The wind was still kicking up today so March is working on the lion thing. When I left at 1:15 the wind was from the south at 13 mph with 17 mph gusts. Not satisfied with that when I got back home at 3:36 the increased to 13 mph with 21 mph gusts. The sun was in and out of the clouds so the 82 degrees was not quite as warm as you would think. Fortunately I wore a long sleeve jersey for sun protection but I also liked the warmth it provided when the gusts hit. Tomorrow the high could reach 91, unusual for March. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday return to the 70’s. All of this will be great bicycling weather. Some of the clouds looked dark when I started today but no rain showed on the radar and none fell on me. I don’t want to get wet while biking but we need some rain.
In an attempt to mix things up on my route I rode the reverse direction on most of the streets on my to Huffman and added a couple of branches to run some errands. I thought I might ride about 25 miles but I actually rode 29.38. My average speed suffered from the wind and taking it easy and dropped to 14.4 mph. I think my route affected this some as well. You notice different things when you ride from the opposite direction and today was no exception. With many flowers blooming and trees budding there is a plethora of color. Bradford Pear trees are white with tiny green leaves. Azaleas are red, pink and white. Some of the azaleas are very large. My sinus continues to react to all of the pollen and my voice does not last long before I can only whisper but I feel fine all the same. One of the errands was going to Walgreens to pick up a prescription and the lady at the drive in window could just barely hear me but I managed to get my information through the microphone to her.
March miles continue t build hitting 332.79 after today’s ride. I have 248 miles to go for March. Year to date miles crossed over the 1,000 mark totaling 1014.38. Here are the links to RideWithGPS.com and Garmin Connect maps and statistics.
On a sad note, when I got have after my ride I saw a news bulletin from the Houston Chronicle that a bicyclist in today’s Tour de Houston died from medical causes, not a collision. This is the first death for the Tour de Houston. My prayers go out to his family and friends.
Biggest / toughest hills, climbs etc in Texas.
by Creakyknees      www.bikeforums.net
I like hills. Even mountains. Long sustained steep grades, paved and unpaved. There are plenty of them in TX. Many of them are within a day-trip of the major metros. Let’s list them here. Shall we?
1) The hwy climb to Chisos Bason, 5.1@6.3 ?
2 has to be the Fort Davis area, hwy’s 166 and 118 in particular, and the spur rd to the McDonald Observatory.
http://app.strava.com/segments/1306923 4.8@4.6
2) Next up, the El Paso transmountain road?
3) Lots of legbreakers in the Hill Country. RR337 W of Leakey, etc.
Something you might want to be aware of is that two commissioners in Burnet County, Russell Graeter and Ronny Hibler, are doing what they can to greatly limit the riding events that occur in Burnet County. I am aware that at the last meeting on Tuesday 2/12/13, cycling and race events involving cycling was hotly disputed with a lot of misinformation on the part of Hibler and Graeter. They have formed a committee to discuss the issue further. If riding in the Hill country is of interest to you or your followers this might be something to look into and keep posted on your site as meeting times and dates come up.
 Mount Lakeway Workday this Sunday
by Mr Bacon Jr      www.bikemojo.com
March 17th, 1-5 in the afternoon. Meet on Trophy Drive (behind the pool) and we’ll get everyone out to the base of Mount Lakeway. Bring post work party beers. …
Watch for this unicyclist, he will be coming through Texas on the way to Florida.
‘Larry’ and the unicyclist
By Pat Rush         www.dailygazette.com
The desert seems to attract the oddballs, the characters, the misfits, the marginal.
The stereotype is the bearded prospector on his uncertain quest for gold.
But on the streets of Salome, Ariz., I encountered some of the desert’s most colorful characters.
I found . . . Larry (not his real name), a loaded touring cyclist from England who set out from L.A. to bicycle across country. Larry is middle-aged, with very good…
 Tweets
My bike rode for 8 hours on top of my car today. No time to clean it before morning ride. Hope the bug guts make it more aero.
The fine yellow-green powder covers anything outside including my sinus as I ride along. My voice is almost non-existent but I feel fine. I don’t remember the pine pollen being a problem before but maybe I just didn’t connect the dots. The strong wind makes sure to move the stuff around to just about everywhere even our Jeeps parked in the garage. As I ride past cars parked on the street the yellow-green powder tints the paint to unusual colors. The SSW 16 mph wind and 24 mph gusts awaited as I started my ride at 11:24 and they didn’t let up by the time I reached home at 2:21 registering from the south at 15 mph and the same 24 mph gusts. Partly cloudy skies helped the temperature get up to almost 85 degree. I wore my two jersey combination (short and long sleeve) to block the sun some and maybe add some warmth. This outfit was quite comfortable.
I rode north to New Caney and then northwest to Gene Campbell Road. Up to that point the wind was generally at my back but once I turned on Gene Campbell the wind became a force slowing me down. The route totaled 34.47 miles bringing my March total miles up to 303.41, 278 away from my 581 mile goal. With 15 days left in March this looks doable if my sinus problem does not escalate.Year to date miles are 985. Links to RideWithGPS.com and Garmin Connect data and maps.
When I reached Old Sorters Road and FM1314 I stopped at the Stripes store to rest, get a Diet Pepsi and a fish taco. I don’t normally eat like that on a ride but the taco’s are a special for Lent and I was curious about how they tasted; besides the 32 oz drink was a $1 with the taco. The taco was good and added my Kashi trail mix bar as dessert. We are having a few people over for dinner so I didn’t want to eat too much.
The ride start was delayed because I thought the Milan-San Remo race was today but it is really tomorrow an I wanted to watch some of it. I also had organized a Meetup ride with the Houston Cycling Club but all the riders backed out.
The weather looks to be dry and warm for several days so riding should be happening.
Biking boodoggle
Letters to the Editor      FortWorth Star-Telegram
The city of Fort Worth received a $1 million federal grant for a bike-sharing program. It bought 300 bikes at $1,118 each for a total of $335,400. Some very nice bikes are available at Walmart for $99 apiece.
The city also seeks more funding to expand the program. What did it do with the $664,600 left over after the bike purchase? I thought the country was cutting back.
— Connie Howell,
North Richland Hills
Waco OMNI Stage Race March 23-24
bicyclesoutbackracing.net
By Kim On March 14, 2013 In Blog, Calendar With No Comments Permanent Link to Waco OMNI Stage Race March 23-24Permalink
3 Great Courses all within 2 miles of each other. Stay at the host hotel Hotel Indigo and ride your bike to all three events!
Catered packet pick up party at the Jubilee Dealership.
Free reusable bag and pint glass for the first 150 to register! Bicycles Outback is right next door to packet pick up and will be open late to serve your last minute bike needs. …
No doubt you’ve heard several of the local television stations and news sources do stories about the closing of the Houston St. Viaduct for construction on the upcoming streetcar line. With that change came a seriously planned reconfiguration of the traffic flow on the Jefferson St Viaduct, it’s younger, and less…
Houston – Double Lake – Big Ring Challenge – 23-24 March 2013 – Come and get some!!
by khighfield         forums.mtbr.com/texas
I need to hang out on MTBR a bit more often. I did a search and couldn’t find much comment about the trails at Double Lake. Well, they are getting great acclaim from the locals down here – they are now the fastest, best flowing trails that you can find. We have folks making the drive week after week and loving them. All this is a prelude to inviting those who don’t already know to…
Thursday Ride at Walnut Creek – Beginner/intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Thursday, March 21, 2013Â Â Â 5:30 PM
Walnut Creek Park
12138 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX (map)
Back to normal summer hours
This will be a beginner ride and will be doing around 8 -10 miles.
If someone is willing to lead a faster group then we can have an intermediate group also.
Please be there and be ready to roll by 5:30 pm. We meet in the parking lot near the pool in the middle of the island.
Any question please call/text me at…
BAM! No, this isn’t about Emeril Lagasse (although I love his food), but rather it’s an acronym for Bike across AMerica. Am I planning to cycle across America? I wish I was, the thought of long rides with your bike packed with camping gear plus weeks of free time is really appealing to me. It something that many of us dream of doing, but in reality only a select few have the opportunity to…
The March issue of Austin Fit Magazine, and their website, www.austinfitmagazine.com, showcases the 1/26/13 Kid Trips event with Austin Boys and Girls Club at Walnut Creek Metro Park with Jim Rankin’s Trained Traildog, Preacher, herding the boys and girls along the trail. All photos are by Brian Fitzsimmons of Austin Fit Magazine. Preacher is a Finalist for the AFM’s Fittest Dog Contest because of his many years of trail running with mountain bikers and his riding the bow of my kayak on every paddle trip. This free AFM magazine is distributed by the front doors of many local stores and gyms. Pick one up or visit…
Wednesday afternoon, with the temperature about 70 degrees F ( I think it may be measured in furlongs in Europe) under clear blue skies, Peggy and I got out and did a 6 mile meander through several nearby neighborhoods. We went slow and enjoyed the sightseeing. I love riding with Peggy. It just makes me feel good.
Today (Thursday), I rode the 17-1/2 miles over to Llano to meet a friend I had not seen in 29 years. Mark Belcher and I worked at a small computer start-up back in 1984 and had not had any contact since until recently when I tracked me down via Linked-In on the internet. Mark was in the area for some vacation time with his sister and her family and suggested that we have lunch, so I agreed, picking… wait for it… yes! The Berry Street Bakery in…
The Austin Cycling Association and Please Be Kind to Cyclists have organized a social ride and discussion with Acevedo from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, March 21.
The fifth annual Chat with the Chief begins with a short bike ride that departs Bicycle Sport Shop, 517 S. Lamar Boulevard, at 6 p.m. The group will return to the shop for drinks and…