Texas Bicycling News January 14th 2017

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Irving’s Campion Trail: The Dallas Bike Ride You Never Saw Coming

by John Wachunas | www.spinlister.com


The modest city of Irving, Texas can easily get lost in the massive suburban sprawl surrounding the Big D. Unless, of course, you’ve come here for the cycling.
Unbeknownst to most Dallas visitors, the Campion Trail in Irving is poised to offer some of the best bike riding in North Texas. Its proposed 22+ mile pathway will eventually connect the West Fork and Elm Fork tributaries of the Trinity River, however even in its current disjointed state it still offers a formidable ride. The freshly laid concrete is …

A magical ride through USA and life

By TOM HALEY | www.rutlandherald.com


Imagine the scene: You’re pedaling your bicycle on a Texas highway and a car passes with the lyrics of “Against The Wind” by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band spilling out the window. It was one of the big hits of that year and a cyclist’s anthem if there …

COMPETITIVE MTB LOOP – 24 Hours in the Canyon

24hoursinthecanyon | www.youtube.com

TxDOT looks at improving Texas 6, Clay Road intersection

By Karen Zurawski | www.chron.com


Options to improve the intersection of Texas 6 at Clay Road will be presented by the Texas Department of Transportation during a Jan. 24 open house meeting at the Bear Creek Park Community Center, 3055 Bear Creek Drive, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
A legal notice says the open house is intended to present proposed project alternatives and to obtain comments.
“The study will evaluate the no-build alternative as well as build alternatives to …

Southern Tier Winter Tour

By David Hayes | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 19 – Vanderpool to Camp Wood TX: “Only” Is Relative
Friday January 13, 2017
It is “only” 38 miles or so from the Lost Maples area north of Vanderpool Texas to Camp Wood Texas, my desired stopping point for the night. At home, in a paceline riding the Germantown HS loop to include the Mt. Leopard extension (about 42 miles total), I could make it in no more than 3 hours, and most probably less.
But that word “only” leaves a lot out.
Getting on the road before dawn, I was full of dread for the day ahead. First, as I departed the Foxfire Cabins at dawn it was raining. And it kept raining off and on all morning. Now, that in and of itself isn’t too bad. But I also knew I had three of the steepest climbs I’d face during my entire trip ALL between Vanderpool and Camp Wood (see the attached pic of the Elevation Chart). So, “only” 38 miles might be a …

Day 20 – Camp Wood to Del Rio TX
Saturday January 14, 2017
Though I dreaded my planned ride yesterday (rain + wind + steep, long ascents), I figured I’d have a good chance of making it even if it was really tough.
However, when I started this morning I really thought I might not make it at all. Though I knew the rain would likely not last too long in the morning, and I also knew the wind would help me a bit in some places in addition to slowing me down in others (unlike the past three days in which it always was bad), I also knew this was my longest ride I’d be trying to get done so far. 78 miles.
Again, trying to plan out my ride days ahead was an important factor. Sure, I could have stopped in the tiny town of Bracketville after 48 miles today, but that posed one possible major problem. As I learned in Camp Wood, tiny little towns may give me no phone signal at all AND the wifi might be useless-to-nonexistant. The need for wifi/some sort of decent phone signal was important because I knew Sunday would be a rest day.
Now, remember, my original plan had me taking a rest day every 10 days. That, of course, is …

The University of Texas at Austin Cycling Team

socialmediafeed.me


What an incredible week out in leakey, tx for some #basemiles at team training camp before road season begins! and a …

Masons grateful

Don Talley | tdn.com

Longview Masonic Lodge No. 263 members thank everyone who supported last year’s “Bikes for Books” program which promotes increased child literacy throughout the county.
The “Bikes for Books” program provided two bikes for second-grade readers at each Kelso, Woodland, Kalama and Longview elementary schools.
This program could not have realized its success without the support of school principals, second-grade teachers and a number of community leaders who helped in a number of ways including PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center (represented by Dave Collins), and the Woodland and …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Warm Here But Chilly Elsewhere Bike Ride

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Weather can vary a lot in Texas. Around the Houston area today the temperature was in the 70’s while in the Austin area it was in the upper 40’s to low 50’s. I took advantage of the warm weather to go on a bike ride using the “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route for a total of 33.54 miles. This map shows the wide range of temperatures at the end of the bike ride.

Houston and Austin temperatures

Space City Weather blog had forecast this saying the cold front would not make it to the Houston area. Even with the warm temperature I wore a thermal long sleeve jersey and a short sleeve jersey over top. I am a temperature wimp and the wind still felt chilly as I biked through it. The wind was from the SE at 10 mph which was great on the ride to Tavola but the ride back was when the chill became noticeable.

I started the bike ride at 12:07 and finished at 2:29 under overcast skies most of the time. No other cyclists crossed my path during the ride. I am making progress to meet my 300 mile goal for the month with 232.3 miles so far. I am thinking about riding the Bike Through the Forest and Hills – Coldspring, TX ride next Saturday. It has been several years since I rode that ride and the weather looks favorable so far.

Link to RideWithGPS.com map and metrics. Link to Strava data.

Today's bike ride summary

Texas Bicycling News January 13th 2017

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Lookie what they’re Doing in El Paso!

by Mark Stone | www.bikeforums.net


As part of a voter-approved “Quality of Life” bond, the city of El Paso, Texas is building wide multi-purpose paths next to busy city streets. The one pictured below is 2 blocks from my house and looks to be 10 to 12 feet wide, intended for both bicyclists and pedestrians. They are not only installing paths like this all over town, they are landscaping around them too. For a city like ELP, which is …

Event Schedules

RGV Randos | www.rgvrandos.org

Randonneuring in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas
2017 Events (Dates are approved for ACP events)
Jan 14, 2017 (Populaire – 109K, ACP Brevets of 200K and 300K) (Harlingen Soccer Complex)
Jan 28, 2017 (Populaire – 100K, ACP Brevets of 200K and 300K) (Edinburg, TX – Lowes – Starbucks)
March 25, 2017 (ACP Brevets of 200K and 300K) (Harlingen Soccer Complex)
November 18, 2017 (Pop – 109K, RUSA Brevets 200K and 300K) (Harlingen Soccer Complex)

… Dates for a total of 4 2017 events, including ACP have been approved. See event schedule page for more details.
Three of the dates in 2017 will be for ACP Brevets…so what does that mean? If you complete one of the ACP events (200K or more) and are a current RUSA member you can order a special medal from ACP. …

Trinity Trails project to connect Fort Worth, Dallas inching along

By Nicholas Sakelaris | www.star-telegram.com


When he lived in Fort Worth, Steve Gray would periodically ride his bike on Fort Worth’s Trinity Trails to work at Lockheed Martin, events such as the Main St. Arts Festival and even to jury duty.
Gray, president of the Fort Worth Bicycling Association, said the ever-expanding system is exciting, especially for cyclists who will be able to access trails out of their neighborhoods.
“There’s all kinds of connections that those trails provide to …

Bowie Bulldog Scavenger Ride

Saturday, Jan 21, 2017, 1:00 PM

ATX Bikes
5701 W Slaughter Ln Austin, TX

8 Mountain Bikers Went

Hosted by the Bowie High School & South Austin Middle School Composite – Bulldogs MTB TeamThis is a fund raising event to help the Bowie HS and South Austin Middle School Composite MTB Teams race in the 2017 Texas Interscholastic MTB Championships. Not a race and not a group ride, but a big dirt adventure where you’ll check in at as many points as…

Check out this Meetup →

Biking Big Bend – Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest and Mountain Biking the Big Bend

Written by Matt Joyce | www.texashighways.com


Chances are I won’t be hitchhiking out West any time soon to hire on with a ranch or join a sheriff’s posse. My boyhood fancies of a cowboy life on the open range, fueled by Lone Ranger reruns and imaginative bicycle escapades around the neighborhood, lost steam over time. But I’ve still got a Lone Ranger poster, and I’ve still got a mountain bike. And exploring the Texas countryside by bicycle still kindles my childlike excitement for …

McKinney’s On-Street Bike Plan

City of McKinney | apexcentre.net

The On-Street Bicycle Transportation Master Plan was created to develop a vision and framework for an on-street bicycle network that provides safe and efficient routes connecting residents and visitors to key destinations throughout the City. The Plan was created through a planning process that allowed the City of McKinney, its residents and stakeholders to create a …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Warm January Weather Bike Ride

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Warm weather continues to rule southeast Texas. Today’s bike ride followed the “Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman” for a total of 34.18 miles. Not trusting the temperature I wore my thermal long sleeve jersey with a short sleeve one over top and shorts. This worked well especially riding over Lake Houston where the 15 mph SE wind carried the chill from the cooler water. I don’t know how many days of 70 degree weather it will take to warm up all of the water in the lake, maybe by March it will start to warm up. Weather from the big airport at the start and finish of the ride.

Start weather
Finish weather

No other bicyclists appeared while I was biking. I waved at several people along the route who were out in their yard and walking along the street. This route takes me by several schools but I passed all of them before school let out.

January’s goal is getting closer with 198.76 miles so far towards the 300 mile goal. The chart as of today’s bike ride. The red goal line is the whole year 2017.

Tomorrow’s weather looks like a repeat of today so I should go bicycling.

Link to Strava metrics and map.

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