for specific date and location information.
If you want to find out more about local cycling activities, the bicycle club’s next monthly meeting will take place at 7 p.m. March 18 at Boondocks Bar and Grill on Red Bluff Road.
The club meetings are open to the public and are a great way to meet other area cyclists.
Remember — the days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and the cycling season is underway.
Upcoming Events
March 22: Crazy Desert Trail Race, roadlizards.org
March 22: Steam-N-Wheels cycling race and tour, Abilene, bikereg.com/Net/steam-n-wheels
March 29: Run for the Wounded Warrior 5K, angelo.edu/asufit
April 5: Bikes for Trykes cycling tour, eventbrite.com/contact-organizer?eid=10199820939
April 12: Moon Pie night trail run, roadlizards.org
April 26: Colorado River Bikefest, ballingernoonlions.org/pages/bikefest.html
