Texas Bicycling News Digest March 21st 2018

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Corsicana Convention and Visitors Bureau awards grants

www.corsicanadailysun.com


The Corsicana Convention and Visitors Bureau recently awarded grants to Mike Frankos with the 2018 Tour of Corsicana Bike Stage Race, and Lynn Taylor, president of the Corsicana State Orphans’ Home Association.

UNT to provide dollar-a-day bikes in partnership with bike-share company Spin

JACQUELINE GUERRERO | www.ntdaily.com

UNT will be partnering with bike-share company Spin to provide students, faculty and staff with the benefit of mobility for the cost of a dollar a day.

The official launch of the six-month pilot has been delayed due to the branding of the bicycles, said Trista Moxley, UNT ‘s senior communications transportation specialist.

Spin is a stationless bike-share company working on transforming cities and campuses by offering an accessible, affordable, and environmentally-friendly form of personal mobility, according to Spin. …

2nd Annual Houston Bike Summit

bikehouston.org


Join us this year at the Houston Bike Summit: A Celebration of Cycling in Houston. The Summit is our opportunity to honor those who are making a difference in transforming Houston into a more people- and bike-friendly place. This year we are honoring Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner for his leadership in passing the Houston Bike Plan.

The festivities will be from 5:00pm-8:00pm with food and beer provided by Saint Arnold Brewing Company as well as an expo of local partners and bike shops. The Summit is …

Dallas will soon stop being the wild west of bike sharing

Robert Wilonsky | www.dallasnews.com

Hang on to your helmet: Dallas could have bike-share regulations by May.

That’s according to Jared White, Dallas’ de facto bike czar, who said Wednesday that city staff is now drafting an ordinance that will be presented to the City Council’s mobility committee in a matter of weeks. That ordinance, being prepared by transportation officials and city attorneys, will cover franchise fees, parking requirements and other rules of the road. …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

March Goal Exceeded Bike Ride

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As promised by the weather forecast it warmed up some for today’s bike ride. I rolled out to ride the “New Caney – Roman Forest Loop – Valley Ranch” route for a total of 40.46 miles. This accomplished two things: I exceeded my March goal of 585 miles now at 610.2 miles and made up for the 20 miles I wasn’t able to ride in January and didn’t make up in February. So now I am ahead of the goal miles by the month. For the year I stand at 1235.6 miles headed to a goal of 6800 miles.

The weather during today’s bike ride: start 74 (36% humidity) clear, wind E 8 mph. Finish 78 (30% humidity) clear, wind E 6 mph.

I started at 12:53 pm which allowed it warm up some which meant my wardrobe was lighter than yesterday’s. Today I wore shorts, long sleeve thermal jersey and a short sleeve jersey. In the shade I could feel a little chill but not enough to bother me.

No excitement in Sherwood Trail Village like yesterday. I did find out on Nextdoor.com that it was a drug bust with DEA and other officers searching cars and the house. Today I remembered that two streets south of that house a person was killed but I don’t recall the details. Then the house had the yellow crime scene tape around it for several days.

To avoid the school traffic in Briar Tree I altered the route in Valley Ranch going back to I-69/US, biking south to Auburn Trail and then back to the streets through Oakhurst. That worked good but I still got in school traffic at Bear Branch Elementary in Kingwood. But I made it through and finished at 3:40 pm.

The weather forecast calls for more clouds and warmer temperatures the next few days. I will ride when possible.

SportTracks Bike Ride Summary

Bike Ride Summary

Texas Bicycling News Digest March 20th 2018

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgi0FfOnjor/

Police search for hit-and-run driver who left injured bicyclist on roadway

news4sanantonio.com


SAN ANTONIO — Police are searching for a driver who kept going after hitting a bicyclist on Sunday night.

The accident happened on Nogalitos Street near Surrey just before 10 p.m.

Investigators say the victim, a man in his 50s, was riding a bicycle when he was …

Cyclists, be safe: Take some lessons, not just a helmet

By Ryan Young | www.dailytexanonline.com


Now that B-cycle is so popular that they’re running out of bikes, it’s time to have an earnest conversation about bicycle safety. Learning to ride a bicycle effectively in traffic is crucial to staying safe on busy Austin streets.

Bicycling down a busy street like 24th is intimidating. It’s common sense: A motor vehicle weighs thousands of pounds, while a bicycle and its rider weigh, at most, a few hundred. …

Remember this guy?

coopers98 | www.bikemojo.com


Texas Flow Squad still out there shredding and always with the biggest grin on his face. He bagged his first podium (3rd) at Camp Eagle 2 weeks ago. He’s growing up fast!

Texas A&M officials laud new bike-share program’s early success

By STEVE KUHLMANN | www.theeagle.com


Texas A&M’s bike-share program logged nearly 20,000 miles and 25,000 trips in its first two weeks on campus, officials with the university’s Transportation Services said.

The bikes were free to ride through March 13 as part of a special promotion.

The success has not been without its challenges, as some users have failed to leave bikes in bike racks as requested, with some …

Greater Houston athletic activities listings: March 20

Terry St. John | www.chron.com

CYCLING

Seabrook Waffle Ride leaves Market Square Park, 301 Milam St., at 7 a.m. Saturday for an approximate 60-mile round trip. Visit HTX Bike Social on Facebook.

Bike for Little Heroes, a BP MS 150 recommended ride, begins at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Waller High School Football Stadium, 20735 Stokes Rd. The 16-, 32-, 50- and 66-mile route ride honors children and younger siblings of veterans. Each child will receive a personalized TREK or specialized bike of their choice and color. Visit bikebarn.com.

BCO Graffiti Art & Bike Ride begins at Market Square Park at 1 p.m. Sunday for a ride around the city visiting outlaw and street art. A preview of some of the art is available at gulfcoastgraffiti.com. The three-and-a-half hour ride ends up at Niko Niko’s in the square for food and refreshments. Contact info@bayoucityoutdoors.com.

Hundreds race to Bullard for Beauty and the Beast event

By Micah McCartney | www.bullardnews.com

Bicycling enthusiasts, ranging from novices to experienced riders, were gathered together to take on the challenges of a number of courses during the 30th annual Beauty and the Beast Bicycle Tour Saturday, March 17, at Bullard High School, hosted by Tyler Bicycle Club.

“We were so excited to have the Beauty and the Beast races in Bullard this year,” said Damon Hopkins, event coordinator. “We were fortunate to partner with both Bullard Independent School District and the City of Bullard, and we’re very thankful to Bullard ISD Superintendent Todd Schneider and City Manager Jay Abercrombie for allowing us to come in and have a great event. The weather turned out to be perfect today; it was probably the best weather for a bicycle race you could ever have.” …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

Excitement Times Three Bike Ride

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Two levels of excitement during today’s bike ride as I followed the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route for a total of 31.89 miles. Actually maybe three levels of excitement.

First one happened not quite 1 mile into the ride as I pulled over to the curb on Sweet Gum Trail in Sherwood Trail because the PowerPod was not reporting watts to the Elemnt computer. As I put my foot on the curb the first of four Harris County Sheriff SUV’s raced around the corner from Meandering Trail onto Sweet Gum past me turning left onto Sherwood Hollow lane. Lights were flashing but no sirens. I looked down Sherwood Hollow but couldn’t see where they were headed. My first thought was Kingwood Park High School. I finished messing with the PowerPod and decided to go west on Meandering Trail. When I got to Bassingham Drive I looked to the right and saw several cars stopped with one pointing into Sherwood Hollow Lane. I rode down to see what was going on and as I reached the stopped cars I saw a deputy walking a man away from the house to a Sherrif’s SUV with handcuffs on. Circling back to Meandering Trail I stopped and talked to a couple who had been watching and told them what I saw. They said earlier they had a loud voice telling the people in the house to come out because they had a search warrant. I guess the deputies got to finish that.

From there I continued on the route without much happening except enjoying the first day of spring weather. It was a little cooler than yesterday, well a lot cooler: start 69 (44% humidity), clear, wind NW 8 mph gusts 18 mph. Finish 71 (38% humidity), clear, wind NW 15 mph, gusts 21 mph. The wind was punishing whenever I rode into it which seemed to be mist of the time. But I know it will get warmer as we move towards summer. That was excitement number two.

To combat the cooler weather and strong wind I wore shorts, leg warmers, long sleeve thermal jersey, and an older jacket with a heavier fabric. I was comfortable as far as temperature goes the whole ride.

Excitement three was stopping at the Dairy Queen in Huffman for the free ice cream cone. I don’t eat ice cream very often but it brought back memories from when I was growing up in Zanesville, OH, and the DQ re-opening after being closed for the winter and getting the first cone of the season. Back then most people didn’t eat ice cream year round. I sat in the sun in Huffman licking the ice cream and resting to do battle with the wind for the 10+ miles to the end of the ride. Earlier while riding over Lake Houston going to the east the wind tried numerous times to push the wheels to the right but I held my line. riding west I was close to the concrete guard rail and the wind wasn’t able to push me around as much. Just a big bully!

Back in Kingwood I wondered how traffic would be crossing Kingwood Drive. Kingwood High School started classes again yesterday after being closed for 6 months of repairs from Hurricane Harvey flooding. There were lots of cars but after a few minutes it backed up and stopped with two cars letting cross to the median. The next two lanes were not as busy and I rode on to finish the ride at 3:3 pm. I started late waiting for the weather warm up some leaving at 12:55 pm. I also watched the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya which was running a little longer than expected.

Forecast for Wednesday shows a high of 73 but maybe the wind will die down some. I plan on biking.

I am 15 miles away from my March goal of 585 miles after today’s ride so it looks like I should get there with 11 days left.

SportTracks Bike Ride Summary (click the image to enlarge it)

Bike Ride Summary