Texas Bicycling News June 8th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Walnut conditions as reported by Charlie Riou on 06/07/16

by Dawn

www.bikemojo.com

Everything the Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club has done over the past many months is performing well.
The Rock Bridge is solid.
The drainage work we did in the Rock Bridge, Tangle of trails, Severe, Windy and Point Six areas is all doing well.
The seep at the initial feature of Windy has a healthy flow over the trail.
There is a new massive mud pit on Point Six where is first crosses the grassy double track.
There are still a couple large mud pits along the LCRA Substation fence.
The area along the PARD Maintenance Yard Fence is …

Texas Riders travel across the U.S. for good cause

By KBTX News Staff

www.kbtx.com


COLLEGE STATION – More than 60 bike riders from the University of Texas at Austin are biking across the country for a good cause.
The bikers rolled into College Station Monday and have raised $485,000 for cancer research.
The group is part of the …

FrankenBike San Antonio #72: June 18, 2016, 10am-4pm

by Chris

frankenbike.net

FrankenBike San Antonio #72 – June 18, 2016 from 10am-4pm – will be held at Alamo Bike Shop located at 1016 N Flores St, San Antonio, Texas 78212. Their regular shop hours are Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm.
Michelle is your event host for FrankenBike San Antonio so be sure to ask for …

Texas A&M’s RELLIS campus hailed as paving the way for safer transportation in the future

By Steve Kuhlmann

www.theeagle.com


The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday praised the Texas A&M University System’s recently announced RELLIS campus, saying it paves the way for leading transportation minds to work together for a safer future. …

… Among the several topics discussed in the 12 breakout sessions throughout Tuesday were pedestrian and bicycle safety and safety cities, a Texas Department of Transportation-funded initiative to educate children about various safety practices, many of which focus on transportation. …

Tuesday: Intermediate/Advanced Mountain Bike Ride at the Ant Hills

Tuesday, Jun 14, 2016, 6:15 PM

15200 Memorial Dr
15200 Memorial Dr Houston, Te

3 cyclists Went

This will be a medium to fast pace ride through the Ant Hills of Hershey Park! Bring WATER, spare tube/tire, snacks, etc…Helmets required. Call if you are going to be late so we can wait for you. Wheels rolling by 6:30! See you there

Check out this Meetup →

Tuesday Night Downtowner

Tuesday, Jun 14, 2016, 6:30 PM

“The Rock”
1700 Veteran Drive Austin, TX

8 Austin Cyclists Went

daylight saving north route is back!!for new riders that havent ridden it before. new route is 23.5mi long w/1450ft. we head out north like the Wed route. which is Expo, Bull Creek, to Shoal Creek. then well take Steck across MoPac and come back on the westside, coming down Mesa cutting through the neighborhood through Mt. Bonnell area and Terry T…

Check out this Meetup →

Trail Work at Balcones Park

Saturday, Jun 11, 2016, 9:00 AM

Balcones District Park
12017 Amherst Dr. Austin, TX

2 Mountain Bikers Went

We have approval from the City of Austin to reroute a trail in Balcones Park. Meet in the parking lot and hike in from there. Tools will be provided. Bring water and appropriate clothing / shoes. We need to remove a few small trees and some dirt/rock work to make a tread surface. Should only take 2 – 3 hours if we have several people working.

Check out this Meetup →

The southern tier!

By Cheyenne Dolin

www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 52: Silsbee – Deridder, LA: Don’t test Louisiana weather
Monday May 30, 2016
was up by 5 and on the road by 6:30, didn’t see Chuck all day. The ride was flat and I did the first 50 miles into Merryville with little effort and one flat by 1230! Along the way I bought a coffee at a donut place that an older Asian couple owned who spoke English with a heavy accent. I think it made them really happy that I was talking to them because they were really stand off and brief with me at first but by the end they were smiling and social. All the customers that came in and ordered left quickly and didn’t even say thank you or mam/sir which they call everyone around here. So far my impression of Texicans (aside from Austin which is its own thing) is that they’re well mannered, old-fashioned, usually the keep to themselves, and are cordial…if you’re white. They seem, on average, suspicious of …

Memorial Park Criterium Is Back

Cycling Space City

cyclingspacecity.blogspot.com


The Memorial Park Criterium series is back and running through August 31st. Let’s hope it isn’t rained out like the Bear Creek Crit series was this last May. I wrote about the Memorial Crit Series two years ago. It is a nice night out in the park, enjoy. …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/bicyclesplus/status/740605126105255936

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Ghost Bike and Tired Legs on Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Another ride over 45 miles. I rode the “Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood” route for 47.09 miles today. My legs and body were not at my usual strength though. I struggled to ride at 14+ mph until I was riding north on FM2100 after coming from Hare Cook Road. The wind was not that strong but my legs didn’t have any extra power to overcome what resistance the wind put up. I left home at 11:11 and it didn’t take too long to know this ride was not going to be a high power one. Maybe yesterday’s ride took more out of me than I thought. I usually eat some fruit and a Clif bar before starting the ride and today I followed that same ritual but my stomach was a little upset as the ride unfolded. Drinking water helped some.

The weather was partly cloudy at the start with the temperature in the upper 80’s. The humidity wasn’t too bad but whenever I stopped beads of sweat quickly gathered on my arms. On the southern portion of the route the sky turned more cloudy but the heat didn’t drop down much.

As I was starting to ride on FM1960 west of Lake Houston I spotted a Ghost Bike chained to a telephone pole. I ride this direction several times a week but this is the first time I saw the Ghost Bike. I remember seeing some men gathered around the pole a ride or two ago but I couldn’t see what they were doing. I rode by but circled back and took these pictures.

The signs say the Ghost Bike is memory of Glen Matthews dated January 30, 2016. The only other Ghost Bike that I have seen was near Waller, TX when I was on a ride around there earlier this year. I do not remember the circumstances surrounding Mr. Matthews death. This is probably the information on Mr. Matthews.

Not long after the began my Edge 520 beeped a phone disconnected message. I was riding without LiveTrack testing to see if that might have something to do with my Edge 520 problems. Apparently it doesn’t. I went to the status page and it showed searching for the Bluetooth connection to my Nexus 6P phone. I deleted the pairing and went back to the main screen. Since I wasn’t using LiveTrack there was no need for Bluetooth and the ride data would sync when I plugged the 520 into my computer. No more 520 problems the rest of the ride. Sadly, the reason I bought the 520 was for the features that use Bluetooth. I could stayed with the Edge 510 and got the same data. Hopefully the Wahoo Elemnt doesn’t have the same issues.

Riding south on Miller nelson Road a trio of tiny dogs tried to chase me. Two of them couldn’t get across the water filled ditch but one of them figured out the angle to me using the driveway over the ditch and arrived near where I was riding. Even with slow legs I rode away from the yipping black and white dog. He was maybe 12″ tall but he was barking like he was 3 feet tall. That is the first time any dog has chased me on that road.

I slowly made my way to the Huffman Chevron where I planned on taking a longer than usual break hoping this would help my lack of power. I sat under the canopy eating and drinking slowly. This is the 520 screen when I arrived and the weather while I was resting.

Those 35 miles were hard to ride but the shade and breeze blowing through were comfortable. The sweat dried up and the Greensheet newspaper absorbed the moisture from my shorts. I arrived at 1:50 and didn’t leave until 2:38. I was somewhat refreshed for the 11+ miles to home.

Before I left a woman wearing shorts and a top carrying a large nylon rectangular bag walked up to where I was sitting. I saw her walking along side the road on the other side of FM1960 and I was wondering how far she was going. As she got close to where I was sitting she told me her husband had thrown her out of the car and spit on her. She asked if she could sit down on the curb and then asked which direction was Walmart. She told me more about how bad her husband treated her and then got up to leave and then a black Mercedes drove up and she started yelling at the driver, I guess her husband. She threatened to throw something at the car and starting walking to FM1960. As she was leaving a Harris County deputy sheriff pulled in and I thought about telling him what had happened but I didn’t. He went inside and then came back out when I did after refilling my water bottle. He drove in the same direction the lady went. I figured if her story was true he would see walking. I left not long after that expecting to see the lady walking along FM1960 but she was gone.

The last 11+ miles to home went better than the 35 miles to the Chevron station. I managed to move my average speed up to 14.3 mph while riding to home. I arrived back at 3:31 with tired legs and other body parts tired too.

Tomorrow is a no ride day which should allow me to recover some. Friday’s weather forecast has late afternoon rain chance at a little over 50%. I hope to ride that day.

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Month to date progress.

6-8-2016 June to Date

Texas Bicycling News June 7th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Ask City Council To Vote Yes On The Houston Bike Plan

BikeHouston

www.youtube.com

Local plans to bike from Vermont to Seguin to spread message

Jennifer Luna

seguingazette.com

Seguin resident Paul Martin plans to ride his bicycle across the country from Burlington, Vermont to Seguin to spread awareness about creating resilient sustainable communities.
During his trip from June 11 to Sept. 25, Martin will make stops and visit people to teach about the concept.
“This is the first time I’ve made a trip this long,” he said. “I had to figure out what bike I’m going to use, of course figure out where I’m going to stay … I’ve been planning this trip for months.”
However, what triggered Martin’s trip was …

Planning Commission wants bond to focus on car alternatives

by Jack Craver

www.austinmonitor.com


It’s far from clear if Austin voters will end up approving any mobility bond, let alone the $720 million measure floated by Mayor Steve Adler. But if the city does get the nod from voters for a once-in-a-generation increase in transportation spending, it should be prepared to spend a big chunk of that money on moving Austin away from cars. That’s what the Planning Commission said in a resolution approved at a hastily convened meeting Tuesday. …

Liberty Freedom Ride

Lindsay Matlock

youtube.com

Cancer journey stretches 4,000 miles

Khyati Patel, KAGS

www.kagstv.com

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Nearly 20 bikers made a pit stop in College Station Monday from University of Texas.
For a short time, Aggieland put aside their differences and welcomed the sea of burnt orange students joining the fight against cancer.

Texas 4000 heading to area

cnjonline.com

The Texas 4000 plans to roll through Clovis Thursday as part of its 70-day bicycle tour to Alaska to benefit cancer research.
The riders, made up of 67 undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Texas, travel more than 4,000 miles from Austin to Anchorage. During the journey, they visit with people …

24 Hours in the Canyon Race Report

by woftt

www.bigpigracing.org


My Overly Wordy 24 Hours in the Canyon Race Report. Is it more of a marathon than the race itself? I’ve never done a race report but I always enjoy reading other people experiences, especially for events I’ve participated in or would like to participate it, so here it goes.
This was the tenth anniversary of the 24 Hours in The Canyon at Palo Duro Canyon. The race benefits the 24 Hours in the Canyon Cancer Survivorship Center in Amarillo, TX. It’s billed as the only simultaneous 24 hour road and mountain bike race in the country. The race is brainchild orRyan Parnell and is the favorite of many roadies and mountain bikers across the country. …

June 2016 DATES-Line Newsletter

by Kevin Vinson

www.doubledates.com

The June edition of the DATES-Line Newsletter is now available online. Click on the link below to access the newsletter.

Roadrunner, Cougar and Sooner Head North

By David Duncan

www.crazyguyonabike.com

Dave Grisham – The Cougar (University of Houston): 14th OK Freewheel and 9th Ride to the Start
63 yr old retired District Chief from Houston Fire Dept. Born and bred in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Moved to Houston in 1971 (day after graduating from High School). Been married 40 yrs to the girl next door (in Houston). Rode first Oklahoma FreeWheel in 2002 and every one since except for 2005 (the year I retired, go figure). I’ve ridden to the start from near Houston, TX every year since 2007 except for 2008. Rode some of the way up in 2006 and ’08. My touring steed is a Windsor Tourist named Molly trailed by a …

EMS: Teen cyclist critically injured in NW Austin crash

www.kvue.com

AUSTIN – A teen boy on his bicycle was critically injured in a crash with a vehicle in northwest Austin on Tuesday evening, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
According to Austin police, the crash happened at the intersection of Spicewood Springs Road and Rustic Rock Drive, west-southwest of U.S. 183 and …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/740330880867110912

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Edge 520 Shut Down Overcome Biking SR242 – FM1314

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I met my distance goal for on today’s ride on the “SR242 – FM1314” route totaling 49.88 miles. I wanted to ride at least 45 miles. I added a few extra side streets to the route to get close to 50 miles. I might have hit 50 miles except my Edge 520 shut off at 31.38 miles. I happened to notice it and turned it back on while slowly riding on FM1314 towards Cumberland. I am guessing 2/10 of a mile did not get recorded. The 520 continues to give me problems. I ordered a Wahoo Fitness Elemnt computer which could arrive by Friday.

Weather was great for riding. The partly cloudy sky let lots of sun through and the temperature hovered around 90 degrees while I rode. Wind was not a real problem coming from the NE at 10 mph. I pedaled hard against riding north along US59 to SH 242. The left turn onto 242 put the wind at my back most of the ride to FM1314. I made one stop on SH 242 at the Chevron station at FM1485 and SH 242 for water and ice. It would be about 11 miles to my planned rest stop at Cumberland on FM1314.

The ride didn’t start as early as I wanted but I did leave home at 11:40. I was delayed by watching the Critérium du Dauphiné longer than I needed to.

Arriving at the Cumberland Shell station on FM1314 I took this picture of the 520 screen.

After buying a Gatorade drink I went back outside and sat under the pump canopy to cool down, eat and enjoy the beautiful weather. After sitting a few minutes I heard the 520 beep a couple of times but I didn’t get up to see why. I made the decision to stop the LiveTrack on my phone and I got another beep. The 520 was working perfectly until about 2 miles before it shut down. At that point a phone disconnected message appeared on the screen and it never reconnected until it shut down. At the Shell station when I got ready to leave I wondered if the 520 would stay on until I finished. I also ran the Ride With GPS on my phone from the start of the ride based on my recent problems. I left the station about 2:41 to ride the 14 miles to home. The 520 performed without any more issues and I arrived home at 3:42.

One headache about the 520: Garmin released a firmware update 6.20 this morning and each time I turned the 520 on it wanted to apply the update. With all of the problems I am having I didn’t wantto apply the update until after the ride so I had to keep telling it to remind me later. The release notes do not mention any fixes for the problems I have.

I am making progress on my mileage goal for June. I am at 14% (138 miles) of the 975 mile goal. I plan on another 45+ mile ride tomorrow and the weather looks to be equal to or better than today.

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