Round That Mountain

We made our way across Round Mountain in Travis County this morning, our last long ride of the training season for the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. Today I convened the ride, making a little speech off the back of a pickup truck bed. As I climbed up the bed I joked, "When you're as short as I am, you get used to standing on top of things to be heard."

It was a good turnout, so nearly 100 riders had already pedalled off by the time I'd gotten on the saddle. I led from the rear, sweeping the sagging riders, answering my cell phone as riders and SAG drivers called for help. I helped fix a flat with Ron Wilcox, more field change experience. We had to make up the route along the way after a detour kept us from crossing a railroad track at the appointed location. Improvising, a Walgreens drug store took the place of a more familiar gas station pit stop. Round Mountain is beautiful but really rural, so bathroom options become only bushes for nearly 15 miles of the 43-plus we rode today.





The roads in this part of the Hill Country sport lots of gravel, the kind of soft spots that can lead to spills and road rash afterward. Jacob was nursing along a fresh rash on an elbow as he worked to finish the course. I still haven't spilled that bad in nearly 6,000 miles, but a crash is a part of everybody's ride, given enough miles. Jacob showed great grit in carrying grit around on that elbow all morning.

We had to cross back into Williamson County before we spotted the wildflowers in any abundance. A sharp south wind in the teens pushed down our pace, especially the last six miles back to Brushy Creek. But I felt strong and able today. Didn't need to get into my smallest front chain ring at all, not like last week out in Dripping Springs. Felt good enough to come home and mow a couple of lawns.