RIDE TO AUSTIN BY ARTHUR

Returned from the P3 Ride to Austin this past Monday. We left out on October 19th with 23 riders and 12- 15 volunteers in 5 vans and the Hincapie racing team bus pulling a trailer. I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into after 3 miles there was already a computer problem on one of the bikes. That day I rode with 2 teams (3 hours each) and 107 miles. Then boarded the bus to work on bikes and slept about 2 hours. There were 5 teams with 4 to 5 riders a team. Each team rode 6 hours a day (Monday - Thursday) rotating shifts. I was able to ride each day for 6 hrs a day. We arrived in Austin on Thursday around noon. On Friday, we had a escort and rode into downtown Austin (riding by Lance's house). Saturday, we ran a 5K and Sunday there was the "Livestrong Challenge" ride. I rode the 90 mile course and was able to get to the front and ride with Lance, Taylor Phinney, Chris Carmichael, and the rest of Lance's gang. I finished 10th. The "Livestrong Challenge" ride was the highlight of my trip. However, I was glad to be able to help the riders during the trip and be part of this great cause. To read more on the "Ride to Austin", or for other photos and blogs go to www.ridetoaustin.com . Arthur

Dirt Rag

Dirt-Lover G here,

Well, I'm at 35 weeks of pregnancy and feeling a bit slower these days but still reading and learning more about bikes and cycling.  J.J. and I have a subscription to Dirt Rag, a forum for off-road cycling.  This publication has been a constant in my life for the last 10 years.  The bicycle/product reviews and especially the stories have always kept my interest at a new and exciting level.

I encourage all that are are looking for inspiration and great articles and stories to check it out.

The cover art is always unique and the regular contributors really know how to convey their passion for cycling.  I find that the closer I get to my due date, the more I cherish reading about other dirt-lovers experiences.  The photos in Dirt Rag are enough to keep anyone perusing the pages of this creative and original rag.

'Til next time,

Dirt-Lover G