Just on the heels of “The Old Give and Take”, here I am talking about traffic in the city of Austin. Yes, I did give up some quiet, low traffic roads for what we have here in Austin….but the fact that I’m right now riding in October with warm temperatures is enough to make me super happy.  Plus, it’s all about adventure anyway, right?

But seriously….is it just me or have the streets of Austin become insanely busier over the past few years?  For some reason, I don’t remember them being quite like this in the past.

Source: Criminal
Justice

One thing that I have always complimented the Austin infrastructure on is how well the traffic flows. Sure, the red lights seem to last for hours…but once you get a green, you’re good to go for a very long time.  What happened?  It doesn’t seem to flow that well any longer.

There really is no avoiding it in a car, but I have been looking into ways to minimize it while on my bike. When I ride, I like to go non-stop….I’m not a fan of having to stop for traffic, lights, or anything else.  I did a 3 hour ride last week, and with all the stops I had to make it ended up being a 3:20 ride…..crazy.  So as often as I can, I’m going to find me some good old country roads where I can be free to pedal on forever.  Hey all you Austin riders…..any advice?  Can you steer me in the right direction for good non-traffic rides?

Sure I’ll continue on with the usual bike routes around here (incredible cycling, even with the stops), but I’ll also be searching out some quieter spots as often as I can.

I grew up in a family where one of the mantras was:

There is always a give and take…for everything you gain, there is something you have to give up.

Being a guy who has had his fair share of change in his life, this phrase seems to flash across my mind quite often….and being here in Austin right now is no exception.

While out on a ride the other day (It seems like all of my stories start out that way – but it’s true), I started analyzing this family mantra and debating the truth to it all.  At first I came up with the equation of Stuff Gained – Stuff Lost = Value of Decision.  But then as I pedalled on, I got to thinking “How can the decision of change or adventure ever be a bad thing?”.

Sure there is a give and take…there is always going to be some of that in everything we do.  But we can’t beat ourselves up over it.  Adventure/Change/Living Life wins out every single time.  Enough said.

What I do know is that right now I have gained great cycling weather, a great cycling environment, fantastic cycling friends…..and a whole lot of fun and excitement on and off the bike.