I would love to do some touring. The most I've done is an overnight camping trip and hopefully I'll do a couple more this spring. I think riding out to Big Bend would be a cool trip to make. If you're willing to drive up to Galveston and want to do a longer organized ride without a lot of hills then there's also Bike Around the Bay. It's 180 miles over 2 days around Galveston Bay. There are some big bridges on the ride but it's easier than MS150 and I like it more.
I just have an old mountain bike, but the wife and I routinely bike a 13 mile path around a state park near my house. It's a beautiful ride. I've come close to hitting a deer and a turkey. Furthest I've done on my mountain bike is about 15 miles. As an aside, how do you handle a 100 mile ride, as far as your junk goes?
Definitely need the Padded cycling tights. I never believed a small seat would be more comfortable than a big padded seat, but I'm a believer now. I've never used the butt cream either. no problems yet.
That's something to consider. Thanks. When is this Bike Around the Bay? I tried Conquer the coast in Corpus, but without clips, I cramped up bad at 35 miles. I know I"ll finish the 65 next time.
March 29th...Oblate Trail Bicycle Ride. Brownsville to Hidalgo. 65 Miles May 4th...Pedal to Padre. Brownsville to South Padre Island. 30 Miles.
I'll vouch for Bike Around the Bay. I did it twice, and I had fun both times. I like it better than MS150 because you don't need to do as much fundraising. Overall, it's a pretty interesting ride. The Fred Hartman Bridge is a nice challenge on the second day. There's also a ferry ride on the second day I believe. You'll need to get a hotel room in Galveston between the two days though.
http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/end-not-near?page=0,0&cid=social_20140424_22539964&cm_mmc=Facebook-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Story-_-end-near Last month I tried for another century but got a late start and didn't make it to the cutoff point for the 100 mile route in time. I still got in 80 though.