texbiker.net

from The Dallas Morning News Online

By VICTORIA SMITHEE / The Dallas Morning News
vsmithee@dallasnews.com While many people spend Saturday mornings lounging in bed, a group of men and women known as the Texas Flyers Cycling Club breaks out the spandex for a ride through Denton County.

The Texas Flyers started as a race group that sponsored competitive riders. But a few years ago, the club switched its focus to recreational riding, says club president Renee Massengill, 39.

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from The Daily Texan Online

The city of Austin is hoping to boost its bicycle-friendly level to gold status, as designated by the League of American Bicyclists.

Austin, which climbed to a silver level in 2007, is the only Texas city to receive an award by the league. Austin City Council members approved a resolution Thursday to upgrade the city’s bicycle network to attain a gold level.

“We are number one, and we don’t want to be number two,” said Councilwoman Sheryl Cole.

The League of American Bicyclists determines bicycle-friendly levels by the amount of engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation a community puts into planning its bicycle network.

from the Dallas Morning News online

By RICHARD ABSHIRE / The Dallas Morning News
rabshire@dallasnews.com Scottish Rite officials presented the McKinney Police Department with five $900 police mountain bikes Wednesday as part of a statewide campaign by the fraternal organization.

“Law enforcement has never been just a job for the men in blue,� said M. Douglas Adkins, sovereign grand inspector general for Texas. “It is a citizen and a community effort.�

Kerr Middle School, 517 SW Johnson Avenue, Burleson, Texas

Registration begins at 6:00 a.m.
Riders will be staged 10 minutes apart beginning with the 60 mile route at 7:50 a.m.  No late starts after 8:30 a.m. - course closes at 3:00 p.m.

Entry Fee: $20.00 if received by deadline - May 16th
$15.00 per family member of families of 4 or more - if received by deadline - May 16th
Late Entry Fee $25.00 per rider - after May 16th.

Routes vary in length.  Some are easy and some are not so easy.  The 60 mile, 53 mile, 25 mile or 10 mile.  All route mileage is approximate and subject to change

link to the Burleson Honey Tour

The Nothing But Nets campaign to eradicate malaria is receiving a major boost, thanks to three annual conferences in Texas.

The Texas Conference “Nothing But Sweat� cyclists raised $156,144 with a four-day, 238-mile bike ride from Montgomery to Fort Worth, Texas. Houston Area Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, president of the Council of Bishops, and Bishop Benjamin Boni of Côte d’Ivoire, which will receive insecticide-treated bed nets purchased with the donations, were on hand to greet the riders April 23 at General Worth Square Park across from the Fort Worth Convention Center, site of the 2008 General Conference.

The Rev. Morris Matthis, pastor of Christ United Methodist Church, Sugarland, Texas, led the bike ride, with the goal of raising both money and awareness of the malaria crisis.

Link to the full article

Bicycle and Pedestrian Summit
Saturday, May 03 2008, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Bicycle and Pedestrian Summit Brainstorms the Region’s Future

Bicycle and pedestrian experts, advocates and members of the public from around the region are converging Saturday, May 3 to discuss the latest in planning and implementation of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, education, and advocacy.  Part of the Austin Cycling Association’s Bike Month activities, the “Central Texas Bicycle and Pedestrian Summit� is an event to promote improvements in bicycle and pedestrian transportation in the region by sharing ideas and bridging disciplines. The event is planned through a collaboration of the Austin Cycling Association, Austin Yellow Bike Project, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), the City of Austin, Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), and the University of Texas. The entire program is open to the public, and will take place at the University of Texas’ Jester Center at Speedway and 21st Street in Austin.  Free, on-line registration is open until April 30, and full Summit details are available at CAMPO’s Bike/Ped website.

Link to full article at Community Impact Newspaper

Road I at REI Willowbrook

Date: Sat, May 31 - Sun, Jun 1 2008
Instructor: Peter Wang
Location: 17717A Tomball Parkway, Houston, TX 77064
Fee: $35 class fee, $10 for optional text

Description: Class runs 10 am - 3 pm Saturday & 8 am - 1 pm Sunday. The benefits of riding a bicycle are obvious: exercise, saving money, reducing traffic congestion and conserving the environment. Learn how to safely ride a bicycle anywhere in the greater Houston area for recreation and transportation. Don’t be intimidated by cars and SUVs. Learn how to ride safely and effectively in traffic using Vehicular Cycling principles. Discover the safest streets, roads, bike lanes, and trails. This class features a low intensity Sunday ride. Meet at REI Willowbrook, 17717A Tomball Parkway, Houston TX 77064. Peter Wang is a League Certified Cycling Instructor. He has been a member of Bike Houston since 2003. He rides his bike routinely from Copperfield to Westchase, Galleria, Midtown, or Downtown destinations.

To register for this course, contact:

D. Sims
Phone: (832) 237-8833 x206
Contact Email: dsims@rei.com

Signup required in advance? Yes
Special signup instructions: Please call the REI store to sign up for this class. $35 class fee, $10 for optional textbook. If you want the textbook, you must order and pay two weeks in advance, as it has to be ordered from the publisher. If you don’t pre-order the book, the instructor will loan you a photocopy for use during the class.

Equipment required: SAT: paper, pen, lunch or $ SUN: pen, bike, helmet, water, lunch or $

Women’s Road I

Date: Sat & Sun May 24 & 25
Instructor: Michelle Holcomb
Location: 605 E. 18th Street, Suite 103, Plano, TX 75074
Fee: 65.00

Description: Come join a group of your girlfriends for a ladies friendly cycling class where you won’t have to worry about asking questions! This class will be taught by women, especially for women.

Road I Gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. The course covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques and includes a student manual. Recommended for adults and children above age fourteen, this fast-paced, nine-hour course prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling.

This Road I course is geared for people who are willing to become LCI’s in our area and teach Road I and II courses to others, remaining seats are open to the public. Road I is a pre-requisite for the League Certified Instructor (LCI) Course.

The national MS society has teamed with the League of American Bicyclists in a move to improve safety and and the group cycling experience for riders on the MS 150 rides. These events are large so there will be a strong need for instructors for the education programs.

You will need to bring your bicycle, helmet, comfortable, weather appropriate riding clothes and shoes, 2 tubes and tools for changing flats, and snacks/drinks.

Lunch break will be on your own - you may pack a sack lunch or visit a nearby restaurant.

Payment may be made via Paypal or Google Checkout. If you require other arrangements or need a printed invoice, please email us and we’ll be happy to work with you.

To register for this course, contact:

BikeDFW
Phone: 214-680-3300
Contact Email: info@bikedfw
Website: http://www.bikedfw.org

Signup required in advance? Yes
Special signup instructions: Visit THIS LINK for online registration.
Pre-registration required.

Equipment required: Bring bike, helmet and riding clothes