Friday is Bike to Work Day with tons of locations providing free food both to and from work! And if racing is more your style, this weekend offers a triathlon, road race, and adventure race as well as the Real Ale Ride for those who just want to ride long, not race. Finally, for the mountain bikers the Dirt Remedy Mountain Bike Series returned this week with Tuesday night challenging mountain bike courses now weekly through the end of June.

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, May 19

Driveway Crit Series
5 PM, The Driveway, 8400 Delwau Lane
Weekly Thursday night road racing through October that takes place on the closed car-free driving course at the Driveway. Races include Cat 3/4 women’s and juniors race at 5:00, Cat 3/4 Race and Women’s Open at 5:30, Kids Fun Lap at 6:20, Cat 4/5 Race at 6:25, Pro/Cat 1/2/3 at 6:55 and Masters at 7:55.  Races registration $20 for Men, $15 for Women, & $10 for Juniors/College Students. Full season passes and discount punch cards available. USA Cycling annual or one day license and helmet required. One days for sale at race.

Thursday Night Bike Polo
5:30 PM, Eastwoods Park, 3001 Harris Park Ave
The Austin Bike Polo Club’s weekday match. All bikes and skill levels are welcome and spare mallets and balls are available if you don’t have any. Check out our article on bike polo for more info.

Mamma Jamma Kick Off Party
6 PM, GSD&M Idea City, 828 West 6th St
Come out to the Texas Mamma Jamma Kick Off Party to learn about the 3rd Annual Texas Mamma Jamma Ride, which supports 11 local non profit organizations serving thousands of our Central Texas neighbors facing breast cancer. Beginning at 6pm there will be free food and drinks, as well as a brief presentation about the event at 7pm. No RSVP is required, so bring all your friends!!

Bicycle Advisory Council
6 PM One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Rd, 8th floor large conference room
The Austin Bicycle Advisory Council is a committee of Austinites representing cyclists’ interests to the City of Austin and meets monthly to advise staff of the City of Austin Public Works Bicycle and Pedestrian Program.

Thursday Night Social Ride
7:30 PM, Plaza Satillo, Comal & E. 5th St.
Now winner of two 2010 Best of Austin Awards! The large weekly ride from the Facebook group Social Cycling Austin that popularized social cycling in Austin. “If you have spent more than 5 minutes in this town then you know the live music scene is pretty incredible. With literally hundreds of acts to chose from, it’s a scene that’s rich in tradition. After our ride this week we are checking out some bands at one of the oldest and mo…st famous of all of the dive bar/ live music venues in the city. We hit the streets with a few hundred bike friends, have some hangout time at a park, then we head to an after-ride BEACH party at the HOLE IN THE WALL for some beach rock bands and our usual free/cheap beer combo. Those folks are also nice enough to give you fools happy hour prices on drinks all night too. Thanks to the fine people at the Hole. Wear your beach clothes!” Meet up at 7:30, ride at 8:00.  Read our article on the weekly ride.

Friday, May 20

National Bike To Work Day
Breakfast & After Work stations throughout town
If you’ve been meaning to bike to work and need a little incentive to get out there, join the thousands of your neighbors biking to work and enjoying free food and drink for Bike to Work Day. Check the handy Bike to Work Day map for stops in your part of town.

Saturday, May 21

Real Ale Ride
7:30 AM, Real Ale Brewing, 231 San Saba Court, Blanco, TX
One of Bicycle Sport Shop’s most popular annual events (and the biggest ride in the Bicycle Sport Shop Signature Cycling Series) rolls through the scenic hills of Blanco, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, on May 21. It’s a ride for all levels of cyclists, with distances of 15, 30, 50, 65 and 80 miles. Routes are fully supported and all end at Blanco’s Real Ale brewery for a spirited celebration with local beer and food.

Rockin’ R Toobin’ Triathlon 2011
7:30 AM, Rockin R River Rides, 1405 Gruene Road, Gruene, TX
A triathlon based from the Rockin R located on the Beautiful Guadalupe River in the quaint town of Gruene Texas. Swim: The 400 meter swim will be an out and back river swim. Bike: The 12 mile bike course is an out & back course on lightly travelled roads. The Course is mainly on Country roads with gently rolling hills.  There will be 5 Sheriff Deputies at intersections and main turns.  Drafting is illegal and will not be tolerated. Be aware that the roads are open to traffic. Run:  The 3.3 mile run is a 1 loop course on pavement in the City of Gruene. Special Camping rates available, and special Tubing Discounts available for Rockin R Triathlon Participants.

Mellow Johnny’s Scout-A-Ride: Mamma Jamma First Official Training Ride for 2011
NEW START TIME! 7:30 AM, Mellow Johnny’s, 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: Mamma Jamma First Official Training Ride for 2011. Bring your friends and join us for the first official training ride for the 2011 Mamma Jamma Season! Everyone is invited, from the very beginner to the expert. This week’s ride offers two options. One option is a beginner clinic taught by a certified instructor which includes an 8-mile ride along the Lance Armstrong Bikeway and other hike and bike paths. The second is a pedal up Shoal Creek Blvd and back. This 20-mile route will wander through beautiful, bike friendly neighborhoods along established bike routes and neighborhood streets. The routes are designed to help riders navigate the city bike routes and other safe bike commuting options. Come by at 7:00 for coffee. Helmets required. Contact: Stephanie at Stephanie@mellowjohnnys.com.

2011 Tex’s Challenge Adventure Race
8 AM, Camp Longhorn @ Indian Springs, Burnet, TX
Approximately 3 mile trail run, 7-14 mile mountain bike, 25 – 35 minute canoe & mystery events. The races are designed to take 2- 2 1/2 hours on average. Inflatable canoes (sevylor k-79 model ), paddles and life jackets are included and must be used so you don’t have to worry about additional rental fees or competitors with $1,000.00 boats.

6th Annual Belterra Hill Country Classic
9 AM, Rooster Springs Elementary 1001 Belterra Drive
A circuit crit style race in the Belterra sub-divison. A Texas State Cup Event.

Ladies Mellow Mountain Ride
9 AM, Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, 12138 N. Lamar Blvd
Ladies, are you new to mountain biking and would love to learn more? Are you a seasoned rider and would like ride with others? Come join us for the new Ladies Mellow Mountain Ride. This ride is for beginning and intermediate riders. We will  meet at Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park at 8:30am and start riding at 9:00am. Walnut Creek is the perfect trail to begin your adventures in mountain biking as well fun for the experienced riders. As you enter the park,  the trail head is next to the first parking area on the left. The trail is mostly twisty singletrack with downhills, and creek crossings. Bring your mountain bike, helmet, nutritional needs to fuel up, supplies to fix a flat, and plenty of water (recommended 2-3 bottles or 100ml).

Sunday, May 22

AFWC Ladies Ride
9 AM, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St.
Join the women of the Austin Flyers Women’s Cycling Club every Sunday for an intermediate, ladies-only ride. This friendly, 2.5-3 hour ride averages 15-16 mph, with routes varying each week. It is a great opportunity for women looking to continue their fitness, learn new routes and meet new riding partners. Beginner women are encouraged to check out the Saturday Scout-a-Route ride for a shorter, more casual route.

Monday, May 23

Lend Your Legs Ride hosted by Social Cycling Austin
6 PM, Shipe Park, 4400 Avenue G
New ride, new night, doing good, good times, free bike stuff and TNSR style post-ride hospitality. Starting the evening of April 18th (Monday) and for the next nine Mondays after that, Social Cycling Austin is riding and taking some kids from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired along with us on tandem bikes owned by the school. There are just 10 tandems, but the more people the merrier. It’s a social ride. We can switch off giving rides and just riding along.

Mellow Johnny’s Ladies’ Ride
6 PM, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St
Join experienced riders from Mellow Johnny’s for a friendly and easy paced social ride (12-14 mph average). Meet us at the shop for a 1.5-2 hour ladies only road ride. Get more comfortable riding in a group, learn tips & tricks, or come for a social recovery ride after a hard weekend of long miles. What a great place to meet other ladies who enjoy riding bikes, too. This is a no-drop ride but you should be able to ride comfortably for 2 hours without stopping. Routes and distances will vary. Riders should meet at the shop at 5:30 for a 6:00pm sharp roll out. General group ride expectation: helmet, bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools, and no headphones.

Tuesday, May 24

Dirt Remedy Mountain Bike Series
5:15 PM, Emma Long Metropolitan Park, 1706 City Park Road
The Dirt Remedy Mountain Bike Series is designed to build your technical mountain biking skills over a seven-week period, May 17th – June 28th. The full motocross trail at Emma Long Metropolitan Park is 6 miles long and highly challenging, but the creators of Dirt Remedy construct weekly courses that are manageable yet challenging for every category. The full trail can test even advanced mountain bikers. Don’t worry if you occasionally need to dismount. No single race in the series will include the full motocross course. New sections are introduced each week.

Austin Bike Chix Beginner Ride
6:30 PM, Northwest District Park, 7000 Ardath St.
There is a new series of bike rides in town for those new to cycling or for those that just need to dust off that bike. Austin Bike Chix will be offering a series of rides to Austin Area adults. The rides will start at Northwest Park on March 22 at 6:30 PM and will continue on Tuesdays for 6 weeks. The series of rides will be more like mini clinics (with topics ranging from chains to hills) to give new riders knowledge about the bike and confidence to be able to do the shorter distances on some of the local charity rides and beginner rides in town. These rides are perfect for those wanting to do ride in the Tour de Cure or are a first time triathlete.  We will be riding on the road, all bikes are welcome. All rides are free.

Wednesday, May 25

Hump Day Ride hosted by Social Cycling ATX
Noon, Lamar Blvd Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge, Lady Bird Lake
The latest new ride from Social Cycling ATX. Social paced ride for the riders that can make it out during the work week. We will have a few stops one at a coffee shop and one for lunch. All levels are welcome. Share with your “funemployed” friends.

Leander / Cedar Park Social Ride
Meet up at 7 PM, Ride at 7:30 PM, Robin Bledsoe Park, 601 S. Bagdad Rd, Leander, TX
The Leander / Cedar Park Social Ride is held every Wednesday at 7pm at Robin Bledsoe Park at 601 S. Bagdad Rd. In Leander Tx. We usually roll out around 7:30 – 7:45 sharp and welcome and encourage riders of most skill levels no matter what type of bike you ride. I say most skill levels because we do ride at night along streets and usually only go about 10-14 miles and a fairly slow pace. The routes change up sometimes and there are often themes to the rides, just to keep it fun. Drinking usually ensues but not by everyone. We do occasionally have kids that ride with us and we do try to keep to non busy-ish streets and some sidewalks when the streets are busy. We encourage lights and helmets and obeying the law for the most part. We do ride with traffic not against it. I’m sure its pretty obvious that we have pretty much modeled ourselves after the Thursday Nighs Social Ride only in Leander on a different night and a lot smaller.

Restorative Yoga for Cyclists
7:30 PM, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St
Spend your winter keeping the body warmed and relaxed with Restorative Yoga for Cyclists at Mellow’s Johnny’s. Long miles accompanied by yoga will help you release tension, stay injury-free and set you up for a blazing Spring. Our class is great for non-cyclists, beginners and elite athletes. Join us after a ride, run or long day at work or school. Every Wednesday 7:30-8:30pm (downstairs) Suggested donation of $10 or $5 if you bike ride to class. Mat provided by MJ’s.