Super Squadra

Bike racing takes our team all over the state of Texas. And while we often intend to incorporate various social and cultural activities into our travels, weary post race bodies combined with tight travel schedules usually leave us lounging, nearly motionless, with our legs elevated on a sofa cushion. This is especially the case with our annual pilgrimage to the Fort Davis stage race, situated at the cusp of West Texas fun.

The vaunted art, music, (and purported pretentiousness) of Marfa is situated just 25-miles south of Fort Davis. The painted mountains and craggy canyons on River Road (Hwy 170) paralleling the Rio Grande are located an hour or so beyond Marfa. The ruins of an old mining camp long ago converted into hotels, bars, and shops in the Terlingua “ghost town” are nestled between Big Bend’s State and the National Parks. Basically, there’s a lot to do and see, and a plethora of amazing topography to explore via bicycle, but never an opportunity to take it in during the midst of a two day, three event, stage race.

Last weekend Phil and I, along with our respective bike racing significant others—Austin Flyer’s captain Daniele, and my girlfriend, AT&T-Brain and Spine racer, Lindy—finally got to fully explore West Texas. Our group was treated to all-star treatment as the first guests of Sol Cycling Tours, a  Marfa based outfitter that caters to groups of cyclists with fully supported rides, deluxe lodging, and fine dining. A couple semi-epic rides were key on the agenda, as was plenty of off-the-bike fun.

We arrived in Marfa on Friday afternoon and quickly set out to explore the one stop light town (pop. 2121). Marfa is known most notably for its art scene. Renowned contemporary minimalist artist Donald Judd, who’d discovered West Texas while serving in the military during the 1940s, moved to Marfa from New York in the 1970s and bought up much of the buildings in the withering town. Judd stripped the buildings to their bare essentials and transformed many of them, including an entire former cavalry fort at the edge of town, into art installations for him and other artists.

Today, in addition to Judd’s installations, which can be viewed only on tours hosted by the Chinati Foundation, the entire town is full of art galleries and studios. However, it’s not just purposeful projects that give Marfa its unique aesthetic. From the font on the iconic silver water tower to the historic pink court house and the craggy brown mountains that surround it, the place is one in which life and art truly blur. If that sounds cheezy, I’m sorry. It’s how you start talking after you visit Marfa.

Of course, along with the truly world class art scene come the accouterments of urban living. The Pizza Foundation serves authentic Brooklyn style pie that rivals anything found in Austin and a delicious menu item dubbed the “tomato bread salad” which cannot be described, only tried. Beer and coffee snobs (yes, that’s us) can find a fine selection of brews and locally roasted coffee from the Big Bend Roasters at the Get Go natural foods market. An old adobe home since converted into an everyman’s bar, Padre’s, hosts some of the nation’s hippest music acts for an often minuscule cover.

After a hearty dinner of roasted chicken at the Marfa Quarters, a failed attempt to view the evasive Marfa lights, a couple drinks in the immaculate Hotel Paisano courtyard, and great night of sleep at Casa Mirasol guest house, we awoke Saturday morning ready to take on River Road Hwy 170, which follows the Rio Grande through Big Bend State Park. Everyone agreed, the roughly 60-mile ride was one of our best ever. The terrain was unrelenting and the scenery, from the painted mountains to the slot canyons, was breathtaking.





We finished the ride off by ascending  1,000 foot over 10-miles into headwind. By the time we reached the Terlingua Ghost Town, everyone was cracked. Then Mike Chapa, our ever ready guide, pointed us to the showers he’d arranged and treated us to a cooler full of beer after we’d bathed. We sat and stared at the mountains while sipping on icy beverages, then headed over to the International Chili Cook-off, an annual event just outside of Terlingua which just happened to occur the weekend of our trip.

While there was little chili to be found at the festival—the cooks don’t make much more than what they need to submit for competition—we soon discovered the event was as much about Chili as it was about drunken desert revelry. We dove into the fun and emerged an hour or so later with mental images we’ll perhaps never fully erase from our minds no matter how much therapy we undergo.

The following morning we woke ready to discover Pinto Canyon, a narrow and barely traveled farm to market road that connects Marfa to the Chinati Hot Springs about 55-miles away. For about 30-miles we rode out toward the edge of the plateau on which Marfa sits. While it didn’t seem as if we were going uphill, averaging more than 15 mph was a true chore. Finally, a narrow peak emerged through the wind swept plains. Then, suddenly, we dropped off the edge of the plateau and descended into a deep basin filled with stunning mountain vistas. The ride out was definitely worth the scenic reward.



We snacked on a Mike supplied spread of cookies, bagels, and fresh fruit where Pinto Canyon turns to dirt. Then Phil and I saddled up and climbed out of the basin,riding slightly downhill with a tailwind for 30 miles. Heading back toward Marfa our speed barely dipped below 27 mph.







After the ride Lindy and I took a tour of the Chinati Foundation’s Fort D.A. Russell, where Judd and 12 other artists converted old barracks, mess halls, and equipment hangars into stunning art works. We also had time for a bit of cross-training on the $15,000 ROM workout machine we discovered in town. Mike refueled us on a full barbecue meal of brisket, sausage, chicken and an array of awesome sides. It was the perfect, and filling, end to a dream West Texas vacation.