380-Green Belt Park, Denton

I have to commute about 55 minutes one way to work everyday. It is a long and boring drive during which I just put the car on cruise control and let it run at 60-70 mph depending on where I am on the road. There are couple of places which do offer some relief from the otherwise boring scenery. The first place is where Lewisville Lake intersects the highway and the second is where the 380-Green Belt is located. Wide, long bridges have been built at both the places so that only those who are really interested in getting into either area will pull over and the rest will just drive on. I stop by sometimes at the 380-Green Belt Park to spend a few minutes amidst old trees and nature.

If you are wondering what 380 stands for, it is the highway that I travel on and on which the park is located. It is also known as the University drive because the Texas Woman's University is located on this thoroughfare in the city of Denton. Of course this park is part of the Texas State Park System and as such it requires entry fees, which I don't have to pay because I bought a State Park Pass way back in May 2011. I am glad I did, now I can get into any state park by just waving my card and not bother about having to pay entry fees.

What I like about this green belt area is that the trees here are really old and tall. The place does look like a true green belt, unlike some others I have been to which looks more like a manicured golf course with grass all over and not a single tree. Here there are several thousand trees, and I'd not be surprised if I were to sight any wildlife. Here are some pictures for you to know what the park looks like.

Wilson Creek Trail & Park, McKinney

A sole tree stands as silent witness to the changing weather in McKinney, Texas. Children play, adolescents come here to court their romantic partners, adults and seniors throng to get some exercise. The needs of different sections of the population are different but the park and its components including this tree fulfill all the diverse needs successfully. Some lessons we as a society need to learn, to live cooperatively, rather than competitively. Lot more can be achieved this way than the present way.

Chopper Style Bicycles = Fun on the Beach

Since the time I landed in the US I have been enamored by the wide array of choices that a consumer has. I started bicycling earlier this year after I bought a hybrid bike. Now as I explore the world of bicycling in the US I came across this company which offers exclusive chopper style bicycles for riding on the beach and other laidback locations. These bicycles look different and I am sure they offer ultimate riding comfort.

The unique selling proposition of this manufacturer is that these beach bikes are priced low and are available via shipping all over the USA. They will FedEx it to anyone, anywhere in the country. These bikes have only one speed and are frill free and come with a foot brake also known as coaster brake.

After looking at the enamoring pictures of the bikes I am being tempted to buy one for myself to ride around for fun.

DFW edition of Tour De Cure

Despite the heavy downpour bicycle enthusiasts across the DFW area participated in the four bicycle rides organized in various parts of the metro area. I volunteered for Tour de Cure organized by the American Diabetes Association, I was at the very first rest stop which was visited by all the riders except those who did the 5 mile route. I guess because of the many rides in the area riders were split between the events and there were only about 500-odd riders participating in the Tour de Cure. Organized to raise funds for diabetes research this ride has special meaning to me personally because both my parents are diabetic and I hope a cure is discovered soon so they can get off the pill and lead normal lives.
What I saw at the ride was even more surprising. There were several young children riding and volunteering for this ride who were diagnosed diabetic. But they were spirited and wanted to do something about it and hence they were there braving thunder storms and the sudden cold to cheer riders or to ride themselves.
I managed to capture some good images of the riders from my vantage point at rest stop 1. It was bad lighting and incessant drizzle so the pictures have not come out all that good, but here is perhaps the best of a bad lot. Do let me know what you feel about it.

Plano Fun Ride

I volunteered at the 1st Annual Plano Fun Ride, a bicycle rally organized in aid of few local charities. The short ride (5 & 10 mile) was cut further short due to thunder storm. I was standing at the intersection playing the role of a signpost and directing traffic. Only about 250 riders showed up for the ride and less than 100 people completed the 10 mile ride. Here are some pictures I shot from my vantage point.

Hectic Summer!!!

It has been over 10 days since I blogged. Not because nothing happened in my life but because too many things have been happening and there has been no time to do anything other than, work, school, home and trying to put together an event plan for a fund-raising bicycle rally for Sankara Eye Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to eradication of curable blindness in India. Hopefully if this event becomes successful then the organization SEF will gain popularity and earn some money which will help open eyes in India.

Meanwhile I found a part time job with a small enterprise, wonder how long this job will last. The previous part time job lasted three months before it got Bangalored. This job will definitely not get Bangalored but in America nothing is permanent. So I don't know how much I can rely upon my job. At least I am glad for one thing, this will help pay for my college fees for fall 2009.

On the education front, things are still uncertain. Though the worst grade I have got is a B (80-90%), the average student here gets an A. I hope at least this fall I will manage to make straight A's and once again make it to the Dean's list. Let us see what is in store for me in the next few months.

Collin Classic 2009

Over the weekend I participated in the Collin Classic 2009, a bicycling event which took me along with about 2,000 other riders through the rolling hills of Collin County. One thing I have realized after participating in couple of bike events is that country roads in Texas are not as big or good as the highways. Country roads are narrow and often potholed. The villages are quite similar to Indian villages barring couple of differences, which are actually quite significant.

The first and primary difference between an American village and Indian village is the road infrastructure. Many Indian villages don't have proper roads, and often times the roads are just mud tracks. Another difference is the housing, here the houses are built of wood and some are mobiles homes and trailers. Barring difference in material the quality of homes seem quite the same as in most prosperous villages in India. The biggie in terms of difference is the fact that every home has couple of cars/ trucks. A fact which is impossible to see in India.

Anyway I didn't carry a camera to the ride and hence I have had to depend on the internet to scout for pictures of Collin Classic. I found a trove of pictures shot by Ateupamateur on Flickr and thought I'd post them in here.

Revisiting the Blue Bonnet Trail

On couple of occasions I had blogged about Blue Bonnet Trail in Plano. What is so great that it needs to be blogged about again? Plain and simple, I love cycling on this trail, it is great exercise and a wonderful way to get fitterr and slimmer. Apart from the exercise it provides, the trail offers a variety of scenes for the discerning/ observing eye. First off there is the soul soothing greenery.. though manicured.. occasional clumps of trees. The creeks that wind their way across the trail. Whenever I ride above the creeks the bridge feels different... yes I may be sounding ridiculous but the bicycle seems to glide smoother on the bridges than the rest of the trail.

Yesterday I took the racing bicycle for a spin on the Blue Bonnet trail and was surprised to see the number of people riding road bikes on the trail. It has been the opposite experience for me when I ride on the Univega road bicycle on this same trail. And yesterday I saw a couple laboring on a bright yellow tandem bike, riding really fast. And surprisingly there were lots of walkers all over the trail. There was one solitary rollerblader who was trudging along. His expertise didn't seem as good as the others I had come across on other trails, but he nevertheless was doing the full ten miles of the trail. I am waiting for the day when I will be able to do that.

Unique bicycles at MS-150

One thing that never ceases to astound me is the innovation that people do to get their custom set of wheels. Be it motorized or human powered, people imagine, think and work hard to create what they want. During the MS-150 I noticed that there were several participants who rode bicycles that looked different. Their vehicles actually set them apart and made them the center of attraction (at least for me). Since I didn't carry a camera during the ride I googled and found couple of pictures on Flickr. Here they are for your viewing pleasure.
Pictures from the photostream of cotmweasel on flickr

MS-150 Video

Last weekend's MS-150 was not a complete success. Weather played spoilsport and the organizers had to cancel the 2nd day's ride. Here is a video I found on youtube which shows views of rain and flooding in the Texas Motor Speedway area.

MS-150: 87 miles in 5 hours

Yesterday was the first day of MS-150 (2nd day was canceled due to rain). Got up at 5 in the morning and was pretty tensed because I wasn't sure how good my stamina was and I didn't want to make a spectacle out there. We proceeded to the starting point and were with the Team Bike Mart by 6.30 am. The entire area around the Frisco Roughriders Stadium was full of bicyclists, all of them attired in professional gear, colorful jerseys, cycling shorts, gloves, helmets etc. There were very few people like me who were not in bicycling gear but in normal sporting attire.

Looking like the odd man in sporting clothes:), that's meeee.

After some customary speeches by the National MS Society officials, sponsors and government officials the rally was flagged off. I was in the second team to be flagged off and we set off on a steady clip, moving at 20 miles per hour. I was surprised with myself that I could maintain this high a speed, maybe it was the crowd and maybe it was the road. But my average speed to the first rest point 9 miles away was 17.6 miles per hour. This was the fastest average of the day.

The real countryside roads began after the first break point and we passed through vast open spaces of back country Texas. Vast ranches, occasional homes and open space with a few horses running around characterized most of the route. At the second break point my average speed had dropped to 15 mph, which I maintained for the rest of the ride. It was a humbling experience to see people around double my age passing me on the road. I lost count of how many people passed me rushing speedily onwards towards the finish line. Just after the third rest point the route took us along the banks of the 30,000 acre Lake Ray Roberts, this humongous water body looked more like an ocean, than a dam/ lake/ reservoir. The 2.5 miles water front ride was one of the most beautiful in my opinion.
Half way through we stopped at Sanger, Tx a small town of 4,500 people and I was shocked to see an ultra-modern soccar and tennis stadium in this back of the boon docks place. Sprawling parking lots were enough to house over 3,000 cyclists, volunteers and service personnel.
Post lunch the ride took us through the hilly part of the DFW metroplex. This was perhaps the toughest section of the ride as we meandered up and down hills, dales and added to that the roads were pathetic, loose gravel, potholes and what not. Cars and trucks whizzed past us. It was a common to hear the rider at back shouting "Car Back" and "On your left". The latter uttered when someone wanted to overtake another rider. I picked up the rhythm and started yelling "On your left" as I passed couple of riders.
Frankly I expected to take lot more time, perhaps the full 8 hours to complete 87 miles of bicycling. I am glad I was able to finish it in just about 5 hours time including the last 5 miles through a thunderstorm. I was drenched to the bone by the time I rode across the finish line in the Texas Motor Speedway. Every millimeter of my skin was soaked, I was cold, hungry and my butt was sore. As I crossed the finish line, official photographers flashed, one of the officials congratulated me that I was among the first 500 to finish. Boy! I was glad it was all over. Then after couple of hours of socializing with riders and strutting around the Texas Motor Speedway, I loaded the bike onto the car and returned home for a hot shower and dinner.

Tomorrow is MS-150

I woke up this morning with a sense of anticipation and thrill. Today is the MS-150 expo at Frisco and tomorrow morning we are riding towards the Texas Motor Speedway. There has been a slight change of plans due to the Swine Flu scares and the second day's ride starts and ends at the Texas Motor Speedway. This ride will be a testing one for me because it has been 16 years since I did any serious bicycling. As part of my training the best time I could manage was 12.3 miles per hour and the longest distance I did in a day was about 50 miles. The first day's MS-150 ride is about 80 miles. I sure I don't collapse midway and cause a nuisance for the organizers. I am quite determined to complete the ride, but let us see what happens tomorrow.

For now take a look at the map of both days ride and you will get an idea of what I am up to.

One day remaining for the MS-150

The day is finally dawning upon me and I don't know whether I am fully prepared or not. I haven't been able to train during the past week because of moving. I am quite confident that I will complete the ride but only thing is that it wouldn't be as effortlessly as I had originally envisaged. Tomorrow is the grand inaugural expo of the MS ride and I am definitely looking forward to it.
I received an email from the organizers that there will be a change of route because of the Swine Flu pandemic which is raging across the continent of North America. There has been one confirmed death in Texas and several cases reported in the DFW metroplex too. Some county governments have prohibited all public gatherings to stem the spread of the virus through carriers. Hence the original end of the route has been changed and a new route has been set up which we will know about tomorrow. Let us see what day after tomorrow holds.

Bicycle tricks and stunts

When I started training for the MS-150 bicycle ride last month, I added another facet to the training. To learn some cool and wacky bike tricks while training. How do I learn them? If it was old days when Internet wasn't there, I'd have to depend on TV and memory and a lot of trail and error. But now with Youtube there are thousands of self-styled experts teaching how to do stunts on a bicycle and a host of other things.

I liked these two stunts very much and tried practicing them during my training. Of course I haven't succeeded in mastering the tricks yet... but I hope to get there some day and when I do get there I will surely post some nice videos. And till then you could enjoy watching these guys.

Two More days for the big weekend!!!

The much-awaited Big Bike Weekend is just two days away. I have trained intermittently for this event, definitely not as much as I would have liked to have done. But more than the physical training part of the ride, I have been frustrated and saddened by the fact that only couple of my friends have actually agreed to donate to the cause and help me reach my modest fund-raising goal. Statistically the US is the largest giving country... almost $8 billion a year is given away to charity by people, corporations and foundations. But somehow I haven't been able to raise a mere $300, wonder why? Maybe my approach was not right, maybe I didn't talk to the right people, maybe I don't know the right people. Whatever the reason maybe... the bottom line is that I have failed in my goal to raise funds for a worthy cause.

I am pretty sure that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and its ramifications upon patients is well known to most people. But still I wonder why 98% of the people I wrote to didn't consider donating towards research for finding a cure for MS. Maybe they have other pet charities to which they donate.

On the physical front also I haven't trained to the level I wanted to. For the past 5 days I haven't cycled even one mile. I could give a hundred reasons for not doing but the plain and simple truth is I haven't done it. Our moving homes did take a lot of my energy and time and also my approaching exams are taking me out of physical activity towards studies.

I just hope I would be able to ride the 160 miles smoothly... even if I am the last guy to cross the finish line it is fine. But my worst nightmare would be to collapse midway, unable to ride. I hope that wont happen...

And last but not the least, here is a last entreaty to all my blog readers to contribute to my cause, every $ counts. Do take time to visit my page and donate. All I am asking you all is to sponsor $0.10 for every mile I ride.. i.e. $16.00. That is not much is it?

Click here to contribute.

Explore Switzerland the slow and steady way

In my opinion travel is best done slow and relaxed. Visiting some place is not to see everything there but to feel and absorb the essence of the location. This can be done only when the mode of transport is such that you becoming part of the scenery and not just look at it. What better way to do this than travel by bike?

Europe is a great place for bicycling. Within Europe one nation stands out in terms of scenic beauty, natural attractions and rolling countrysides. Yes you guessed right, it is Switzerland. One of my biggest dreams is to travel across this stamp-sized nation by bicycle! Being an avid bike enthusiast I have been exploring the net trying to find out ways and means of taking a quick bike holiday in this wondrous mountain nation.

I came across Bike Switzerland, a premier bicycle tour company based in Geneva. Their tours offer participants a glimpse to the rich diversity, history and outdoor grandeur of Switzerland. The tours emphasis is on luxury, relaxation, experience and value for clients money. The itineraries are designed such that cyclists get to travel on backroads of the nation and see end to end of Switzerland in just 7-8 days.

Of course if you are the explorer types, you could opt for an independent tour package and discover Swiss hospitality on your own. If you would rather enjoy the luxury of having all the arrangements taken care, then opt for a guided bicycle tour and you can experience stay in castles, monasteries, chalets and spa hotels.

You don't have to worry about your baggage transfers or on-road bike repairs or anything like that. All those little details are taken care of by Bike Switzerland. All you need to do is to bicycle and enjoy your holiday.

Last Year's MS 150

Since I registered and started training for the National MS Society's, MS-150 bicycle ride, I have been searching the web for videos about the previous events. This is basically to learn about the format of the event and also to get an idea of what its going to be like on May 2-3 this year. I found this video of last years event and felt that it would be great to share with all my blog readers.
My fund raising efforts are still on, few people have committed to donate for the cause of MS, nobody has actually donated yet. Hopefully in the next ten days I will achieve my fund-raising goal.

Inspirations for the MS-150 Bike ride

Since I registered for the Sam's club MS-150 bike ride I have been training on bicycling trails in the area and also looking up information, videos, pictures and articles about MS and the past rides. I found this video presentation of 2007 MS-150 bike ride and thought I'd share it with all of you.

Training on Plano Trails

The past couple of days I have been training in the city of Plano, Tx. This city unlike Carrollton (where I live) has better maintained and longer bicycling trails. There are three trails which I frequent The Blue Bonnet Trail, Preston Ridge Trail and Chisolm Trail. Since I wanted to seriously train I didn't carry my camera, so you all will have to be content with word pictures.
Moreover today was perhaps a bad day for cycling because the wind was heavy and one direction of my cycling was a tough cookie... the harder I cycled the more resistant the wind became... so I guess I would have expended twice the amount of energy to do the same distance.

The Blue Bonnet Trail is a 5-mile long trail which passes through various residential neighborhoods and parks. This East-West trail is lined by large expanses of blue bonnet plants. It is a treat to the eye to watch these blue blossoms swaying in the wind as we whiz past on the trail. I kinda don't like this trail very much because this has too many street crossings and there is very little tree cover... actually no tree cover at all.

Then there is the Preston Ridge Trail... this is also a long trail which runs in the North-South direction and like the Blue Bonnet trail much of it is through residential communities and hence quite boring too. The one better feature of this trail is that this is wee bit hilly and one can experience climbs and down hills. The last mile of the trail, close the highway 121, is through a protected forest and has quite a bit of tree cover and a large artificial lake.

The last trail Chisolm Trail is my favorite, for two reasons, this a lots of tree cover, runs along a winding creek and has very few street crossings. Whenever a road has to be crossed the trail passes under the road via a cool bridge. There are beautiful lake views, forest areas, conservation buffer zones etc, along the trial. And of course I caught glimpses of urban wildlife... geese, ducks, cranes, egrets, and of course the ubiquitous cormorants and crows. Chisolm trail also passes along a large lake in an area known as Big Lake Park and a war memorial, known as Memorial Park. These attractions give a unique character to this trail and thus my favourite.

I enjoyed cycling 30 miles (50 km) today, took me 2 hrs 45 mins and hopefully I will do more tomorrow and the days to come.

Needless to say I am still looking for donations for my cause - Eradication of Multiple Sclerosis. Do visit my page and contribute generously to this needy cause.

Vistas of Campion Trail, Irving

I had blogged earlier about my bicycling experience on the 5-mile Campion trail in Irving as part of my training for the MS-150 bike ride. Well one thing I must say about this trail is its natural and man-made beauty. While some of the river views along the trail are stunning.. the sight of the mega highways of Texas is no less awesome. If trees, river and birds soothe your soul, the road sight and traffic noises make you starkly aware of human intervention here.

Here are some more pictures shot along the trail.