Pretty ridiculous.  Pretty awesome.  No automobiles allowed on the 40 mile stretch of what is known for having no speed limits for motor vehicles.  Rather it is now a huge party table filled with people, bikes, food and beer.  Seriously?  Why can’t we have events like this in America or Houston rather?!  Cheers to the “Still Life” festival!

How freaking epic!  What a picnic!

More news here from AP: http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16020/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=OPo95Oku

The Path Less Pedaled is an admirable and inspirational project that Russ Roca and Laura Crawford have taken on.  The idea to fit what you can on your bike and travel the country, not only meeting other bike enthusiasts in every town they stop into but also to inspire others to travel on their bikes.  What is amazing is how they implement today’s technology to currently update their status on their travels but also making new friends along the way.

Laura Crawford and Russ Roca

If you are on Facebook, you should definitely “like” their page as they constantly update their current location, the meetups they attend and the people they have connected with along the way.  It is an advantage that Russ is a photographer – he captures the scene of the moment very well.  When they look back at this adventure, it will definitely go in the books with chapters full of memories and experiences.  Not to mention the sentimental attachement they will have to these bikes.

The Path Less Pedaled.  Truly motivating.  It makes you remember to just stop sometimes and take everything in.  The world moves so fast that we forget that there’s a world out there to be seen.

http://pathlesspedaled.com

Tom “The Bicycling Comedian” Snyder

Tonight, Tom Snyder is performing at Radio Music Theater, 2623 Colquitt, at 7:30pm.  He is a professional comedian who has been riding a fully-loaded touring bicycle to my performances for the past 23 years. In that time, he has pedaled more than 150,000 miles through all 50 states, and in 33 countries on six continents.

He is performing his new one-man show, “You Can’t Bring that Bike in Here!” It is a one-hour show featuring his stories from the road, digital photos of funny road signs, starting with signs that you don’t like to see when on the road by bicycle, and video clips from my recent solo bike trek from Cancun, Mexico, through the entire length of Central America and South America — to Ushuaia, Argentina.

Tickets to tonight’s show are $12, available at the door, and also in advance at Active.com.

Voices at the Velodrome

• It’s back by popular demand! Crit-style racing on the track!
• The Voices at the Velodrome Spring Crit Series presented by Bike Barn
• Get ready for the Sugar, Houston Metro, Houston Grand and the State Skill-Based Championship Crits all in May with crit-style racing on the track for the whole month of April.

Dates: April 7, 14, 21, 28 (weather permitting)

Format: A Race = 40 minutes + 5 laps B Race = 25 minutes + 5 laps

Restrictions: A Race = 94 max gear B Race = 88 max gear

Fees: 1 Race = $10 2 Races = $15

Payouts 3 deep to weekly and series winners!

All proceeds benefit: Voices of Survivors Foundation & Greater Houston Cycling Foundation.

Paula Weber Benefit

A member of the Houston cycling community had been terribly injured during the Easter weekend. As a result, Paula has 6 broken ribs, a broken clavical and a punctured lung. Paula is a friend of the Bike Barn and did once work there. Today, she is a trainer at some gyms around town- but she does not have any insurance and can’t go back to work for an unspecified amount of months.Bike Barn is putting together a beneift dinner in her honor in order to help offest some of her hosiptal bills. Please join us for Hasta La Pasta at the Katy Bike Barn, Thursday April 15th. There is going to be a $25 cover charge.

Your help and generous support is great appreciated!!

This event was an awesome experience not from an individual standpoint but bring a bike community from all over into Austin during SXSW.  There had to have been 700+ people riding during the social and it ran pretty smoothly.  The cops were cooperative, the leaders did their thing to make sure they controlled the traffic and everyone simply just took it in.

You may say this is just a critical mass ride. It was ran safely and organized. It showed the reputation of organized chaos keeping everyone safe and rocking out at the same time. Austin is just a pleasing place to do urban rides. A lot of sites, hills and plenty of hoots & hollers for the riders. Social Cycling ATX did an awesome job of leading the pack around our ride. Keith Byrd did an awesome job controlling the crowds and cuing the group leaders.

Here are some pics that I took during the ride.  Epic times.  Epic idea.  Time to bring it to Houston.

Pics after the jump…

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