Texas Bicycling News Digest April 16th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Texas Hill Country Loop

www.adventurecycling.org

Available late May 2016
Beginning in Austin, this loop traverses the scenic countryside, rivers, towns and sites west of Austin. Cut-off routing between Fredericksburg and Austin can decrease your miles.
310 miles
Current printed version: 2016

Tom Goes West 2016

By Thomas King www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 47 – El Paso to Leasburg Dam State Park, NM: Across the Rio Grande
Friday April 15, 2016, 64 miles (103 km) – Total so far: 2,191 miles (3,526 km)
Pecan groves everywhere. I rode for 30 miles through mostly pecan groves all possible by irrigation canals and ditches from the Rio Grande.
I rode out from downtown El Paso beside the Univ of Texas El Paso on a busy arterial street that went on for 10 miles leading north and then crossing the Rio Grande. Lots of hills on this 4 and 6 lane road. Some parts were dicey but mostly I had either a shoulder, a shared lane for bikes and buses or I took the outside lane of the 3 lanes in my direction. I was disappointed to …

Southern Tier eastward 2016

By Luba Agranovich www.crazyguyonabike.com

Luba: Sam Houston National Forest
Friday April 15, 2016, 60 miles (97 km) – Total so far: 1,858 miles (2,990 km)
Most of the day rode through Sam Houston National Forest. Trees, grass, wild flowers, and the chip seal… Hopefully, it’s the last of the rolling hills util Florida. Richard was in the lead today and, at last, he had to wait for us on our rest stops. …

April 16: Shepherd – Kountze TX
Saturday April 16, 2016, 50 miles (80 km) – Total so far: 1,908 miles (3,070 km)
Total ascent: 604 ft …

Thousands pedal to La Grange for shortened BP MS 150

By Matt Dempsey www.chron.com


Amy Jann was and is a hardcore athlete. She’s done more than 100 marathons in 10 years. She knows what it feels like to push her body to the limit and beyond. The ragged burning in her lungs. The push and pull of her muscles and the soreness and ache that follows.
One day, seven years ago, Jann was on a treadmill, getting a run in when she felt something new. Her legs went numb and she tumbled down. The fall led to doctors visits, which led to a diagnosis. Amy Jann had multiple sclerosis, also known as MS. …

Southern Tier eastward 2016

By Luba Agranovich www.crazyguyonabike.com

Luba: perfect riding day
Saturday April 16, 2016, 50 miles (80 km) – Total so far: 1,908 miles (3,070 km)
Debby wished me to enjoy my ride today, and it was an exceptionally wonderful cycling day. We planned to leave with the first light today, because we were not able to book rooms for tonight due to the “Trail Ride” event in the Big Thicket National Preserve where our destination is located. Late last night, though, a kind Super8 employee found rooms for us – maybe someone canceled in fear of the …

Pop-pop T Goes West – Then East

By David Tatman www.crazyguyonabike.com

Lost Pines Camp to Mexican Hill Ranch (Richards): We Beat the Rain, But Not the Wind
Saturday April 16, 2016, 85 miles (137 km) – Total so far: 1,916 miles (3,084 km)
Today we were facing rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon, but they never materialized. Instead we had another day of strong headwinds and crosswinds. Again everyone keeps saying the climbing is behind us but we climbed over 4000 feet today.
Leaving camp we had to create a new route because of the MS150 bike ride in LaGrange (TX, not KY) but the ride was canceled due to “weather”. The alternate route was very nice until Google Maps put us on a dirt farm road and we had to re-route a 2nd time. All worked well and we had a nice breakfast stop in Round Top for our 2nd breakfast.
Today’s course was up and down, up and down with a UUPPP included about every 3rd hill.
The Texas scenery changed again. We were first in the arid part of the state, then the …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/wick_wolfe/status/721489259589308417

https://twitter.com/m_vince/status/721451376086249472

https://twitter.com/TeamRWBCycling/status/721414667596214274

https://twitter.com/BPMS150/status/721388280554479616/video/1

https://twitter.com/BP_America/status/721332317843685377/video/1

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Clouds and A Strong Wind on the SR242 – Valley Ranch Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I left home at 11:36 to ride the “SR242 – Valley Ranch” route to the north and back. I figured the ride to SH 242 would be easy with the airport reporting the wind from the ESE at 18 mph gusting to 25 mph. The sky was overcast and some dark clouds hovered to the south but I hoped I would ride away from them. That was wishful thinking with scattered rain drops hitting me as I rode west on Adams Street on the way to US59. They didn’t last long and I was glad. The temperature was 81 degrees and the humidity was high too.

Staying on the US59 service road to Community Drive the traffic was not too heavy. At Community Drive I sitched to Loop 494 to make the route map some separation from when I came back on the south service road. I noticed with all of the construction the shoulder of Loop 494 has places covered with aggregate forcing me to ride left of the white line. There are two concrete mixing stations along 494 which is probably where this comes from. I hope TXDot requires them to clean it up.

The pedaling to SH 242 went quickly and I expected the wind to make the ride back south very hard but I was able to keep a strong pace all the way to Valley Ranch Blvd. where I turned west. Surprisingly this is where the wind started to slow me down. Maybe it started blowing harder or the wind break was not doing its job. When I got to the Stripes station at FM1314 I took a short break skipping the snacks and drinking water. This is what my Garmin Edge 520 showed when I got there.

4-16-2016 Porter Stripes

I wasn’t that hot but my legs needed a break before tackling the 11+ miles to home. Leaning against the pump protector I checked email and looked at the weather to see if the rain was not in the area. The sky looked okay but maybe I wasn’t seeing it behind the trees. This is what the weather looked like from my phone.

From the Stripes station the wind slowed me down and turning the cranks was harder. I rode the trail along side of Rock Creek Drive in Oakhurst to get around the closed portion of the street. The repairs look complete and now the concrete is curing. I made it to Kings Manor and from there it was about 5 miles to home. I got home at 2:19. Checking the airport weather I saw why the pedaling was harder; the wind was still from the ESE but stronger at 21 mph and gusting to 30 mph.

April miles are up to 428 miles, 344 miles left to reach my goal of 772 miles.

Rain could move into the area overnight making Sunday biking doubtful. I will fill my biking need by watching the Amstel Gold Race from Europe.

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/8546852/embed 500px 600px]

[iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/547347147/embed/d6d5dc0473359c39e6588acc6b6db867b56c5ed7 590px 405px]

Texas Bicycling News Digest April 15th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

From wounded warriors to road warriors

BY CRYSTAL DOMINGUEZ www.tdtnews.com


Lakewood students in Temple welcome veterans on Texas Challenge path
Voices of hundreds of students cheering could be heard Thursday morning along West Adams Avenue, well before almost 150 cyclists rode into the parking lot at Lakewood Elementary School.
The United Healthcare Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge, a 490-mile bike ride fundraiser from Houston to Fort Worth, gives wounded soldiers and …

Living Safe: Riders and drivers

By Katherine Cabaniss www.yourhoustonnews.com

Thousands of bicycle enthusiasts will be riding in the annual spring MS150 event next week! My good friend, Sherry Williams of KHOU Channel 11 News, will be among them. In honor of Sherry’s ride, and all of the riders who will be pedaling across Texas next week, let’s talk about bike laws and the rules of the road!
Laws for road bikes should be as important to vehicle drivers as they are to the riders themselves. The rules of the road protect …

http://www.meetup.com/RocketCityCyclers/events/230391028/?rv=ea1&_af=event&_af_eid=230391028&https=off

Beginner Clinic has MOVED

Sunday, May 15, 2016, 9:30 AM

Katie Jackson Trail
5000 Haverwood Lane Dallas, TX

30 Participants Went

I am moving this clinic to the Katie Jackson Trail in North Dallas, because the trail steward at River Legacy says it will not be dry in time, and the Katie Jackson trail is open and should remain open for Sunday. I have changed the time to 9:30 to give people extra time to find it. Please arrive by 8:45 so you can gear up. We will meet at the Gaze…

Check out this Meetup →

DORBA Women’s Clinic HAS MOVED to new location

Saturday, Jun 11, 2016, 8:30 AM

Big Cedar Wilderness Trail
7532 Saddleridge Dr Dallas, TX

21 Participants Went

This Clinic has MOVED to Big Cedar Wilderness Trail, in south Dallas County, because the trail originally planned, Harry Moss, is closed due to mud.Go to 7532 Saddleridge, Dallas Texas, park in the parking lot, and ride/walk down the hill past the trailhead, where the clinic will take place, on either side of the dirt road under the shade trees.B…

Check out this Meetup →

CAN’d Aid building 63 bikes for kindergarteners

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2016, 10:45 AM

Oskar Blues Brewery
10420 Metric Blvd. Austin, TX

10 Mountain Bikers Went

Here is an opportunity to help get kids on bikes at the Elementary School that serves the area just north of St. John’s Ave:CAN’d Aid will be building 63 bikes for all kindergarteners at TA Brown Elementary on 4/20.  We’ll be at Oskar Blues Brewery (10420 Metric Blvd.) from 10:45am-12:45pm and are in need of some volunteers to help with the bike …

Check out this Meetup →

Savage: Cycling lessons after accident turns surgeon into patient

By Dr. David Savage www.mystatesman.com

I am an orthopedic surgeon, and not long ago I became another cycling statistic in Austin. Since I’m usually the one who treats people with the broken bones, my recent experience and its fallout have been eye-opening. My current life is far from normal, and my compromised state gives me time to think about how motorists and cyclists may hope to better coexist here in Central Texas and beyond.
What happened to me? Late last month I went out for a training ride, as I have …

For Pflugerville cyclist, every peddle counts

www.statesman.com


Before Pflugerville resident Amy Jann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she was a high-level athlete with a lengthy résumé.
“At the time I was a marathoner. I was doing six or seven events a year, and I had over 100 marathons under my belt,” she said. “I went to the doctor in 2009 and it was, ‘Congratulations, you have MS.’ ”
The diagnosis — which can cause great physical pain and fatigue, along with other …

Bike for Little Heroes Ride draws hundreds

katytimes.com Subscription Required

Hundreds of people gathered at the Waller ISD Football Stadium Sunday for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) 7th Annual Operation Red, White and Bike for Little Heroes Ride.
Operation Red, White and Bike is a non-profit organization that raises funds to provide world-class bicycles to the little heroes — daughters, sons, or younger siblings of Purple Heart Recipients and soldiers killed in action.

Pop-pop T Goes West – Then East

By David Tatman www.crazyguyonabike.com

Austin to Camp Lost Pine (Warta): The Bridge was out.
Friday April 15, 2016, 77 miles (124 km) – Total so far: 1,831 miles (2,947 km)
Today we start our longest stretch of consecutive riding days. Tomorrow is even a longer riding day than today – 88 miles. You can start to see how the mental side of trip is beginning to impact people. The first part of the ride was physical but now everyone is pretty much in shape. However, we’ve been at this for over a month now with almost another month to go and even though most of the severe climbing is behind us, the average daily miles will increase. Who knows on the wind and road surfaces.
In addition, the weather is forecasted to go down hill for the next few days and we’ll be facing rain chances up to a 100% both riding and camping. The big storm over …

This weekend’s rides: Way out East! Red Horn!

by Thomas steinerranchcycling.com

The weather tomorrow looks decent, but Sunday is looking like it will be rained out. Therefore our Saturday ride will be fairly long so we can get our miles in. This route was provided by Max and is essentially a bigger dam loop that goes out to Manor. There are options to shorten the route if needed, but the planned/organized route will be the full …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/TheChrisDeg/status/720975322766647296

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/720939697439182849

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Happy Edge 520 Bike Ride to Stroker Road

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Another ride without any Garmin Edge 520 problems. My confidence is slowly rebuilding but I still used the RideWithGPS app as a backup. I wanted move closer to my April mileage goal by selecting the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route knowing this would be close to 40 miles. The ride actually totaled 41.41 miles pushing my April total up to 393 miles leaving 379 miles to reach the 772 mile goals. Over half way there.

The weather slowly warmed up to the upper 70’s when I stopped in Huffman at the Chevron station. The mostly cloudy sky let the sun break through to make it comfortable. I thought the wind wouldn’t be a problem but riding east on Old Atascocita Road my legs didn’t agree. At the beginning of the ride the wind was from the ENE but slowly moved to the SE which was the direction I rode to. Once I got to Stroker Road and turned to the west the pedaling got easier thanks to the mostly tailwind. Riding north on FM2100 was not quite as easy but I kept a steady pace. I left home at 12:27 and got to the Huffman Chevron at 2:27 pm 29.17 miles into the ride.

4-15-2016 Huffman Chevron

I took a break to drink some Powerade washing down a trail mix bar and a granola bar. I was comfortable sitting under the canopy in the shade but at first I thought it might a little chilly with the breeze blowing. After checking my email on my phone I took these weather screenshots.

I wanted to increase the ride distance to 41+ miles. When I turned right onto Atascocita Shores Drive I then turned left at the stop sign to take a longer route back to Atascocita Shores before it changed to Kings River Drive. It didn’t hurt that this kept the wind behind me to ride easier. I got home at 3:54 dodging the school traffic at Creekwood Middle School in Kingwood and Kingwood High School. I saw a few school buses but not lines of waiting parents.

Tomorrow’s weather looks biking friendly but Sunday the chance of rain picks up the BP MS150 canceled the Sunday part of their ride due to the threat of heavy rain, hail and lightning between La Grange and Austin. I don’t think we will get that here in the Houston area.

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/8530039/embed 590px 600px]

[iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/546359663/embed/31119c5f9d6ab617c58dea3b97eed0ffaf6541fa 590px 405px]