While in Austin this weekend, I spent four hours on Town Lake auditioning kayaks. I’m looking to buy a touring kayak after having finally gotten permission from the boss. I’ve tried out lots of boats from Necky, Wilderness Systems, Dagger, and Perception and still haven’t decided yet. Just for grins, I tried on a Dagger whitewater kayak. Those things are crazy. You can do just about anything in them except go in a straight line. And they definitely aren’t meant to accomodate someone with big, bulging 27 inch thighs. Ouch. I think I’ll stick to touring kayaks.

I’ll probably spend a couple more weekends renting different boats here in Dallas before making my selection. I’ll have to make room in the garage amidst all of the bicycles. If only she would give up her side of the garage. I need more room for my hobbies. 🙂

My butt has graced the saddles of my bikes very little this year. Last year I was riding 100-200 miles a week and doing at least two rallies a month. This year, I’ve been sitting my ass on the couch instead of on the saddle. I’ve done only one rally this summer, and I’ve put in a pitiful amount of base miles. All motivation has fled this year. This happens from time to time, and I find that buying a new gadget for the bike helps get me back in the saddle. Sometimes I get new pedals or some overpriced piece of titanium or carbon. This time, I decided to get a new cyclocomputer. Being the gadget fiend that I am, I’ve gone through many bike computers, heart rate monitors, and watches. My current rig is a Polar S720i. There’s nothing wrong with it, and I’ll still use it for its heart rate features, but I want something shiny and new. So, I just ordered a Cateye CC-CD300DW. Let’s see if it gets me back on the bike for awhile. It should be delivered in time for me to take it for a test ride at the Hotter’N Hell Hundred on the 28th.

Woohoo. A new cycling tour, United Texas Tour, will be the longest stage race in America. With a purse of $175,000, it should attract some good teams. It will start and finish in DFW and pass through much of North Texas, so I should be able to catch a few stages. American cycling needs some more races like this. I hope to someday see a Tour of America.

The professional cycling tour is scheduled to be the longest multi-stage race in the United States, and will pass through more than 50 Texas cities in which United Supermarkets and Market Street currently operate stores. The race is a fully sanctioned event by USA Cycling, the official governing body for professional cycling competitions in the United States.

As one of very few sanctioned events in America, the United Texas Tour can expect to attract many of the world%u2019s best national trade teams and top Division I professional racers to Texas. Set at $175,000, the race will also feature the richest purse of its kind in America.

The Tour will being in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area and for ten days will pass along the Red River through Wichita Falls, through the rugged and scenic Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, the high plains of Lubbock and the Big Country of Abilene on its way back to the Metroplex.