Texas Bicycling News Digest August 9th 2017

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Fort Brown Connection Nearing Completion

www.cob.us

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (August 9, 2017) – The Brownsville Historic Battlefield Trail Fort Brown Connection is nearing completion in Downtown Brownsville. Slated for completion in Fall 2017, the Fort Brown Connection includes the construction of 2.75 miles of bicycle and pedestrian enhancements through Downtown Brownsville to expand the existing nine-mile Historic Battlefield Trail.
Presently, the Historic Battlefield Trail connects the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park and the Resaca de la Palma Battlefield Site to Linear Park. Expansion of the Historic Battlefield Trail through the Fort Brown Connection will complete the bicycle and pedestrian link between …

Episode 4 – Things are getting hairy!

Spinistry | www.youtube.com

Gravel Ride

by Local Hub Bicycle Company | www.facebook.com

Beeline Bikes to open 25 new mobile shops

by BRAIN Staff | www.bicycleretailer.com


SAN CARLOS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Beeline Bikes signed five new franchise agreements during the second quarter of the year to develop 25 new mobile shops across eight new territories — the brand’s most successful quarter to date, Beeline stated.
The new trucks will be based in Colorado, Texas, California and, for the …

Video: Pflugerville police investigating assault on hike and bike trail

By: Jennifer Kendall | www.fox7austin.com


Pflugerville police are searching for a man who grabbed a woman on the Lake Pflugerville hike and bike trail.

The assault was reported around 10:00 Tuesday night.
Police said the suspect is described as a man in his 20s or 30s. He did not have a shirt on at the time, but was wearing red basketball shorts.
“When we got there, we …

Getting Motivated: Mary Alice Torres

By MARICELA RODRIGUEZ | www.valleymorningstar.com


SAN BENITO — Often times we make decisions to better our health and they end up changing our lives.
Such is the case with 53-year-old San Benito native Mary Alice Torres.
Mary Alice is a graduate of Texas Southmost College, has been married to Sam Torres for 31 years and they have a daughter named Amanda.
Back in October 2010 she decided to make some changes and lose some weight. She was weighing 180 pounds at that time. She sought out help from Trainer Adam Troy Garcia, Jr., who helped her start her …

Video: City working to educate residents about new bike lanes downtown

By Presley Fowler | www.kcbd.com


LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – Thursday morning is the ribbon cutting for the new bicycle lanes on Broadway, and a video we shared on our KCBD Facebook page shows just how much that education is needed.
A Lubbock resident saw what appears to be a Lubbock County Corrections vehicle driving right through the new bike lanes for a few blocks. …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Polarized Lenses, Love Bugs and No Rain Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

No rain on today’s bike ride thank goodness. The ride followed my “Stroker Road – Huffman” route for a total of 41.8 miles. The ride started at 10:48 am and as I rolled along the route I was concerned at times with the dark clouds to the east but as the ride progressed they dissipated but I had to remind myself that the new polarized sunglasses were causing the clouds to look a little darker than they actually were. Yesterday afternoon I picked up my new sunglasses so today was the first ride with them. Switching from transition lenses to polarized lenses saved me 40% since the eye clinic had a sale. The gray polarized lenses do a better job of reducing the glare and sun so I didn’t squint as much during the ride.

Keeping a steady pace of 16 to 18 mph once I got onto FM 1960 heading east at Lake Houston I built my average speed up to 14.6 mph by the time I made the loop on Old Atascocita Road, Ramsey Road and Stroker Road back to FM 2100. Riding north on FM 2100 the wind tried to slow me down but I maintained the speed. For a rather calm wind day the biking north and northwest required extra effort. On FM 2100 I saw and hit a number of “love” bugs which probably were set free with all of the rain and lower temperatures. I hope their arrival is short lived.

At the 30.0 mile point and 12:57 pm I stopped at the Huffman Chevron for a 20 minute rest break. I refilled my water bottle with ice and water then sat outside under the canopy in the shade. The temperature was not as hot as last week before the run of rain passed through. At the start of the ride it was 84 with 75% humidity and at 2:12 pm when I finished it was 89 with 68% humidity so I suspect it was around 89 when I stopped in Huffman. The light breeze kind of dried up my perspiration while I sat there. As I left the Chevron station I saw the saw was clearing up and the sun broker through the clouds occasionally as I rode west back to Kingwood.

It was good to stay dry as far as rain is concerned. The weather forecast shows rain chances going down and the temperatures going up for the next few days. I hope to take advantage of that and ride.

RideWithGPS.com map and metrics

Strava Bicycle Ride Summary

Texas Bicycling News August 8th 2017

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Local Doctors Give Away Bicycling Helmets for Kid’s Safety

By Joe Hyde | sanangelolive.com

bicycle helmets
SAN ANGELO, TX — The physicians of the Concho Valley County Medical Society want to help ensure the safety of local children by giving away free bicycle helmets Saturday, August 12, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sunset Mall Community Room, during the Sunset Mall Back-to-School Celebration.
The Concho Valley bicycle helmet giveaway is part of a statewide effort — Hard Hats for Little Heads — launched by …

Sunday morning ride through downtown

adventureclubsa.com

Come join us for a Sunday morning bike ride through downtown. We will ride by the Alamo, La Villta through King William, Market Square and Main Plaza and then to the Blue Star for Brunch.
Members: Free
Where: Friendly Spot – Southtown area Non Members: Free
Address: 943 S Alamo St. Meeting Place: At Event Location
Location Website: Link Meeting Address: Same as Event Location
Meet Loc Website: n/a Meeting Time: 8:45 AM
Location Phone: (210) 224-2337 Parking Cost: $0.00
Start Date-Time: 08/20/2017 – 9:00 AM Reg. Deadline: 08/20/2017
* End Date-Time: 08/20/2017 – 11:00 AM

ARR – East Williamson Creek Trail Building

Thursday, Aug 10, 2017, 9:00 AM

Location details are available to members only.

3 Mountain Bikers Went

Help the Austin Ridge Riders build the newest natural surface hike and bike trail in Austin. We will be clearing the trail tread through the East Williamson Creek Greenbelt. Note that the meeting location is on a residential street with limited parking.Meet and park on Creek Bend Drive near 4907 Creek Bend. If you are late, go to the the short dea…

Check out this Meetup →

UPDATED Countdown Timers/Active Transportation Bike and Ped RE-BID

www.texasbids.net

Owner Solic Number: IFB 2400 ELL0036
Status: bidding Report: 7925164
Country : United States State: TX County: Travis Location: Austin
Scope: Provide and install pedestrian countdown timers.
Notes: All requests for explanations or clarifications must be submitted in writing to the Purchasing Office by no later than 1:00 PM, one (1) week prior to the solicitation due date. Submissions may be made via email to erika.larsen@austintexas.gov, or via fax at (512) 974-2388. The Contract shall be in effect for a term of 18 months. This project has a “prevailing wage” requirement. …

Public input sought for Paso del Norte Trail master plan

Pablo Villa | www.elpasotimes.com

bike trail
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation wants to give El Paso County residents a way to explore and experience their region in a safe, healthy manner.
To do that, the foundation is crafting an extensive master plan for a 50-mile linear hike-and-bike trail that would stretch from San Elizario in the Lower Valley to the New Mexico state line in the Upper Valley.
The project — known as the Paso del Norte Trail — is being touted as a way to make …

Bicyclist Injured After SUV Attempts to Exit H-E-B’s Parking Lot

By Maura Ballard | sanangelolive.com

bicycle injury
SAN ANGELO, TX — Shortly after 3:30 p.m. today, a white 2013 Ford Explorer attempted to make a right hand turn from the HEB parking lot onto Ave N, when the car collided with a nearby bicyclist headed towards the Sherwood Way intersection.
San Angelo police officers and …

Video: Police identify victim in fatal bicycle hit-and-run

www.kcbd.com

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – Accident Investigators with the Lubbock Police Department are investigating a fatal crash early this morning on the westbound access road of South Loop 289 near University Avenue.
Police have been able to identify 20-year-old Joshua Allen Noble as the victim of the crash who died at the hospital, according to Lubbock police.
At approximately 2:20 a.m., an officer was patrolling a car …

Video: Jacksonville police to start bike patrol following increase in burglaries

By Francesca Washington | www.kltv.com

JACKSONVILLE, TX (KLTV) – A rise in summer burglaries inspired one East Texas police department to add to their patrol units.
They’ve got two fewer wheels than your typical police patrol unit, but Jacksonville Police Chief Andrew Hawkes said mountain bikes could be the key to catching burglars in the city.
“We are getting killed on burglary of vehicles and burglaries,” Hawkes said.
Hawkes said burglaries are up 70 percent compared to this time last year. He said they are all …

Nicole: the biking, hunting and fishing lady

By George “GAR” Garza | www.lmtonline.com


This is a story about Nicole, the daughter of my good friends Mike and Soo Wong of Emperor Garden, whom I’ve known since she was a baby. She is now 22 years old and a student at Baylor Medical in Houston studying to become an ear and throat surgeon.
Every year Texas 4000 selects Texas students for an 18-month program designed to cultivate the fight against cancer. Texas 4000 empowers each student to raise $4,500, ride over 4,000 training and course miles with his or her team, volunteer 50 hours in the community and play an active role in planning every aspect of the ride to Alaska by attending meetings and …

EP Cyclists Tuesday’s Ride

EP Cyclists | www.facebook.com/epcyclists

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/895097759866531840

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/894986006872571904

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Water Cooled Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I thought I did my due-diligence before starting today’s bike ride. Before getting ready I went outside to check for rain since we received 3.77″ during the night and the sky was still overcast. I then checked the weather radar for rain and none showed up nearby. So I got dressed and went out the door. As I walked the Stradalli out of the garage at 11:52 am I looked down on the driveway at the puddles and saw rings from rain drops. It wasn’t raining heavy but a strong drizzle. I figured since it was not heavy I would ride away from it but winding my way around Kingwood at the start of what turned out to be the “Kingwood – New Caney – Oakhurst” route I went in and out of the light rain.

The plan was to ride to Tavola north of New Caney but with the rain I changed the route lessening it by 4 to 5 miles.

Normally I do not ride if it rains at the start of a ride but today after two days off the bike and my optimism I kept riding. There were signs around of the heavy rain we received during the night with full ditches and sand washed onto the streets.

Once I made my way to the north bound I-69/US59 service road I thought I was in the clear but not long after crossing FM 1314 the rain started again and stayed with me all the way to when I exited Oakhurst onto Northpark Drive west bound. By then I was soaked but comfortable temperature wise. It was 78 degrees with 90% humidity and a light 6 mph breeze from the SW. This was one of those bike rides where I think I absorbed more water than I sweated. When I finished at 1:56 pm my water bottle was almost full and I think I only drank from it once. Not normal for August weather in southeast Texas.

Sunday when I went to the garage for some reason I checked the tires on the Stradalli and the rear one felt soft. Taking it inside I removed the tube and found the hole about 180 degrees from the valve stem. Searching inside the tire I found a small piece of wire sticking out and pulled it out with pliers. I patched the tube and remounted the tire ready for what I thought be be Monday’s ride. It rained almost all of Monday so no riding but I checked my patch work and the tire was firm. With all of the rain maybe I should’ve rode on Sunday but then I might not have found the flat until I was away from home.

The probability of rain on Wednesday goes down some and I plan on riding.

Link to RideWithGPS.com ride data and map

Strava Bicycle Ride Summary