Texas Bicycling News October 15th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A man, a bike, a sprawling country

By L.V. Salinas

www.panews.com


They say that a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. For Jack Day, that first step is a bicycle ride worth thousands more.
Day is a 72-year-old retiree who has decided to test himself once again by crossing the majority of the continental United States by cycling.
His solo bicycle tour started …

Ribbon-cutting opens Schanen Hike and Bike Trail

By Esther Hackleman

www.caller.com


A bright orange ribbon that read “happy trails” stretched over the entrance to Corpus Christi’s newest hike and bike trail at a ribbon-cutting Saturday at Snead Park.
The Schanen Hike and Bike Trail will run 1.25 miles and connect five city parks as it stretches from Yorktown to Saratoga boulevards. But that’s not the only purpose …

Waco Bicycle Club advocates for safer roads after students death

By Kandace Thomas

www.newswest9.com

WACO, TX (KXXV) – Waco Bicycle Club is a group of advocates who work with several agencies within the city to improve infrastructure in the city of Waco.
Baylor Professor Trent Dougherty is the president of the club. Last week, he was meeting with representatives from the city, strategizing ideas for a safety video with the city’s channel. That’s when he got a call telling him that his former student and friend, 19-year-old …

Saturday: Red Bull ‘Last Stand’ bike race at Alamo Plaza

foxsanantonio.com


SAN ANTONIO — It’s an intense cycling competition that’s considered cutthroat, and it’s taking place in Downtown San Antonio this weekend.
The ‘Red Bull Last Stand’ will use an ‘Eliminator’ format in which the rider who crosses the finish line last on each lap gets eliminated until there’s just one rider left to take their final celebration lap.
The director of …

Cyclist hit by car has leg amputated, vows to compete

By Tracy Clemons

abc13.com

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Eight months after being hit by a suspected drunk driver in Fort Bend County, a second-generation triathlete is opening up about her long recovery.
Adessa Ellis Blankenship’s is a story of survival that almost didn’t happen. She was nearly dead on arrival at Memorial Hermann after she was hit in February. According to her and her family, doctors say her Iron Man training and her iron determination may have …

TranAm Southern Tier – CA to FL

By David Hui

www.crazyguyonabike.com

Photos
Day 14 – El Paso to Fort Hancock: Best burrito from El Paso Meat Company; moving slow through chip seal road
Friday October 14, 2016, 65 miles (105 km) – Total so far: 782 miles (1,258 km)
Posted via email Fri Oct 14 21:01:02 2016 PDT
Elevation gain 695
Juarez port of Entry …

A Ride to Remember

By Ken Kuntz

www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 39: Marfa, TX to Valentine, TX
Friday October 14, 2016, 36 miles (58 km) – Total so far: 1,957 miles (3,149 km)
Starting Point: Marfa, TX
Ending Point: Valentine, TX
Riding Conditions: Very cool this morning, but warmed quickly. Light winds.
Miles Today: 36
Quote for the day: “For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” — Vincent Van Gogh
Another cold morning, but this time I was prepared. And just like yesterday, the first 10 miles were mainly uphill, and progress was slow. But the dawn views were good. The humidity was high (96%, not what I was expecting for west Texas), and there was fog everywhere. The fog burned off as the …

Upcoming Rides

Fort Worth Bicycling Association

Del Norte
Sun, October 23, 2016 9:00 AM (CDT)
Godley, Tx
Happy Hill-o-Ween
Sat, October 29, 2016 9:00 AM (CDT)
Weatherford High School
Century of the Month
Sat, November 05, 2016 8:00 AM (CDT)
Bikes Inc – Arlington
Jerry’s Birthday Ride
Sun, November 06, 2016 8:00 AM (CST)
Ft Worth, Tx
Quarterly Meeting
Mon, November 07, 2016 6:00 PM (CST)
Ft Worth, Tx

100 free bicycle helmets given out to children at Trinity County Health Expo

By Thomas Hoce

www.kswo.com


TRINITY, TX (KTRE) – The Trinity County Health Expo took place on Saturday and lots of children were fitted with a very special gift.
A free helmet giveaway was sponsored by the Texas Medical Association as a part of their Hard Hats for Little Heads program.
East Texas local couple Tim and Karen Dixon own a bicycle business in Huntsville and were sponsored by the association, which …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/TeamRWBCycling/status/787269154331963392

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Flat Front Tire Deflates Bike Ride Plan

Texbiker.net Posted on by

My plan for today’s ride was to start early enough that I might see a number of other bicyclists on the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route like I have done in the past. I didn’t leave as early as I wanted to (9:54) but I thought I might catch some of the later bikers. Shortening the route slightly (about 2 miles) I thought this might speed getting to FM1960 where other bikers would pass. The plan was working until I hit something with my front tire about 12.4 miles into the ride and flatted the front tire. This happened by the park on Atascocita Shores Drive south of FM1960 so I walked over to the shade and sat down on the curb to assess the situation.

Inspecting the tire nothing jumped out as the culprit. Next I removed the tube from the tire and looked for a hole but didn’t find anything. I tried airing up the tire to listen for the hissing of escaping air but the hole must’ve been big enough that the tube didn’t hold the air long enough for me to hear anything. Net I tired squeezing the tube in sections to isolate the hole but I still could locate the problem. After many tries of squeezing various chunks of tube I finally felt some air blowing on my leg from the tube. This narrowed the search and I found a 3/16″ slit. Now to put the patch on. Roughing the tube with sandpaper I followed with glue spreading it with my finger to widen the area where the patch went. I thought the glue was dry and put the patch over the hole and pressed hard on it to help the glue. Before putting it back in the tire I pumped up the tube and inspected the patch. A section of the patch did not stick and fearing the patch would not hold once it was in the tire I pulled the patch off and used the sandpaper again. This time I put more glue on and widened the spot. Allowing more time for the glue to dry I applied the patch, squeezed it for 30 sections or so. The patch looked like it stuck so I put the tube back in the tire, aired the tire up and waited a minute or so to see if the pressure held. It did. I put all of the supplies back, mounted the wheel. The 20 minutes or so that it took to repair the flat definitely put me out of the window to see any other bicyclists today.

When I rode to FM1960 to go east over Lake Houston I wondered how the patch would hold while I biked over the rough ground asphalt to get to the concrete but I made it. I guess if the patch was going to fail that would be the place. The resurfacing of FM1960 showed no more work from my trip yesterday. Maybe the work crew will lay asphalt before my next ride there.

Making my way along the route I stopped at the Huffman Chevron for a short rest break and to refill my water bottle. My Elemnt screen when I stopped at the Chevron and the weather before I left.

18.4 miles into the ride is less than the usual 20+ but I was there earlier in the day than usual. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the short sleeve jersey was perfect. While I was at the Chevron station a long freight train going east slowly moved by. I saw the last car when I crossed the track on Old Atascocita road earlier and figured it the train would be stopped west of the crossing in Huffman. Once it started moving it went slowly and because of the number of cars the traffic backed up waiting to go south on FM2100. About 5 minutes after that train disappeared going east another train came from the east. That meant the first train moved to the siding just east of Huffman to allow the second one to pass. My youth model train days fuel my interest in trains now.

Leaving the Chevron about 12:03 to ride back to Kingwood the wind slowed me down some. I altered my route a little in Kingwood to get around the Fall Festival at Town Center Park that I made my way through on the way to Huffman. The ride finished at 12:57.

Where I stand mileage wise:

  • 210 miles so far this week
  • 485 miles for October
  • 6,417 miles for the year to date

Great weather on tap for tomorrow (Sunday) and I plan on a bike ride after church and Sunday school.

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Texas Bicycling News October 14th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Authorities donate bike to Whataburger employee after theft

www.wfaa.com


HICKORY CREEK, Texas — Authorities in Hickory Creek and Corinth surprised a Whataburger employee whose bicycle was stolen Monday morning.
According to police, Kristen’s bike was stolen from behind the fast food restaurant as she worked. …

Thursday Morning Cruise

Thursday, Oct 20, 2016, 7:45 AM

Starbucks
7049 S Desert (Outlet Mall) Canutillo, TX

2 Cyclists Went

Meet at 7:45 am at Starbucks at the Outlet Mall in Canutillo. Ride out at 8:00. 20-25 miles at 14-16 mph avg pace. Mostly flat, a few hills. Breakfast someplace after the ride. Bob Clark,[masked]

Check out this Meetup →

Memorial bicycle ride honors Baylor student killed in hit-and-run

By KRISTIN HOPPA

www.wacotrib.com


The Waco Bicycle Club showed cyclist solidarity Thursday evening in a “ride of silence” to honor a Baylor University sophomore who died in a hit-and-run crash on Franklin Avenue last week.
A row of about 40 cyclists pedaled from Baylor’s Fountain Mall past the front of the honors dorms, where David Grotberg, 19, lived. A crowd of family, friends and …

Southern Tier Part II

By Ann Metcalfe

www.crazyguyonabike.com

Austin to Bastrop State Park: Cruisin’
Thursday October 13, 2016, 35 miles (56 km) – Total so far: 35 miles (56 km)
Biking out of Austin was less stressful than we feared. Our motel was right on the route out of town, so it was just a short hop to Burleson Road, which had a nice shoulder. Traffic in the morning was all in the other direction, so we enjoyed a fairly easy ride over to Bastrop. There are a few tough little climbs, and the route winds through back roads with no shoulders, but again at that hour we saw little traffic. It was overcast, though extremely muggy, and high 80’s.
At Cedar Creek we stopped at the mini-mart and had cold drinks. A large screen TV in the sit down area was blaring CNN with all the revelations about Trump. Everyone there was glued to it. Nice to be somewhat removed from all this depressing drama right now. I already voted.
Bastrop boasts it is the …

Bicyclists to burn rubber around Alamo Plaza

By Jacob Beltran

www.mysanantonio.com


Driving around the Alamo Plaza area will be a little tricky Saturday as competitive bicyclists vie for top spots in a nighttime race.
The Red Bull Last Stand Criterium Race athletes will ride for the top spot on the roads surrounding the plaza, which will be closed from 7 a.m. to midnight Saturday as they compete in the elimination-style race. Bicyclists will compete in tests of speed and endurance as they cruise around downtown. …

Get Well Soon, Al

www.wheelbrothers.com


Al Pitre, one of the Hump Day ride leaders for the Northwest Cycling Club in Houston, took a nasty fall Saturday when he was struck by the side mirror of a passing pickup. Al was released from the hospital today but is on …

3 takeaways from new study to make US 183 in Northwest Austin more accessible to all modes of transportation

By Amy Denney

communityimpact.com


Residents who use US 183 in Northwest Austin say the corridor lacks accessibility for all modes of transit to safely traverse the highway and adjacent streets.
A new study that launched this summer by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization aims to find recommendations to implement in the near-, mid- and long-term to improve accessibility for walking, biking and taking transit as well as make policy suggestions for long-term benefits.
Residents weighed in on …

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLkBz7lBNHK/

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Leaking PowerAde Cup Bike Ride in Huffman

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Today’s bike ride went to the east on what I label the “May Park Community Center – Huffman” route. I started biking at 11:29 with the goal of 35+ miles. The actual total came to 38.84 miles with a moving time of 2:39:03. Temperature was around the mid 80’s which was lower than yesterday. I could feel the air was cooler when I started the ride but once I was warmed up and spent more time in the sun I forgot about the coolness.

Riding south before turning to the east I came to FM1960 expecting the rough surface to still be there but surprisingly the center turn lane and one lane on each side of it sported a new smooth layer of asphalt. Once the traffic light changed I still had to ride over the rough shoulders and the two lanes not coated yet. Later as I exited Atascocita Shores Drive onto eastbound FM1960 I rode on the ground down and rough shoulder to reach the concrete roadway on the Lake Houston Causeway. From there the road was the usual mixture of concrete and asphalt. Maybe more lanes will be coated before I return tomorrow.

After looping south on Fairlake Drive, Old Atascocita Road and FM2100 I was back to FM1960 which I rode east into Liberty County, though just by a few feet. Making a u-turn I went back to Huffman – Eastgate Road to bicycle to the May Community Center. When it is hot I stop at the center to refill my water bottle but I skipped that today since I had not drank all of my water. It was a little over three miles to my planned rest stop at the Huffman Chevron.

I arrived at the Chevron station at 1:24 and rode under the pump canopy. This was 27.6 miles into the ride. My Elemnt screen when I stopped. The weather screen shot is while I was sitting in the shade cooling down and eating.

After about 30 minutes I got ready to resume the bike ride refilling my water bottle. For a change I bought some blue Powerade to go with the snack crackers. I almost didn’t get the Powerade though. When I first tried the fountain machine only clear water came out. I asked one of the ladies if they were out and she checked the tank in the backroom. It was full so I tried again and it was blue this time. Filling the Styrofoam cup I set it on the white counter beside the machine and a blue puddle started to form. I wiped it up and it appeared again. Lifting the cup a steady drip came from the cup so I poured the Powerade into a new cup. The drip stopped and I went to pay. Outside I sat in the shade cooling down and enjoying the light breeze and the flow of traffic.

The bike ride west went smoothly until I encountered the rough shoulder after the concreted ended on the causeway. This side didn’t seem as rough as the other side but I was still glad to make the right turn onto Atascocita Shores Drive. It isn’t the smoothest concrete street but it is much better than ground down asphalt. I hurried to best the Kingwood High School traffic at Kingwood Drive and crossed just a minute or so before the school let out. Not long after that I felt a few rain drops but they didn’t last very long. This repeated several times and then stopped. I finished the bike ride at 2:53.

During the ride I heard a squeak from my chain every once in a while so I think it is time to wax the chain. I will get that done in the next couple of days. My Stradalli now has 18,029 miles on it. That was around the mileage on my previous bike when I moved to the Stradalli in March 2014. I am not planning to replace the Stradalli any time soon.

More gorgeous weather tomorrow so bike riding is on the agenda.

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