My training for the Sam's Club MS-150 has been coming along nicely. I've been ramping up my mileage, and my fitness has been coming around. However, I was on the verge of falling into a rut. Riding the laps over the same routes again and again was becoming boring. I felt the urge to change things up drastically. I needed some new scenery and some new challenges to test my legs against. I decided that a couple of days riding around San Marcos, Texas would be the perfect way to re-ignite my passion for cycling. San Marcos is located right off I-35 in between San Antonio and Austin in the Center of Texas. There are plenty of hills to the West and some flatter land to the East. San Marcos and its sister city New Braunfels are great cycling destinations. They are fairly small towns surrounded by roads devoid of traffic. My plan was to ride a long, hilly route along River Road on the first day followed by a shorter, flatter recovery ride on the second.
Unfortunately the weather did not want to cooperate. A cold front pushed through and brought with it morning rains. By the time the roads were dry, it was already 3 in the afternoon. Not wanting to push my luck in the dark on unfamiliar roads, I decided to ride the short route on the first day. The majority of the route ran through the relatively flat back roads East of I-35. The route began close to San Marcos at a shopping center. After traveling parallel to I-35 on Hunter Road for about ten miles, I crossed I-35 and was surrounded by farm land bisected by narrow two lane roads. Although the roads didn't have a shoulder (or even center lane dividers) there was so little traffic it made no difference. The weather was in the mid-70's and overcast. The only problem was a strong wind blowing from the North East which made some stretches difficult.
A few sections were a bit challenging, with some short rolling hills that faced directly into the wind. However, the ride was mostly very easy and relaxing. There are few things better than riding down an empty road surrounded by tall trees and nothing but the sound of tires on pavement. Early spring in Texas is a pretty special time. This ride was proof of just how great it can be.
Good luck with the MS-150.. keep us all posted on how it goes! Bring your cell phone so you can update us from the road.. had a nice, but soggy 40 mile ride today at the Veloway - finished up just in time to go get new mtb bike from BSS.. I really wanted a road bike, but since my current mtb is "being put out to stud" I couldn't justify it. At least now I can start perusing Craig's List and such for a road bike without feeing any sense of urgency.
ReplyDelete