Texas Bicycling News Digest May 8th 2018

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Things to do, places to eat for Mother’s Day in The Woodlands

Compiled by Patricia Dillon | www.yourconroenews.com

Mother’s Day Ride & Tea: Join Bike The Woodlands Coalition on a Mother’s Day bicycle ride for moms and their children. Meet at Grogan’s Mill Shopping Center by Randalls at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Participants must be 14 years or older and all riders must wear a helmet. Contact infitnia@gmail.com for information.

Corpus Christi cyclist who died after vehicle hit him in Flour Bluff identified

Meagan Falcon | www.caller.com


The cyclist who died after being struck by a vehicle Monday night in Flour Bluff has been identified.

Heraldo Peña, an investigator with the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office, said the man was identified as 60-year-old Stephen Clark of Corpus Christi. …

Butler Trail detour begins as crews install mini-boardwalk

Pam LeBlanc | fitness.blog.austin360.com


A section of the Butler Hike and Bike Trail beneath the north end of the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge will close Wednesday for 12 days while crews demolish the old wooden bridge and install a new 14-foot-wide pathway.

Trail users can follow a detour up to Congress Avenue and around the construction during the closure. The …

Abilene police officers to participate in Police Unity Tour, honoring fallen officers

By: Joshua Engard | www.bigcountryhomepage.com


ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Two officers from the Abilene Police Department will travel with the Texas Wheels of Justice to the East coast to participate in the 2018 Police Unity Tour honoring fallen police officers from around the nation.

The event is a 300 mile bike ride from East Hanover New Jersey to Washington, D.C., and will take …

Video: Person on bike hit by car in Flour Bluff

By Tammy Botello | www.kristv.com

UPDATE: Police have confirmed that a cyclist has died after being hit by a car Monday night in the Flour Bluff area.

The victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition where police say he succumbed to his injuries.

According to a witness, a man driving a white truck struck a man in the 2000 block of Flour Bluff Drive.

The witness said he wad driving behind the bicycle for a while, then began to move around the cyclist. That’s when the …

Prison Sentences Ordered In Five Recent Brazos County District Court Criminal Cases

by Bill Oliver | wtaw.com

… Stealing a Texas A&M police bait bicycle resulted in a four year prison term for a Bryan man. The sentence given to 34 year old Adrian Lashawn Jackson was based on his criminal history, which included convictions in two felony drug cases and two misdemeanor theft cases.

8 AM start: Tour de Southern Walnut Creek Trail

Tuesday, May 15, 2018, 8:00 AM

Govalle Park
5200 Bolm Rd. Austin, TX

1 Austin Cyclists Went

We’re riding out at 8 AM for summer! A moderate C-pace ride (roughly 11 to 14 mph) on The Southern Walnut Creek Trail from the trailhead at Govalle Park to the Abrupt End and return. Round trip is about 20 miles. The trail is paved for the entire distance, with a 1/2 mile hill on the outbound. We’ll regroup at the top of the hill on the outbound an…

Check out this Meetup →

FrankenBike Bell County # 7: SATURDAY, June 02, 2018, 10am-4pm at King of the Mountain Cyclery

by Chris | frankenbike.net


FrankenBike Bell County # 7 – Presented By BikeTexas, Independence Brewing Company, and Ruta Maya Coffee – will be held at King of the Mountains Cyclery in Nolanville, Texas on June 02, 2018 from 10am-4pm. 100A N Main, Nolanville, Texas 76559. Scroll down for a map. …

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Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/allynwest/status/993863271852773376

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Dusted Off A Forgotten Route Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Today’s bike ride followed the “Eagle Springs – Walden – Huffman” route which I don’t ride very often. The last time was 8/11/2017. Maybe this route has a bad memory from my collision on 9/3/2013 at Atascocita High School. Bicycling 38.49 miles in fantastic weather was great. I started later than yesterday at 11:59 am because I watch stage 4 of the Giro d’Itlia. If I had not started so late I was going to bike a different route that was about 7 or 8 miles longer. I will do that route on next Monday when the Giro has another rest day and I can start earlier.

With the fantastic weather my wardrobe consisted of shorts and a short sleeve jersey with sunscreen. Weather during the ride: start 87 (54% humidity), a few clouds, wind W 7 mph. Finish 91 (43% humidity), partly cloudy, wind SW 8 mph. Again wind wasn’t really a factor but my average speed was lower than yesterday. I think this route doesn’t have the long stretches of road without stops.

Not long after the ride started (4/10’s of a mile) I stopped to take a photo of the gazebo in the Elm Grove Village park.

This route crosses several busy roads but with traffic lights. I did not have any problems with traffic. After leaving Eagle Springs and turning north on W. Lake Houston Parkway I returned to streets I bike more often.

Riding east on FM 1960 over Lake Houston I stopped and took these photos.

FM1960 Over Lake Houston-!

The east shore is at the top of the photo.

FM1960 Over Lake Houston-2B

My finger got in this photo so I cropped it out.

The pink RouteArrows are sticking around on the road from several days ago. There may have been some confusion on the route at Fairlake Drive and Old Atascocita Road with the arrows pointing to turn right. That direction takes you to the lake and dead ends. Later I saw an arrow pointing east on Old Atascocita Road about midway to FM 2100.

I decided to take a break at the Huffman Chevron. This screenshot shows the ride summary to that point from my Elemnt computer.

Bike Ride Wahoo Summary Huffman

After resting about 15 minutes, eating granola bars and drinking water I was back on the bike to ride the 11+ miles to finish the ride. No other cyclists along the route today. I finished at 3:08 pm.

Fantastic weather continues tomorrow, Wednesday. Bicycling does too.

SportTracks Bike Ride Summary

Bike Ride Summary

Texas Bicycling News Digest May 7th 2018

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Ride Scare: As more people jump on bikes, fatality rates spike

By RICK KELLEY | www.valleymorningstar.com


HARLINGEN — Many Americans are joining the battle against obesity, diabetes and other illnesses linked to a sedentary lifestyle by actively pursuing new exercise regimes like bicycling.

More than 103 million Americans 3 years of age and older, which is 34 percent of us, say they rode a bicycle at least once within the past year. …

5 things to do

www.valleymorningstar.com

… 2. Saturday – Bike Rodeo

Are you up to date on state bicycle laws? The Harlingen-San Benito Metropolitan Planning Organization is teaming up with the San Benito Police Department to provide information on bike safety and host a first-ever family bike ride. Information on Texas bike laws and how to safely travel on a bicycle in town will end with a three-mile family bike ride escorted by police. Come out from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at W.H. Heavin Memorial Park, 410 N Stookey Road. …

Here’s what stopped Ken Hoffman in his tracks during the BP MS 150

By Ken Hoffman | houston.culturemap.com


This year’s BPMS150 was clear sailing, with blue sky and gentle breezes for about 9,000 riders raising $14 million for Multiple Sclerosis research and patient care. Here’s how smooth the ride was: I normally pull into Bellville, the Day One lunch stop, around 11 am. That’s when Dairy Queen on East Main Street opens, and I settle in for a burger, fries, and Blizzard — the lunch of supremely conditioned athletes. …

Tour De Rouge – Day 2 – Beaumont Tx to Sulpher LA

J. Ramsey | www.strava.com


People loved Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest so much organizers cancelled it

Pam LeBlanc | fitness.blog.austin360.com


Did you make it out to Big Bend for the 2018 Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest? Hopefully so, because this year’s event drew so many bicyclists that organizers have decided to cancel next year’s event.

A notice sent to past attendees from Desert Sports in Terlingua said this: “Alas, more riders attended then …

The Houston Grand Criterium 2018

Pedal Prose | www.youtube.com


The Houston Grand Crit took place on the Allen Parkway on the edge of Downtown Houston. I spent the day spectating and enjoying a great racing atmosphere. Special thanks to my teammate Dan Scoville for providing the on-bike footage.

2018 Houston Grand Crit Cat 3 Last Lap Crash

Nicholas Turner | www.youtube.com

Captain’s Blog – 5/7/18 – Happy National Bike Month!

by danitza | cycling.powweb.com


May is National Bike Month and each year, the Mayor proclaims May as National Bike Month, and the City of San Antonio partners with the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Walk & Roll to Work Rally. Additional details at The City of San Antonio. In celebration of “active” transportation, participants are encouraged to walk, ride a bike, or take transit, bringing attention to the …

The perfect 21-mile cycling route starts in Willow City

Pam LeBlanc | fitness.blog.austin360.com


Every year while the wildflowers are blooming, I load up my bicycle and head to the Hill Country to pedal the Willow City Loop.

The hilly circuit makes me whimper a little – especially that giant hill about 3 miles from the finish, which turns my quads to jelly – but the reward comes in the form of classic Texas vistas of blue, yellow and red blooms, limestone outcroppings and, if you’re …

Tyler City Council to move forward on bike lanes project

By Erin Mansfield | tylerpaper.com


The city of Tyler is moving forward with a $1.2 million project that will bring bike lanes to streets around the city in the next few years.

The Tyler City Council is planning to authorize $186,469 in spending to pay for engineering costs on the project at its regular meeting on Wednesday.

The project will add 130 miles of bike lanes across 12 bike routes in Tyler streets. The lanes will be …

Man takes legal action against truck company after wife hit, killed while bicycling

By Jacob Rascon | www.click2houston.com

HOUSTON – An attorney has applied for a temporary restraining order against the owner of a dump truck that hit and killed a cyclist near Rice University last month.

Sudipta Roy, the cyclist, appeared to be at fault, Houston police initially said. …

Cyclists to participate Ride of Silence – Lubbock, TX

www.lubbockonline.com

The West Texas Cycling Association and other area cyclists will participate in the 16th Annual Ride of Silence on May 16.

Participants will start the event with a ceremony and instructions at 6:30 p.m. at the Texas Tech Z-1 parking lot at 19th Street and Texas Tech Parkway east of the TTU Federal Credit Union, according to a news release from organizers.

Riders will travel down Indiana Avenue on a pre-determined route and loop back from 98th Street, according to the news release.

The Ride of Silence was created to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while riding on public roadways and to raise awareness of cyclists’ legal rights to use those roadways.

Participation in the ride is free. Riders are asked not to exceed 12 mph and to travel silently during the event.

Bike To Work & School Day

www.sugarlandtownsquare.com

Friday, May 11 @ 7:30 am – 9:00 am
The City of Sugar Land and Shape Up Fort Bend will celebrate National Bike Month with the 7th Annual Bike to Work Day and 5th annual Bike to School Day. Join residents, neighbors, and friends for a celebratory ride to Fort Settlement Middle School and Town Square. …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Fabulous Weather, Grand Texas, Dog Sprint Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

What more could I ask for? What a fantastic day to ride 48.69 miles (longest bike ride so far in May) on the “SR242 – FM1314” route. A bunch of things lined up: a rest day for the Giro d’Italia so no need to wait for the stage to finish, fabulous weather, 10:56 am start. The weather during the bike ride: start 85 (62% humidity), a few clouds, wind NW 5 mph. Finish 91 (44% humidity), a few clouds, wind W 7 mph. I wore shorts and a short sleeve jersey. I actually got to sweat some during the ride.

With the light breeze I made great time up I-69/US59 to SH 242 for the turn to the west. About 2/10 of mile west I stopped to take these photos of the construction work on Grand Texas. I am not sure what is first but the website sorts that out.

Pardon my finger sticking into the second photo. The first photo is parking I believe and the second is Big Rivers Waterpark, I think. Not sure when this will open but once it does traffic on SH 242 will increase. I recently read Montgomery County is planning on widening SH 242 from FM 1314 to I-69/US59.

After taking the photos I got back on the Canyon Endurace CF SLX and rode west on SH 242. The road has a shoulder and it is usually wide except where a center turn lane has been inserted. Enjoying the sun, temperature and light breeze I improved my average speed along the route. Stopping at the Chevron station at FM 1485 for a few minutes I ate a couple of granola bars and drank water. Refilling the bottle I was back on SH 242 to continue to FM 1314 and turn to the southeast. This would put the wind coming from behind which is not normal.

On FM 1314 I was making great time until around the 29.2 mile point. A large brown dog came racing out of a yard, under the fence and up the slight embankment to the shoulder barking and growling. Another black dog, somewhat smaller but no less barking and growling, was not far behind. You can see the spike in speed in the bike ride summary chart below because that is what I did, out run them. As I sped up the brown dog was about 2 feet to the right running about the same as I rode but when I went faster they faded and gave up. All the times I biked on FM 1314 this is the first dog sprint. I don’t know if the dogs will be there the next time but I will be more watchful.

I made it to the Valero station at Sorters Road and FM 1314 and stopped to take a break. Another pair of granola bars and water. This is the screen shot of the ride up to that point.

This is the maximum average speed for the ride. I was there for about 20 minutes. Somewhat rested I was ready to ride the 12+ miles to the finish.

Good timing put in front of the school traffic at the four schools between the Valero station and the finish back in Kingwood. I saw another cyclist in Briar Tree as we passed going opposite directions in front of Ben’s Branch Elementary school and we exchanged waves and hi.

I continued with good leg power through Oakhurst, Kingwood Place, Kings Manor and into Kingwood finishing at 2:45 pm.

More great weather on tap for Tuesday. I plan on taking it in on the Canyon bike.

SportTracks Bike Ride Summary

Bike Ride Summary