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Heart of Texas Dart Pop




Six routes and four teams were originally signed up for a day in the hill country. As the day of the ride arrived, a few riders backed out so on ride day, Peter and Gary shuffled things around and we ended up with 3 teams with 5 riders on each team. In a dart, your team must have at least 3 riders and your team only gets credit if at least 3 riders finish and all riders should finish together. In general, this is a relaxed ride with lots of stops, lots of laughs, lots of smiles, and plenty of time to ride leisurely and to stop and smell the roses.


We had riders from all over Texas show up to ride. Most were from central Texas, but we had guests from LSR and HSR clubs as well. On my team were 3 of my good friends Amy, GaryK, and IanF. We enjoyed hosting a 5th rider - FredC from Houston. Amy was our team captain and we were signed up for SSFA. We picked this route based on previous rides. The coffee shop in Salado is one of the best places to stop and enjoy coffee and eat breakfast.


The ride stared at the Rentsch Brewery in Georgetown at 08:00 on Saturday. Riders showed up early to get their bikes ready. Temperature was around 39 at the ride start. It was the first chilly day for riding and I think it was a nice change from the warm, muggy starts we have been having for the last month. It finally feels like Fall with low humidity and cool temperatures. Wind was not going to be a factor which was a huge relief. Earlier in the week, winds had been gusting up to 40mph and it would have ruined the day if it had stayed windy. The wind would start in the NW in the morning and eventually would swing around to the SE according to the forecast.



Ride captain Amy ready to lead us north



With each team ready, we all rolled out. The 2nd to last control for every team was Andice so we all looked forward to seeing each other between 1pm and 2pm in Andice. As our team rolled out, I felt good, but a few miles up the road I was having trouble breathing. I dropped off the back of our group to work on getting my breathing under control. I think it may have been the colder weather and the allergens in the air that was a trigger. Being at the back allowed me to capture a few photos of our team.




The first planned control was in the town of Schwertner. We put a foot down here to take off clothing as the sun was up and it was getting warmer. I used my rescue inhaler to help clear my lungs and I took off my heavier gloves and put on my regular gloves. We were making good time and were on schedule to arrive in Salado with time for a 30 minute stop. We arrived into Salado excited to finally reach Lively Coffee Shop. As we reached the cafe, we found it was closed due to short staffing. COVID-19 strikes again! Fortunately, we were with Gary who lives in Salado and he led us up the road to another cafe that was on the route in the next block. The restaurant was super busy, but the outdoor seating was available. The waiter advised us to order pastry or bagels if we were in a hurry. He said the kitchen was swamped. Our table ordered coffee and bagels. These came out pretty much as promised. We spent 10 minutes longer here than planned, but we figured with the favorable conditions we could accommodate this.


We left Salado and headed west towards Florence. The stretch along 2484 out of Salado was not great. Lots of traffic and very little shoulder. We were glad to finally turn off this road heading SW on Crows Nest Rd which is a nice, quiet country road. We rode at a leisurely pace making good time towards Florence. We arrived to the store and we decided to make the stop short so that we could ride the next 8.3 miles to Andice. The last time we visited D Boones, Jeff had been so looking forward to breakfast tacos, but on that day, we got to the store too early. On this stop, breakfast tacos were available. Amy got one since she did not get to have the expected breakfast in Salado.


We left Florence and headed towards Andice. The roads between Florence and Andice are rural and pretty. It was easy to slow down and chat.



We finally got to Andice and found other riders there ahead of us. We took off our shoes (as they are not allowed in the store) and each of us bought something to eat and drink. I bought fries and a Mexican Coca-Cola. I shared fries with anyone that wanted some as there was more than enough. Tucker ordered the cheeseburger that Andice is famous for.






We waited around enjoying the sun and fellowship. But at 2PM, captain Amy said we needed to get down the road for the final miles to the finish. We mounted our bikes and rolled west towards Georgetown. There were a couple more hills to climb but we had favorable conditions. We did opt to stop one more time for coffee at the Starbucks near Shell Rd in Georgetown.




We enjoyed our coffee and then made our way back to the course and headed on towards the brewery. Each of the teams came in spaced apart but it was good to see that all teams were there and everyone finished. Many of us opted to go into the brewery and have a drink. There was a dog adoption event going on and lots of people brought pets dressed up in costume. Patti and her husband shared pictures of their recent trip to Peru. Stunning vistas at high altitude.


The group eventually broke up and we all said so long until next time. There is a 400K next weekend (and also 2 other distances). I will miss this ride as I will be out of town. The last big ride of 2021 will be the 600K in December out of Georgetown. I hope to be there as I see if I can get enough miles to earn K-Hound this year. If it happens, great, if it doesn't, I'll try to have fun and just enjoy the miles with friends.


All the photos from the ride are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FCX3ydYaCJkNRjBF9

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