I just got back from a ride to find this amazing gem in my inbox. So stoked on AJ’s riding. Crank arm slides, bump jumps, tire feeble to 180 and it’s all dialed. We gotta ride when I get back from Vegas homie!
#Texas
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Back in Austin for 7 Hours
I get back to Austin tonight, after a great time in Portland, only to take right off for LA for a few days. When I travel this much, I really miss the riding Austin has to offer. That and the character of the roads. The things you see on the daily are so stereotypical Texan (and American) that it’s a never-ending source for amusement.
Once I gather my thoughts, more coverage from Portland will commence, partially mixed in with tons of LA photos (again).
Enjoy your life, friends and the weekend.
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Mutiny: Come Together
BMX. Texas. Mutiny. And even a Flag Hatchet shirt makes a cameo (thanks Mikey!). Got some time to burn this morning? Watch this and when you’re done, peep the gallery here.
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I Don’t Know What I Love More…
This bike, or this Camera. I’ve been using the hell out of both as of late and while there’s not enough medium format content to make it an official Recent Roll post, there have been some gems coming out of this lens. The biggest challenge has been using this Distagon T* 50mm with its dual focusing rings. That and general exposure. Shooting with a Hasselblad has really changed the way I look at film photography. I don’t see myself picking up my AE-1 for a while.
See some more recent shots below…
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I Hope Everyone Had a Great Weekend…
… that looked a little like this (after riding, of course). Bottoms up!
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San Antonio Midnight Crits
Photos by David Rangel
Down in San Antonio, there’s an event called Midnight Crits. It’s a flash-mob style race series, where the details are posted to Facebook the night of. These races take place on random nights, on a .6 mile course, as people battle it out for 16 laps. David’s got a Flickr set up from the second race, so head over and check them out.
Reportage
My 4th of July
Like everyone else today, I can barely function. Each year, the 4th of July proves to be a great time. I’ve yet to blow off any digits, or shoot my eye out and so far, the only damage has been to my bank account. I spent the afternoon at our local digs, the Yellow Jacket Social Club and enjoyed the festivities. Dogs, dudes, babes, beer, bourbon and a lotta randomness ensued. Check it out below and if you have any cool photos from your afternoon, share them in the comments.
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
Reportage
100 Miles of Fun
A century in Texas can be boring as hell if you don’t plan accordingly. It’s easy to get stuck alongside a busy highway for miles on end if you’re not careful selecting your routes. When I wanted to put in a hundred or so miles a few weeks back, I had a general idea of where I wanted to go: Pedernales, Johnson City and past Hamilton Pool. Most of the roads were desolate, with minimal vehicular traffic and climbing over the hill ranges provided some excellent descents into the river valleys.
One of my favorite routes is the switchback over the river right outside of Hamilton Pool. It’s this really sharp right, over a worn-down bridge and then a steep, switchback up, landing you at the base of one of the few Cat 3 climbs in the Austin area. Four of us went out in high spirits and under the cloudy skies, we had a blast. Until the sun came out and scorched us all. This Recent Roll is dedicated to fun with friends. We totalled 110 miles and about 5,500′ with an 18mph average. Not bad.
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
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A Few Races This Weekend
This weekend brings about the CBNC Revenge of the Nerds II and the Where the Hell is Waldo 3 event in LA, NYC and San Antonio. Check that out below.
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Another Day Another LOW
At this point, I’ve lost count of how many LOW‘s I’ve photographed. But at least this one is on entirely different turf. Josh’s LOW is the first one in Texas. Fancy that! More to come…
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Justin Taylor: True San Martian
Justin Taylor is the most insane person I know but AJ breaks it down best:
“1.He can drink more beer than you
2.He can get hit by a car and sleep it off in a bush
3.He can drop kick two frat guys at once
4.He can break his hip and not know it for 3 weeks.”
Truth.
Reportage
CBSP Ride B&W
Excuse the lack of updates today, I’m slowly recovering from a week of madness in SF. These few stragglers were left on a roll of Neopan 400 during the Colorado Bend State Park ride we went on last month. Black and white really captures the looming skies and textures of the ride. I’m digging these!
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
Reportage
Bicycle Camping in Colorado Bend State Park
Jon, Ross and I have been planning a weekend getaway to Colorado Bend State Park for some time now. Texas has a lot of rich, lush campsites, all within riding distance of Austin. Bend, TX was an obvious choice, due to the distance and route it would require us to do in a day. I knew it would be about 120 miles each way and depending on our route, between 5,000′ and 8,000′ in climbing. In the end, we opted out of the extra 3,000′ of climbing, which was a smart move.
We left first thing Friday morning, around 6am and headed out through the neighborhoods to Bee Caves, where we split off on 71. From there, we hit 281 and finally, CR 580, all the way into Bend. While some of the roads were peaceful country roads, a lot of the day was spent on highway shoulders. I brought my Woodville, Ross was on his Sachs and Jon, his Icarus. Since I was the only one who had a touring bike, I carried the food, my supplies, tent and Jon’s tarps, which he planned on making a shelter out of.
The guys carefully selected their goods and we set off. I shot 4 rolls of color film (Portra 800 and 400), as well as a waterproof, disposable camera. The following image gallery is from the entire weekend of camping, swimming and the rides to and from the park. The ride out came in at 117 miles and 4,500′, the ride back was 116 and 4,100′.
This gallery is massive, with over 100 photos and each have a brief description, so don’t forget to read the captions.
Check out the Gallery by clicking the photo above, or click here to open a new tab.
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C.B.S.P. Weekender – God Luck and Good Speed
See larger here / photos from Jon’s, Ross’ and my Instagram feeds
What can I say? I was jamming out to Weedeater during this ride and the title “God Luck and Good Speed” just stuck. We woke up at 6am on Friday and hammered it out to Colorado Bend State Park in Bend, TX. The first day was 118 miles and 4,900′. Initially, I was planning on taking us through 2222 and the hills on the east side of Lake Travis but we found 71 to 281 was actually quite pleasant with the lack of traffic. Doing so shaved off 3,000′ of elevation and after we rolled in on the 8-mile long gravel park-access road on Friday afternoon, I don’t think anyone regretted it.
The gear we packed was light. I brought the Woodville out with two panniers, a tent and my handlebar bag. Jon took a backpack and tarps and Ross was packing the lightest with about 15 lbs. Camping at C.B.S.P. is “primitive” but it’s exactly what we all needed. We cooked and hauled our own food, slept until dawn and consumed far fewer calories than we burned. We woke up Saturday and hiked about 15 miles to Gorman falls before dipping into some lagoons. It was amazing.
Yesterday was a different story. The climb out of the park was made worse by the hour-long torrential downpour. I had a rain jacket, Ross and Jon did not. They were shivering by the time we made it to the first outpost. Shit coffee and loaner wool made it bearable. As well as the local’s commentary: “ya’ll been feeshin’?” “no we’re riding back to Austin” “….” From there, we made great time, save for the flats and stops for food. I pulled hard and I’m feeling it now. There were a few stretches where we pace-lined it for over 10 miles and well over 25mph. We reeled in 116 miles and 4,100′.
My legs hurt for the first time since my “walkabout” in he Aussie bush.
Here’s to the first of many summer-time weekenders. More to come once my film gets developed.
How was your weekend?
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The Great Escape: Stage 01 – Austin to Marfa
Well, Erik and Sofia have made it to Marfa, TX, the bastian of radness in a endless sea of cacti and sand. They’ve crossed paths with millipedes, tire-killing thorns and even Huginn and Muninn in the past few weeks. Hop over to the Great Escape and follow their trip thus far. I have a feeling they’re gonna be hanging in Marfa for a while.
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Tour de Toob 2011
Texas is hot as hell in the summer and the only way to recover from a ride is to jump into a swimming hole. Danny Puckett sent along this video of last year’s Tour de Toob ride. It starts in San Antonio and ends in New Braunfels, where everyone jumps in the water for a bit of river tubing before taking the bus back.
