Texas Bicycling News Digest December 12th 2017

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Austin to Maine, by way of Anchorage

By Patrick Meaux | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 24 Saturday 12/5/17 Amtrak El Paso to New Orleans

Friday December 8, 2017, 25 miles (40 km) – Total so far: 733 miles (1,180 km)

I rode from Clint to El Paso on last Saturday…rode was Ok to good…drivers were responsible giving leaway when necessary…overall a nice ride on the way to the train depot.
I spent a few days in the motel in Clint waiting for train connections…it wasn’t that difficult…food was plentiful, good books to read on my cell from my local library…and the people I met were curious about my travel mode and interesting to visit with…once again, life is good on the Southern Tier.

The train ride was great…several people on their way to the …

Redline Trail Public Meeting

austintexas.gov


Funded by the 2016 Mobility Bond, the Red Line Trail will connect Braker Lane and the CapMetro Kramer Red Line Station to the existing Northern Walnut Creek trail system. The trail location is from Northern Walnut Creek Trail to Braker along the Red Line Rail. Funding has been provided for the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER), design, and construction of this trail. Currently, staff is drafting the PER. The PER evaluates all the environmental constraints of the project including: topography, drainage, various soil types, tree canopy, wildlife habitat, floodplain, surrounding land uses, location of utilities, cultural assessments, critical environmental features, endangered species, property ownership, as well as several other elements. …

C.O.P. – Cyclist On Patrol

The Tip | www.bikemojo.com

I was thinking about making up a tee shirt with that printed on it. Maybe with a sub text of “keeping your home safer.”

We need to change the perception of cyclists. Change from being regarded as pests, to being known as good for society. And we are. Studies have shown that trails increase property values and lower crime. No study that I can find says that a trail increased crime. But this is what adjacent home owners are always afraid of when new trail is being proposed. New trails should be easily welcomed, not so vehemently protested.

So just maybe a non-riding home owner will see the shirt and ask what it means. Then I can educate them to the benefits of having riders on close by trail.

Just half a brain storming.

Dumb idea? …

Local Roundup: Tobin Ortenblad cements lead in pro cyclocross series with pair of wins in Texas

By Sentinel staff | www.santacruzsentinel.com

Tobin Ortenblad of Santa Cruz won back-to-back races this weekend in Texas at the Resolution Cross Cup. The wins cemented his lead in the USA Cycling Professional Cyclocross (ProCX) overall standings for Elite Men.

Ortenblad had to strain to drop Michael van den Ham, the newly crowned Canadian Cyclocross national champion, on the final lap Saturday. He …

Best and Worst of Dallas Culture in 2017

Caroline North | www.dallasobserver.com

You have to take the good with the bad. Getting the ratios right is the tricky part. How did Dallas’ cultural scene fare in 2017? Hey, we just report. You decide.

… Other exciting new Dallas developments, like the arrival of multiple stationless bike-sharing companies, had unintended negative consequences. All over the city, people can be seen pedaling bikes rented from VBike, Spin, Limebike and OFO, but some bikes are sequestered while others are left piled in inconvenient and even hazardous places, like the middle of the Santa Fe Bike Trail. …

Bid on Professional Planning Services to Develop a Comprehensive Plan Update and Related Deliverable for El Paso County’s Historic Mission Trail Area in El Paso

www.texasbids.net

Owner Solic Number: 18-006 Status: bidding Report: 8202554
Country : United States State: TX County: El Paso Location: El Paso
Scope: Professional planning services to develop a comprehensive plan update and related deliverable for historic mission trail area.
Notes: Deadline for questions Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 12:00 p.m.
Plans: From Owner. See attached files.
Update Notes: Addendum #1, issued. See attached file.
Owner Type: Public
Buyer: El Paso County, Purchasing Dept. …

Austin Orders Up a Street That Puts Transit, Biking, and Walking First

By Angie Schmitt | usa.streetsblog.org


You’d never know by looking at the allocation of space on Guadalupe Street that it’s one of Austin’s busiest routes for walking and transit — cars get most of the real estate. But that could change soon.

Known locally as “The Drag,” Guadalupe Street is a busy commuting route to downtown as well as a commercial street. It also borders the University of Texas campus and sees enormous foot traffic.

During the daily peak on the busiest mile of Guadalupe Street, about …

Find a home for the Frisco dome?

Racer_Ex | www.bikeforums.net

Just found out that the Community College District has given notice to the City of Frisco (they run the Frisco Velodrome, it sits on land owned by the CCD) will not be renewing their lease.

If folks are involved in planning out a velodrome somewhere, this might drop the initial cost of building quite a bit…to the best of my knowledge the substructure could be taken apart and moved.

Sad to see that track going away. …

BikeHouston, LINK, BCycle Letter Opposing Dockless Pilot Program

bikehouston.org

The Honorable Sylvester Turner
Mayor
City of Houston
901 Bagby Street
Houston, Texas 77002

Dear Mayor Turner:

Thank you very much for all of your efforts to date to create a pilot program for new dockless bike technology in Houston. We particularly appreciate ARA’s hard work in navigating these new waters.

As you know, Houston Bike Share (HBS) is a non-profit that has successfully launched and operated a docked bike sharing system in the City for the last five years. HBS has closely studied the evolution of dockless bike sharing in Asia and now in the United States. HBS and the biking community share the same goals with the City of Houston and would like to assist as we have over the last five years in making biking and bike share a success in …

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Anthony, Ortenblad Dust Off Wins on Day 2 of the Resolution Cross Cup in Texas – Report, Results

www.cxmagazine.com


GARLAND, TEXAS — When the dust had settled on a hot, dry Texas Sunday, two Californians came away with titles and significant UCI points at the Resolution Cross Cup.

In the Elite Women’s race, Crystal Anthony (Maxxis Shimano Pro Cyclocross) of Newbury Park, Calif. would reign supreme and give her enough points to move her into second overall in the Professional Cyclocross (ProCX) standings. Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz/Donkey Label) Santa Cruz, Calif. would go two-for-two on the weekend and secure his hold on the ProCX overall standings for Elite Men. …

Bid on Construction of Leander Trail in Austin

www.texasbids.net

Prebid: 12/19/17 1:00 PM
Solicitation Title: Construction of Leander Trail
Owner Solic Number: IFB-303783-0-2018/KP
Status: bidding Report: 8271506
Country : United States State: TX County: Travis Location: Austin
Scope: Construction of a bicycle and pedestrian trail extending. Work includes construction of the 10-foot wide concrete trail, and associated bridge, lighting, and other improvements.
Notes: Non-mandatory pre-bid conference and site visit on December 19, 2017 at 1:00 PM at 2910 East 5th Street Austin, TX 78702.
Plans: From Owner. See outside link.
Outside Link: …

Bike Repair — University Village Phase 8, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson TX

www.waymarking.com


Long Description:
This Dero self-service bike repair station at the University Village (Phase 8) Mail Center north of Lot H on the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) campus.

It is convenient to all the students who live in the nearby residence halls, and who use bikes to get around campus.

Each repair station has a QR code when scanned with a smartphone will bring up a website with detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make minor bike repairs. How cool is that??? …

New Trail on East Williamson Creek needs wheels

cxagent | www.bikemojo.com

We finished cutting a new trail on the East Williamson Creek Greenbelt this weekend. Mrs cxagent and I rode it yesterday.

A map can be found at – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f…type=3&theater

This is a GPS track for the East Williamson Creek Greenbelt Trail. The ‘top left’ end is at the southeast corner of the C-store at Stassney and IH-35. To put in there -go to the south east corner of the detention pond and look for the trail / jeep road. It will take you past a homeless camp with a lot of aluminum cans in front. Follow the flags from …

UTPD gives most common locations for bike thefts

By Reagan Ritterbush | dailytexanonline.com


Make sure your bike has extra locks when leaving it around Duren Residence Hall, Jester Residence Hall and the UT Administration Building, the three most common places for bike thefts, according to UTPD Corporal Le’Patrick Moore.

“Because Duren and Jester are huge student housing centers, there is a concentration of bikes there to steal,” Moore said. “(The administrative building) is secluded, making it an easy spot for thieves to get bikes without being noticed.” …

Captains Blog – 12/11/2017 – Happy Holidays

by Sameer Gokhale | cycling.powweb.com


‘Tis the season for giving
I would like to wish everyone a very wonderful Christmas and a happy new year. This is the time when we get to spend some quality time with our family and create wonderful memories. I have a special request for this year.
Back in October, Valero Energy Foundation granted a wish for seventeen year old Angel Acosta through Make-A-Wish Foundation. Angel is battling Rhabdomyosarcoma Cancer which has to do with the soft tissues. Angel’s wish was to have a custom made bicycle. He was presented with his custom bicycle and he took a short ride with some of our …

Austin no longer bike-friendly according to LAB?!

MichaelBluejay | bicycleaustin.info

The League of American Bicyclists released their Bicycle-Friendly Communities awards today, and if I’m reading it right, Austin has dropped off the list, but it’s rather ambiguous, so I can’t be sure.
Here’s the new Fall 2017 list. Austin isn’t on it, even though many of the cities that are on it are listed as “Renewed”, which suggests that if your city kept its award, it should indeed be listed. …

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What I need to battle the cold weather!

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Warm Enough To Get Out of the House Bike Ride

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Finally the weather turned warm enough for me to get out of the house and on the bike. I waited until 12:11 PM to roll out on the bike ride following the “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route to the north. It was 71 degrees and I dressed warm with a long sleeve thermal jersey under a short sleeve one, bike shorts and regular gloves. For the first mile or two I was a little chilly but once I started producing some body heat I was very comfortable. The almost clear blue sky provided lots of sunshine to keep warm and the 7 mph west breeze wasn’t strong enough to make it feel chilly.

Last Friday I awoke to snow covering a lot of our yard and the temperature was in the mid 30’s. Saturday got colder after the snow melted and yesterday I watched the Houston Texans football game. Today it was 34 degrees when I checked the home weather station around 7 AM which meant it must warm up by almost 40 degrees to reach the forecast high. It did that and when I finished the ride at 2:40 it was 74 degrees.

With not riding much this month I am at 125 miles for December but the good news is that I just 6 miles away from my goal of 7,430 miles for the year. Looking at the forecast for the week I am not sure when I will ride again because another cold front arrives tonight or by Tuesday morning. On my next bike ride I will probably need to wear my “cold” weather gear.

Many homes have Christmas decorations in their yards but it is hard to see them in bright sunlight. I can only imagine what they look like at night.

Strava Bicycle Ride Summary

Strava extended statistics using the Stravistix Chrome browser extension. (click to enlarge)

Texas Bicycling News Digest December 10th 2017

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Report proposes short-term, long-term changes to F.M. 2818

By CAITLIN CLARK | www.theeagle.com


A report accepted by the Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization this week identifies many interim and long-term projects to improve the F.M. 2818 corridor. …

… From South Texas Avenue to Texas 6

Interim projects are recommended for Dartmouth Street, Deacon Drive and the Texas 6 off-ramp to promote efficiency and divert traffic from the corridor. Because the segment has a narrower right-of-way, the recommended expansion to six lanes and how it would affect bicycle and pedestrian movement would need to be studied. …

Resolution Cross: Anthony beats McFadden, Ortenblad does the double

www.velonews.com


Crystal Anthony (Maxxis-Shimano) got the better of Courtenay McFadden (Pivot Cycles p/b DNA Cycling) on Sunday, after finishing second to her the day before. Photo: Heather Sawtelle

When the dust had settled on a hot, dry Texas Sunday, two Californians came away with titles, and significant UCI points, at the Resolution Cross Cup. In the elite women’s race, Crystal Anthony (Maxxis Shimano Pro Cyclocross) would reign supreme and on the men’s side, Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz/Donkey Label) would go two-for-two on the weekend and secure his hold on the ProCX overall standings. …

Austin bike shop brings new life to old bikes, gifts to children for holidays

Nicole Rosales | www.kvue.com

AUSTIN – One person’s junk is another person’s treasure, and the proof is in Austin’s Yellow Bike Project shop.

All of the bikes they own were donated from the community. Many were volunteering their time to repair them, bringing new life for a new owner Sunday afternoon.

“We reached out to the community and said, ‘Hey, do you know how to work on bikes, do you …

Bicycles Overcrowding Katy Trail, Residents Say

dfw.cbslocal.com

The bicycle sharing business is booming on the Katy Trail, but it’s also causing a headache for walkers.

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