Texas Bicycling News August 2nd 2017

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UPDATE: Austin cyclist says he found human body parts while riding on Walnut Creek trail

by Katie Hall | www.statesman.com

biker
5:20 p.m. update: An Austin bicyclist who reported having found what police have confirmed to be human body parts said he discovered the remains while riding on the Walnut Creek Hike and Bike Trail on Monday morning.
Cyclist Vince Jones said he and a friend came upon a pair of jeans that were in their path during a morning ride. They could see bones and what appeared to be a foot in a sock sticking out of the jeans, Jones said.
“I spent today hoping it was some kind of hoax,” Jones said. …

Texas 4000 makes a stop in Burns Lake

www.burnslakelakesdistrictnews.com

bike ride
This summer, university students from Austin, Texas, are cycling through Burns Lake on their way to Anchorage, Alaska. The students are part of the Texas 4000, an annual charity bicycle ride that raises money for cancer research. This …

Fall 2017 Meeting Schedule!

Texas A&M Cycling Team | amct.tamu.edu

Here is the fall meeting schedule!
9/7/17 Thursday REC255 8pm
10/26/17 Thursday REC255 8pm
11/30/17 Thursday REC255 8pm
12/14/17 Thursday REC255 8pm

You can also catch us at Recapalooza Thursday August 24th from 7pm-10pm at the REC, or at MSC Open House September 3rd.

The Racing Post August 2017 Edition

theracingpost.us

3 Texas women #PedalthePacific to fight human trafficking

www.khou.com

Three Texas women, who just graduated from college, are now on the assignment of their young lives.They are biking down the west coast to raise awareness and money to fight human trafficking.
Their trip began in Seattle, Wash. on June 19. They went south to Astoria, Ore. then cut west down Highway 101 to Leggett, Calif., then down the famed Highway 1. They will arrive in San Diego on Thursday.
It’s a journey that takes about 45 days.
The hashtag for …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Smartphone Rain Notification Ignored Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

While I ate breakfast, read the paper and watched the Tour of Poland my smartphone would pop up a notification to expect rain at 11:45 am but when I got ready to start the ride at 10:46 am I checked the radar and the rain was well to the north and south. I thought the ride would be over before the rain arrived, if at all. I chose the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route since it would take me away from the rain to the north and because I rode to north yesterday.

All went well on the ride. While riding in Elm Grove Village not long after exiting the greenbelt trail another cyclist passed me on the left and we exchanged hello. He was going faster than me and disappeared when he round a corner.

Weather conditions were good with the temperature 90 degrees but the sky to the north looked threatening. I kept and eye on it as I rode. Arriving at the Huffman Chevron at 20.6 miles into the ride I stopped to refill my water bottle and lingered a few minutes. A man going into the store said I might get wet and I replied the time might be short to avoid it. He asked how far I was biking today and I said around 32 miles (it ended up at 32.3 miles). I got on the Stradalli and rode to FM 1960 to head west. That was when I could see the dark clouds to the west. At the station the trees blocked this. The closer to Lake Houston I rode the darker the clouds got and to the NW, where I was riding to, it was darker.

Once I crossed the lake I turned right onto Atascocita Shores Drive. Not too much later I felt the first raindrops. The rain was light and staying close to the curb and under the trees I avoided the rain. But When the trees ended I started to get wet and by the time I got to the Kings River pool it was rain hard and the trees didn’t help. I made the turn onto the greenbelt trail to avoid traffic and stay under the overhanging trees while riding north on W. Lake Houston Parkway. It was raining harder now and about in the middle of the bridge a loud clap of thunder and lightning sounded. My glasses were so wet I could barely see so I decided when I reached Kings Harbor I would duck into the parking garage.

I made it into the garage and was dripping wet. I took my glasses off to get the fog cleared and waited for the rain to slow down. I dripped a lot of water on the garage floor and the wind was giving me a slight chill with the wet clothes. After a few minutes the rain slowed, glasses unfogged and I rode out to finish the ride. At first it rained lightly but after a mile or two it stopped though the streets were wet.

Waiting to cross Kingwood Drive I could feel the temperature was lower than at the start and by the time I finished the ride at 1:26 pm and looked at my home weather it was 78 degrees, unusual temperature change for August.

Rinsing off the Stradalli I parked it and went inside dripping wet. Maybe next time I won’t dismiss the smartphone notification so quickly. There is more rain in the forecast for Thursday but spread out and not as high a percentage.

Strava Bike Ride Summary

Texas Bicycling News August 1st 2017

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Video: Driver runs red light, hits woman riding bike

By Mayra Monroy | www.kxxv.com

BRYAN, TX (KXXV) – A woman is in the hospital in stable condition after being hit by a car Monday evening.
College Station police said a woman was hit by a car on the University Drive and College Main just after 7 p.m.
Police said that a …

Letters to the editor: Aug. 2, 2017

www.mystatesman.com


I am writing to address my concerns that there is no statewide bicycle helmet law in Texas. As a pediatrician, I have seen the devastation a traumatic brain injury can have on children and their families. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26,000 children and adolescents are treated annually for traumatic brain injuries in emergency departments as a result of …

Hike and Bike Trail Improvements Akin Park To Cargill Trailhead

www.texasbids.net

Prebid: 08/15/17 11:00 AM
Solicitation Title: Hike and Bike Trail Improvements Akin Park To Cargill Trailhead
Status: bidding
Report: 7950854
Country : United States State: TX
Location: North Side of Akin Park At Delwood To the Northeast Side of 4th Street At Cargill Long Park Trailhead Along Oakland Creek
Est. Low Value: $1,850,000 Est. High Value: $1,950,000
Scope: Hike and bike trail improvements, trail includes approximately 5,100 LF of 10-foot wide reinforced concrete, clearing, grubbing, …

UPDATED City of Boerne Trail System Expansion Project

www.texasbids.net

Prebid: 08/01/17 2:00 PM
Solicitation Title: UPDATED City of Boerne Trail System Expansion Project
Owner Solic Number: 0915-11-033 Status: bidding
Report: 7938371
Country : United States State: TX County: Kendall Location: Boerne
Est. Low Value: $2,500,000 Est. High Value: $2,500,000
Set Aside Types: MBE/DBE (Minority / Disadvantaged)
Scope: Trail system expansion project. Work includes approx 1,839 CY roadway excavation; 22,975 SY soil retention blankets; 363 LF of 24″ drill shaft;903 SF retaining wall; 8 LF of 8′ x 3′ concrete box culvert; 102 LF of RC pipe (arch); 1 EA adjusting manholes; 8,523 SY of 5″ concrete sidewalk; 500 LF of 1″ PVC conduit; 50 LF of 2″ PVC conduit; see attached file. …

NEO Houston – Nature & Eclectic Outdoors

Houston, TX
5,897 Outdoor Adventurers

If you love camping, backpacking, kayaking, paddleboarding, nature walks, hiking, biking, fishing, geocaching, photography, outdoor cooking, birding, wildlife viewing, travel,…

Check out this Meetup Group →

Bike ride “Tour de taco:#46” Crucial Matter

Friday, Aug 4, 2017, 7:00 PM

Market Square Park
300 Travis Street Houston, TX

5 Outdoor Adventurers Went

Ride 15 miles, give or take. We will meet at Market Square on the corner of Milam and Congress. In the ground is a sign in tile “Hat Store” next to the dog park across from Barnaby’s Café.Parking option? City of Houston Lot “H” next to Fonde’ recreation center 110 Sabine St, Houston, TX 77007 There are a few lots/garages adjacent to Market Square…

Check out this Meetup →

Four national titles earned on day 1 of Junior Track Nats

www.usacycling.org

Carson, Calif. (August 1, 2017) – Junior cyclists ages 11-18 took to the boards on Monday as the 2017 USA Cycling Junior and Elite Track National Championships opened at the VELO Sports Center in suburban Los Angeles.
Four riders earned the coveted Stars-and-Stripes jerseys in the men’s and women’s 17-18 sprints and points races. …

… In the 11-12 group racing on Monday, Mike Goodwin (McKinney, Texas/Crest/RBM) won the time trial while Maxwell Oestreich (Powder Springs, Ga./Junior Flyers) took the win in the scratch race. Divya Verma (Breinigsville, Pa./T-Town Elite) put her stamp on the women’s 11-12 group with wins in both the time trial and scratch race.

Ethan Swaidner (Colorado Springs, Colo./Front Range Juniors Cycling Team) won the men’s 13-14 time trial while Beckett Tooley (Frisco, Texas/Dallas Racing) was victorious in that …

Cyclists find human remains along Austin bike trail; case being ‘investigated as suspicious’

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán | www.mysanantonio.com


Cyclists found human remains in an “advanced stage of decomposition” along an Austin bike trail early Monday morning, Austin police said.
Police officers responded to the bike trails in the 7300 block of Ritchie Drive after the bike riders called authorities, the news release states. Officers were taken to the location of the remains.
According to the news release, there is …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Disrupted Traffic Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I set out on today’s bike ride at 10:36 am following the “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route to the north. I enjoyed the moderate temperatures when I got to the kitchen around 7:30 am of 72 degrees but by the time I started biking it was 90 and by the time I finished at 1:21 pm is was 95. Biking 34.4 miles got August started in a good way with only 766 miles left to reach my goal. For the year I am up to 4608 miles.

After riding through Woodridge Forest and getting ready to cross the railroad tracks on Knox St. traffic was backed up as two oversize load trucks slowly made their way north on Loop 494. After the traffic passed by I crossed 494 headed to the I-69/US59 service road. I wondered if I would encounter the entourage later in my ride since the route returns to Loop 494 when I take Community Drive east. I expected they would travel faster than I would but when I arrived at the Community Drive and Loop 494 intersection they were just approaching from the south. Bucket trucks zipped around as the pickup truck with the height gauge stick tried to drive under the traffic lights and hit them. A bucket truck moved to the side of the road and a man raised up above the wires and attached a strap to raise the lights and cables. With those up the big trucks slowly moved underneath. The motorcycle officers escorting the group held traffic up until the bucket truck lowered and the man got out. With traffic backed up to my right I thought it would be awhile before I got onto 494 but just as the officer left the light turned green and I rode onto the northbound shoulder.

As I rode north I watched the entourage move away and thought they would be out of range for the rest of the ride but not to be the case. I caught up with where Loop 494 makes a left turn and merges with the northbound service road just south of Roman Forest Blvd. The problem was the concrete road furniture that directs traffic to only make a right turn. The space between it and the edge of the road was just barely wide enough for the trailers to squeeze through and the first truck looked like it might have went up on the concrete divider. The service road traffic was backed up and the officers were holding everyone while the truck maneuvered over the concrete and turned right at the same time. The second truck did a much better job and once it was on the service road they drove onto Roman Forest Blvd. Traffic started moving and they kindly let us merge with me staying on the shoulder. At Roman Forest Blvd. the trucks slowed again because the traffic lights are on rigid metal arms and not moveable. They moved to the right to get around them. As I made the right turn onto Roman Forest Blvd. the trucks were stopped on the side of the service road. By the time I made the loop through Tavola and back to the service road they were gone.

I headed south on the service road into Valley Ranch enjoying the slight tailwind. Until I caught up with the oversized load group my average speed was improving and almost hit 14 mph but after that I never could get it above 14 mph even though the tailwind helped me. A quick stop at Stripes on FM 1314 for water and ice was the only interruption at 22.7 miles into the ride. Back on the bike I rode the 11+ miles to finish the ride.

More clouds in the sky for today’s ride than yesterday and the humidity increased some making for a sweaty ride. The weather forecast for the next several days now includes around a 50% chance of rain so biking could be wet.

Strava bike Ride Summary