Texas Bicycling News October 7th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Baylor student on bicycle fatally struck by car that fled

www.valleymorningstar.com

WACO, Texas (AP) Waco police say a Baylor University student was killed while bicycling with his girlfriend when a vehicle struck him and then fled.
Police say that 19-year-old David Grotberg was hit late Thursday night. Police say witnesses told officers that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the bicyclist. The driver WACO, Texas (AP) × Waco police say a Baylor University student was killed while bicycling with his girlfriend when a vehicle struck him and then fled.
Police say that 19-year-old David Grotberg was hit late Thursday night. Police say witnesses told officers that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the bicyclist. The driver …

Fergus Falls man dies in Texas crash

By Tim Engstrom

www.fergusfallsjournal.com

A young man from Fergus Falls living in Texas was pronounced dead Thursday night after a speeding car struck his bicycle in a hit-and-run collision, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.
The newspaper this morning cites police in Waco in reporting that David Grotberg, 19, of Fergus Falls, was taken to …

The 20th Annual LIVESTRONG Challenge in Austin is Gearing Up

www.justmeans.com

WHAT: On Sunday, October 16, thousands of ridersحany of them cancer survivorsءnd other LIVESTRONG Foundation supporters from not only Texas, but cities and towns across America will come together to honor their courageous fight against cancer during the 20th annual LIVESTRONG Challenge.
It is the only ride that begins and ends in downtown Austin. Additionally, it is open to participants of any skill level. Riders, runners, and walkers from around the country can choose from 20, 45, 65, or 100-mile bike rides through the …

A Dutch Junction With Glow-in-the-Dark Bike Lanes Now Exists in Texas

by Angie Schmitt

usa.streetsblog.org


ItÓ³ AmericaÓ³ first unsignalized Ô„utch JunctionÔ × a type of intersection with protected space for cycling. It even has solar luminescent bike lanes. And hereÓ³ the kicker × itÓ³ in the heart of Texas.
The Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M led the design and installation at a campus intersection in College Station. The Dutch Junction is designed to keep bicyclists out of the blind spots of turning motorists, preventing right-hook collisions. …

You don’t need different bikes for different types of cycling

BILL CULLINS

www.gosanangelo.com

There’s a new and growing bicycle trend that I predict will have a significant impact on the cycling market for the next few years.
Simply put, that trend is “one bike for everything.”
Although every bike company has one or more models of adventure bikes in their lineup, bicycles like the Raleigh Tamland, Salsa Cutthroat and almost any model of cyclocross or dirt road design will work well if you want one bike that will handle almost any type of riding or even most types of racing.
Don’t be fooled by what the bicycle marketing people tell you. If you read the ads …

Texas Mutual’s Gergasko Named Best Large Company CEO in Central Texas

www.insurancejournal.com

Texas Mutual Insurance Co.’s president and chief executive officer (CEO), Rich Gergasko, has been named the 2016 Best CEO of a large company in Central Texas by the Austin Business Journal.
The ABJ has presented the Best CEO awards for the past six years, and this year’s awards …

… Gergasko also leads Texas Mutual’s annual participation in the BP MS 150 ride, a 150-mile bicycle trek from Houston to Austin to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis that has become an annual effort for Texas Mutual. …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Bicycling North Into the Wind

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Bicycling north to Tavola was hard work today thanks to the north 13 mph wind and 18 mph gusts. I used the 34 x 14 gearing to maintain a steady 15 to 16 mph. The “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route runs to the north until I make the turnaround out of Tavola onto Roman Forest Blvd. and ride back to I-69/US59. The bike ride totaled 35.04 miles long. In Tavola I rode to the new recreation center which the sign says is now open. No one was there but me.

Tavola Recreation Center

I am not sure how long the center has been open but it looks very nice. From where I took the picture I rode to the left by the playground and into the parking lot. The street is not open going to the right and left the street goes a couple of hundred feet. Future development is in the works.

Bicycling back to Winding Summit I rode to Roman Forest Blvd into the stiff wind. As I turned left on Roman Forest Blvd the wind turned friendly and my speed picked up. I shifted into the 34 x 13 gearing and 19 to 20 mph. I kept that speed all the way to the Stripes station at FM1314 and Valley Ranch Parkway where I took a recovery break.

I arrived at Stripes at 12:38 after biking 23.4 miles. The bike ride started at 10:56 so I got there earlier than usual. This would put me in front of all the school traffic. I refilled my water bottle and took my spot by the pumps in the shade. No Gatorade today to wash down the two packages of snack crackers. I finished eating and prepared to leave waiting in the shade until a car tripped the traffic light on Valley Ranch Parkway to cross FM1314 and ride through Briar Tree. The north wind continued to propel me and I improved my overall average speed to 14.5 mph.

Riding south on Rock Creek Drive in Oakhurst a sign warned of road work ahead and to expect delays. I thought the sidewalk might get me around the work if necessary but I didn’t see any work or workers. From there I bicycled to Kingwood Place and the I-69/US59 service road making a u-turn at Kingwood Drive. Kings Manor was calm since school traffic had not gathered yet. The fall like weather was pleasant and a couple of times the sun went behind some clouds making it feel a little cooler. A front is supposed to pass through this evening but the weather forecast doesn’t show it making much of a difference in the temperature.

The last school I passed, Bear Branch Elementary, was still in session. As I looked for traffic on Tree Lane I saw the school sign and noticed a bike rodeo was scheduled for today. As I rode by I couldn’t tell if it had already happened or not. I hope the children had a great time at the bike rodeo. I biked the mile or so to finish the ride at 1:55.

My plan is to ride early tomorrow (early for me anyway) to get finished so I can watch the University of Cincinnati vs. UConn football game. The weather forecast looks great for biking, not sure about where the football game is.

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Texas Bicycling News October 6th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Elbowz releases cycling safety videos

www.hotcyclists.com


The Elbowz Racing Team has released four new bicycle safety videos as part of a grant-funded project with the Save A Life program under the Texas Department of Transportation.
A playlist has been posted at this link. …

Biking in Houston

blogs.ridemetro.org

METRO ridership numbers show that more and more people are using bikes as they ride the bus around town, and that’s something local planners, engineers and bicyclists are considering as they work together to develop a bicycle master plan for the city of Houston. James Llamas, a civil engineer who has consulted with METRO, recently argued in a Houston Chronicle article that it’s not so crazy to …

Brushy Creek/Deception Ride

Wednesday, Oct 12, 2016, 5:30 PM

Brushy Creek Sports Park
2310 Brushy Creek Road Cedar Park, TX

7 Mountain Bikers Went

Meet at 5:45 pm to air up, tune and hit the Brushy Creek Deception trail.Wheels down at 5:30 pm.This will be a ride for folks who want to ride Deception at a fast beginner to intermediate group pace, depending on the crowd. If we get a big group we can split up based on the pace people want to ride.NOTE: This really isn’t a ‘beginner’ trail- it’…

Check out this Meetup →

Wednesday night ride

Wednesday, Oct 12, 2016, 7:00 PM

No location yet.

0 HHRC members Went

Road bike ride from the Heights hike and bike trail up White Oak Bayou and back. Please make sure your lights (front and back) are operational and bring plenty of water.

Check out this Meetup →

East 7th Street loses traffic lane, gains bike route

By STEVE CLARK

www.brownsvilleherald.com


Less than two years ago, East 6th Street was reduced from three lanes to two, with the outermost lane being converted to a hike-and-bike lane from East Ringgold to East St. Francis streets.
According to the city, the change was necessary to make it safer for people walking or biking between downtown …

I Ate the Elephant One Bite at a Time!

by Richard Cavin

www.wheelbrothers.com


Every once in a while I get the opportunity to meet other cyclists who have done some amazing things. I recently saw a Facebook posting about a 69 year old female cyclist who crossed the United States on an antique type bike. To tell you the truth I really just thought it was another one of those fake articles you see online. But I was in for a rude awaking!
In early October 2016 I contacted Steve Carter the husband of cyclist Carolyn who rode the bike. He responded and we arranged a time to meet and develop the content for this story.
Steve Carter and Carolyn Carter are retired “Winter Texas” who decided to move …

This weekend’s rides: Way out East (anti-clockwise)! Red Horn!

by Thomas

steinerranchcycling.com

… This weekend’s weather looks awesome again! Livestrong ride is rapidly approaching, let’s get some miles in!
Saturday we will go on a new 70 mile route that takes us “way out east” to the Walnut Creek trail. This time we will go North on it! Check out the route here: https://www.strava.com/routes/6730201 . After the ride we meet up at Lakeside for some discounted burgers and beer!
Sunday is our usual Coffee Shop ride to …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/StanPaoli/status/784220203076825089

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Another Helpful Bicyclist on This Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The bike ride today took me on the “Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman” route. I left home at 11:21 under scattered clouds and 88 degrees. Wind was from the SE at 10 mph, not much a problem from the wind. The bike ride went 33.52 miles. With the fall like weather it was nice but I did sweat. This was the first time on this route since returning from my vacation. Not much changed on the streets except when I crossed FM1960 at Kings Parkway. FM1960 is getting resurfaced and the asphalt grinder removed the surface from one shoulder to the other one. I expect the work will move east but I am not sure how far that will be. I bounced across the road to the other side where it becomes Atasca S. Drive on the way to Atascocita Road.

Later while I rode east on FM1960 just before Fairlake Drive another bicyclist rode towards me but in the east bound lane of FM1960. He slowed down and picked up some road debris and moved to the shoulder to let the traffic pass. Once the traffic cleared he rode to the center of the east bound lanes and picked up a cardboard box and put it on the shoulder. As I passed him I waved and said hi. The cars should thank him.

From there I rode to the Huffman Shell station for a break at 21.6 miles into the ride at 12:55PM. When I arrived two Harris County Deputy Sheriffs were talking near my usual spot so I moved to a pole partially in the sun until they left. The Elemnt screen when I arrived and the weather while I rested.

The shade and breeze cooled me down and the blue Powerade and snack crackers refueled me for the 11+ miles to the end of the ride. While I ate a small Fiat 500 pulled up to the pumps for gas. I think my bike is longer than the Fiat and the driver and passengers were not very small people. Since it isn’t so hot I do not need the full 32 oz Powerade but I drank it anyway. I did cut back to one package of snack crackers. After refilling my water bottle I got ready to leave around 1:32. This would get me in front of the Kingwood High School traffic. When I rode up to Kingwood Drive it only took me a few seconds to get a clear path across. From there the 2+ miles to the end went smoothly. I waved at the security guard at the Bank of America as I rode through the parking lot. The bike ride finished at 2:20.

I biked 187 miles so far this month and year to date stands at 6,119 miles.

More nice weather is in the forecast for Friday and a bike ride is planned.

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