Pedal Through the Pines, Bastrop, Texas

March 2006

Wow! This a great ride. The ride lives up to its reputation as being a climbing event. There are lots of steep rollers in the park, and a few longer climbs out on the rest of the course. Mere mortals should consider bringing 39x12-23 gearing. I actually saw one guy stall out and fall/roll/slide backwards. Beyond that the course was safe and well organized. Lots of sag support, and great food/drink selection at the rest stops. And the volunteers went out of their way to be friendly and good natured.

This ride was a blast! I had an excellent time. I was a little intimidated by all the hype surrounding the hills. Well, I'm here to say that the hype is true. There are hills-a-plenty. For about the first 15 miles, the route goes through the pines on a narrow, paved road. There are some super-swift descents in this portion of the course. I wanted to snap more pictures of this part of the ride because it's so pretty, but the fast, twisty descents had me hanging on. One thing I noticed was how many people were having difficulties with their bikes. In the steep portions, there were an abundance of riders off to the side, working on their bikes. Either that or they were catching their breath while "fixing" their bike. After leaving the pine forest, the course flattens out a bit, but there are still plenty of rolling hills. Other aspects of the ride were grand as well. I didn't get an official head count, but the ride organizers ran out of the guaranteed 600 tee-shirts. The volunteers were awesome. The rest stops were well stocked with bananas, PB&J sandwiches, oranges, water, Gatorade, and Capri Sun. One rest stop (the one in Serbin) had homemade cookies. The course was well marked. There was a stretch of road that was a bit rough and had some potholes, but this was a rather brief section of the course. The ride organizers did a good job providing a heads up as to what to look for in the 'areas of caution.' Some riders have voiced concerns about the section of the course on Hwy 71 that returns to Bastrop. It is a very traffic-heavy part of the route, but there is amble shoulder room so I didn't really see it as being dangerous at all. I had a great time. In fact, I would have to say it was one of the best rides I've been on. I'll definitely be back next year! - BoP

This is the 3rd time I did this rally and will continue to drive down to Bastrop to participate. As expected, the attendance has exploded from the first 2 times I did this ride. The organizers have changed the course to get us off the real busy roads and the support has beefed up significantly since the last time I did this ride 2 years ago. The weather was perfect, the course is challenging but not a killer (although the hills in Bastrop and Bluecher State Park will give any one a heck of a workout), and there was only one really dangerous crossing where we had to make a left turn on HWY 21 to get to the finish line.

March 6, 2004

Very enjoyable ride. Having to fight the big hills in Bastrop State Park is enough to test the meddle of any cyclist. The 1st 15 to 20 miles will tell you where you are in your fitness. The day was perfect for a bike rally, 600 people showed up, the majority from Houston and Austin, most there to get ready for the MS150 Houston Austin ride. 2004 is the second year for this rally and it shows. There were portions of the route near the end of the ride that are dangerous and poorly managed. The rest stops with the exception of the last one were poorly stocked (the organizers did not expect 600 riders) but the people were very friendly. I attribute this to growing pains. Overall, I like this rally as a "kick off" rally.

March 1, 2003

This is one of those 1st year rallies that has a lot of potential once they get through the usual growing pains of not enough traffic support, routing on extremely busy highways with no discernable shoulders and an acute shortage of porta potties at the start of the ride and the rest stops. The ride itself was very challenging, with an abundance of steep hills on the 1st 15 miles of the ride. The ride started off with a real doozy. No more than a mile from the starting point, all the long distance riders had to climb a steep hill about 1/2 mile long (I was breathing hard and hurting bad because it normally takes me about 4-5 for my system to get up to speed). Once the climb is completed we were in for a real treat. The treat was about 15 miles of winding, twisting, and very hilly roads through the very beautiful Bastrop State Park. This section was the most scenic part of the ride, but it was extremely difficult to appreciate it because the rider is so focused on not "dying". Once the grades of Bastrop State Park is conquered, the actual ride becomes a lot more bearable. The terrain is rolling to hilly but not really any worse than what we would see at a Hot Rocks or a Collin Classic. After putting everything into consideration, I think this was good rally despite the 1st year growing pains. The weather was drizzly and cold (about 50 deg), a few of the roads were a little too busy (and without shoulders) for my liking, the markings were inadequate, and the traffic control near the end of the ride left a lot to be desired. I will consider doing this ride again because it looks like the folks that put on this rally really want to do a good job.

My alarm was set for 1 am to get all the way from the Denton area to Bastrom (30 miles SE of Austin) for this ride and it was well worth it . This ride was incredibly well organized , even colored maps for each route , that were actually readable . The ride did not start till 9 , but by 6:30 they were already unloading the trucks at registration . For anyone who has never had the pleasure to ride in the East Texas Pines , this ride is a real treat . The first part of the 63 mile route went down Park- road C1 from Bastrom State Park to Buelcher State Park...a mesmerizing 12 miles that was a hilly , winding path cut through tall, tall Loblolly Pine trees in the "Lost Pines" region . The park road was very narrow and had pine trees growing right up to the edge of the roadway...and NO cars . It was absolutely gorgeous . Although the stretch down the park road was by far the most peaceful , other stretches of the ride did include some scenic areas , but , curiously , the routes did run us down some rather busy "highway-type" roads . The support was excellent . SAG wagons everywhere, and the rest stops were superbly run . Traffic control was great . Painted colored arrows on the pavement were well done , and I did not hear of anyone getting off-course . Light rain did make the ride a little colder than expected , but a good time was had by all . If there was a down-side at all to this ride it would be the route selection . I had hoped for more stretches winding through the piney woods , and less stretches of "busy highway roads" . I assume they designed the route like that to simplify the routes . As for me , ANYTIME I have to listen to road noise , it takes away from the enjoyment of the ride . I would have been content to ride back and forth from Bastrom State Park to Buelcher State Park , but I know most cyclists feel cheated if they do not ride a "big loop", even if it goes down the highway . All in all , I would have to rate this ride as "simply glorious" , and I would highly
encourage any- one to check it out . It was great.