Is anyone else (especially in the Houston area) doing LiveSTRONG in Austin next month?

Wow, no replies in 6 days?! I hope we're not the only two riders doing it. I'm not from Houston though. I'm in Heath, just east of Dallas. I'm doing the century route...are you familiar with it at all? I'm hoping that it is not entirely chipseal because those roads are brutal on my old 1989 Trek 1200.

Wow, no replies in 6 days?! I hope we're not the only two riders doing it. I'm not from Houston though. I'm in Heath, just east of Dallas. I'm doing the century route...are you familiar with it at all? I'm hoping that it is not entirely chipseal because those roads are brutal on my old 1989 Trek 1200.

Yeah I am surprised no one else has responded. Even some that are doing the rides for less miles I figured would give a nod. Unfortunately I do not know the ride route for the century either. It is my first LiveSTRONG ride, as well as my first century. I know what you mean about the brutal roads. Commuting in Houston is insane, and especially hard on my behind at times. My old Maruishi does shake me up a bit, because it is stiff, but the Fuji I am using for the ride has enough carbon to make it quieter if nothing else.

SEE YOU THERE....maybe.

i just did the philly livestrong challenge and it was a blast...there will definately be alot of people in austin, i'd assume because its lance's stomping ground.

good luck with your first century as well!

I did the Ride for the Roses (before it became Livestrong ride) and if they follow the same route then you're looking at lots o' chipseal.

Bet it will be fun though!
Lisa

Looks to be a MUCH SMALLER ride this year. As of 9/24, fewer than 2,000 cyclists signed up, compared to 6,700 last year.....higher entry minimum ($550 v $150) and other competing LiveSTRONG events around the country.

Well after just under 6 hours ( alot quicker than I thought I would do it), I completed my first century bike ride today in the LiveSTRONG Challenge Austin. Actually it was my first organized ride of any kind. Wow did they have some monster hills or what!? Anyway, the Fuji Roubaix was fabulous. The only REAL challenges were the insanely huge hills that had a few of the others walking their bikes up. I just grunted through somehow and found a way to make it up them all, albeit many at a very slow pace with my pedals moving a gazillion rpm. I only had to shift to the third crank once all day though, so I think I hung in there okay considering all my training was here in Houston where it is ALL flats. I will start training for another century in the next couple of weeks, and I think in preparing for this one I am going to find a nice steep garage or something and do some hills and repeats. I definitely recommend that anyone doing one of these has a good training plan ahead of time. Now I am going to soak in the apartment complex hot tub for a bit.

This was a great thing for me to do, having lost my stepfather and stepmother both to cancer, and watching my young neice get diagnosed at the age of 2 and have to go through treatments and lose all her beautiful hair for the next 2 years. She is a survivor and soon turning 8 years old. I am kind of glad it was tough and kept with the name Livestrong CHALLENGE, because it made me appreciate it more.

I hope you did well too, JeffN!:thumbsup:

This was a great thing for me to do, having lost my stepfather and stepmother both to cancer, and watching my young neice get diagnosed at the age of 2 and have to go through treatments and lose all her beautiful hair for the next 2 years. She is a survivor and soon turning 8 years old. I am kind glad it was tough and kept with the name Livestrong CHALLENGE, because it made me appreciate it more.

I hope you did well too, JeffN!:thumbsup:

yes man, yes. its tough for a reason, and you suffer with purpose in rides like this...i kept saying at the philly challenge, "if my legs burning with lactic acid cures my mom's cancer, i'll ride for years". Thats what the LiveSTRONG challenges are all about, and CONGRATULATIONS! on your first century. Nothing beats watching your odo tick past 100.00 :) welcome to the addiction

Congrats on doing as well as you did. I've done several RFTRs (which is a local ride for me), but not this year. Let's hear it from someone who rode Livestrong Austin and previous RFTRs and how the rides compare.

One thing that was different was the Expo. Previous RFTRs the Expo had many vendors - it was a great opportunity to meet vendors, buy cycling stuff, hear Lance talk about surviorship, etc. The aisles were bustling with activity. But the Livestrong Expo was a huge dissapointment. There were only a fraction of vendors from previous years and not surprising, a corresponding low number of cyclists and the curious. A downer.

This was my first LiveSTRONG challenge, and I have to say that I was very impressed. The limited vendors was pretty obvious to me too, but I found the ride to be a first-class event. The volunteers were enthusiastic, the route was extremely well marked, and the route itself was both challenging and rewarding. The weather could not have been more perfect too.

Speaking of ODOs rolling over, I had the pleasure of watching mine role past 1,000 miles during the ride. I've renewed my involvement in the sport this year after many years of grad school, military service, and two kids. I started riding my old 1989 Trek 1200 because I didn't have any other choice. I realized quickly that I wanted a new bike because the aluminum was killing my back! But, I made it a personal goal of mine to put 1,000 miles on the Trek before I would start shopping. I'm looking forward to my next new bike, and it's good to be back in the sport!

jeff

I did the 100 too and finished in 6.5 hrs. Definitely some good rollers out there for this Houston boy. well organized with good rest stops. thought I was on the cobbles for a section there where there was no pavement but hey, whatta ya expect on county roads in rural Texas. did this ride 2 yrs ago and had to walk up the really steep section a few miles outta Elgin at about 85 miles. This yr I rode up it, no walking. started getting pretty warm the last couple hrs out there. couldn't do this ride last yr as I was in the hospital from complications from chemo, so I was elated to come full circle. great cause, much smaller field due to the higher minimum required...I'll do it every yr. if I can raise/afford the entry.