As day turned to dusk on a recent Sunday, a group of cyclists rolled up in front of the hip crowd at Taco Diner in West Village. There was Donovan Dawson, the 34-year-old pioneer and leader of this ride, wheeling up in his red-rimmed black low-rider custom bicycle, complete with fuzzy red dice and a lady-silhouette air freshener.
Photos by KYE R. LEE/DMN
What water bottle? Uptown Cycles members stop for a drink at the Blue Goose on Greenville Avenue.
"Very truckeresque," Dawson mused.
As the crowd grew, several cyclists prepped for the ride by chugging bottles of beer; a couple snagged cups of ice cream.
Yes, if you're a hard-core, spandex-wearing cycling purist who records your cadence and keeps track of your electrolytes, then the Uptown Cycles club could catch you off guard.
They launch from Uptown and tour different parts of Dallas, including downtown, Oak Cliff, South Dallas and Deep Ellum.
The rides are generally less than 10 miles, and they're slow, seeing as you're winding through Dallas streets mingling with dozens of other cyclists.
The pack does a little bar-hopping and ends up at State and Allen Lounge, where Dawson springs for pizza.
While this type of riding isn't going to help you make that 15-pounds-by-summer New Year's resolution, it's better than just snarfing french fries on the couch.
"My strategy is really to build a strong base of recreationalists," said Dawson, a former oil and gas futures trader who, uh, shifted gears in his career. He's after people who enjoy the social aspects of cycling.
Even if his rides aren't really workouts, he said, they might get more people into casual cycling, and that could lead to going on longer rides and, someday, joining the sweaty spandex crowd.
DMN
The Sunday Bike Party starts at 5 p.m. every Sunday in front of Taco Diner in the West Village. It's a slow, leisurely ride for two-wheelers of all levels. Get more information at www.uptowncycles.com
