Texas Biking News May 7th 2020

Texbiker.net Posted on by

USA BMX resumes racing and practice in several states

by Dean Yobbi | www.bicycleretailer.com

GILBERT, Ariz. (BRAIN) — Fifteen USA BMX tracks in six states held "soft" reopenings for practice and races last week under state and city social distancing guidelines established during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This weekend, about 10 additional tracks will open for racing and/or practice, said Craig Barrette, USA BMX’s creative director, who noted all schedules are subject to change. USA BMX sanctions 320 North American tracks.

Last weekend, four tracks held races in Oklahoma and Texas, "which is small, obviously, but significant as everybody begins ramping up and reopening their local programs," Barrette said.

At the Katy and Cowtown tracks in Texas, racing was held in groups of four. U.S. practices took place on 11 tracks, with the …

Beaumont man charged with aggravated robbery after bicycle theft

By Chris Moore | www.beaumontenterprise.com

Beaumont police arrested a man after he allegedly stole a bike from a 73-year-old man Wednesday morning.

The victim flagged down an officer near Calder Avenue and 6th Street and said a man robbed him of his bicycle a few blocks away, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.

“The 73 year old victim was able to give the officer a detailed description of the suspect,” the release said. “At that time, a citizen who had witnessed the robbery and followed the suspect called police with additional information. Officers were able to locate the suspect and …

Spinistry Adventures – LBJ Grasslands

Spinistry Adventures | www.bikesignup.com

Fri May 8 – Thu December 31, 2020 FS 920 Decatur, TX US 76234 This is a self service adventure. It is intended for people to follow the routes whenever it is suitable for their own schedules. We are providing suggested routes and stops but we can not guarantee the current accuracy for any details at any given time. We suggest checking in with the local Forest Service office prior to starting your trip to verify current conditions and/or requirements.

You will need a free Ride With GPS account in order to access the routes for navigation purposes. Your confirmation email will have a link to those routes. Signing up for the adventure from this site will also give you …

Opinion: Create more bike lanes to ensure social distancing outside during coronavirus pandemic

By Bob Stein and Bob Wright | www.houstonchronicle.com

If you’ve been to any of Houston’s parks since the beginning of March, you will have noticed a fascinating sight: parks are absolutely overflowing with people. If you didn’t know that the world was suffering a pandemic, the sight would have been baffling. Throughout the bayous and parks, cyclists, runners and outdoor enthusiasts have been contending for space. One thing is clear: Houston trail infrastructure is insufficient during this pandemic and will be insufficient to support increased post-coronavirus usage. For …

Spoke & Word May

bikehouston

Happy Bike Month!

The last few weeks have been kinda crazy at BikeHouston:

We said goodbye to our previous Executive Director Clark Martinson, and welcomed our new Interim Executive Director Nick Hellyar. This is Nick’s first Spoke & Word so read on for some background info.

We’ve been busy with some projects that are finally coming to fruition. For example, our new site will be launching within the next few weeks! And for bike month, we have some virtual events prepared! We’re looking forward to returning to physical in-person events, but these virtual ones will see us through.

We are also saying goodbye to our Education Director Inge Ford who will be going to Michigan to work for an indigenous health initiative. Inge has given so much to BikeHouston, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors. …

Heights Bicycle Rally & Scavenger Hunt moved up to take place Memorial Day weekend

By Matt Dulin | communityimpact.com

The Houston Heights Association has moved up its fall biking event to take place during Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25.

The 15th Annual Houston Heights Bicycle Rally & Scavenger Hunt is a three-day, 15-mile event for riders of all ages at any pace. A 5-mile route is also available for children and parents. …

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Spring Creek Greenway Second Time in May

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The third bike ride on the Spring Creek Greenway in 2020 and the second in May was the order of the day. Starting at 10:56 AM I rolled out the driveway on my Lynskey R300 road bike. My plan was to ride at least 43 miles to help make up for not biking on Monday. I accomplished that by riding 43.37 miles boosting the week’s total to 130.84 miles positioning me to bike 200+ miles for the week. This was the third day in a row of 40+ miles. May totals 227.27 miles on the way to my 660 mile goal. Below is a summary of bike rides on the greenway in 2020.

5-7-2020 Bike Ride Summaries 2020 YTD Spring Creek Greenway

Weather for the bike ride hit the mark: start 84 (59% humidity, 67.9 dew point), fair, wind SE 13 mph. Finish 85 (44% humidity, 60.5 dew point), partly cloudy, wind SE 18 mph gusts 30 mph. Earlier in the morning it was 57 degrees but warmed up quickly. I wore shorts and a short sleeve jersey. Wind increased but the trees held some of it back except when I rode out in the open on the greenway.

Before leaving on the bike ride I adjusted the position of the saddle on the Lynskey R300 by moving it forward 1/2″ to get it closer to the Canyon Endurace’s. I think it made an improvement by reducing my reach for the brake hoods and my back felt better.

I didn’t use the external mic with the GoPro and the audio is better but not great. I ordered a GoPro external mic adapter and a Rode VideoMic to improve the sound on the videos. They should arrive next week.

I saw my first fat tire e-bikes on the greenway around the Carter Park trail head. A tandem and recumbent also passed me. The child in the opening screen of the video riding the trike later on my return was being carried my the mother and the man on the bicycle was walking his bike while carrying the trike. So much for a child’s energy.

5-7-2020 SportTracks Bike Ride Summary

Texas Biking May 6th 2020

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Amarillo police investigating after man on bicycle hit by SUV following argument

by Matthew Watkins | abc7amarillo.com

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Amarillo police are investigating after a 36-year-old man was hit by another man driving a white SUV after a confrontation on Tuesday afternoon.

According to police, at about 3 p.m., officers were sent to the 2200 block of Coulter for a male subject on a bicycle who had been struck by a white SUV.

When officers arrived, there were several witnesses to what had …

Tubeless Installation Made Easy

Texas MTB | www.youtube.com

Follow these helpful tips and you will have a much more enjoyable time working with tubeless tires.

Addison 16-Mile Cycling Route

Ray Bon | www.alltrails.com

Addison 16-Mile Cycling Route is a 26.4 kilometer lightly trafficked loop trail located near Addison, Texas that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for road biking and is accessible year-round. …

Brazos Bridge Update

bikehouston.org

Despite our petition, the City of Houston has decided to not turn the decrepit Brazos Street bridge into a park. However, they are improving the intersection below the ramp for cyclists and pedestrians. …

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Useless Experiment, Back to Basics Now. Headwind Followed By Tailwind

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Trying to make up for not biking on Monday I chose a longer bike ride following the “Kingwood – East River Dr – Kingwood” route. The route took me north of Splendora and back. I started at 11:39 AM and finished at 3:28 PM after riding 46.09 miles, just a fraction of a mile less than the previous ride last week. I am up to 183.89 miles for the month towards my 660 mile goal. A summary of the previous times riding this route.

5-6-2020 Bike Ride History Kingwood E River Dr Kingwood Route

I thought it might a little cooler than yesterday due to the early morning rain and front but by the time I started it warmed up enough for shorts and a short sleeve jersey. I thought about riding the Spring Creek Greenway but changed my mind due to shade and coolness. Super low humidity (for Houston) enhanced the chill in the shade. Weather conditions during the bike ride: start 79 (44% humidity, 55.0 dew point), a few clouds, wind E 18 mph. Finish 84 (36% humidity, 54.1 dew point), a few clouds, wind NE 10 mph. The strong wind at the beginning of the ride made getting to the turnaround harder than the return trip where I upped my average speed to 14.5 mph before settling in at 14.4 mph.

Average speed took a hit early in the ride when I ran into traffic on the way to US59. For some reason getting to and across the railroad tracks on E. Knox St. included way more cars than usual. Some looked like they came from the middle school but with schools closed I don’t know why they would come from there.

I experimented with the microphone placement with the GoPro camera but when I got home and listened the audio was bad in each position. After doing research I came to the conclusion that the external microphone doesn’t work with the GoPro so it is useless without a microphone adapter and a 3.5mm microphone. So much for my experiment. I will go back to mounting the camera on my helmet and not use an external mic.

5-6-2020 SportTracks Bike Ride Summary