Shop ride Sundays: Steiner Ride Special

After the last triathlon of the High Five and shop run and sponsored Texas Tri series, it's time to get started on winter base and maintenance. What better way to start than the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse Ride?

We are back at the Steakhouse this Sunday. Ride starts as always at 8:30 a.m. prompt. Although I expect a smaller group this week as it's the Run for the Water 10-miler, the Steakhouse rides are always popular and the parking lot fills quickly. Please arrive in time, we won't wait.

We will have 3 groups start, advanced, intermediate and of course, Jacks "famous" no-drop. The advance and intermediate take the same out and back route, so it's a good chance to try to hang with the faster group. For the intermediate, which is often the biggest group, I'll try to keep the group together until we get onto Volente, after that since it's pretty much a straight out and back on wide shoulders, it's up to you to decide how fast you can go and where.

No-drop is as always, no-drop. James and Hugo will be along to sheperd. Elizabeth will either be with them, or helping me on the intermediate. After the ride, the great folks at the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse will be providing half price brunch. See y'all Sunday, winters coming time to build a base! ++Mark.

Shop ride Sundays: Steiner Ride Special

Get your Time Trial On

When I first arrived in Austin, one of the most fun things I quickly got involved in were the free summer RunFAR time trials on South Mopac. They were a great, short and hard blast on your bike, claimed to be "approximately 8-miles" but measured by various Garmins' as 8.21 and 8.10 miles with a very gradual climb, a turn at the end of Mopac and then a slightly more noticeable descent, followed by a flat section and a very slight uphill finish.

I don't know the full history of the time trials, but RunFAR, Raul and crew had been timing them for 7-years, aside from a great mix of cyclists, triathletes and novices, and bikes of all shapes and sizes, at least in my time two unrelated events stand out. 1. Arrival direct from work one evening and rushing to change with a towel, Des Ficker pulled up next to me in a one piece cycling TT suit, booties and absolutely melting from a combination of the Texas summer heat and effort. She proceeded to talk as if nothing was any different having just clocked a sub-19 minute loop. In the spring of 2010, I bought along a then 20yr old GB triathlon junior who the previous year had stormed to a win at Ironman UK, Phil Graves.

Listed in the results from Dallas TX, Phil was in town from the UK for warm weather training and to race later that month at Galveston in the Lonestar half-iron distance race, which was that year the US Championships. Before him many top local triathletes and cyclists had set and held the record time for the course. In his first attempt, Phil smashed the record averaging over 31MPH for the whole 8-miles! As far as I'm aware, Phil still holds the course record with 15:24.8, 31.2MPH.

This year bought this announcement on the RunFAR web site."NEWS: RunFAR Bike Time Trials Cancelled for 2011. RunFAR has re-directed it's business model and unfortunately is unable to support the monthly bike time trials. Thank you for the 7 years of support!!" - I, like many assumed they had in fact gone, and didn't make any trips down from Round Rock to the Veloway in traffic on a Tuesday to find out.

It turns out that rather than actually gone, a new Austin based timing company, Allsports Timing picked up where RunFAR had left off. Since the name RunFAR was indelibly linked with the TT's and word of mouth had it that they'd been cancelled, turnout for the all new - but over exactly the same course Allsports Timing TT's was been down on prior years.

Allsports have agreed to run one final TT for this year, next Tuesday November 1st with registration starting at 5:30pm, timing running from 6-7pm. There are a few changes, you must sign-up via the facebook calendar entry https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136053553162236 and it remains free and is still not a race, but a self paced, timed test of your speed.

So, as the triathlon season winds down, why not come out in time to do one, or possibly two timed laps. Give it your best shot. Over the winter you can use your result as your base time with a view to maintaining or improving on for 2012. Lets also take the opportunity to thank Allsports for taking over this unique Austin cycling institution. Questions? ++Mark.

p.s. Yes, I'll be going for my PR, currently at 20:27. See this report of my earlier PR for map, elevation etc. 

Get your Time Trial On

Spooky Spin/Trainer Donation Drive

Halloween is right around the corner! Join us for the first annual "Spooky Spin" presented by Team in Training. This Thursday, October 27th, Bring your wheels, trainer, and your BEST COSTUME and spin on the deck with TNT coaches leading the way. Team in Training is an endurance training program that focuses on fighting blood cancers while competing in endurance events. Certified coaches and focused workouts make this class a must. With daylight savings time closing in fast, the Thursday night spin is a perfect way to get your weekly ride done, without having to rush after work. Enjoy a mid-week workout with a great group of people from the safety of the J&A deck. Class starts at 6:30, stay afterwards for some beverages and snacks if you wish, BYOB! It's sure to be a howling good time!!!

Also, if you have an old trainer that you no longer use, donate it to the Jack & Adam's Spin Class! Donate your old spinner and wheel block and get 10% off your next purchase on nutrition, tubes, swimwear, apparel and more! (Bikes excluded). Email me at Mike@jackandadams.com if you have any questions! Happy Halloween!!!

Spooky Spin/Trainer Donation Drive

Shop ride Sundays: Move along, this is...

This weekend the shop staff, Jack, Drew and the crew will be busy with the Ironman Austin 70.3 bike course and the race in general. If you have not volunteered yet and have anytime available on Sunday please sign-up here.

I'll be out loading 5,000 plus athletes, spectators, officials and volunteers on school buses to get them to the start on time, and other normal ride leaders will be volunteering or supporting athletes who are taking part. As such, for this Sunday only we are offering just the no-drop. Hugo will be leading, and will decide on the day, based on conditions etc. but according to the schedule, it's South.

For next Sunday, we'll back at full strength and we have another Steiner Ranch Steakhouse, see y'all there! ++Mark.

Shop ride Sundays: Move along, this is...

PRO-File: James Bonney

The sport of triathlon attracts athletes from all backgrounds and numerous places around the world. Almost every nationality, age group, tax bracket, and level of athleticism is represented. However there are some athletes that take the sport to a level in which only few will ever reach. They eat, drink, sleep, and live multisport. They dine on open water swims for breakfast, munch on multi-hour bike rides for lunch, and destroy half marathons for dinner, with a foam roller bedtime snack.

When I think of these statuesque, speed-producing, superhuman athletes, I think of James Bonney. The 6 foot, 3 inch University of Texas Graduate and Division I All-American Swimmer was born in Hollywood, Florida (yes, there is one) on February 7th, 1972. Bonney's father was a civil engineer and young James moved from Florida, to Massachusetts, and finally South Carolina, where he began swimming at the age of 10. He received a swimming scholarship to Pine Crest Prep School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he swam right into his high school's hall of fame for winning the Florida State Championship in the last 50 yards of the 500 freestyle final.

James attended the University of Texas at Austin on yet another swimming scholarship, graduating in 1996. During his time at UT, he did what only few have the privilege of accomplishing: qualifiying for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He did so by suffering through the 112 degree Texas heat at the 1994 Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon in Lubbock, the first year for the race. He was the first athlete to exit the water that year in Hawaii, his first ever Ironman, finishing in 11:01:06. Not bad for the first-timer who even admitted he shouldn't have raced that year.

His finish on the Big Island would be the first of many for big James, and the first of many races in which he would exit the swim first. He returned to Kona in '96, finishing 2nd in his age group and turning pro the following year. Bonney's prowess in the water has led him to the finish line of 30 Ironman races (10 of which were at Kona), a 4th place finish at Ironman Arizona, multiple wins at Buffalo Springs, and continued domination on his home turf in the Texas Triathlon Series and Splash 'n Dash races. But perhaps his most meaningful, and lesser known, accomplishments, are the ones he has achieved when he's not racing.

James is married to world renown and passionate photographer, Elizabeth Kreutz, and he is the adoring father of two handsome young men: 2-year old Charlie, and 3-month old Benjamin. James and Liz both live and work in Austin, operating their successful companies, MyRaceRegistration and Kreutz Photography, from the friendly confines of their home. "You can have a family and be [successful]," says James. "It's tight but it's doable." He continues to prove that idea each day by balancing his training, work, and life at home.

James visits the shop regularly and he is always pleasant to be around. Whether he's finishing a six hour ride and stopping in for his recovery drink, tuning up his Felt DA tri-bike, discussing the Tri Series or just visiting, we look forward to seeing him. He's simply a loving father, dedicated husband, successful business man, who happens to be really, really fast.

Next up for James, Ironman Florida on November 5th.

By Mike Thompson of Jack & Adam's Bicycles

PRO-File: James Bonney

Shop ride Sunday: It's Creedmore aka South East

Last week got rained off, I got a voicemail message, a couple of facebook message emails and two people actually ask if we were going to reschedule the Hills clinic, one even wanted it before Tour das Hugel. I'll talk to the ride leaders, and especially Tammy Metzger and see if we can schedule it for November 6th.

This week sees all rides head south. The no-drop ride will go to Atkins High School for a 10-mile out and 10-mile back, true no-drop, no cyclist left behind! The intermediate and Advanced groups will take Slaughter and go out to Creedmoor. If the weather holds, with the current temps it should be a great ride!

Tammy will be posting a ride map on the Tempo Multisport facebook page, so check there if you don't know the route. This is one of those rides were it's worth trying to move up a group. Want to try a steady ride with the Intermediate, move up from the no-drop and if you can't keep up at by Slaughter, you can just wait for the no-drop to roll along. Want to try the faster Intermediate group or even the Advanced group, come-on up, if you can't keep up you can drop back

Just remember, for the Intermediate and Advanced groups, they are NOT, no-drop. We do our best to drop back and pull you back to the group, but their are limits based on route and the number of ride leaders we have. So don't expect a personal domestique who will keep pulling you back.

My motto is," its easier to keep up than catch-up". See y'all Sunday, we leave at 8:30 a.m. sharp. ++Mark.

Shop ride Sunday: It's Creedmore aka South East

Time to Learn Some Bike History!

Have you ever tried to ride a High Wheel (a.k.a. Penny Farthing)? Aren't you glad we don't have to ride those things anymore! If you're curious to know how we've advanced in bicycle technology through the years, then come check out the upcoming presentation: The Bicycle Boom: Untrammeled Freedom. It happens on Sunday, Oct 16 at the Neill-Cochran House Museum.

In the 1880s, cycling was for men willing to suffer spills. Mark Twain quipped “get a bicycle. You will not regret it—if you live.” The low-mount "safety" bike changed everything, and in 1896, during the great boom, Susan B. Anthony extolled its virtues saying that the bicycle had “done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.”

Historian and author David Herlihy, who wrote Bicycle: The History and The Lost Cyclist, is an award-winning historian, who has been featured on NPR and in the NY Times, the Boston Globe, and Historic Preservation. His passion for bicycle technology since his days in the Harvard Cycling Club, makes him the man to tell the story (with a Texas twist) of the conveyance that slipped in nicely between the horse and buggy and the horseless carriage!

Refreshments are served at 2:00 PM, and Mr. Herlihy’s presentation starts at 2:30. Seating is limited, so call to reserve a spot. Tickets are free to members of the Friends of the Neill-Cochran House Museum and only $10 for non-members. This talk is the kick-off to Modern Times: The 1890s.

Next time on your long ride, not only will you be able to drop the group on your sprint to the City Limits sign, you'll also be able to drop some history facts that will sure to impress.

Time to Learn Some Bike History!

Bike & Light Sale

Daylight is dwindling, so don't get caught out in the dark without head and tail lights! Now through the end of October, get 10% off all bike lights at Jack & Adam's! Select from Planet Bike, Serfas and Knog.

Also on sale are select bikes from Felt, Scott and Quintana Roo. The sale is for in-stock bikes only with limited sizes of each:

$100 off Felt Z100: $749, normally $849

$600 off Quintana Roo CDO1: $2700, normally $3,300

$200 off Quintana Roo Seduza: $1900, normally $2100

$200 off Quintana Roo Dulce: $1900, normally $2100

$200 off Scott CR1: $1899, normally $2099

$300 off Felt S22: $1299, normally $1599

$150 off Felt ZW75: $1049, normally $1199

$100 off Felt Q620: $549, normally $649

Bike & Light Sale

Shop ride Sundays: Hills for Hugel

One of the big events of the cycling calendar in Austin is the unofficial Tour das Hugel. If you have not heard of it, it's easily the hardest ride in Austin, a century which is two loops with the hardest hills in town. We won't be endorsing or supporting the ride, after all it's completely unofficial.

However, to get you started, we've scheduled a hills ride for this Sunday(10/9). Tammy Metzger and Tempo Multisport will lead out the ride and ride with you to help you understand how to ride hills better. The No-drop will ride out to 360 and back, with James, Hugo and Elizabeth. There are no real hills on the no-drop, but you will have to change gears.

I'm away again this week, so the Saturday Austin 70.3 course ride will be a pick-up ride. If you want to ride the course, show up ready to ride at 7 a.m., there will be a number of groups and individuals riding, pick someone who you can ride with and follow the yellow arrows.

Enjoy the cooler temps, ride safe! ++Mark.

Shop ride Sundays: Hills for Hugel

Pro Triathlete, James Bonney Tops Podium at Kerrville Half

Inaugural Event Attracts Hundreds of Athletes to Texas Hill Country

Kerrville, Texas (October 2011) – This past weekend over 800 athletes toed the line in Kerrville, Texas for the Inaugural Kerrville Triathlon Festival presented by Jack and Adam’s Bicycles and High Five Events. The three day event featured Sprint Distance, Quarter Distance and Half Distance triathlons, as well as, a Health and Fitness Expo and free Kids’ Mile.

The Texas Hill Country venue offered beautiful views and great weather with lows in the mid 50’s and highs in the low 80’s with sunny skies. The wetsuit legal swim was fast and smooth in the Guadalupe River; the scenic bike course was relatively flat; and the run went through the heart of historic downtown. Local businesses supported the event in many ways, including a “Lawn Chair Challenge” offering residents prizes for cheering on the triathletes.

Professional Triathlete and Jack and Adam’s team member, James Bonney took the overall victory by almost 13 minutes, which bodes well for his upcoming Ironman Florida race. Coming in second was Robert Wade of San Antonio, followed by former Pro Jamie Cleveland. Austinite and Jack and Adam’s team member, Todd Gerlach took 4^th and rounding out the top 5 was another Jack and Adam’s team member, Paul Terranova.

Participants received technical t-shirts and hats, free post-race massage, custom water bottles and swim caps, beer, a post race meal and much more. In addition, professional timing and photography, as well as a great volunteer crew and supportive local businesses, helped make this first year triathlon a success.

Race Director, Dan Carroll of High Five Events, has already received numerous thank you emails from participants. Local business and race sponsor, Grape Juice, heard nothing but positive feedback from racers as they handed out free beer at the finish line. Comments included, “I am definitely signing up for this race again next year and telling all my friends.“ and “Next year, I am leaving the kids at home and making it a three day weekend. This place (Kerrville) is cool.”

The Kerrville Triathlon Festival is the sixth and final event of the Texas Tri Series (www.texastriseries.com), a series designed to start with a short sprint triathlon and finish with a half Iron distance. To complete the series a person must participate in or volunteer for each of the events. Every finisher of the series is invited to the Finisher’s Party at the Hyatt in downtown Austin.

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Pro Triathlete, James Bonney Tops Podium at Kerrville Half