| NB: Due to construction, we are temporarily meeting at the entrace to the small parking lot at Houston St and Old Main, about 30 meters west of the flagpole! |
| We try to be welcoming of beginners, but the Flagpole ride is not a beginner ride. New riders should know the route and be mentally and physically prepared for the possibility of a solo ride home if they are unable to keep up with the rest of the group |
8:45 a.m. at the center flagpole on the main quad of the Texas A&M campus, about 50 meters west of the statue of Sul Ross. This ride consists of two groups going approximately 55 and 45 miles respectively. Both groups ride together from campus for the first nine miles to “Twister’s”, the minimart/gas station at the corner of highways 60 (a.k.a. University Ave closer to town) and 50. After a very short stop at the minimart, the two groups typically separate.
The first group is intended for riders at or seeking the highest level of fitness. After the minimart, the route goes north on 50 for a short jog to the intersection with Highway 166, then west on 166 through Tunis. During this stretch, the group rides at a strong but consistent pace, and riders with minimal group riding experience but who are strong enough will be coached on how to ride in a fast paceline. (Others should feel free to draft (carefully and considerately) off the back.) After Tunis, on the last 10 miles into Caldwell, the pace usually ratchets up another notch but remains steady until about three miles from Caldwell, where there is a bend to the left and a 200 meter hill with a sharp right turn at the top. At this point, especially during the racing season (roughly, mid-February – mid-October) the ride typically turns more race-like into Caldwell, where there is a sprint for the Caldwell city limit sign. A stop at D.K.’s minimart allows the bunch to regroup. (For riders who have been dropped before the sprint and don’t know the route, continue past the city limit sign 250 meters to the stop light at Hwy 36 and turn right; proceed two short blocks to the minimart/gas station on the corner on the right with all the bikes parked out front). The stretch from Caldwell to Cook’s Point on Hwy 21 is ridden at a moderate pace. On the turn south from Cook’s Point, the pace picks up on “the hills” of 1362, with an all-out sprint to the top of the last hill just before the intersection with 166. After another brief regroup, a steady paceline forms and becomes increasingly harder until the final straight stretch up to Hwy 50, which ends in a sprint for the “Stop Ahead” sign. After regrouping again at Twister’s, a steady pace is assumed back to College Station.
The second group is intended for less competitive riders. After departing Twister‘s with the fast group (which usually speeds ahead), it follows the same route initially, but after Tunis it often turns right on 1362 to Cook‘s Point and stops there for refreshments before retracing the route back to College Station. Sometimes the group elects to follow the first route out to Caldwell. Route choice is usually by consensus, although we've been known to split up.
Many of the first group of riders finish up at Sweet Eugene‘s coffee shop at the corner of George Bush Drive and Harvey Road in College Station. Total distance is around 55 miles for the first group and 45 miles for the second.
Ride Host:
Willie
Allen
tel 979 422 2091
Ride Hosts:
Marv DuBois
tel 979 696 1495
Ginger
Ewell
tel 979 450 8524
Ride Hosts: Chris
Menzel
tel 979 731 8962
Jean Marie Linhart
tel 979 693 9424
Ride Host: Layne
Westover
979 862 3530
The Monday Social Ride has concluded the 2009 season and will start up
again when time changes in spring 2010.
Monday night social ride meets at 6:00 pm at
the TAMUs Research Park (on the 1/4
mile long Technology Loop). This is an easy to moderate pace ride
of approximately 15-20 miles. The intention is to ride and talk.
Beginners are welcome, no fancy bike necessary. As with all the rides
listed on this page, helmets are required. A clear headlight and red
taillight are required. Reflectors and reflective gear area
also encouraged. Everyone should also have a spare tube and/or flat
repair kit on this and all other group rides. A bottle or two of water
in the heat is also a good idea!
Weekly ride reminders and schedule/route changes are posted to
the BVC-INFO mailing list.
Ride Host: Jean Marie
Linhart
cell 979 693 9424
Marv DuBois
tel 979 696 1495
Will Lauer
cell 508 561 6427
“Take No Prisoners” Ride will restart in March 2010
Classic
Route
(Google maps
representation of same)
Alternative
Route
Both
Routes
Every Tuesday evening from mid-spring through the summer and into the fall the “Take No Prisoners” ride is ON. The TNP is a hard ride done at a racing intensity and in an aggressive racing style with attacks, surges, bridges, chase downs, etc. Very few riders in the area can say they’ve never been dropped on the TNP. The group rolls easily out of the Shell station (the “Shellron”) at the northeast corner of Harvey and the northbound Hwy 6 feeder road and heads up Harvey at 5:30 p.m. After crossing Hwy 30 onto Elmo Weedon the pace remains moderate until the left turn at Grassbur, where it begins to heat up; the first lap is usually ridden hard but steady with the stronger riders rotating at the front. Right turn after three miles or so on Riley to 1179. Right on 1179; right on to 2038; right on Cobb back onto Grassbur where the Grassbur-Riley-1179-2038-Cobb loop is repeated -- once until there is enough light (usually late spring) then twice until there is no longer enough (usually early fall). If you get dropped and there is at least one lap to go, turn around and ride the loop backwards until you meet up with the group (or, more likely at the TNP, the subgroup of your choice) coming in the other direction; hop on and give it another go. On the final time around the loop, the ride goes left on Grassbur at the end of Cobb and heads back to Elmo Weedon, where there is a sprint to the last mailbox on the right, just before the stop sign. After a regroup, the pace gradually heats up yet again on Elmo Weedon and the ride finishes with an uphill sprint to the far end of the driveway for Central Baptist Megachurch at the top of the rise before Hwy 30. Heavy rains prior to the ride can flood the low-lying road before Grassbur; in this case, the alternative route listed above is used.
Ride host:
Chris
Menzel
tel 979 731 8962
The BVC Summer Time Trial Series will be starting up again in 2010. This is a 20km out-and-back route on a nice, mostly smooth country road. It begins on Rock Prairie Road just south of Green’s Prairie; turnaround is just short of Highway 6. Full results are here
Ride Host: Willie
Allen
tel 979 422 2091
This is monthly ride during the summer and usually ad-hoc at best during the winter. If you want to schedule something, post your event to bvc-info!
Ride Host:
Jean Marie Linhart
tel 979 693 9424
Maps of frequently used
routes
