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Austin BCycle offers free passes during shelter in place order

Austin BCycle offers free passes during shelter in place order

by | Mar 26, 2020 | Blog

 

Austin BCycle is offering free three-day passes during the shelter in place order. Photo courtesy Austin BCycle

Austin BCycle, that fleet of sturdy, bright red and white bikes with big metal baskets, will continue to roll through the city during the current shelter in place order.

The city of Austin has deemed the bike-share system essential, and is providing anyone who needs to take an essential trip with free three-day passes. Just sign up online and use the code ATX512.

Riding one takes some getting used to — they’re heavy, weighing in at 40 pounds, and feel a little wobbly at first. But most folks settle in after pedaling a block or two. (Read about my experience at https://www.statesman.com/article/20140106/NEWS/301069749. Both regular and electric-assist bicycles are available.

The bikes are available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Austin BCycle has regular and electric assist bikes. Photo courtesy Austin BCycle

Staff are disinfecting bikes and stations before and after every interaction.

The system launched in Austin in December 2013. Currently, 75 BCycle stations operate around downtown Austin, everywhere from Barton Springs Pool to Auditorium Shores, South Congress, the Texas State Capitol and more.

Annual memberships cost $86.60, or you can swipe a credit card to pay-as-you-ride ($1 to unlock, then 23 cents per minute. Weekender, monthly or unlimited 60-minute trip passes are also available online.

Go to Austin.bcycle.com for details.

Austin BCycle has 75 stations in downtown Austin. Photo courtesy Austin BCycle

 

 

 

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For mountain biking bliss, head to Slaughter Creek Trail

For mountain biking bliss, head to Slaughter Creek Trail

by | Feb 24, 2020 | Blog

Pam LeBlanc rides at Slaughter Creek Trail on Feb. 23, 2020. Chris LeBlanc photo

Austin’s a mecca for mountain biking, but sometimes I feel like I spend more time getting off my bike to avoid the gnarly stuff than I do actually riding.

My favorite place to ride when I want some moderate terrain that’ll challenge my intermediate skills without leaving me in a sling? The Slaughter Creek Preserve in South Austin, where a 5-mile single-track loop serves up stair-steppy drops, rock gardens and flowy, rolling inclines.

The trail doesn’t require the technical skill that you need to navigate the bumps and grinds of parts of the Barton Creek Greenbelt or Emma Long Metropolitan Park (City Park), and it doesn’t attract the big crowds of Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park.

I made two loops of the circuit this morning, and it felt great to get my cycling legs back under me. I swim almost every day, but now and then it’s good to mix up the routine.

Chris LeBlanc rides down a rocky ledge at Slaughter Creek. Pam LeBlanc photo

The multi-use trail cuts through a 100-acre swath of land owned by the city of Austin and set aside to protect water quality. (Cyclists ride clockwise; hikers and equestrians head counter-clockwise. Cyclists should dismount and pull off to avoid startling horses.)

Confession: About five years ago, I busted my ass on a rocky incline near the start of the trail. (Limestone is sharp, people!) I wound up at the minor emergency center, but it didn’t keep me from coming back. And the good news is the trail’s been reworked in that section, so you can avoid the hazards that took me out.

I especially like this trail in the spring, when wildflowers are blooming. I’ve spooked up deer on occasion, too.

The Slaughter Creek Trail winds through groves of cedars and oaks, and includes flown sections over rocky terrain. Pam LeBlanc photo

The trail is doable for beginner and intermediate-level cyclists. I’ve made it through every obstacle on the loop, but I’ve never made an entire loop without dabbing a foot down at least once. You’ll find about seven or eight nice ledgy drops and climbs.

Not up for the entire loop? You can take a cutoff trial that trims about 2 miles off the circuit and still includes the highlights.

The trail is open from dawn to dusk daily, but closes after rain to prevent erosion.(Check here for closure information.) You have to drive through an automatic gate to get to the parking lot and trailhead, which is next to the old Trautwein homestead at 9901 Farm-to-Market 1826.

Chris LeBlanc rides the Slaughter Creek Trail on Feb. 23, 2020. Check the park’s Facebook page before heading out to make sure it’s open. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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Cyclist finishes biking every street in Austin

Cyclist finishes biking every street in Austin

by | Dec 19, 2019 | Blog

Aaron Chamberlain setting off to bike the Rosedale neighborhood earlier this year. Pam LeBlanc photo

Aaron Chamberlain, the cyclist on a quest to pedal his fixed-gear bicycle down every street in Austin, wrapped up his mission Tuesday night when he rolled down Bunche Road in East Austin.

It took Chamberlain a little more than a year to reach his goal. He started on Nov. 27, 2018, inspired by long-distance runner Rickey Gates, who ran every street in San Francisco. Chamberlain put his own spin on the #everysinglestreet project, methodically riding – not running – up and down streets before and after work. (Gates gave Chamberlain a shout out on Twitter to congratulate him on the accomplishment.)

“Now I’m wondering what I’m going to do every morning besides just commuting to work,” he said today, adding that he hopes to keep biking about 100 miles a week just to stay in shape.

In all, he pedaled 4,907 miles as he crisscrossed the city. “Granted, a good amount of these are streets that I could not avoid riding twice or multiple times,” he said in a social media post. “Also things like 1-mile long dead end streets.”

I met up with Chamberlain a few months ago while he zigzagged up and down streets in the Rosedale neighborhood, just to see what it was like. He consulted a map he’d printed out and highlighted as we began our ride. We found a wrench in the road. I watched him cut across a park. He wore regular clothes, instead of a fancy biking kit.

Chamberlain collected a few statistics along the way.

His shortest ride? Exactly 0.14 miles.

His longest ride? A whopping 52.62 miles.

Volkswagen vans counted along the way? Sixty-one.

Aaron Chamberlain biked nearly 5,000 miles on his quest to pedal every street in Austin. Pam LeBlanc photo

He also took a short video of his final ride, which he posted on Twitter. (Follow him at @elmuachuca). “OK, I’m done,” he said as he finished. “How about that. That was pretty easy, just one year and like 20 days … That was exciting. Now to get a beer I guess.”

He pedaled past fancy mansions and shabby homes. He saw an assortment of creatures, from possums and deer to skunks and fox. He averaged about 125 miles a week.

And no, he’s not completely crazy. He skipped highways, gated communities and private streets.

This map shows all the streets Chamberlain biked.

And yes, he’s scheming up a new challenge. He told me about it, but I’m sworn to secrecy. Stay tuned.

Read my original story about Chamberlain at https://www.austin360.com/news/20191025/he-wants-to-ride-his-bicycle-cyclist-is-on-quest-to-pedal-every-road-in-austin.

About Pam

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Best way to get around Cape Cod? Bicycle, of course!

Best way to get around Cape Cod? Bicycle, of course!

by | Aug 11, 2019 | Blog

 

Cyclists stream along the Cape Cod Rail Trail on Aug. 7, 2019. Pam LeBlanc photo

The best way to get around Cape Cod?

By bike, of course, especially when a bike path connects a slew of small towns and provides easy access to bike shops, ice cream stores, kettle ponds and ocean beaches.

I spent five days on the Cape last week with friends who have a summer house there. We pedaled our way from our home base in Dennis to destinations all up and down the 25.5-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail.

The Cape Cod Rail Trail stretches 25.5 miles along Cape Cod, connecting towns, beaches, bike shops, restaurants and ponds like this one, Seymour Pond. Pam LeBlanc photo

We zipped along the smooth, flat ribbon of asphalt on our way to explore Crosby Beach and stopped for ice cream in Orleans. I experienced my first biking round-about (cool!) and stopped for a dip in beautiful Seymour Pond, which abuts the trail. Every time we zoomed through a tunnel, we all hollered to hear the echo.

We also pedaled back toward the mainland in pursuit of Long Pond in Yarmouth, one of nine kettle ponds I dipped a toe in during my visit. The trail provides easy access to Nickerson State Park, home to some of the best ponds I experienced during my trip.

Shops, restaurants and ice cream stands are easily accessible from the trail. Pam LeBlanc photo

The trail follows the route of an old railroad line that went bankrupt in 1970s. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts bought the land in 1976, and started building the trail a few years later. The first 19 miles were unveiled in 1981, and additional sections have opened since. Most recently, a 5.7-mile stretch between Dennis and Yarmouth was added in 2018, and plans call for ultimately extending the path all the way from Barnstable to the west to Provincetown at the tip of the Cape.

It’s fun to yell when you pedal through the tunnels along the trail. It makes a nice echo. Pam LeBlanc photo

Trail users can park for free at 13 points along the route, which currently links Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Chatham, Brewster, Orleans, Wellfleet and the Cape Cod National Seashore. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation maintains the route.

Need a bike? Rent one from one of more than a dozen bike shops along the way. (Check out the list at Cape Cod Visitors Directory.)

The trail is open from dawn to dusk. By law, children 16 and under must wear helmets.

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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