Texas Biking News July 1st 2020

Texbiker.net Posted on by

VN Podcast: Why Austin’s Driveway Series returned to racing

Fred Dreier | www.velonews.com

We interview Andrew Willis, founder of Austin’s Driveway Series, about his decision to return to racing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bicycle racing is slowly returning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Austin’s Driveway Series criterium events have been some of the first to come back. The Driveway held its first race since the shutdown on June 18, and then held another one on June 25.

Why has the series returned, and …

Bike lanes coming to Houston’s Shepherd-Durham with $40 million boost from federal funds

Dug Begley | www.houstonchronicle.com

John Baker was an MP in the Army and spent a career traveling the world setting up security systems and coordinating private guards for energy companies. He was paid for 45 years to anticipate risks and react to them.

He retired almost five years ago to a Heights townhome with his wife that has enough room to host six grandkids and now spends a few hours most days zipping around on his bicycle. On an average day, Baker, 67, can log a …

Court activity on June 29: Trek Bicycle Corp. vs Laura Allman

By Record Inc News Service | setexasrecord.com

The Harris County Civil Court reported the following activity in the suit brought by Trek Bicycle Corp. against Laura Allman, Robert McCowen and Yvonne McCowen on June 29: ‘Original Petition Adms Disc Int Prod Citation Issued’.

Case number 1156211 was filed in the Harris County Civil Court on June 25.

Video: COVID-19 fuels bike sales in San Antonio

by Emily Olson | news4sanantonio.com

SAN ANTONIO – Many industries are seeing a gradual decline in sales right now, but one industry is seeing the complete opposite.

Our crews talked to Michael Paese, the owner of Gotta Ride Bikes in San Antonio. He told us that many bike shops are almost completely out of bikes and are also low on critical supplies.

"Almost the day after the lockdown, bike shops were flooded with customers," Paese said.

He also said that …

Video: Lubbock business owner riding 935 miles across Texas to raise awareness for ‘differently awesome’ non-profit organization

By Julie Castaneda | www.kcbd.com

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock father is biking across Texas to save his business turned nonprofit.

Nick’s Shaved Ice Paradise started serving up snow cones in June 2018. Their slogan, “differently awesome,” refers to their employees. Nick’s only hires individuals with disabilities or special needs. …

Texas Hill Country Loop Presentation

www.adventurecycling.org

As soon as the maps for the Texas Hill Country Loop came out in 2016 John Koonz went out and rode it. In this presentation, John will go over some touring basics, some touring in Texas tips, and more specific details about the Hill Country Loop. Join the event virtually on Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 PM CDT at https://meet.google.com/cts-zvyr-myy. More info: Email John Koonz.

Fair winds and following seas: Rockwall remembers life and legacy of Captain Scott Self

By Austin | blueribbonnews.com

(ROCKWALL, TX – July 1, 2020) Sail With Scott founder and former Rockwall mayor Scott Self passed away on June 30th. Scott succumbed to complications with cancer while on hospice at his home at the age of 70.

To call Scott an experienced sailor would be an understatement. He first learned at the young age of 10 from his dad, and now you’ll find his name in the top 10 of every major class of sailboats at National Championship from Sunfish to 60 footers. Among his highly impressive list of accomplishments as a sailor include …

… Perhaps no one embodied the Rockwall Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” more than Scott. He served as a Rotarian for many years, and most recently chaired the club’s biggest annual fundraiser in the Hot Rocks Bike Ride last year. The successful event helped the Rotary provide $10,000 scholarships for two local high school seniors. …

Tour de Agua, Dublin, Texas, June 2020

Roy and Christine | roy-pedalpushers.blogspot.com

First organized tour we have been able to attend this year.

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

July Begins Biking to Tavola and A Patch Update

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I started July bike rides off on the “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route riding 35.85 miles. That leaves 765 miles to reach my goal for the month. It all began at 10:19 AM as I rolled the Canyon Endurace CF SLX out the driveway onto the streets. This would be the 13th time to ride this route in 2020. So far I biked 121.49 miles this week putting me in a good position to hit 200+ miles for the week.

7-1-2020 YTD Bike Rides Summary Todays Route

July weather arrived too. The wind pushed me along on the way north to Tavola and punished me on the way back to Kingwood. What it was like while I biked: start 88 (75% humidity, 79.5 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind S 9 mph gusts 18 mph. Finish 93 (64% humidity, 78.7 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind SW 8 mph. After finishing at 1:20 PM I sat on my patio cooling off with the breeze blowing through. The ice water in the CamelBak provided relief as the heat built up. Last year I didn’t use a CamelBak hydopack, just bottles. Not the best decision but I wanted to be light and I stopped at stores to refill the bottle with ice and water.

Using the GoPro cameras is still a learning experience. After I finished the ride I saw the first clip was blurry from either a finger print or moisture. Riding with one hand while holding a GoPro can be hard when the road is rough. I don’t want to record me crashing.

Update on yesterday’s rear tire flat on the Lynskey R300. Using the foil from the patch as a boot was just good enough to get me home. When I took the tire bead off the rim pieces of foil fell on the floor. I suspect the cut flexing produced the flat spot as I rode. From this, I think the foil boot lasted 11 miles only. I found an old Continental 4000 tire, cut a section for a boot and put in the tire. The cut appears stable now. The next ride on the Lynskey will tell the story. This photo shows the tire with the proper boot in place.

7-1-2020 Lynskey R300 Rear Tire Cut with Boot

I want to get more miles on the original Lynskey tires before replacing them.

7-1-2020 Strava Bike Ride Summary
7-1-2020 SportTracks Bike Ride Summary
7-1-2020 Strava Year Progressions Mileage

Texas Biking June 30th 2020

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Houston family breathes new life into broken bikes for kids, neighbors in need

Melissa Correa | www.khou.com

HOUSTON — We are Standing for Houston by celebrating our neighbors with a new weekday segment called Heroes Nextdoor.

So when Renee Surette saw our Nextdoor post soliciting for good news, she sent in this message.

I saw your post on Nextdoor and thought I would email you about Recycled Cycles of Texas. We are a 501(c)3 that takes in unwanted or underused bicycles from the community. We do needed repairs to make them road worthy then …

Tyler State Park Has Trails for Hiking and Mountain Biking

www.countylinemagazine.com

Described as a “tranquil haven in the pines,” by the Texas Wildlife and Parks Department, Tyler State Park offers hiking trails, boating, bird watching and wildlife viewing, fishing, swimming, a playground, and watercraft rentals. Roughly 15 miles north of Tyler, the park offers a range of camping options, and is a popular destination for thousands of visitors each year.

Some families visit the park year after year and it’s a favorite destination for mountain bikers, who enjoy the adventurous, winding trails through hills and ravines. There are more than 13 miles of trails including …

Leftleftleftleft

Said Assali | www.strava.com

#demladiez Cruuushed it

Mike Buenaventura | www.strava.com

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

June Bike Rides End On A Flat Note

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I wasn’t quite as quick to start today’s bike as yesterday rolling out the driveway at 10:10 AM. I needed to ride at least 41 miles to push June’s total over 900 miles and I accomplished that biking 43.16 miles. June’s final total came in at 902.84 miles, the 3rd month over 900 this year. I chose the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route with some variations. This was the second time I biked this route in 2020, both times on the Lynskey R300. Summaries of the month and rides on the route.

6-30-2020 June Bike Rides

I managed to bike 902 miles after missing 4 days due to weather.

6-30-2020 YTD Bike Rides Summary Stroker Road Huffman

The bike ride went well until I rode west on FM 1960 after stopping at The Huffman Chevron for ice. Around 32.2 miles I rode over a large piece of a glass bottle with the rear tire instantly causing a flat with a cut in the sidewall. I looked for a place in the shade, walked across FM 1960 and to a closed bar with shade. At first I didn’t find the cut but with the wheel off the cut became obvious. I carry a small tire tool in my seat bag which made getting the tire bead off difficult until I pushed the opposite tire bead into the center of the wheel. Pulling the tube out where the cut showed exposed the hole. A large patch covered that but before putting the tube back into the tire I spotted a tiny hole about 2″ away. Patching that hole I put the tube in the tire, stuck the foil from the patch behind the sidewall cut, mounted the tire and pumped it up. My patch work held so I put the tools in the their places and resumed the ride. The tire felt firm but I noticed a flat spot as the wheel turned. I will inspect it later when I decide what to do about the tire. A cut in the sidewall can affect the tire’s ride plus the tube tries to squeeze through the cut without a boot.

It was hot and steamy during the bike ride. Wind was strong making for tough pedaling whenever I rode into the headwind. Weather conditions: start 89 (72% humidity, 78.7 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind S 12 mph. At 11:53AM 90, mostly cloudy, wind S 12 mph gusts 20 mph. Finish 92 (65% humidity, 78.8 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind S 14 mph gusts 22 mph.

FM 2100 construction narrows the northbound shoulder in many places from Crosby to north of Stroker Road. The southbound shoulder isn’t constricted so today’s ride went south on FM 2100. I saw another “casual” biker riding north where the barriers narrow the shoulder. Not a good idea.

PowerPod Bike Ride Data Charts. Note the wind in the second chart from the top.

6-30-2020 PowerPod Bike Ride Charts
6-30-2020 SportTracks Bike Ride Summary