The Austin, Texas Cogal; December 4, 2011
Stop the presses, North American Cogal #2 is off and running. @Jeff in PetroMetro is organizing a ride deep in the heart-o-Texas on December 4, 2011 for the rider who wants a taste of drought, dust storm, truck nuts and fun. Lest we forget what a Cogal is, “… A meeting of like-minded misfits brought together by the promise of beer, preceded by a bike ride.” Commemorative V-Pints can be fabricated for such a thirst inducing event, please send orders through Velominati central ordering department. They may even be ready in time to wash that Texas dust down the neck hole.
Keep the rubber side down, Gianni
—
Dang! We’re havin’ a Cogal in Austin! How ’bout that?
I guess I’ve been a Velominatus for a little over a year now. In that time, I’ve gotten to know many fellow Velominati online. And I feel like I know y’all. But I’ve never had the opportunity to meet any of you in person. And for that matter, I don’t know most of y’all by your given names.
But some of that is about to change. On the weekend of December 4th, in Austin, I get to meet, live and in Technicolor, Buck Rogers, Itburns, Bongo, and, rumor has it, Souleur. Buck’s coming up from San Antonio with Mrs. Buck and the Buckettes. Itburns is driving in from Houston (Yewstun), same as me and my relations. Bongo’s on his way from Waco (Way-Coe). And Souleur’s coming from I don’t know where. But I know it’s a long drive.
Why Austin? ‘Cause it’s not Houston.
Austin’s pretty. Austin’s cool. Austin’s where I lived as a student, a bike racer, and as a young college graduate with a good state gubment job. Austin’s got rolling hills, good barbeque, and cold beer. And, in case I forgot to mention it, Austin’s not Houston.
So, here’s the plan, set in sand in a windstorm: I’m driving up Friday night, December 2nd, and spending the weekend. I’m staying in a hotel near the Arboretum which is in northwest Austin. That’s near the north end of Highway 360 (Capital of Texas Highway) almost where it meets Highway 183. 360 is a great jumping off point for a rolling, hilly ride west of Austin. We’ll start in the parking lot of the Arboretum. I’ll let y’all know exactly where late next week.
We’ll head southwest and make a counter-clockwise loop. As we come back east, approaching Austin from the south, I’d like to go through Buda (Bew-duh). As we come up through Austin we’ll make our way up to 35thStreet, then west over Mt. Bonnell and back toward 360 for a ride north to our starting point.
Mind you, all of this is subject to change after next Tuesday, when I’m riding reconnaissance in Austin.
I’d like for all of us to get together on Saturday evening at the Shady Grove restaurant on Barton Springs Road. We’ll get some good food, some good beer and/or margaritas, and put some faces with some names. Time to be determined, but I’m guessing around 6pm so we can eat, drink, visit, and still get some decent sleep.
Sunday morning, we’ll get a big stack of gingerbread pancakes at Kerbey Lane Café. Then at either V before 10, or V after 10, we’ll head off into the wild blue yonder.
My intention is to keep the ride between 130km and 160km. There will be quite a bit of rolling hills and not much flat. This will be a Casually Deliberate ride. No one gets dropped by much or for too long, and there will be plenty of places to stop and load up on food and drinks.
I’ll post more details after my visit to Austin on Tuesday. Stay tuned.
If anyone else can join us in Austin, please do. I’m looking forward to seeing y’all.
Well set up, JiPM. We’ll be there with our chaps on!
Thanks for setting all of this up.
What hotel are you using, if you do not mind me asking? Of course, we’ll get a room far away from you as we are usually a bit noisy in hotels with the five young kiddos et al.
Fronk: When and how do we pay for our pint glasses?
Strong work everyone. Smart to choose not only a neutral location but a whole neutral city to avoid unannounced drop-ins at the house.
Austin sounds like a fantastic place to ride a bike and your itinerary sounds perfect aside from no stops at Mellow Johnny’s, what gives?
@Frank
In the interest of setting up future Cogals, do the Keepers have a listing of members by locale? I don’t see a ZIPcode field in my account information, but it would be interesting to see how many are within a 5 hour drive of certain cities. Pittsburgh, for instance is relatively central to quite a few metro areas and in close proximity to both flatland and hills.
….still wondering if the Liege shaped Keepers’ Cogal might be a possibreality ??
Co-GAL! Co-Gal! Co-GAL!
Yeeeee-haw! Y’all have fun now, ya hear?
I agree with @Marko, you cowpokes need to stop in at Mellow Johnny’s and get matching yellow arm bands! Who knows, maybe ‘ol Johnny will join you for the cogal.
@mcsqueak
How about dropping in and presenting him with a limited edition cotho v-shirt!
@mcsqueak
Maybe you should all meet at Mellow Johnny’s but studiously ignore it and not go in. Adopt the pose COTHO is adopting in the Casually Deliberate article.
Being TX, does someone in the group have to pack heat and if so, is there a rule on how this is done? Can a holster be strapped to the side of the headtube? That would be the logical place for easy access.
I’ll be happy to be the point man for a WI Cogal next spring. I’m within 90 mins of all major metro areas. We are a serious beer=producing state. Fantastic riding country too. Anyone else interested?
@Dr C
After my big sportive last weekend, Mrs Chris asked me what would be next. I mentioned a desire to do LBL to which she replied “That sounds lovely, the kids would love a weekend in Belgium watching a big race!” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that it wasn’t quite what I had in mind.
“No, dearest, I’m not just going to ride my bike but go for beers with a bunch of chaos that I met on the ‘net while talking about leg shaving and nipple lube”
Speaking of what’s next, I’m booked into the the Hell of the Ashdown in February and the Cheshire Cat in March as part of a build up towards a possible LBL. Anyone else entered these? (The Ashdown ride sold out within 24 hours so if you’re not in it already it’s too late)
No bluebonnets that time of year, but Texas Hill Country is still awful purdy… I’ll be getting back from one trip and leaving on another that weekend, so I’ll have to experience another Cogal vicariously. I still want to host a SoCal Cogal in Santa Ynez / Solvnag this spring, so stay tuned.
Have fun y’all!
@ Jeff metro-petro
Sounds like a fantastic ride. Souleur lives deeply embedded within the hillbilly hollows of the Ozarks, in Missouri, or misery as many refer to it as…and there may indeed be some truth in that. Miserable part is the time I have to alot to make any descent rides. Its about a 12 hour drive from where I am at or I can bend over and take it from some corporate jet airline and buy 2 tickets for me and my bike as she would sit idley by me as a beloved 2nd passenger. I am currently seeing what my partners have in terms of time out of the office here and see if i can make this cogal work, which will be like going to Mecca for me.
I will let you know next week, at least I do have a buddy down there and I will crash his pad and make him buy my beer! Just calling in favors hopefully.
@wiscot
I would have though the same rules for a pump action would apply as they do with frame pumps rear triangle or a maybe have to have a .22 so as not to make the back pocket sag?
@Dr C @Chris
If we can plan a ride for Monday, April 23″”the day after LBL””then I’m in. I’ll be arriving in Europe the morning of LBL…
Best of luck and happy riding to the Austin set.
No promises but the prospect is intriguing. My rides are in an around a WI city with a large ediface to another sport but I’m always interested in new rides.
@Torvid
See, that’s the issue. How to pack without causing unsightly bulges or sagging in one’s garments? Clearly un-Pro. Hence the strap-it-to-the-headtube option!
@Kyle
I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m going to say I’m a really easy 2hrs south of green Bay on US 41. We can ban any garments that feature green or gold if that’ll help.
@Kyle
Stay tuned for a WI Cogal in late March.
@wiscot
Green and Gold is not a problem. I’m wearing it today.
@Steampunk
Riding in March means I need to get a trainer.
Ooh, Cogal Texas-style! Have fun, I’m too far away to make it.
@Kyle
That’s one option. I’m looking into a Spartacus engine if I have to ride that early in the year with Josh again…
The mobile site has gone wonky. Can’t see any posts.
@RedRanger, Actually its the regular version of website too. Posts not visible.
Ah, so it’s not just my I-pad. I can only see the right hand column posts.
Wait, does this mean that I actually have to get some work done now? God forbid!
@all
Site is fucked. Working on it.
@frank
Back up and running. Fuckedyfuckfuck.
@JiPM
Can you substantiate the rumor that the English sense of humor is drier than the Texas sand?
@all Cogalminati: ride well, have fun, chew Redman.
English humour is Punch Magazine. Yank humor is a punch in the yarbles.
@frank
Such an amazing movie. Need to see it again with the VMH.
@Souleur
Wish I could make it but it’s too far now, but Ozarks – Austin is a nice big drive, I did it once in college on a St. Louis-Austin roadtrip.
@ JiPM
“So, here’s the plan, set in sand in a windstorm:”
Any mention of sand in a windstorm reminds me of my years living and riding in Lubbock, TX. Not a lot of hills but truly the land of the daily peleton breaking wind! Enjoy, and know that I am jealous of your weather as I have already had to hit the trainer on several occasions. However, I never seem to miss those 100+ days in July or August.
@wiscot
“I’ll be happy to be the point man for a WI Cogal next spring. I’m within 90 mins of all major metro areas. We are a serious beer=producing state. Fantastic riding country too. Anyone else interested?”
I will second your motion for you to Ochowicz this WI Cogal. I am looking forward to it! I am sure there are several Velominalurkers in and around the Beer City and the Peoples Republic that will have some interest. I would be happy to be a domestique for you if needed on the setup.
@Dino
Dino, Sounds grand. As you are a Tosa-man, you’re practically a neighbor to West Bend.
Although it’s a verboten phrase around here, I think we might be reaching a “critical mass” for a WI cogal. Mind you, while it was suggestively slated for late March when applications of Rule #5 would be de rigeur, I’m going to suggest May. Still plenty of opportunity for obeying Rules #5, #9, #21, #23 and #67. Kinda far out right now but I’ll come up with some dates in the Spring for sure.
You’ll recognize the song:
Come and listen to a story about a man named Jeff
A poor cy-cle-ist, barely knew his cogal left,
Then one day he was gunnin at up a climb,
And up from behind came a crew a makin’ time….
Sur le plaque that is, big ring, dishin’ V…
Well the first thing you know ol’ Jeffs suffirin’ long and hard
Kinfolk said Jeff toughen up yer guns
Said peleton-e-a is the place you ought to be
So they loaded up the guns and started stompin out the V….
Five, that is.
Velomohotties…Belgian style…
Well now its time to say good-bye to Jeff and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.
You’re all invited back again to this co-gal-i-ty
To have a heapin helpin of their Velominatily
Merckx that is. Pull a spell. Put your shoes on. Y’all HTFU now, y’hear?
Fuck me, if we’re going to have Velominati: the Musical, I’m going back to downhilling!
Strong work @eightzero!
@Chris
Htiler on Ice, BABY!!!
@wiscot
I could be talked into leaving central Iowa for the SW corner is WI for a ride. I’m a solid 2+ hours to that area. I’ll warn you right now though. I am not the kind of rider that can run off and drop the pack by any stretch of the imagination. I’ll be lucky to be able to keep up with you young guns.
Rode my Harley in that part of the state and just loved it. Such nice smooth road out in the middle of nowhere with very little traffic.
fasthair
@Buck Rogers
Htiler? Nillpe lube, dude.
@wiscot
Glock 17 in a shoulder rig. If it’s cool weather you can conceal it under a light layer, if not wear it under one your jerseys from when you were fat.
@Chris
@Dr C
Stay tuned; not Liege, but a Flanders/Roubaix week in the pipeline. Do both, do either…
@xyxax
Nope. But Gary P. and Jerry Jeff can.
@sgt
That would be rad. A Cali Cogal should get on the calendar.
@Buck Rogers
I’ll know the hotel by Tuesday. I’ve stayed at it a few times. But I can’t remember the name. There are bunches of hotels around there. Got to be something budget friendly.
@wiscot
If you’re packing, you can’t have your weapon in view, but you can carry a concealed handgun if you have a Concealed Handgun License. That means your Glock 23 has to go in a jersey pocket.
@Souleur
If you can make it, that’d be great. The more the merrier!
@eightzero
NIPPLE.LUBE.+1
“Y’all HTFU now, y’hear?”–That’s gotta go on a t-shirt, a bumber sticker, a coffee mug, a gimme cap, and a koozie.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
So I’m scrolling thru the sidebar and seeing what’s up since I’ve been busy all day and I see this: “If you’re packing, you can’t have your weapon in view, but you can carry a concealed handgun”. Fuckin’ a Merckx on a stick. Is this the Texas Cogal or High Noon? LOVE you crazy ass Lone Star folk!
@Dino
Fixed your post!
Slight post hijack here…
I’m riding Cross Crusade in Barton Park outside of Portland, OR this Sunday morning at 10:30. I’ll be wearing the V-kit.
Or, I’m around Saturday night if anyone wants to get together for beers? @mcsqueak, @scaler911? Email boss@topfunky.com
Sounds like it’s going to be along the lines of fun, fun, beer, BBQ, fun, fun, cogal, fun, fun, more beer and BBQ and more fun! Enjoy!!
@brett
Still up for something whilst in Oz? Happy to co-ordinate something for Shidoney if we can get some takers? @harminator? plus some locals to make up the numbers if not enough Velominati?
@il ciclista medio
I’ll go if dingoes.