Muddy Buddy: The Best Sunday Ever

By Smashley on May 20 Filed In Activities, Austin, Texas, Events, Food & Beverage, Muddy Buddy, Sweet Bikes, Uncategorized 4 Comments

When my alarm went off at 5:45AM on Sunday morning, I wondered what in the world had possessed me to sign up for the Muddy Buddy. It was still dark outside, and let me tell you, I’m not exactly a morning person. Before I could hit the snooze button, my co-worker and “buddy” Jake called to let me know that he was on his way to pick me up. Ug- no turning back now.

An hour and two Clif bars later, we got to Pedernales Falls State Park. That’s when it dawned on us that this wasn’t going to be the “walk in the park” that we had thought. It wasn’t the lack of a costume (or muscle mass) that made us nervous, but the sheer lack of training (Jake actually confessed that he hadn’t been on a bike in 6 years!). Regardless, we donned our helmets, named the bike Bernie (graciously on loan from April), and made our way to the start, taking our place in the midst of a throng of excited, costumed teams of women. The only co-ed duo, we were clearly in the wrong starting wave, but that was fine by me.

Man, we had a blast! The biking was really, really intense. I have no shame in confessing that I had to dismount and walk Bernie the bike down a few treacherous passes. Jake wasn’t so timid, and rode over the craggy terrain with reckless abandon like a pro, passing ladies left and right.

When we got to the mudpit, it was as glorious as I had remembered, lukewarm with a consistency like lumpy brownie batter. Sounds gross, but it’s freakin’ awesome.

As we crossed the finish line, we were cheered on by Danny, who had been giving out free tea at the race all morning.

It was exhilarating! The nice folks with Columbia even took our photo on the winners’ podium. We were on top of the world (and covered with mud).

So where do you go from there? The Salt Lick.

Well, to the showers first, which are really just garden hoses, and then to nearby Driftwood, for some of the best BBQ around. Jake, a recent transplant from North Carolina, hadn’t seen the Texas hill country, and was rightfully impressed. The Salt Lick didn’t fail to disappoint either.

Bellies full and thoroughly exhausted, Bernie the bike, Jake, and I headed back to Austin. I have to say- it was one of the best Sundays ever. I wish we could do it all again.

To quote Russell (Muddy Buddy ’08, ’09)- Muddy Buddy- freakin’ awesome!

Pedal for a Cause!

By April on Mar 5 Filed In Austin, Texas, Events, Sweet Bikes 1 Comment

Tea’m Sweet Leaf Tea is sweating it out mile after mile training for the upcoming MS 150. Besides the great training rides we’ve been doing with our friends at Austin Cycle Camp, there are several charity rides in the fabulous Hill Country just SCREAMING for you to join in on the fun!!!!

Tong & Rich holding their autographed Gary Fisher pix after training ride

Is there anything better than pedaling around on a bike for a good cause?

Pedal Thru the Pines: Distances of 16, 27, 50 or 65 miles in beautiful Bastrop Texas. Date: 3/6/10

Please Be Kind to Cyclists Ride: Routes of 20 and 40 miles along with some fine family-friendly routes. Starts downtown at Pure Austin. Date: 3/13/10

Spokes n’ Spurs: Distances include a 6 mile family ride along with a 14, 28, 44 and 62.5 mile route. Date: 3/20/10

Rosedale Ride: Distances include 20, 43 and a 63 mile loop. (And let me say that they always have the COOLEST t-shirts!) The parents and teachers come out to support this ride and it’s impossible to not roll away feeling great for doing your part to help their school. Date: 3/27/10

Pedal Power Wildflower Ride: Distances of 12, 23, 36 and 62 miles beginning in Johnson City. (I’ve done this ride before and the views are stunning!) Date: 4/10/10

The Sound of LOVE

By JamesDrinkard on Feb 22 Filed In Austin, Texas, Celebrities, Guest Blogger, Live Music Add a Comment

Welcome to a new week! I hope the week (and weekend) went well for everyone, though it’s been a crazy one for sure. Here in central Texas we finally got some sunshine! After over a week of rain (and no biking…), that’s about all I can ask for. Social Cycling ATX ride, anyone?

So the highlight of this week for me was being able to crank the new Angels and Airwaves new album, titled Love. This was a SUPER big deal and long awaited for me. It’s been over two years since they’ve released any new music, so needless to say, us AVA fans were ready for this!

The album was scheduled to be released on Valentines day, but was released two days early for premium members on their website and on Fuel.tv. And the best part? It’s completely FREE! That’s right, $0. So if you’re in the mood for some great music, click HERE and give it a listen. This band very well could change your life as much as they’ve changed mine.

If you really dig ‘em, they’ll be touring the U.S. In April and March. Believe me, you don’t wanna miss one of these shows! (Think U2 mixed with punk rock)

And in other news, THE Gary Fisher will be in Austin the 26th and 27th! Friday night, he’ll be doing a Q and A session at Mellow Johnny’s bike shop, followed by a 9 A.M. ride Saturday morning. So if you’ve always wanted to hang out with the father of mountain biking, here’s your chance.

“Going out and riding every day… when will this be a prescribable item? We have a very powerful cure for what ails this world. It’s called a bicycle.” – Gary Fisher

Well said. This guy has it figured out!

I hope you got out there and enjoyed the weekend! Soaked up some vitamin D, some vitamin Tea (cheesy, I know), and “just keep livin’… l-i-v-i-n‘”…

Tea’m Sweet Leaf Tea Rides Again!

By April on Jan 21 Filed In Activities, Austin, Texas 1 Comment

It’s that time of year again.

What time of year is THAT you ask? MS 150 time!! We have a tea’m of over 50 that will be riding in the name of CRUSHING multiple sclerosis. We have created a group on Facebook where folks like YOU can go and cheer us on! We’ll need all the love and $ we can get, as our team goal this year is $20,000!!

With the help from Austin Cycle Camp, we had our first training ride last weekend but TX weather got us again and rained it out. Todd and I headed out to ride Saturday once it cleared up and did a nice and easy-paced 21 miles. Sunday we had 4 folks from our team head south and ride about 23 miles. It was awesome but it’s only going to get better and more fun when we ride out with our big group!

Todd, Brian and Cinda resting in Buda before heading back to ATX.

Stay tuned as we’ll be posting all kinds of fun stuff related to Tea’m Sweet Leaf Tea over the next couple of months. For now, it’s time to hop back in the saddle, cus 180 miles on a bike don’t happen by itself. (I sure wish it did!!)
Have a fun training route you’d like to share for Austin or Houston? We’d love to hear about it!!

The E.A.S.T. Experience

By Happy on Nov 23 Filed In Activities, Austin, Texas, Events, Food & Beverage, Live Music, Uncategorized, arts & crafts 4 Comments

I love living in Austin for many, many reasons — if I sat down and made a legitimate list, it would be very, very long. However, the one commonality amongst each bullet point would indefinitely be the people here. Austin has an intense sense of community, and the creativity and beauty that flows from this melting pot of cultures is incredible. Plus, to see hoards of fellow Austinites out and about on their bikes in masses was an exciting thing to be a part of — a bicycle cultural phenomenon.

The East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T.) graced us with its gloriousness for the past 9 days, and I had the opportunity to explore its wonders this past weekend. E.A.S.T. is one of those unique chances to see not only some really impressive works of art, but also a community at its best. The E.A.S.T. project started in 2003 as an artist-run initiative “to encourage creative dialogue among artists and their peers, as well as between artists and their city”. 154 East Austin studios open their doors to the public for 9 days every November, causing the streets of East Austin to suddenly bustle with curious Austinites mostly on bikes and foot.

This past Saturday, a gaggle of my friends and I met up at Progress Coffee, hopped on our bicicletas, and got our culture on in #DMC/#EAC style. We made several stops along the tour, but there was no way we had enough time to hit it all up, so we went for the ‘cluster’ strategy and mapped out areas of town that had the most concentration of studios/stops. What made this year different from years’ past was that the event spanned two weekends instead of just one, giving everyone a chance to pick a weekend or spread their time out over the wide array of studios. Saturday looked a little like this:

Pump Project Art Complex: One of the better clustered groups of galleries with a wide range of artists and mediums. I really loved their layout and how they retrofitted an old warehouse into a unique gallery space. Some favorite artists include Monica Ceniceros and Mark Johnson.
1406 Smith Rd: A great collection of artists and other fun stuff, including G Kronke Studios’s and RC Hot Glass’s beautiful kilm formed glass sculptures, Flatfork Studio’s awesome foam sculptures and such, Resonance Studios’s computer programed drum kits and music making tesla coils (the guys behind Arc Attack).
Bolm Studios / Big Medium: Probably the most concentrated patch of gallery spaces on the tour, so there was plenty to see and do. My favorite piece has always been the tree made of used two-by-fours.
Fork ‘n’ Icehole: A not-quite-open-yet burgers and beer joint opened their doors as a gallery space for our friends at Austin Art Garage and had some bands play on the back patio. Of course, more free booze from Live Oak Brewing Co. and Tito’s Vodka. Score.
East Side Pies: Perfect mid-day snack, aside from the fact that we were in the right place at the right time. We split a Moontower Pie, add spinach. Hallelujah.
Bird’s Barbershop: My favorite place to get some hairs cut. They were celebrating E.A.S.T. and Custodian’s album release, complete with complimentary Lone Star Beers and other freebies. Fun show, abundance of props.

On Sunday, we hit up Juan in a Million for their infamous Don Juan platter and Horchata. Then we hopped back on our bikes to hit up the following stops:

Grand Hall of Art and Industry: A very cool, funky space in old repurposed hanger-style buildings. They also held FEAST here, which looked like a pretty awesome space for an event.
Co-Lab: A neat new media space with some outdoor installations and a community garden.
Decoder Ring: These guys produce some be-freaking-yootiful flat stock posters. Their space is impressive as well with the backside belonging to the Utility Research Garden, a beautifully landscaped garden space and greenhouse.
East Sixth: A large cluster of gallery spaces with everything from silkscreening to live public art to metalworking. We got to witness Jose Acosta work on a new piece with his daughter — a rather neat experience. I got a custom silk-screened t-shirt made. Also home of Fast Folks Cyclery.
Super! Alright! Studio: This place has lots of interesting mixed media work in their awesome gallery, including some awesome long-exposure photography. Jenny also knows how to make a stiff drink and gives good hugs.
Fistera Studios: Jennifer Chenoweth’s beautiful East Austin home decked out in beautiful mixed medium works. What’s really cool about this space is that she and her children actually live in this beautifully remodeled 102-year-old home, which took 8 years for her to restore. She also has chickens as pets. Jennifer might be the coolest modern-day mom I know.
Domy Books: An intriguing art bookstore with a gallery space featuring their latest installation series called Monster Show 4 (on display until December 3rd!). They also had an impressive installation piece by Dave Allen recreating the infamous Jack the Ripper murder of Mary Jane Kelly. Worth a look-see, for sure.