Texas Bike Tours
promote cycling by offering custom tours
Cycling, Countryside & Cronuts
Jodi wanted to give her finance, Steve, a memorable experience for his birthday. Steve introduced Jodi to road cycling and they often cycled together in a large metropolitan city. She wanted to surprise Steve with hill country road cycling; cronuts as a part of their nutrition in the SAG wagon as Steve missed ready access to this French-American pastry; and a romantic overnight stay in Wimberly.
TXBT created a cycling experience with a custom route. TXBT’s culinary director prepared cronuts and other delights for mid-ride breaks. TXBT SAG picked up Steve and Jodi in Wimberly and transported their personal bikes and gear to the start of the ride in Dripping Springs.
The ride began near a field of flowers.
A break mid-way surprised Steve with cronuts.
The ride continued to meander along hill country roads with local signage along the way.
Photography, SAG guidance and full-support while hill country road cycling, surprises from TXBT and transportation to and from the hotel in Wimberly were included in the experience.
Jodie texted later in the afternoon. “We had a wonderful ride…loved the scenery and rolling hills! Steve is still talking about it. “ Her happiness made us happy.
Celebrating Beating the Odds
Julie wanted personalized cycling and culinary experiences with John to celebrate his birthday. Over time we learned they were also celebrating his good health and that he was alive. Their love, faith and MD Anderson ensured John is with us today having survived a rare and deadly cancer diagnosed in 2018. Two years later, this couple is laughing and riding fast! His 5th check-up was an all-clear and they embraced adventure.
Day one included overnight storage of hired carbon, full-suspension mountain bikes with transportation to a MTB park outside Austin. The Texas Bike Tours (TXBT) guide created an easier route for the first two hours to include Julie and then the last two hours were fast-paced on technical challenges for John. TXBT SAG picked up picnic-table lunches for all and the experience ended with conversation and a good lunch in the park. Then, transportation back to their hotel in time to rest before their evening fun.
Day two began at a local bike shop for a custom-fit on carbon road bikes. For a more intimate cycling experience, we decided on self-guided. Turn-by-turn directions as well as a link to download the route to their personal devices were created for them. While cycling through the hill country just outside Austin, the culinary experience director (CED) for TXBT created an intimate picnic setting in the park. The menu was created based on John and Julie’s preferences. A personal chef prepared the edibles and the CED selected the drinkables. The cycling and culinary experience ended with just the two of them secluded under a tree observing the locals playing in our city park with the city skyline in view. They were happy and so we were happy.
Earth, Grapes, Bikes & Epicurean Delights
Starla plans a BIG celebration for each new-decade birthday and for her 50th, she wanted a bike trip with her husband and friends. We settled on a bike ride to The Klenk Family Vineyard, tour of the vineyard with the owners and then lunch at the vineyard prepared by an Italian chef and served by his crew. TXBT provided transport back to the start so they could relax and enjoy a lazy afternoon off the bike.
The vineyard owners’ who are cyclists guided the bike ride through the countryside to the vineyard and there shared their stories of raising grapes, partnering with William Chris winery, and why they chose the hill country. Bottles of the wine produced by William Chris from the grapes grown in the vineyard were taken home by Starla & Shaun and their friends.
The terrain over which they cycled, being in the Texas Hill Country AVA terroir where the grapes are grown, and a scrumptious Italian lunch gave Starla the special celebration she desired and deserved for her birthday.
Family Reunion Cycling Adventure
The family wanted to enjoy each others’ company as they became reacquainted by cycling together around Austin. As we know, the family that dines together, stays together. So a culinary experience at the end of the ride was requested.
We began with a custom bike-fit for guests with rented bikes. Then departed Hyde Park to reach the Walnut Creek Hike & Bike trail. Cycling through quiet neighborhoods to reach the prairie side of our city.
Off the streets and onto the Walnut Creek Hike & Bike Trail, we traveled on a rural ride via concrete paths through the flatland prairie on the east side of Austin. This trail runs through neighborhoods, followed by riding through “meadows” and then into the southern part of east Austin to Govalle Park. Meandering through east Austin neighborhoods, we saw where the creatives work and play. Riding past murals, art galleries, urban farms, traditional Mexican homes and businesses, historic buildings, and construction…this is a part of Austin that is evolving right before our eyes as Clarksville and South Austin have in years past.
Crossing the Colorado, we reached the Butler Hike & Bike trail on the south side of Lady Bird Lake. This trail turns into the recently built Boardwalk. A beautiful view of the city while traveling on an artistic boardwalk with art celebrating Austin music embedded in the rails.
As the sun began to set, the guides lead the family to a historic park in the center of the city. There the TXBT personal chef awaited to serve a light early evening menu. The family toasted the good life and being together.
Mother-Daughter Fredericksburg Bike & Brunch
Our guests were a pair of mothers and daughters from Chicago who were looking for a respite from usual city life with a taste of small town Texas. We designed a bike tour that unveils the local charm of Fredericksburg while helping to work up an appetite for a unique culinary experience in a private garden after the ride.
Starting at a nearby bike shop, guests are custom-fitted to their bikes to ensure carefree riding throughout the day. As we begin the tour, we encounter landmarks, man-made and natural, that come together to tell the story of brave settlers who founded Fredericksburg. The quaint town invites us onward to see historic homes, churches, cemeteries and shop buildings that have as much character as the rugged Texans who built them all.
We ride further to explore the beautiful land that was shared by the settlers with Indians—land that is worth sharing and cherishing together to this day. The tour slows down near the end as we approach a local greenhouse and garden. A private gardening-cooking session awaits guests inside that includes recipes, samples of dishes prepared and a beverage pairing with the menu.
Refreshed and relaxed, we finish the tour back at the bike shop and reflect on the highlights of the day.
West Austin Loop and Food Truck Fare
Helene visited Austin from Montreal for a business convention, and contacted us to arrange a guided tour of the city. Helene is an experienced cyclist, so we developed a 45 mile route that traversed rolling hills to the West and ended with a trip to Barton Springs road to enjoy food truck fare and local artisan shopping. It was a beautiful 64° – much warmer than Montreal in October!
For our guests who are avid cyclists, a loop through the hilly West Austin neighborhoods is the perfect recipe for a quick but challenging ride that allows easy access to a taste of Austin’s culture as we return to our downtown starting point. Helene’s pathfinder Allen was the perfect companion for this ride, as he knows West Austin bike routes like the back of his hand, and is talented with a camera. Helene took home a wonderful collection of photos documenting her Austin adventure.
We fitted Helene with a carbon road bike equipped with SPD pedals from our friends at Mellow Johnny’s. She was thrilled to have a light and speedy bike, water bottle, and helmet waiting for her. There’s no need to waste time that should be spent exploring a new city with organizing a bike rental.
Funky, Eclectic, Unique Cycling & Culinary Experience
You and your guests cycle through the downtown area traveling east to the section of Austin that is the current creative trending area with ethnic neighborhoods, sophisticated & local shops, wide range of eating establishments and growth, growth, growth. Your TXBT pathfinder will tell you about the past, present & future of Austin as you travel through the different parts of the city.
Visit a food truck in East Austin focusing on Mexican cuisine. Cross The Colorado River to the south side to experience South Austin and can view the most recent unique public art there. Your pathfinder can tell you all about it along with the history of South Congress district. In the South, you find donuts Austin-style. Hope you are hungry again…this is an experience.
Next you cycle to the park area to arrive at the best people-friendly food park in Austin…parked there is the home of a special dish created in Austin. Then we travel slowly and happily back to the bike shop traveling on the hike and bike trail, across a unique bridge and back into the central city.
360° View of Austin +
The route brings into our line of vision that which makes Austin special – openness and acceptance without judgment.
A brief look at downtown Austin and adjacent districts and neighborhoods in the west, north, east and south. This includes many Austin landmarks, entertainment districts, natural and man-made sites as well as The University of Texas. As you cycle, you experience the edge of the hill country and the flatness of the blackland prairie as Austin sits between these two regions of Texas. The sites are varied-historical and new, creative and unique, man-made entertainment and nature-created zen. We ride through a quiet neighborhood with opportunities to see and climb on a project dedicated to street art, to hear about and perhaps experience a dirt bike park, move past public art, ride over the Colorado River and cycle beside the river on the hike and bike trail to Zilker Park with Barton Springs pool. We may visit entertainment districts such as SoCo, Rainey Street, “Dirty 6th” and perhaps stopping for a break at Jo’s Coffee Shop, home of the well-known “I love you so much” mural.
Then we will move deeper into the South Austin area to delve further into the rich history and how it differs from North Austin. Old plantation lands have evolved into unique and unusual shops & places to eat. Peacocks roam free. There are historic/modern/eclectic homes. A view of the capitol as envisioned by an 1800’s entrepreneur. A Franciscan monastery also known as Castle Bouldin. Oh and there is the Herb Bar. Enough! So much to see.
For your culinary experience, we could stop at The Picnic – exceptional food truck park. In South Austin, we could partake of Amy’s Ice Cream or eat a piece of Home Slice pizza, try the newest Torchy’s Tacos location or…… there are many other choices such as taking time in the Rainey Street district to sample the food there north of the Colorado, aka Lady Bird Lake or known by us locals as Town Lake.
How much we see and ride is driven by the pace chosen by our guests.
“Great way to explore Austin!”
We moved to Austin only a few months ago but never really had the chance to truly discover Austin. Being Dutch we love to ride bikes and figured it would be great to have a guide who could help us explore the city. Jacob was our guide and he did a great job! We loved biking through the city and felt completely safe at all times. Riding a bike is something we do every day in the Netherlands, so we felt comfortable biking while wearing flip-flops – I guess that was a first for Texas Bike Tours! We had a fantastic day and definitely recommend booking a tour, not only for visitors but also if you just moved to Austin. There is so much more to see when you’re riding a bike! Let them help you explore this amazing city!
Absolutely Awesome!
Texas Bike Tours was incredible from start to finish. I wrote an email asking for some information, and I received a response from Deaton almost immediately, saying she was out on a tour at the moment, but would write to me as soon as she could. That was my first indication that Deaton and Texas Bike Tours was going to take great care of me. From then on out, she answered all of my questions, booked me a tour on her day off, and led our tour herself! The bikes she rented us were awesome, and the bike shop we got them from was incredible. Our entire tour was customized just for us, and every step of the way she offered us choices for where to go next. We saw parts of the city we would have never found on our own, and got awesome pictures every step of the way. I could go on and on and on about how much we loved Deaton and her company, but just take a glance at all the other reviews and you will see that EVERYONE says the same thing…Deaton and this company rule, and if you haven’t signed up for a tour yet, you should do so immediately. Thanks Deaton!!!!
Best thing I did in Texas!
Best thing I did in Texas! Deaton runs the show and she is amazing! Answered all my emails immediately, customized our tour from start to finish, and even booked us for a tour on a day the company was supposed to be closed! You can tell she loves what she does…it comes through in the experience! If you are thinking about doing this tour, think no longer: Book it!! Thanks Deaton, you rock!
A Perfect Day.
This bike tour far exceeded my expectations. I am an avid mountain biker from the northeast and street riding just really isn’t my thing. Deaton went above and beyond with planning my tour. We saw a lot of neighborhoods, Barton springs, the mural wall, and did an 11-mile ride all over the city. All throughout, Deaton shared with me her wealth of knowledge and even included such interesting tid bits about the native American tribes that once ruled the area. However, my favorite part of the tour, besides Deaton’s infectious spirit, was when she took me to a local dirt jump track. I got to rip around some of the jump lines and it was a great experience. Deaton felt more like a friend afterwards than my guide. If you’re ever in Austin and want an unforgettable experience go for a bike tour with Texas bike tours. They can handle any ability level and will personally cater a tour to best suit you.
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