TEXAS HANEY - 1

SPRING TRAINING IN TEXAS HILL COUNTRYSTORY AND PHOTOS BY CHUCK HANEY

THE STUPIDS INVADE

M NTANA

TEXAS HANEY - 1

SPRING TRAINING IN TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

Spring training — the term first slips into our conscious-ness each year in the midst of winter when base-ball pitchers and catchers congregate to warm south-

ern climates, such as those found in Arizona and Florida. They are later joined by the rest of their teammates to prepare for the long season ahead. Cy-clists are not much different than their baseball brethren. Instead of popping catchers’ mitts and batting practice on precisely manicured diamonds, we air up the tires, lube the chain, then try to find smooth roadways with comforting weather to put in some early miles in preparation for the season ahead. To those of us from northern climates, where the cold wind and snow of winter are about two months too long, making the sojourn to southern climates in spring is really appealing.

I think I may have found one of the most ideal locations for road cycling “spring training.” Fredericksburg, Tex-as, is a small town of a little over 10,000

12 ADVENTURE CYCLIST march 2015

residents, located about an hour west of Austin and San Antonio, right smack dab in the middle of what is known locally as Hill Country. A wide Main Street prome-nades straight through the heart of town and is filled with quaint western shops that entice a loyal following of shoppers and sightseers, especially on weekends and spring break. German beer gardens (a.k.a. bier gartens) sit tucked behind tasty restaurants that feature the smell of slow-cooking beef brisket barbeque or traditional German dishes including schnitzel. Like much of central Texas, the music scene is very energetic with diverse live acts performing along many Main Street establishments. It’s not unusual to see the patrons dancing into the night.

The town was founded in 1846 by German immigrants and named for Prince Frederick of Prussia. As cyclists we have to be grateful that those early Germans — especially those elected as county commissioners — were indus-trious and had a penchant for paving roadways. Although adjoining counties have predominantly graveled back roads, Gillespie County, of which Fredericksburg is the county seat, has over 400 miles of paved roads. Most of the pavement is in the form of rural ranch roads that connect seemingly every ranch in the county to form a web of pure joy for road-riding cyclists.

On the east side of Fredericksburg, I stopped by a charming bicycle shop and met up with Lisa and Adam Salladin, proprietors of Hill Country Bicycle Works. I secured a road bike and got the lowdown on which intermediate routes would work best for a northerner with legs just a few days removed from powder skiing in Montana.

As I was getting fitted for my bike, Lisa told me the story of how the shop came to be situated in Frederickburg. She and Adam met at a bicycle shop in San Francisco in 1987. Five years later, they embarked on a three-year, 30,000-mile bicycle trip around the world, visiting 17 countries on four continents. At the tail end of their remarkable journey, they pedaled through the nearby town of Kerrville where they were told that there was no longer a bicycle shop in town. That fact planted a seed in the couple’s mind; they were seeking new career opportunities after

TEXAS HANEY - 2

Good riding conditions exist year round in the Texas Hill Country. It can get plenty hot in summer with temperatures into the triple digits. If you’re riding at this time of year, I suggest riding early in the morning or late in the day. Spring — especially beginning in mid-April — is ideal if you like wildflowers and tempera-tures that average in the 70s and 80s.

PRECAUTIONSIn arid areas, low-lying water crossings are much more prevalent than bridges. These water crossings can be extremely slippery, so be cau-tious when water is running in them or during a rainstorm.

If you’re not accustomed to riding over cattle guards, you will be after riding on Hill Country roads. Simply ride directly across these in as straight a line as possible and relax your joints. Soon they will be nothing more than an occasional rumble beneath your tires.

Beware of cars, loose livestock, and deer — a good policy to practice no matter where you’re riding!

You’ll be riding in mostly rural areas where it is often hot and sunny so bring plenty of water and energy food and lather on the sunscreen. There seemed to be cell service throughout much of the area.

BIKE SHOPHill Country Bicycle Works has a shop in both Kerrville and Fredericksburg. Besides being a great resource and bike shop, this establishment holds Tuesday night group rides beginning at 6:00 pm.hillcountrybicycle.com702 E. Main Street in Fredericksburg, 830.990.2609.

WEBSITECycle Texas (cycletexas.com) is a great resource with links for organized rides, lodging, great printable maps of local loops, and more.

LODGINGCyclismo (cyclismo.biz) at 103 East Creek in Fredericksburg is a very cy-cling-friendly accommodation. Owner Frank Floyd is a very knowledgeable and experi-enced cyclist and he’ll let you store your bike in his garage complete with workstand. 830.997.7812.

MORE INFOFredericksburg: fredericks burgtexas-online.com, 830.997.6523Texas Tourism; traveltex.com

ORGANIZED RIDEEarly March: Hell Week (hell week.com/texas.html)Late March: LBJ Cycling Weekend, (lbj100bicycle tour.org)April: Texas Gran Fondo, a timed ride that’s not really a race — similar to events held in Europe. (texasgranfondo.com)

GROUP RIDEAdventure Cycling Associa-tion puts on a fully supported

spring trip in the Texas Hill Country.adventurecycling.org/guided-tours/fully-sup ported-tours/2015-texas-hill-country

NUTS & BOLTS Texas Hill Country

TEXASHILL COUNTRY

13ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG

TEXAS HANEY - 2

completing their epic journey. Within a year, they had returned to Kerrville and opened up the new shop. Two years later, they opened up a second shop in Fredericksburg. Since settling in central Texas, the couple has been active in cycling advocacy and promotion of the region’s cycling opportunities. I was fascinated not only by their story but by their sheer enthusiasm for the sport of cycling.

Empowered by having a bike in hand and newfound knowledge of the area, I was more than eager to put the pedals to the pavement. I studied the county map with its squiggly lines now glossed over by pink highlighter where Lisa had suggested routes that would give me a great perspective of Hill Country without taxing my winter-conditioned legs and butt too much.

I took off straight from the Hill Country Bicycle Works parking lot for a 30-mile ride called the “Tuesday Nighter,” organized by the shop as a weekly 6:00 pm group ride that gives riders ample time to finish before sun sets. I was on my way to the tiny burg of Luckenbach, famously known for the

Local musician David Harris belts out soulful tunes on a sunny afternoon in Luckenbach.

14 ADVENTURE CYCLIST march 2015

catchy country music song first per-formed by Waylon Jennings in 1977.

I enjoyed the relatively easy pace as I settled into the nuances of my Trek rental bike. I cruised past peach orchards that had recently bloomed, and turned south where I got a most welcome tailwind that carried me down lonely ranch roads where I seldom saw a car. The road was sprinkled with rows of grapes from local wineries.

Within the hour, I arrived at Lucken-bach, which is much more a place than an actual town. An old-timey combined general-store and post office firmly situ-ated under stately old oak trees anchors the site. The sweet sound of guitar picking emanated from the back of the historic structure. Soon enough, I was sitting on a bench under the shade of a giant oak tree sipping on a can of ice-cold local Pearl beer and listening to the gravelly voice of local musician David Harris as he belted out one soulful tune after another and played an old acous-tic guitar. I could tell by the immense parking area and dance hall that the place gets humming with crowds and

big-time acts later in the evenings, but for me the soul of Luckenbach was exactly the laid-back experi-ence that I heard and felt at that moment. A few other visitors also enjoyed the mo-ment. Some were on bikes, both the pedaling and the motor variety. The music scene in cen-tral Texas is second to none; it is one of the reasons I chose to visit in the first place. As I scanned the diverse small crowd enjoying the Luckenbach vibe, I was reminded that music really is the universal language. I saddled back up on the Trek refreshed, inspired, and ready for the return ride to Fredericks-burg.

There were more hills on the return section of the loop as I gleefully spun along Grapetown Road, which was

delightfully devoid of any automobile traffic. Because I was in Texas, I wanted to see an armadillo, but instead of live ones I only spotted several carcasses of the unfortunate ones that hadn’t made the road crossing intact the night before. I turned back to the north and into headwinds that were somewhat mitigated by a nice downhill off the Col de San Antonio. I raced back to the shop, glad to have the first ride of my spring training in the bag.

Lisa Nye and Adam Fleury ride one of the many roads outside Fredericksburg.

TEXAS HANEY - 3

15ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG

I was fortunate to be in town at the same time as an Adventure Cycling Association supported tour of the Texas Hill Country. I got out early to follow and photograph a group of riders par-ticipating in the event, tagging along in my rental car as the riders strung north along Lower Crabapple Road. Soon I became engrossed with the beautiful hilly countryside starting to brim with prairie wildflowers. Most notable were the Texas bluebonnets, which formed a literal blanket of bright blue color along stretches of the rural roadways. Miles of attractive wooden fences along pretty ranches made great backdrops for my images and left me anticipating my own upcoming ride.

The next morning, I left town early to ride another route that Lisa had sug-gested. I parked at a historic one-room schoolhouse, which was standing tall and sturdy with precise blocks of quar-ried local limestone. With a few dozen pedal strokes, I settled into climbing mode and relished the peace and quiet on rural Welgehausen Road. After rounding a sudden left-hand corner, I spied a fantastic view of Enchanted Rock, a massive slab of pink granite that rises poetically above the rolling central Texas landscape. I had hiked the 425 feet to the top of the weath-ered dome in previous trips to the area, but I really enjoyed the more distant and unique perspective from the seat of my bicycle. Gravity soon spilled me out along pastureland that was starting to green up, and the narrow road was accented by thick stands of vibrant bluebonnets.

Once again I was cycling in the heart of rural Hill Country, joyfully climbing and descending the pavement without seeing a single car! My companions for the morning were my lengthy shadow, created from the low angle of the sun at my back; the ever-present wind; and songbirds like cardinals, bluebirds, and finches singing up a symphony of na-ture. That sonata was interrupted with the rumble made as I passed over the grates of cattle guards, which appeared seemingly every mile.

A part of this ride is referred to as Little Switzerland on the Cycle Texas (cycletexas.com) website. As I climbed up a rather steep hill called Swiss Miss,

TEXAS HANEY - 3

16 ADVENTURE CYCLIST march 2015

TEXAS HANEY - 4

I reflected on all the private ranchland I had seen. The barbed-wire-fencing salesmen of the late 1800s must have made their fortunes here. The strands of jagged wire were just as much a part of the landscape as the stunted oak trees and prairie grasses.

After crossing Highway 87, the stiff headwinds and incessant hills began to take a toll on my energy reserves. I had thought that my highlighted loop would be approximately 25 miles in total, but I soon realized that I had underestimated the mileage when I finally reached a spot called Hilltop at 25 miles. I had another hour to reach my car back at the school-house so I chugged onward, calculating that my turn back to the north would break the headwind. As I spun along with my head down, I noticed that the road surface had turned a chalky white. I was cycling past an active gypsum mine but, to be honest, all I cared about at this point was that I had the wind at my back and a big downhill in front of me. A ride that would be nothing for me to click off in June was a challenge in early spring.

The downhill lasted for a welcomed few miles. I flew by a pasture full of content Longhorn cattle, a true Texas signature moment. I had a smile on my face as the last few miles of the ride wound down. This tough but rewarding ride had put a stamp on what riding in the Hill Country was all about.

According to Adam of Hill Country Bicycle Works, cycling is becoming more popular in the Hill Country as each season seems to bring more cyclists to the region. Many organized rides draw large numbers of cyclists to the area. As an extreme example, Hell Week in March features eight straight days of intense riding ranging from shorter 40-50 mile rides to 100-plus miles per day. Some riders use this week as spring training for ultra-endurance events such as the Race Across America (RAM).

For a little less intense riding, I sug-gest pedaling east from Fredericksburg and crossing the Pedernales River into the small town of Stonewall and Lyndon B. Johnson State Park to ride the flat Ranch Road 1. In spring, you will ride

past fields of colorful prairie wildflowers and see cattle grazing along the scenic river and the beautiful ranch our 36th president and his wife, Lady Bird, called home. In fact you can thank Lady Bird for all the colorful wildflowers planted along the highways. It is an approximate 48-mile out-and-back ride from the end of Ranch Road 1 and Fredericksburg.

The rides that I have described are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring all the paved good-ness of Gillespie County. If the winter season is becoming too cold and long, I suggest looking into a trip to the Texas Hill Country as good therapy and a great jumpstart to your spring cycling regimen. Pick up a Gillespie County map and start dreaming of all of the spectacular cycling roads with low auto-mobile traffic. Spring training is not just for dusty catchers’ mitts and dreams of pennants, but cycling glory as well.

Chuck Haney is an avid cyclist and photographer who lives in Whitefish, Montana. You can learn more about him at chuckhaney.com.