Texas Biking News October 28th 2021

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Dispatches from the U.S.-Mexico border: A ride for immigration justice

By Doug Pagitt | religionnews.com

(RNS) — This the journal of the We the People Ride, a 3,200-mile bike ride along the southern edge of the U.S., from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida. Led by Vote Common Good, members of the public are invited to join any length of the journey, both in person and online.

As the group rides, we are finding and telling the stories of those most impacted by U.S. immigration policy and are sharing their experiences and treatment. Each week we’ll file a dispatch from the road. …

EL PASO, Texas — A passage from the Book of Leviticus stands out to me as we ride along the border: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” .

This is one of many references to migrants scattered throughout the Bible, all similarly encouraging empathy and love toward new arrivals in one’s land. Here’s …

TxDOT holds public meeting for future project at FM 3034

by: Karley Cross | www.bigcountryhomepage.com

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has new ideas on how to improve a 1.57 mile stretch of road between Taylor and Jones counties, on U.S. 83/277 at FM 3034, and it is now allowing for public input.

According to the project overview, TxDOT wants to add an overpass bridge at the intersection at FM 3034, to improve mobility and enhance safety. In addition to the new bridge, a bicycle path is also proposed. If all goes according to plan, TxDOT wants to …

Area groups create ‘Bike Rx’ to help get Houstonians moving

by: James Parham | cw39.com

HOUSTON (KIAH)– A partnership between Legacy Community Health, Houston BCycle, the American Heart Association, Bosch, and Harris County Precinct 1 are launching a new program that will give more people BCycle memberships, allowing people to access the popular bike share program.

The new program, called “Bike Rx”, will “prescribe” people the Houston BCycle memberships. There is a ribbon cutting for the new program at the Legacy Community Health, Fifth Ward Clinic (3811 Lyons Avenue) on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m.

Legacy Community Health is a full-service network of …

Souther Tier, San Diego to St Augustine

By Chin Wu | www.crazyguyonabike.com

2021-10-27: Van Horn to Marfa

Wednesday October 27, 2021, 76 miles (122 km) – Total so far: 1,127 miles (1,814 km) There are so many trucks in Van Horn that the gas station is broadcasting for the truck to move out of the way so the next truck can start fueling. I have never seen so many trucks in the parking lot at the same time. I must be in their territory.

I also woke up this morning discovering the train track is right behind the motel I was staying. No wonder it is so cheap. Except I grew up next to the train tracks so I slept like a baby last night.

It was cold in the morning with wind picking up quite early. It felt calm when I was riding but I felt the wind pushing when I stopped. Highway 90 had very low traffic and pretty good road. So I must be going at 15-16 mph with a fully loaded bike. I was thinking how vast this is. There was no end and …

2021-10-28: Marfa to Marathon

Thursday October 28, 2021, 54 miles (87 km) – Total so far: 1,181 miles (1,901 km) Since I only had to ride 50 plus miles, I took my time to get ready. But the wind had turned and I was getting headwind now. Not very strong but enough to slow down. It was cold too.

After lunch, wind seems to die down substantially.

Tonight I camped at Marathon motel. While I was sitting on the bench using my phone, it was turning total dark. I looked up at the sky. I can see the Milky Way. It is blurry without my proper glasses. But for the first time I saw the Milky Way. …

Man wanted for stealing a bicycle

César Rodriguez | www.lmtonline.com

Laredo police are looking for a man accused of stealing a bicycle, authorities said on Thursday.

LPD released surveillance images of a man wanted in connection to a theft of a bicycle from a store in the 2300 block of Bob Bullock Loop. The incident occurred on Oct. 17.

To report the identity of the person, call police at 795-2800 or Laredo Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS (8477). Information provided through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Good Wind To Treacherous Wind

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I knew it would be a windy ride I just didn’t know to what extent. Starting at 11:15 AM allowed the temperature to get above 70 and the windy to get blowing. By the time I finished biking on my “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route at 1:54 PM I enjoyed a strong tailwind and a treacherous Lake Houston westbound crossing. I rode my Canyon Endurace bike 33.28 miles. The first 20 miles mostly enjoyed the tailwind, the last 13 I fought the headwind, literally. 15 times I rode this route in 2021 but none of the previous 14 had wind like this.

10-28-2021 YTD Bike Rides Summary Today's Route
10-28-2021 YTD Bike Rides Summary Today’s Route

Biking to FM 2100 was fairly easy with the tailwind. Riding east over Lake Houston my Bolt computer showed over 19 mph and I wasn’t pedaling. If you were to look at my power chart starting around 16.2 miles until about 18 miles versus my speed the difference would be striking. This was when I was over Lake Houston with the wind pushing me. This came to an abrupt end once I was off the causeway when a big gust hit me from the left almost pushing me into the grass. I slowed to regain control and straighten the Canyon. From there to FM 2100 the wind helped me in a nice way.

Making the left turn at FM 2100 and Old Atascocita Road changed the wind to a strong gusty headwind. I stayed to the left on the unopened southbound lanes to get some wind break effect from the trees but when they weren’t there the wind got a good shot at me. Crossing the railroad tracks and onto FM 1960 the ride headed west. I thought the wind would be strong but thanks to the trees along the right side of the road it wasn’t too bad. Approaching the Houston Fire Station I felt the wind increase as the trees and buildings moved back from the road. Not too bad so far. I had a false sense of the wind not being worse than that. Riding onto the causeway the wind gusts increased dramatically especially where the water goes under the road. This gave the wind free rein to blow through. I shifted up a gear on the rear cassette because it was hard to pedal. Unlike the 19 mph without pedaling going east about the best I managed riding west was 9 to 10 mph. Originally I thought I would stop out in the middle of the crossing to shot some video but the strong gusts canceled that. The wind was so strong I remembered biking in Harlingen February 16th, 2008, when the wind blew at 50 mph with 60+ mph gusts. It was so strong I got off the bike and walked. I was thinking today I might need to walk but I pedaled across the lake. At Atascocita Shores Drive I waited for a few minutes to let my legs recover.

10-28-2021 Weather End of Bike Ride
10-28-2021 Weather End of Bike Ride

On the west side of the lake I rode on Atascocita Shores Drive sometimes getting hit by the wind when the houses and trees opened. The wind blew hard to the ride finish but not like riding over Lake Houston. Back in Kingwood the trees, buildings, and houses slowed the wind some.

10-28-2021 Strava Bike Ride Overview
10-28-2021 Strava Bike Ride Overview

Texas Biking News October 27th 2021

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Potential charges for teen driver who hit cyclists in Waller County to be announced Nov. 8

Jay R. Jordan | www.chron.com

Potential charges against the teenage driver who drove his Ford Super Duty pickup into six cyclists in Waller back in September will be announced Nov. 8, the Waller County district attorney announced Monday.

The county’s top prosecutor previously said the case will be presented to a grand jury, which will determine if the 16-year-old will face criminal charges over the collision. The teen in question was allegedly attempting to billow smoke from his truck’s augmented exhaust system onto the cyclists before accelerating into their peloton on Sept. 25 as they trained along Old Highway 290 for a triathlon. Police interviewed the teen on the day of the …

Bike Mart™ Turns to Celerant Technology® as the Platform to Transform and Drive Omnichannel Retail Growth

www.prweb.com

Bicycle retail giant plans to fully automate brick-and-mortar and online operations with Celerant’s integrated point of sale, kiosks and eCommerce

Celerant Technology, a preferred software provider for the NBDA, today announced that Bike Mart™ (formerly Richardson Bike Mart) selected Celerant to improve their in store and online sales and services. Bike Mart, one of the largest bicycle retailers in the nation, will leverage Celerant’s Stratus Enterprise™ solution for point of sale, ERP, in store kiosks, eCommerce, inventory management and fulfillment, bicycle repair services, CRM, along with automation, custom development and industry integrations.

“With all the recent changes to customer behavior, and with five locations and more to come, it was time to move forward with an advanced and fully-integrated system,” stated Ken ‘Woody’ Smith, Owner and President of Bike Mart. “This will provide us with greater …

AUTO BICYCLE CRASH ON FM 2090 HAS ROAD DOWN TO ONE LANE

montgomerycountypolicereporter.com

5 AM -FM 2090 is closed down to one lane just east of Daw Collins after a major accident. Expect traffic to be slow in the area at least until 6:30 am as DPS investigates.

630PM-UPDATE-ROAD REMAINS TO ONE LANE AFTER AN AUTO BICYCLE CRASH AT 430AM THIS MORNING EXPECTED BACK TO NORMAL BY 8AM.

ALTERNATING LANE -DEPUTIES AT EACH END DIRECTING TRAFFIC

727AM-FM 2090 REOPENED

FATAL ACCIDENT ON FM 2090

montgomerycountypolicereporter.com

At 4:38 am Wednesday morning a bicyclist was traveling eastbound on FM 2090 just east of Daw Collins when an SUV traveling west crossed the fog line and struck the bicycle, splitting it in two and ejecting the rider. The driver was not sure what he hit but turned around and came back to the scene. FM 2090 was down to one lane until just before 8 am. The bike rider, who was wearing dark clothes had only small reflectors on the bike. HE was hit with a glancing blow causing damage to the front right of the SUV. The rider was transported to Kingwood Hospital in critical condition. The bicyclist who has not been identified was pronounced deceased at Kingwood Hospital. The driver was cited for crossing the fog line. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office provided traffic control as it was investigated. Body Colors Wrecker removed the bike. …

1,000 Miles to Go to My 2021 Bicycling Goal

A Dude Abikes | adudeabikes.com

Today I hit 4,555.5 miles on my Strava statistics. (Yes, I planned it that way.) Since I’ve been bicycling about 15 miles a day all this year of 2021, my 14.7-mile ride was right in my wheelhouse, so to speak. I took Sonnie the GT Arette back-up bike, since Sophie the Fairdale Weekender Archer apparently has yet another leaky tire. So she got another night off, the slacker. The point is that I’m on track for my second best (by that I mean longest) year on a bicycle. I’m not bragging as much as just telling it like it is. But as usual I have thoughts about it. Hope you’ll read them! Reading is a lot easier than biking …

Frankenbike Austin @ Clown Dog Bikes this Sunday, Oct 31st. from BikingATX

Shimano sales up 54% through first 9 months

www.bicycleretailer.com

TOKYO (BRAIN) — Sales in Shimano’s bicycle division were up 54% in the first three quarters of the company’s fiscal year, compared to the same period last year.

"Strong demand for bicycles remained at high levels in all markets, against a backdrop of the global cycling boom, triggered by the spread of COVID-19," the company said.

Sales in the period that ended Sep. 30 totaled 319,007 million yen ($2.8 billion), while operating income increased 103.4% to 89,764 million yen.

Shimano said it increased …

Copperas Cove Police looking for driver who struck child riding bicycle

www.kwtx.com

COPPERAS COVE, Texas (KWTX) – Police are investigating a collision involving the driver of a “small dark color sedan” who struck a child riding a bicycle and fled the scene without stopping to render aid.

The collision happened at about 7:15 a.m. on October 26 at the intersection of Hill Street and N 17th Street.

The investigation revealed the bicyclist was traveling west in the 900 block of Hill Street and the driver turned onto the 900 block of Hill Street from the 600 block of N 17th Street, striking the bicyclist.

Police said witnesses provided a limited description of the vehicle.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Copperas Cove Police Department at 254-547-8222.

You can also submit an anonymous report by calling Copperas Cove Crime Stoppers at 254-547-1111.

Windy Wednesday Group Ride

Mark Noblitt MTCCSA | www.strava.com

Evening Ride

Darrell C | www.strava.com

Texas Biking from Twitter

https://twitter.com/HotternHell100/status/1453352626519695364

Rain Blows Through, Streets Dry Quick Enough For Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

As promised the front arrived around 9 AM with rain and some wind. It lasted about an hour and I delayed the start of today’s bike ride until 1:22 PM to allow the streets to dry some and the temperature to recover to 70. With the late start I wouldn’t have enough time to ride too far so I shortened a route creating a new name but based on streets I ride often. The new route, “Forest Cove – Oakhurst – Kingwood”. It consists of Kingwood streets, the San Jacinto Bayou Greenway, roads to and west of US59. In the video I guess how long the ride would be and miss by almost 10 miles. The ride actually was 24.05 miles long. This put October 2021 miles above October 2020’s 822 miles with 835.65 miles. October 2019 was 625.7 miles.

With the wind and some sun the roads dried pretty quickly. Unlike the 2 days I missed earlier in October due to rain today the rain came and went leaving time to ride. I finished at 3:13 PM. Tonight the temperature may drop into the 50’s which might delay the start of tomorrow’s ride until it warms up. The wind was challenging today whenever I rode in a direction with a “W” in it. Conversely most other directions a tailwind helped me pedal the Lynskey R300 bike.

Weather condition summary: start 69 (humidity 83%, dew point 64), mostly cloudy, wind W 8 mph; finish 75 (humidity 63%, dew point 62), partly cloudy, wind NW 12 mph.

I changed my outfit some to offset the cooler wind. I wore shorts, a long sleeve jersey under a short sleeve jersey. This kept me comfortable when I hit the headwind and shade. Maybe a little overkill when I rode in the sun.

Four top results according to Strava:

10-27-2021 Strava Bike Ride Overview
10-27-2021 Strava Bike Ride Overview
10-27-2021 RWGPS Bike Ride Route Map
10-27-2021 RWGPS Bike Ride Route Map