Texas Bicycling News Digest April 19th 2018

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Bike-share companies are transforming US cities – and they’re just getting started

Douglas Johnson | www.oaoa.com

(THE CONVERSATION) Residents of major U.S. cities are becoming used to seeing docks for bike sharing programs nestled into parking spaces or next to subway station entrances. Adorned with stylish branding and corporate sponsors’ logos, these facilities are transforming transportation in cities across the country.

The modern concept of bike sharing – offering bikes for short-term public rental from multiple stations in cities – was launched in Copenhagen in 1995, but U.S. cities only started piloting their own systems in the past decade. Washington D.C. led the way, launching SmartBike DC in 2008 and an expanded network called …

The Southern Tier: San Diego to St. Augustine (and further?)

By Susanne Holste | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 38. Johnson City to Austin

Friday April 20, 2018, 83 km (52 miles) – Total so far: 2,709 km (1,683 miles)
I had been a bit worried about the wind forecast for today and also about cycling into Austin. Fortunately it all worked out perfectly and Gustav did an excellent job navigation us through the city. The cycling from Johnson City was once again beautiful and there was little traffic on the first stretch. The ups and downs continued and gave us once again a good workout. When we reached the Austin city limit there was suddenly a lot of fast moving traffic with little shoulder. Google Maps got us …

Two Timing Texas Tour

By Richard Hoeg | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 16: College Station to Huntsville: Kissing the Pavement

Thursday April 19, 2018, 53 miles (85 km) – Total so far: 658 miles (1,059 km)
Quartering headwinds … limited to no shoulder … crumbling chip seal. This was the scenario for 35 miles as we biked out of College Station of Texas Route 30. The combination insured one kept your head down and concentrated on cycling the very narrow shoulder provided between the grass and rumble strips. …

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Veterans stop in Killeen as part of Project Hero cycling challenge

By Brittany Sodic | kdhnews.com


Around 130 Ride 2 Recovery cyclists pedal into Cleo Bay Subaru in Killeen on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, participating in United Health Care’s Texas Challenge benefiting Project Hero.

Close to 150 veterans and first responders cycled into Killeen from Georgetown Wednesday afternoon as a part of the Project Hero United Healthcare Texas Challenge.

The challenge, which is celebrating its 10th year in Texas and third year stopping at Cleo Bay Subaru in Killeen, is a 401-mile-long cycling trek that is broken up into seven days. Cyclists started in …

Residents invited to provide input April 24 on proposed bike lanes on Cedar Bend Drive in North Austin

By Amy Denney | communityimpact.com


The city of Austin is proposing to add bike lanes on Cedar Bend Drive from MoPac to Metric Boulevard in North Austin and is asking residents to weigh in.

Austin Public Works will be resurfacing the roadway within the next six months, so the transportation department is looking at new striping options to include bike lanes. Funding would come from the 2016 mobility bond, which includes $20 million for bikeway projects. …

Video: New bike sharing program coming to Texas Tech

By Amanda Ruiz | www.kcbd.com


LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – A new form of shareable transportation is about to hit Texas Tech’s campus, and the city of Lubbock may not be far behind.

The bike sharing program promises to give users the convenience of having a bike to ride without needing to buy one.

“With the dockless bike sharing system, it’s done through an app. You download the app and …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

Astros Game Calls Bike Ride

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Blue sky is back as well as the wind. I headed out at 11:33 am on the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route. I wanted to ride fast in order to get back to watch the Astros vs. Mariners ball game at 2:40 pm and I finished at 1:55 pm giving me some time to clean up and write this post. I rode 33.13 miles.

Weather during the bike ride: start 73 (38% humidity), clear, wind NE 16 mph, gusts 24 mph. Finish 76 (36% humidity), clear, wind NE 14 mph, gusts 20 mph. I was tempted to wear a long sleeve thermal jersey but opted for a regular long sleeve on with a short sleeve jersey over top. At first I was a little chilly but as I warmed up I didn’t really notice the coolness in the wind unless I was in a long shaded section.

I passed two other cyclists along the route: first on Old Atascocita Road west of FM 2100 and later on Kings River Drive as I rode back to W. Lake Houston Parkway.

The wind was tough biking east over Lake Houston on FM 1960 but the return leg was much easier with a quasi tailwind to help. I stopped at the east side of the causeway and took these photos. The first one is looking east to the marina and the second looks to the west.

The ride went well without any rest stops to conserve time. I even got across Kingwood Drive without waiting too long.

More nice biking weather on Friday but cooler. I plan on riding.

SportTracks Bike Ride Summary

Bike Ride Summary

Texas Bicycling News Digest April 18th 2018

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Cyclist killed in weekend accident

By Cody Stark | www.itemonline.com


A Houston man was killed over the weekend after his bicycle was struck while he was riding on a road in Riverside.

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed Monday that 44-year-old Scot Paulson was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred Saturday afternoon near the intersection of FM 980 and Front Street in northeast Walker County. …

Permian Basin Mountain Bikers are headed to state

By Sydney Cariel | www.ksla.com


ODESSA, TX (KWES) – One unique sport that we often don’t hear a lot about in the Permian Basin is mountain biking. This year is the first year the Permian Basin has a team in the Texas Division of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. The Permian Basin Mountain Bikers consist of five riders representing four area schools and in their first season they’re heading to state. …

The Head and Heart Behind One of Texas’ Most Innovative Trail Network Projects

texastrailsandactivetransportation.org


A plan is in place to create a 428-mile trail network that connects the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s rich natural, cultural and historical resources, creating a regional identity for outdoor tourism, promoting healthier lifestyles and generating a new sense of community pride for everyone who lives there. The Active Plan leverages the community’s commitment to local economic development in a county with one of the highest poverty rates in the country—and is designed to tap into the rapidly expanding market for …

PeopleForBikes and the 20 Collective join forces on new app and website to get more people riding more often

by Val Vanderpool | www.bicycleretailer.com


BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — If the bike industry has a $1 million question, it is this: How do we get more people riding? How to stop ridership decline and reverse the trend out of the red and into the black is a giant problem that requires a solution of equally epic proportions.

When the 20 Collective formed a couple of years ago, that was its goal. This retailer-founded group, which grew out of a dealer panel hosted by Shimano, first proposed a national ‘Got Milk?’-inspired campaign to reach the general public and get them excited about biking. …

City holds second annual bike ride

Campbell Atkins | www.madisonvillemeteor.com


Bikers and local business gathered in the square on Saturday for the second annual Tour de’ Madisonville Bicycle Ride and Festival Fundraiser.

The routes for the riders began and ended in downtown Madisonville. Participants were given the option of a family friendly two-mile ride, a beginner 10-mile ride, an intermediate 20-mile ride, an expert 30-mile ride and an advanced 40-mile ride around Madison County’s countryside. …

Ride 2 Recovery returns to Johnson County

By Matt Smith | www.cleburnetimesreview.com

The 400-mile trek from San Antonio to the Metroplex includes several Johnson County stops as the 2018 UnitedHealthcare Texas Challenge passes through Rio Vista, Cleburne and Keene on Friday and Saturday. More than 150 wounded veterans and first responders from throughout America are scheduled to participate in what marks the event’s 10th anniversary.

This year’s event also marks the tour’s return to Johnson County having traveled a different route last year. …

Traveling 130 Miles Along the Northeast Texas Trail

www.texasmonthly.com


The Northeast Texas Trail is a 130-mile shot across the forests and fields of seven counties. Following repurposed railroad lines, it will officially serve as the longest pathway in the state once completed, although it’s not clear when that will be. Hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders who want to see it now have little reason to wait, as long as they don’t mind rough patches along the way. And in such verdant country, where disused routes disappear into the wild, every footstep, every push of a pedal, is a vote for the trail’s existence.

The trail—which most people call the NETT—cuts through cow pastures and accompanies quiet country roads. Some of it’s paved; other portions are much rougher. …

Cruising Route 66

By Janice Branham and Barry Branham | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 16: Texola OK to Shamrock TX: Bow to the wind gods

Wednesday April 18, 2018, 17 miles (27 km) – Total so far: 814 miles (1,310 km)
Wind gusts in the 40s grounded us for most of today. We heard about trucks blown over in …

The Southern Tier: San Diego to St. Augustine (and further?)

By Susanne Holste | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 37. Kerrville to Johnson City

Thursday April 19, 2018, 107 km (66 miles) – Total so far: 2,626 km (1,632 miles)
For the first time in a month we woke up to cloudy skies. Nice! We had spent a very peaceful night camping at Kerrville-Schreiner City Park. It’s lovely and very spacious. We went for a walk after dinner and were surprised to discover how many sites and cabins there were. Last weekend it had welcomed 3,000 cyclists for a special event. ACA picked the best possible route to cycle between Kerrville and Fredericksburg on a series of farm roads. There was …

I SURVIVED! – VeloVlog #43

Preston Glace | www.youtube.com


The 2018 Joe Martin Stage Race ended up much better for me than the 2017 edition. Not only did I finish, but I finished the UCI race in a field with some strong pros. Many thanks to Elbowz Racing for the opportunity to get my first UCI racing experience! It was a fantastic 5 days of racing filled with lots of exhaustion and plenty of food. Looking forward to doing more races that leave me as empty as this one did. Tomorrow is another day, onwards and upwards!

Firefighter’s Family Establishes Memorial Endowment At LSC-CyFair

By Bryan Kirk | patch.com


The Mark Braswell Memorial Scholarship will provide tuition for Lone Star College-CyFair students attending the Fire Science Academy.

HOUSTON, TX — Mark Braswell knew he wanted to be a firefighter since he was 5 years old, frequently begging his mother to “follow that fire truck” when one passed them in the car.

Braswell went on to live his dream serving as a captain in the Houston Fire Department and assistant chief for the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department.

Tragically, Braswell’s life was cut short in a bicycling accident. …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/stefanrothe/status/986782834764468225

https://twitter.com/ChefSandyShafer/status/986742601268293633

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

 

Nice Tailwind at Times Bike Ride

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The beautiful blue sky has left the building and in its place a mostly cloudy gray sky arrived. Setting out aat 11:40 am on the “New Caney – Gene Campbell Road” route I biked 37.79 miles. With that April is now up to 413.11 miles, just 187 miles away from my goal of 600 miles. The week stands at 115.15 miles.

Weather during today’s bike ride: start 80 (64% humidity), partly cloudy, wind SW 12 mph. Finish 81 (66% humidity), mostly cloudy, wind W 7 mph. I was tempted to skip the long sleeve jersey and just wear shorts and a short sleeve jersey but sanity prevailed and I wore both jerseys. With the cloud cover the weather made it feel cooler than the temperature would have you believe.

No photos from today’s bike ride. Every State of Texas and US flag that I passed was at half staff in memory of First Lady Barbara Bush who died on 4/17/2018. Quite a Lady!

Even though the wind was lighter than yesterday it was still hard riding into it at times. Normally on the FM 1314 run from Gene Campbell Road to Porter I face a headwind but today it was a nifty tailwind and I made great time boosting my average speed from 14.8 mph on Gene Campbell Road to 15.2 mph by the time I turned onto Old Sorters Road.

Nothing out of the ordinary along the route except at Community Drive the construction of the Grand Parkway east of I-69/US59 is starting to take shape with the right away being cleared between New Caney High School and Community Drive. I can see all the way to Loop 494 with the ground bare dirt and all of the trees gone. This section will be one lane each direction until traffic volume warrants adding more lanes. Not too much longer until the new Grand Texas water park at SH 242 and I-69/US59 will open and I expect this to impact biking on SH 242 for the first couple of miles west of the freeway.

With the help of the tailwind on FM 1314 I made good time and finished the ride at 2:17 pm avoiding all school traffic.

Thursday weather will be cooler but no rain so I plan on riding.

SportTracks Bike Ride Summary

Bike Ride Summary