Texas Bicycling News – June 29, 2023

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Criminal mischief charge filed against bicyclist accused of helping cause $10K in damage to car

ByJessica Willey | abc13.com

Michael Len Johnson appears to claim self-defense while also admitting to the mob attack on a Facebook post, records show.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A 42-year-old man has been charged with criminal mischief in connection to a confrontation with a driver during a mass bike ride in Houston’s Third Ward.

Michael Len Johnson was charged Monday, online records show. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. He declined to comment when reached by ABC13.

The charge stems from a mass bike ride on June 15 when driver Herschel Cashin was swarmed by dozens of people on bikes. …

‘It leads us to discussion’: Cyclist speaks out 2 weeks after controversial group ride in Third Ward

Lileana Pearson | abc13.com

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A controversial group bike ride has one man facing charges and another with more than $10,000 in car damage.

The initial incident took place on June 15.

In a video sent to ABC13, a man in a car starts honking his horn and driving through a large group of cyclists. A few cyclists kicked and threw objects at the car, one person taking a bike lock and smashing the windshield. That person, Michael Len Johnson, is now facing criminal mischief charges. …

Video: College Station athlete returns home after winning medals at Special Olympics World Games in Berlin

By Donnie Tuggle | www.kbtx.com

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -A Brazos County athlete recently returned home after winning two medals at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

Allison Dohrman, of College Station, brought home the silver and bronze medals in cycling.

She competed alongside just over 200 athletes.

Wednesday, community members gathered at Jack & Dorothy Miller Park in College Station to welcome Allison home and celebrate her accomplishments.

Those close to her say not only did she represent the Brazos Valley well, but also the Lone Star State. …

Opinion: Can Dallas become a more bike-friendly city?

By Dallas Morning News Editorial | www.dallasnews.com

Samuel Mortimer has been using a bike as his main form of transportation for the last 18 years. He told us that by riding his bike he doesn’t waste time stuck in traffic on Interstate 45, and he’s saved thousands of dollars by not having a car.

But even he has trepidation about pedaling on Dallas streets at times and leans on public transit and rideshare apps because of the city’s inadequate bike infrastructure. …

The 50-mile Dallas Loop trail aims to transform the city. It’s getting there

By Mark Lamster | www.dallasnews.com

Walking will always be my first option, and I will admit that I enjoy a leisurely drive, but the simple truth is that the most enjoyable and efficient way to explore a city is on a bicycle.

“A bicycle is the ideal city vehicle because it moves at the perfect pace for urban navigation and exploration — fast enough to beat the traffic and get you where you’re going, slow enough to take in all the details of the cityscape,” says Jody Rosen, author of Two Wheels Good, a history of the bicycle. …

“Texas to Alaska” Bike Ride Rolls Through Alexandria

Joe Korkowski | explorealex.com

46 students from the University of Texas are seeing a lot of the country this summer, including Alexandria, MN. It’s part of an annual ride called the Texas 4000. The number comes from the estimated number of miles they need to travel in order to accomplish their goal of riding their bicycles from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. It is the longest annual charity bike ride in the world. All of this effort is not just for the sake of seeing the country, but rather to raise awareness of the need to help cancer victims and support causes that aim to help those without means to pay for treatment or lodging and also to help fund cancer research.

The students are …

Bridgeland – Craft Cellar Beer – 6/29/2023 Harris County, Texas

Marjoe Q. Borromeo | strava.com

Thursday Bexar County, Texas

Eduardo Salas | strava.com

Texas Biking from Twitter

Freeform Ride For Something Different. No Mindless Biking Today

Texbiker.net Posted on by

When I was thinking about where to ride today I wanted to do something different. That can hard to do considering I’ve been biking for over 30 years from the same starting point. Add in that some places I ride to only have one way to get there and coming up with different routes can be challenging. What if I do a “freeform” bike ride based on a route used many times? That’s today’s bike ride. The base route is Atascocita – Walden – Huffman and the freeform part comes from making street choices in many places. The choices might be streets and greenbelt trails from other routes but not used in the base route. Some of these choices I made in advance and some as I turned a corner or rode on a street with optional turns that would go in the general direction. I had no idea what distance this would end with but hopefully equaled or exceeded the average for Atascocita – Walden – Huffman. It turned out to be a longer than average ride at 35.6 miles (the average is 34.3 miles). And I left out one greenbelt section back in Kingwood that probably would’ve added a mile or so. No mindless bike ride today.

This week now totals 140.94 miles making a 200+ mile look possible. June biking is up to 930.16 miles, the most in a month since October 2022 with 957.98 and I could surpass that on tomorrow’s ride.

Starting at 8:45 AM on my Cervelo Caledonia bike it wasn’t too far into the ride that I made the first choice and more followed not long afterwards. Another freeform decision was to not wear arm sleeves which I wear on each ride. I will return to wearing them because of they keep sweat from running down my arms but it was comforting to have the wind blowing on my arms. When I finished at 11:44 AM my arms were dripping. I almost wore wrist bands knowing the sweat could be a problem.

Weather: Start 85 degrees, 77% humidity, dew point 76.9, a few clouds, wind SW 8 mph; Finish 92 degrees, 58% humidity, dew point 75.4, mostly clear, wind S 7 mph.

6-29-2023 Strava Ride Summary Freeform Atascocita-Walden-Huffman
6-29-2023 Strava Ride Summary Freeform Atascocita-Walden-Huffman
6-29-2023 SportTracks Ride Summary Freeform Atascocita-Walden-Huffman
6-29-2023 SportTracks Ride Summary Freeform Atascocita-Walden-Huffman

Texas Bicycling News And Events – June 28, 2023

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Wheels of Fire bike ride

Photos by Mike Sackett | www.waxahachiesun.com

The annual Wheels of Fire bike ride to benefit Campfire Creek Therapeutic Riding and the Jon Wilson Scholarship Fund was held Saturday, June 24. The annual event offers rides of 21 miles, 50 miles and 100K. It starts and ends at Railport Brewery, 405 W. Madison St., Waxahachie. (21-miles, 50-miles and 100K) start and end at 405 W. Madison St., Waxahachie. For more information about the ride, email wheelsoffireride@gmail.com.

Bicyclists on cross-country cancer fundraising ride hit by SUV in North Dakota

BISMARCK TRIBUNE STAFF | bismarcktribune.com

Two bicyclists from Texas on a cross-country cancer fundraising and awareness ride were injured when they were struck by an SUV in southeastern North Dakota’s Barnes County.

Felicity Hung, 22, of Frisco, Texas, and Neeraj Akula, 20, of Cibolo, Texas, were hit from behind while riding with 13 other bicyclists on a rural road 2 miles west of Valley City around 2 p.m. Tuesday, the Highway Patrol reported. The bicyclists were single-file in three groups of five riders, and the SUV that was traveling in the same direction had cleared the rear and middle groups before hitting two of the riders in the front group, authorities said.

Hung and Akula were treated on scene by ambulance personnel and then taken to a Valley City hospital with injuries that the Patrol said were not life-threatening.

The SUV left the scene. The driver was later arrested on a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an injury crash. Formal charges were pending. The Patrol identified the driver as Peter Schuck, 88, of Sanborn. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.

88-year-old driver arrested for leaving scene of crash that injured two bikers

By Nachai Taylor | www.valleynewslive.com

The bicyclists are part of the Texas 4000, a non-profit group raising awareness for cancer.

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Two bicyclists traveling from Texas to Alaska are recovering from injuries after they were hit by an SUV near Valley City. The crash happened just after 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The bicyclists are part of the Texas 4000, a non-profit group where bicyclists participate in cross country treks to raise awareness for cancer.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol says 15 bicyclists of the Texas 4000 were crossing a railroad overpass bridge on 33rd Street SE near County Road 22. According to the report, the bikers were riding in single file in groups of five.

An SUV, driven by 88-year-old Peter Schuck, was …

Houston’s cycling deaths still on the rise

Jay R. Jordan | www.axios.com

Houston is investing millions in bike lanes, but almost more cyclists have died on its streets this year than in all of 2022.

Why it matters: This year, Houston remains on pace to be more lethal to cyclists than 2022, when 11 were killed in crashes with motor vehicles.

10 cyclists have been killed in 2023, by the Houston Police Department's count.
By this time last year, there were seven deaths, per Texas Department of Transportation data.

What they’re saying: …

Ride from Houston to Galveston
by u/Displaced_Member in bikehouston

snow cone spin with sam! Austin, Texas

Monica Merced | strava.com

Criterium Skills Clinic Houston, Texas

Michelle Casper | strava.com

Afternoon Ride Houston, Texas

Chase Ferrell | strava.com

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

On The Fly Route Changes, Others Planned Riding To Caney Creek

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Some bike rides I follow a route using the same streets but today on the way north to Caney Creek I used some different street combinations. A few were made on the fly, others pre-planned. No new streets but some I haven’t been on for awhile. It was my Lynskey Helix bike’s turn to ride. The route name is the same but the streets not so, Kingwood – FM1485 – Kingwood. Start time was a few minutes earlier than yesterday at 8:45 AM and I finished at 11:30 AM to avoid the hottest part of the day. Today I rode 32.5 miles, the average distance for the route in 2023, even with the different streets. Out of the nine rides in 2023 seven have been on my Lynskey Helix bike.

6-28-2023 SportTracks 2023 Ride Summary Kingwood-FM1485-Kingwood
6-28-2023 SportTracks 2023 Ride Summary Kingwood-FM1485-Kingwood

I used the 35×13 gears the most during the ride: 1:34:21 (22.6 miles), 35×15 gears 41:49 (6 miles), 33 rear derailleur shifts. From the AXS.SRAM.com ride report.

Weather: Start 85 degrees, 77% humidity, dew point 76.7, partly cloudy, wind S 10, ; Finish 90 degrees, 63% humidity, dew point 75.4, partly cloudy, wind SW 10 mph.

6-28-2023 SportTracks Ride Summary Kingwood-FM1485-Kingwood
6-28-2023 SportTracks Ride Summary Kingwood-FM1485-Kingwood