No Hills But Plenty of Wind Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

In the coastal plain around Houston mountain and hills do not exist but to make up for it we have wind. Today when I left home at 1:15 the wind was out of the SSW at 12 mph with 17 mph gusts. By the time I returned home the wind shifted to the SSE at 21 mph with 29 mph gusts. I noticed the wind direction change when I rode east over Lake Houston on FM1960. This was around 17 miles into the ride. Making the left turn from Old Atascocita Road onto FM2100 north the wind was at my back and I picked up my speed.

A quick stop art the Huffman Chevron for some fuel and water prepared me to ride the last 11 miles home. The ride was 21.29 miles at that point and my stay was about 20 minutes. I thought I might cool down while I was there but sitting in the sun helped to keep me warm. The weather screenshots while I was at the Chevron station.

The wind in the screenshot is not the same as above which is from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Leaving the station riding west on FM1960 the wind helped me. Riding over Lake Houston the wind was coming from my left and wasn’t as chilly as yesterday. This was a good thing. I dressed for wind today with a short sleeve jersey under a BikeTiresDirect jacket. The vented sleeves let the heat out just enough that I didn’t overheat. The temperature agreed with my home weather station and the airport.

I am beginning to ride the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” on a regular basis. Below is a comparison of the last 4 times on this route. (click to enlarge it)

2-1-2016 Route Rides Comparison

I need to set my mileage goal for February. Using the same method as January, I averaged the last three February miles. 2013 was 370, 2014 was 375 and 2105 was 292. The average is 346 miles. That will my goal for February 2016.

The weather at the end of the ride. (click to enlarge) The image on the left also has the forecast for the coming days. Tuesday looks good for biking but Wednesday and following don’t look so good, cold front arrives.

Airport
My home weather stations

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/7732033/embed 45% 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/483796704/embed/f4809e862da7fb2d252e4858c22789fead5408cc 45% 500px]

Texas Bicycling News January 31st 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Pretty nice 50+ mile ride, about 95% bike trails.

by ThatGuyinHouston        www.reddit.com


Leaving from my house in Woodland Trails North, I do have to ride through neighborhood streets and one short stretch of Alabonson to get to the northwest end of the White Oak trails, but once I get there, I’m on the NO MOTOR VEHICLES trails all the way downtown and out Buffalo Bayou.
Anyone who hasn’t been to …

Dick Nichols Park. Intermediate and Advanced Beginner ride (2 groups) 10 am

Saturday, Feb 6, 2016, 10:00 AM

Dick Nichols District Park
8011 Beckett Rd Austin, TX

34 Mountain Bikers Went

Helmet and working bike required, spare tube suggested.We will have two or more  groups.After the ride will probably go for lunch somewhere near downtown.This is an unsanctioned ride.  Ride at your own risk.

Check out this Meetup →

Super Bowl Ride

Fort Worth Bicycling Association        www.fwbaclub.org

Club Special Event
Sunday, February 07, 2016 8:00 am
Join Jerry for a local area tradition where cycling clubs from all over the Dallas / Fort Worth area ride to the Dallas West End for lunch on Super Bowl Sunday. This year we will be eating at Dick’s Last Resort. Jerry starts the FWBA ride at the Trinity Railway Express Station at the corner of 9th and Jones, in downtown Fort Worth. Wear your red FWBA jerseys. We recommend you …

Cycling 2015 – Plano Bicycling Association

By Tim Elliott        www.facebook.com
I uploaded some pictures from last year’s riding to Facebook.

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/pitvins/status/693928559329456129

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/693913947062177793

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/693880090015436800

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/693789004941148160

Texas Bicycling Event Reminder

Finally Some Heat Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I was limited on time today so I chose the short route “Kingwood-E Lake Houston Pkwy” riding 24.48 miles to the southeast. I knew I would fight the wind most of the way there and back across Lake Houston. The temperature was 79 when I rolled down the driveway at 12:33. The sky was mostly cloudy with the sun going in and out behind the clouds. When it was out I was comfortable with my two jerseys and shorts. At the start before I warmed up the wind was chilly but I recovered whenever the sun came out. It was not quite the same as I rode east and west over Lake Houston. The strong wind was cooled down as it came off the lake. Going east I was okay because the sun was out but riding back home I really wanted tot get off teh causeway and my two jerseys weren’t keeping me warm.

With the short time I didn’t stop except at the traffic light at E. Lake Houston to turn around to head back home.

Two other serious bikers were on my route today. The first one I had talked with a couple of times when I was at the Huffman Chevron on previous rides. The other biker I was not familiar with.

I closed out January at 340 miles, 199 miles more than January 2015. This is a good start for 2016. This was my first 100+ mile week too. I need to decide what February’s goal will be.

The wind at George Bush Intercontinental Airport: SSW 13 mph with 21 mph gusts. My home weather station is among houses and the wind is not so extreme. Below is the weather before and after the ride.

Start of the ride
End of the ride

Monday’s weather looks favorable for biking.

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/7723098/embed 45% 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/483059394/embed/d8763bf73b9851beccf086d2758ca0304bdd1ff6 45% 500px]

Texas Bicycling News January 30th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Texas Chainring Massacre Kicks off the 2016 Gravel Season

www.granfondoguide.com

The 2016 gravel season kicked off in traditional fashion with The Texas Chainring Massacre which is billed as “The fastest 100 miles on gravel” by The Spinistry.
The event was held on 1/23 and staged from the tiny town of Valley View, TX. Temperatures were right at freezing for the start which is extremely brisk for Texas riders to crawl out of bed. Even with the freezing temps the event drew its largest crowd ever with well over 300 riders staging at the line.
The event combined multiple categories and distances for a single mass start which created quite the parade out of Valley View. Open 100+ miles were mixed with SS and Women 50+ milers as well as large contingent of non competitive/fun riders with routes as short as 30 miles. The course was …

Child killed while riding bike in Kingwood

www.khou.com

KINGWOOD – A child was killed while riding a bike in a Kingwood neighborhood.
Police said there was a gathering at a home Friday evening in the 4400 block of Broadleaf near Maple Park Way when a guest was leaving and struck the 3-year-old. It’s unclear if …

3-year-old hit on bike just feet from parent

By Dane Schiller        www.chron.com

A 3-year-old child on a bicycle in a Kingwood neighborhood was killed just feet from one of his parents, police said.
The accident happened around 5:15 p.m. Friday in the 4300 block of Broadleaf.
The child’s parent had been talking with an acquaintance, the driver of a pick-up truck, who was stopped on the street, and unaware the child had rolled in front of the truck, Houston Police spokesman Vic Senties said.
As the driver slowly pulled away, the child was hit, said Senties, who added that the child died at the scene.
“It does not appear the driver of he pick-up truck was impaired so it doesn’t look like there will be any charges at this point,” he said said. “It appears to be an unfortunate accident.”

Getting bent in Big Bend

By Terry Parsell        www.crazyguyonabike.com

The Bike: Tank Junior comes back!
I spent much a lot of money and time setting up a norco cross frame with disc brakes. I took it out for a couple of spins and just didn’t like the way if felt.
I had used my mountain bike (“Tank”) in Idaho two years ago, and pressed my regular road bike into service for my Oregon trip last year. Tank is too heavy for paved roads, and my road bike with more than 10 pounds or so on sways too much when standing, and has a bad shimmy on the downhills.
So I decided to use my old Felt cross bike I had used on my West VA tour some years ago. I made some modifications to it. The first thing I did was change the brake pads, and put Kool stop pads on, The old pads squealed loudly! The new ones not some much ( the advid cantilever brakes I have are known for their tendency to make noise).
The major thing I did was to change the crank. I had a 53X39 double on it. Which in …

Bike rider killed in NW Harris County

By Dane Schiller        www.chron.com

A bicyclist was killed early Saturday after being hit by a pick-up truck, according to Houston Police.
The 50-year-old rider, who died at the scene, has not yet been identified publicly.
“From what I can tell, he turned and was struck by the pick-up truck,” Houston Police spokesman Victor Senties said. “It appears he (the bike rider) made an unsafe left-hand turn.”
The driver of the Nissan Frontier pick-up truck was headed east at …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar