Pedal Thru the Pines!

I headed about 2.5 hours away from Houston this weekend to try the "Pedal Thru the Pines" ride in Bastrop, TX. I had heard that it was a good ride for hills, and since Houston is pretty much flat, I figured this would be a good time to practice!


This ride started an hour later than the rest, at 9am. And it was a good thing too, cause we didn't get in to our hotel in Bastrop until after 11pm last night! Then I had to fit my new helmet, make sure the Camelbak was ready (I borrowed it from a friend to see if I liked it), and just generally make sure I was ready to go. Nonetheless, by the time the ride started the weather was beautiful! The sun was shining, and the temp was warm enough that I actually did not have to wear my jacket! =)

The ride's website has this to say: "Many riders find the route challenging because of the hills through the state parks. The route is through probably the most challenging part of the BP MS150 and the first 14 miles are very hilly. Riders have to climb two steep hills in the first 4 miles of the ride that many find challenging. For the next 10 miles there are several short, but steep hills that quite a few riders need to walk up." And they aren't kidding! I managed to make it up the first hill, but on the second hill I nearly fell because it was just so steep, I couldn't get enough power, and almost couldn't unclip. The next two hills I tried again, but this time I wimped out early enough to be able to unclip. And the final hill I don't think I made it up at all before I had to unclip to climb it. It was crazy! The other hills, though, made for a GREAT workout, and I definitely got my heartrate up. =)

However, after about 10 miles, it was already ~10:15. I knew that if I did the entire 50 mile ride, I would be biking ALL DAY. So on the second to last hill, I called James & Co and let them know I was changing to the 27 mile route, so I would be finished much earlier than expected. Then I finished out the last major hill, got through to the first rest stop, and recharged.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful; just rolling hills through the rest of the state park. The next rest stop came much quicker than the first, and there was a guy handing out "Pickle Juice." Yes, it IS pickle juice! One of the senior cyclists swears by it; says he's ridden miles and miles and never got cramps. So I tried it out, just to see. It probably wouldn't have been that bad about halfway through the bottle, but drinking the whole thing was a bit much.

Heading out of that rest stop, I started biking with a woman named Tiffany, who was fairly new to biking herself. We biked the last bit from that rest stop to the finish line, and that definitely helped make the last of the ride much more enjoyable! Thanks to Tiffany, and best of luck to you in the future of your biking!