Here’s a quick run down of recommended events for the coming week from our comprehensive calendar of all cycling events. Thanks to Jason at ATXBS for letting us know about some events we couldn’t find elsewhere. As always, if there is an event you know about that’s not on our calendar contact us, and we’ll add your event on and possibly add it to the weekly round up.

Thursday, June 25

Kenny Hill AutoWerks’ Driveway Criterium Races
4:30 PM, Community Rally, 5:30 PM, Races, The Driveway, 8400 Delwau Ln
Weekly Thursday night road racing through October that takes place on the closed car-free driving course at the Driveway. Races include Cat 4/5 at 6:10, Cat 3/4 at 5:30, Pro/Cat 1/2/3 at 6:45 to choose from with a fourth Masters race (40 + years old) running from May 21- August 6 starting at 7:45. Open riding during Community Rally from 4:30- 5:30 PM. Races registration $20, Rally $10. $5 off with 8 oz can donated to Capital Area Food Bank. See our article about the series for more info.

Thursday Night Bike Polo
5:30 PM, Eastwoods Park, 3001 Harris Park Ave
The Austin Bike Polo Club has added another weekly match to the regular Sunday afternoon affair. All bikes and skill levels are welcome and spare mallets and balls are available if you don’t have any. Check out our recent article on bike polo for more info.

Bicycle Sport Shop Women Only Bike Maintenance Class
6PM, Bicycle Sport Shop Central, 517 S. Lamar Blvd
Free basic maintenance class (including how to fix a flat) taught by one of the BSS skilled female mechanics.

Urban Night Ride
7:30 PM, Lamar Blvd Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge
A ride from the Facebook group Social Cycling ATX. Meet at Pedestrian Bridge at 7:30p.m. leave at 8:00p.m. sharp. Bring your cameras & twitter phones and get some good sunset shots. This week Lift Beverage Cafe has hooked the ride up with buy one get one free smoothie cards. If your interested in going to Lift before the ride contact the group through their Facbeook page. This Thursdays Urban Night Ride will be fun and games… literally. We’re following the Colorado River (on streets not path) East to Metz Park, right behind the Holly Street Power Plant. There we will stop, chill and engage in some friendly biking competitions. There will be prizes awarded. There is also a nice smooth covered basketball court for some tricks if you are of that brand of cyclist. This week, the Scoot Inn has invited us to come hang out for some beer in their killer outdoor space. As always, you must have a valid drivers license and be over 21 to get into the bar. If you haven’t been to the Scoot Inn, you are in for a treat.

Friday, June 26

Critical Mass Ride
5 PM, West Mall, University of Texas Campus
This bike jamming ride is designed to shout to the world that bikes belongs and occurs on the last Friday of the month. You never know what will happen, but don’t miss this foundation of the Austin bike culture we know today.

Traffic Skills 101 sponsored by Austin Cycling Association
5 PM, REI Gateway, 9901 N Capitol of Texas Hwy, Ste 200
Do you want to ride your bike but are afraid of traffic?  Or are you an experienced cyclist who would like to learn how to get more courtesy and respect from motorists? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes”, you should take Traffic Skills 101, the League of American Bicyclist’s (LAB) street cycling course for adults. Traffic Skills 101 will help you ride safely and effectively – to work, to the store, around your neighborhood, or around the state. Traffic Skills 101 is taught by LAB-certified instructors, and the curriculum covers everything from bike selection to simple maintenance to fixing a flat, to strategies for riding a bike safely and confidently. It is taught to very small classes (generally 5 to 10 students), in two sessions: 4 hours on a Friday evening and 5 hours on a Saturday morning. Registration is required.

Saturday, June 27

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Fredericksburg Road Race
8 AM, Doss, TX
This race varies from 22 miles to 78 miles with Cat 5- Pro racing as well as Women’s, Juniors, and Masters. Racers will be treated to such highlights as visiting the highest point in Gillespie County, a start/finish in picturesque Doss, Texas, and the gravity-assisted Maner Road corkscrew. PLUS approximately 1200 feet of climbing per lap. 

Mellow Johnny’s Scout-A-Ride Shop Road Ride: Southern Culture off the Grid
8:30 AM, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St
Saturday mornings spent exploring City of Austin bike routes finding new neighborhoods and ways to get around on your bike. This week’s theme is Southern Culture off the Grid. Scout out the City of Austin Bike Routes – Head south of downtown via Bouldin, roll through the Emerald Forest and return via Forest Wood and Robert E Lee. Today’s Routes: 31, 82, 84, 25, 11, 64, and 33. These are 2 ways to get from Dittmar north across Lady Bird Lake. These rides are meant for exploring so bring questions not your heart rate monitor. Come at 8:00 for pre-ride coffee. Ride organizer: Eileen Schaubert at eileen@mellowjohnnys.com or 512-426-4851.

Violet Crown Cycles Custom City Bikes at the Sunset Valley Farmer’s Market
9 AM- 1 PM, Sunset Valley Farmer’s Market, Tony Burger Center Parking Lot, 3200 Jones Rd
Austin’s newest framebuilder, Violet Crown Cycles, now has a booth at the Sunset Valley Farmer’s Market. Violet Crown Cycles is a builder of custom, handbuilt Dutch style city bikes. View and test ride sample bikes, browse custom options, and have your questions answered about the bike building process and the features of bikes truly built for transportation. Come out and see the bikes and get some fresh, locally grown food while your at it.

Frankenbike #47
Noon- 4 PM, Hammerhead Bikes, 6706 Burnet Ln
Austin’s semi-regular bike parts swap is back. Need a saddle or set of pedals to finish off that project bike? Have a box of never used or lightly used bike parts in the garage your significant other wants you to get rid of? Frankenbike is your answer. Stop by for a bit or stay all afternoon to hawk you wares. As always, admission is free, recycling great stuff is priceless. June’s Frankenbike’s location will be at Hammerhead Bike Shop’s new location at 6706 Burnet Lane (NOT Burnet Road). Burnet Lane splits off to thee east of Burnet Lane starting just north of Koenig Ln. 

Sunday, June 28

New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride
7 AM, Fiesta Gardens‎, 2101 Bergman Ave
The Urban Assault Ride is a funky bike scavenger hunt that involves street-smart riding, crazy obstacle courses, and a huge after party. Mental muscle is just as important as bike skills as teams of 2 choose their own course to checkpoints around the city for a total of 20-30 miles.

 Austin Luna Chix Bike-N-Brunch
8 AM, Dick Nichols Park, (Southwest Austin) 8011 Beckett Rd
Join the women of Austin LUNA Chix for this monthly Sunday ride of 15- 20 miles. The rides are designed for the beginner road rider and will teach riders skills to safely ride in the Austin area. Each month we will have LUNA samples and feature a new ride route and a local restaurant. Mark your calendar for the last Sunday of the month. Ride organizer: Stephanie Childs at info@austinlunachix.com or (512) 796-3818

Capital City BMX Weekly Race Series
1 PM, Capital City BMX, 15010 FM Road 620 North
The Capital City BMX opened in November 2008 and offers you a chance to learn and race BMX. BMX races are held every Sunday with rider check-in 1-2 PM. Cost $10/rider. (There is also practice time on Saturday’s. Check Capital City BMX for more info.)

Hardcourt Bike Polo
2 PM, Eastwoods Park, 3001 Harris Park Ave
Join fellow bike polo enthusiasts as part of the newly formed Austin Bike Polo Club for a friendly Sunday match every week. All bikes and skill levels are welcome and spare mallets and balls are available if you don’t have any. Check out our recent article on bike polo for more info.

Monday, June 29

Weekly Ladies Ride presented by Team Hotel San Jose and Mellow Johnny’s
5:30 PM, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Show, 400 Nueces St
This is a weekly Monday ride reserved just for the ladies! Join experienced and knowledgeable riders from Mellow Johnny’s and Team Hotel San Jose for a friendly and moderately paced social ride (14-16mph average). This is a perfect chance to become more comfortable riding in a group, ask questions about pack riding or racing, meet other ladies like yourself who also enjoy riding, and keep up your fitness. We start at 5:30pm and will ride for 1-2 hours. 

Ride Like a Girl Women’s Mountain Bike Rides
6 PM, Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, 12138 N Lamar Blvd
The Austin Ridge Riders are hosting a five month program of weekly Monday evening women’s mountain bike rides, plus weekend rides at local mountain bike trails/parks. This is an opportunity to meet other women to ride with, learn new trails and learn new skills. Each ride will divide up into groups based on riders’ abilities and speed and will have a beginner clinic/ride, intermediate, and advanced group rides. Rides will last 1 – 2.5 hours. Prizes and gift certificates from our sponsors will be raffled away after every ride. All riders must wear a helmet, bring plenty of water, and have a trail-worthy bike in good working condition. Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time.

Tuesday, June 30

Kranked Revolve Premiere and Pump Track Grand Opening
6 pm: Bike Demos and Jump Demonstrations, 8 pm: Movie Premiere, Mellow Johnny’s, 400 Nueces St
Mellow Johnny’s invites you to a BMX/MTB experience! Join them for the grand opening of their brand new pump track across the street from the shop followed by the premiere of the new film, Kranked – Revolve, showing on our in-store projector screen (film tickets $5.) A film by Bjorn Enga, Kranked-Revolve is a high definition tribute to the coolest human-powered adrenaline tool ever invented and a look at the riders who push these bikes to their limits. Featuring free New Belgium Beer and concessions for sale by Wahoo’s Fish Taco. All ages welcome! 

Wednesday, July 1

Early Bird Rides hosted by Social Cycling ATX
7 AM, Once Over Coffee Bar, 2009 S. 1st St
A new ride from the Facebook group Social Cycling ATX. Meet for morning coffee and ride. Easy pace to get the day started. Route will be set once there is interest for this ride.

APD Bicycle Theft Resolution Subcommittee meeting
6 PM, APD Headquarters, 4th Floor CompStat Room, 715 East 8th St.
You are invited to our first Bicycle Theft Resolution Subcommittee meeting! There will be representatives from the City of Austin, Austin Police Department and the Public Works Department as well as cycling organization members and business owners. We will discuss the process of implementing an educational campaign to foster camaraderie between the cycling communities and to assist in the safety awareness to cyclists, citizens and motorists. Topics will include examining ways to implement a voluntary web-based program, information on a radio frequency identification chip, and information on reporting bicycle thefts, registration, and safety procedures. Please RSVP to Lee Davila, at Leander.Davila@ci.austin.tx.us or calling (512) 974-4711.

Wednesday Urban Assault Ride: The Best of WAR
6 PM, Location TBA
The Austin WAR – Wednesday urban Assault Ride – is a combination bike ride and pub crawl. Rides are not fast (12mph) and not long (10mi). We ride every other Wednesday evening, usually meeting for a quick dinner at about 6pm and visiting 3-4 bars between 7 and 11pm. Each ride has a theme, and accompanying music. Come on out and assault Austin on your two wheeler. This week the WAR turns one year old so the theme is The Best of WAR. Start location is still TBA but check http://atxwar.blogspot.com/ for more info.