Texas Bicycling News Digest October 31st 2017

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Dallas Can’t Handle Bike Share

By Zac Crain | www.dmagazine.com


It was a noble idea, trying to get Dallas to become more bike-friendly by making bikes easy to access. Download an app, pay a buck for an hour, leave the bike behind. In theory, it’s great, even if Dallas doesn’t really have the infrastructure in place to support heavy bike usage. More people should ride bikes. I get it. (You probably feel like I’m going to loudly say “but” right now. You’re right.)
BUT. …

Chad is a Texan

Chad Haga: It was a perfect year

By Pat Malach | www.cyclingnews.com


Chad Haga’s off-season got off to a rough start. The 29-year-old American, who just renewed for years five and six with Team Sunweb, underwent septoplasty and turbunate reduction surgery that he had been putting off since recovering from injuries suffered in training before the 2016 season. …

Carl Schurz PTA hosts bicycle safety event

From Staff Reports | herald-zeitung.com

The Carl Schurz Elementary PTA urged local children to be active and helped them stay healthy while participating in sports on wheels recently by giving away more than 50 free bicycle helmets.
The giveaways took place Thursday during the PTA’s annual Bike Rodeo.

9 AM start: Tour de Southern Walnut Creek Trail

Tuesday, Nov 7, 2017, 9:00 AM

Govalle Park
5200 Bolm Rd. Austin, TX

4 Austin Cyclists Went

We’re riding out at 9 AM.   Please vote if you didn’t already!I am working at a Travis County polling place, but a good substitute leader is lined up for today’s ride.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 t…

Check out this Meetup →

The Racing Post November 2017 Edition

theracingpost.us

West Texas A&M working on campus plan, its first since 2009

By ROBERT STEIN | amarillo.com

West Texas A&M University recently launched a $400,000 effort to create a new campus blueprint emphasizing mobility.
The university is in the preliminary stages of creating a new campus master plan, which comes as the university is at a turning point with a new president. The plan is expected to map out campus construction over the next decade and beyond.
University officials said the update will focus on mobility for people on-foot and on-bicycle. It is also …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Goal Met, Exceeded Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

About 12:19 PM during the bike ride I reached my 6800 mile goal for the year while biking on Rebawood Drive approaching Atascocita Shores Drive. I stopped and took these photos.

Bicycling the “Atascocita – Huffman – Walden” route I needed 13 miles to reach my goal and biked 33.3 miles total. At the 11:16 AM start the sky was a nice blue with a few clouds. Temperature was a pleasant 76 and the wind was from the east at 14 mph. With today’s miles I am at 6820 miles YTD. During October I rode 737 miles. I rode the Blue Norcross AL bike.

As the ride progressed the sky became more cloudy as the “cool” front got closer and the wind started to feel cooler and I was glad I wore a long sleeve jersey and short sleeve one. I almost opted for the long sleeve one only.

No rest stop today but I did make a quick stop at the Chevron station on the west side of Lake Houston to refill my water bottle. The wind was stiff after leaving the station and riding through Walden. Once I was riding to the north the wind wasn’t such an issue. On the W. Lake Houston Parkway on the bridge over the San Jacinto River traffic was down to one lane while Centerpoint Energy works on a gas line but the shoulder was open. Once I was past the work zone traffic thinned out. From there I made my way to the finish and completed the ride at 1:54 PM. The sky was becoming cloudy with the “cool” front on the way.

Texas Bicycling News Digest October 30th 2017

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Belton receives $1.5 million TxDOT grant to fund trail extension

BY JACOB SANCHEZ | www.tdtnews.com

BELTON — The Texas Department of Transportation awarded the city a $1.5 million grant to extend the hike-and-bike trail to South Belton.
On Saturday, TxDOT announced the Belton project was one of 46 endeavors from small urban areas to secure funds from a $44 million pool dedicated to the department’s Transportation Alternatives Program, which offers grants for trails and similar undertakings. …

Transportation commissioner budgets money for Midland bicycle path

www.mrt.com


The Texas Transportation Commission has budgeted more than $500,000 for a pedestrian and bicycle path in Midland, according to a press release from the Texas Department of Transportation.
The project, according to the release, will construct 5-foot-wide bicycle lanes northbound and southbound on North Loraine Street and North Main Street from West Louisiana Street to East Wall Street. The project also includes curb extensions at roadway intersection corners and a new median that …

Manor Road district unveils new gateway installation Monday, Oct. 30

By JJ Velasquez | communityimpact.com


A new “M” will greet people as they enter the Manor Road Business District.
The city of Austin announced an M-shaped gateway installation will be unveiled Monday at the corner of Manor Road and East Dean Keeton Street.
Bicycle owners can park their bikes by the installation, which features solar-powered safety lights for night-time use.
“We’re eager to see how this gateway installation can bring more attention to Manor Road as a district with lots to offer residents and visitors alike. We want folks to feel like they’re arriving somewhere unique and valued, rather than …

Local organizations receive HOT money to function

By David Ball | www.panews.com

BEAUMONT — Several Southeast Texas organizations, most of them based in Beaumont, received Jefferson County Tourism Committee Hotel Occupancy Tax allocations for the fall 2017 grant requests. …

… 3. Jefferson County Bar Association Foundation requested $4,175 and was awarded $2,325 for the 13th Annual Spindletop Spin Bicycle Ride. …

Upper Valley Tour Groups B & C

Sunday, Nov 5, 2017, 7:15 AM

Across from Rio Plaza
Park across from strip center at 6205 Upper Valley Rd (just north of Artcraft) El Paso, TX

7 Cyclists Went

• Distance: Usually 20-25 miles• Roll Out: 7:30 am• Pace: (Group B 14-17 mph) (Group C 12-14 mph) Note: Group C rides should have a minimum of 2 riders for safety• Details: No Drop Ride. Route will be a little tour of the Upper Valley.  Ride leader will determine route based on abilities of those who show up to ride.  Most routes are flat with f…

Check out this Meetup →

Imagine Biking 20 Miles On Dallas Streets Without Cars. It’s Happening Saturday

By Molly Evans | keranews.org


Biking around Dallas and living to tell the tale is no small feat. Bumper-to-bumper traffic, distracted drivers, constant construction and general inaccessibility create a perfect storm only few can brave.
But efforts to promote biking among the masses haven’t gone unnoticed.
Just this summer, …

Tyler regional trail system approved for 56 miles of bike lanes, Longview and Winnsboro trail improvements approved

by LOUANNA CAMPBELL | www.tylerpaper.com


Tyler was approved for fifty-six miles of bike lanes with symbols and signs. The city’s regional trail system was among 46 of the bicycle and pedestrian projects approved by the Texas Transportation Commission for rural, nonurban and small urban population areas across the state.
The commission approved …

Campagnolo North America announces training seminar schedule

by BRAIN Staff | www.bicycleretailer.com

CARLSBAD, Calif. (BRAIN) — Campagnolo North America has announced dates and locations of its 2017-2018 Technical Training Seminar Tour.
The seminars will cover: …

… The dates and cities are as follows:
• Austin Texas. November 12
• Dallas Texas November 13 …

Best way to get to Austin’s new Central Library? By bike, of course!

Pam LeBlanc | fitness.blog.austin360.com


Have you visited the new Central Library in downtown Austin yet?
Go. And travel by bicycle, if possible.
I pedaled down to the new library at 710 West Cesar Chavez Street yesterday, and parked my steel steed in the special bike “corral” on the lower east side of the building. The garage-like space is outfitted to store about 200 bikes, many of them on staggered metal …

Novice Ride 11.04.2017

cmatthews | www.planobicycle.org

Two Novice rides on November 4th:
#1: Regular Novice Ride starts at 8:00 a.m. as usual. The only unusual thing about it is that it has no ride leader. All Novice ride leaders are committed elsewhere or are riding the Dallas Bike Ride. So unless there is a volunteer to lead Novice #1, it will be cancelled. Please reply if you can lead.
#2: A Novice-paced ride will leave Valley View Park at 9:30 a.m. sharp headed for the “Alex is back on the bike” celebration and lunch at The Ginger Man. This is not an official PBA ride, but rather an Ad-hoc ride, but it will follow PBA rules, customs and protocols. Please see all the details in the Ad-hoc Ride Forum. Chris Mathews will be the ride leader. The route map is attached. …

New shared use path on I35 between 1431 and Old Settler’s Blvd in RR

Darron | bicycleaustin.info


I’ve been seeing this built over the last few month but it is next to impossible to find out any information about it on the internet. Does anyone know if this is part of a larger network going up in Williamson County? Regardless, it is good to see TxDOT earmarking money for …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

SpeedSportz Loop After Patton Village Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Today was the first bike ride since October 26th thanks to a cold front arriving in the Houston area. It still was chilly this morning when I went to the kitchen around 7:30 AM with y home weather station showing 41 degrees. But the forecast promised a high of 80 and I held out before starting the ride at 11:55 AM. Wanting to ride 35+ miles I chose the “Kingwood – Patton Village – Kingwood” route to the north and rode 37.1 miles. This puts me only 13 miles from the 6,800 miles YTD goal by the end of October. I will make if I have to ride in the rain. (I hope this doesn’t happen though) To be safe I wore a long sleeve jersey and a short sleeve one which kept me comfortable for those times I was in the shade. The days off provided some rest so that I could ride with strong pedaling.

With a south wind of 8 mph, 75 degrees and a clear blue sky the ride to Creekwood Drive was with the wind. I built up the overall average speed to 15.4 mph but the u-turn change the nice tailwind into a tough headwind. At SH 242 I went right to make the loop by Speed Sportz where I stopped and took these photos.

The ride back to the south bound service road was easy but once I was on the service road the wind wanted to get the better of me. I could tell my effort was up as the average watts increase from 87 to 104+ as I rode into the wind. I got a brief respite when I took Valley Ranch Parkway and then Azalea Drive back to I-69/US59 where I battled the wind to Kingwood Drive and back into Kingwood. Finishing the ride at 2:35 PM the temperature was a nice 80 degrees.