Texas Bicycling News Digest March 16th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

On the go: Boats, bikes or whiskey

www.chron.com


… Heights bike tour
Explore Houston’s first mixed-use community on AIA Houston’s Heights Bicycle Tour. An architecture expert will point out original construction, as well as contemporary structures. The tour meets at the Heights branch of the Houston Public Library. Reservations are required.
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: 1302 Heights
Tickets: $10; aiahouston.org; 713-520-0155 …

Bicyclist dies in hit-and-run collision in NE Harris County

By Dale Lezon www.chron.com


A bicyclist died Tuesday night when a hit-and-run driver in a sports utility vehicle slammed into him on a roadway in northeast Harris County.
The incident happened about 9:15 p.m. in the 17000 block of Beaumont Highway, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Clepatrick Palmer was riding his bicycle eastbound in a lane of traffic when the driver of an older-model …

I traded in SXSW ‘networking’ for a 60 km cycling adventure through a Texas state park

By Selena Larson www.dailydot.com


The muddy red roads and rolling hills smattered with budding flowers in Bastrop State Park, 45 minutes outside of Austin, Texas, stood in stark contrast to the debauchery and startups on display during the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) festival last weekend.
Each year during spring break, thousands congregate in downtown Austin to network with peers in the tech industry, trying to give away free swag and convince attendees to download new apps. Dogs roam the streets as cute live advertisements for …

An Englishman in America

By Rob Lee www.crazyguyonabike.com

Mar 16: To Round Top (Photos)
Wednesday March 16, 2016, 59 miles (95 km) – Total so far: 1,810 miles (2,913 km)
I managed to be efficient in the morning, for once, and was rolling away from Navasota around 8.30 AM. First thing was cooler than usual but the sun soon came out.
After a couple of miles the route went onto a pleasant backroad for while. …

Southern Tier Biking Adventures

By Nate Beiler* www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 22: Bastrop to Pedernales Falls State Park (Photos)
Friday March 11, 2016, 84 miles (135 km) – Total so far: 1,489 miles (2,396 km)
Days like today make the rest of the trip feel easy. The morning went well, and we made it about 30 miles into the city of Austin around noon. The ride into the city was nice, and with the rolling hills we got glimpses of the tall buildings long before we reached the downtown area. …

Shortened Southern Tier

By Stephen Paige www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 25 – Kerrville to Leakey
Saturday March 12, 2016, 68 miles (110 km) – Total so far: 1,476 miles (2,375 km)
Well, the rain definitely came! It didn’t come too strong on Monday, but Tue-Fri was pretty much non-stop! My sister came in Thursday night, so we got up on Friday and planned to drive until the rain stopped, so I could bike. Needless to say….I didn’t bike yesterday! Drove to Kerrville and it was still raining, so just got a hotel for the night, as it was pointless to try and do anything after 2pm.
Saturday was clear, although quite cold after the week of rain! Took off and the climbing started! It was basically non-stop climbing for the first 40 miles, although it was moderate climbing, so it was very manageable. The fact that my gear was in the car with my sister was also a huge help to making that manageability.
Was about 10 miles outside of Kerrville when I saw this sign – a bad sign of things to come! Certainly pretty scenery I’m sure, but hills aren’t …

Day 26 – Leakey to Highway 334 Turnoff
Sunday March 13, 2016, 33 miles (54 km) – Total so far: 1,509 miles (2,429 km)
Not much to report for today. My parents flew in around 1pm today, so I knew I could bike until 12pm or thereabouts, so I could get back to Uvalde to shower before heading to San Antonio with my sister. Loaded up the bike in Uvalde around 8:30am, so I could get up to Leakey at a reasonable hour, since I only have a few hours to bike. Decided to skip a bit of riding close to town, as it was narrow, windy roads, so went a few miles out of town and started to ride.
Was basically downhill all day long (pay back for the climbing yesterday I suppose). Was able to get in …

Day 27 – Highway 334 Turnoff to Del Rio
Monday March 14, 2016, 62 miles (100 km) – Total so far: 1,571 miles (2,529 km)
Got back to the turnoff for Highway 334, so that I could get out riding around 9am. It was quite hilly to start off the day for the first 20 miles, but then I had 40 miles of mostly gradual downhill, which made for an enjoyable day. The only downside it was hot today. Got up to 100 degrees around 3pm, which is a bit warm to be riding in…

Day 28 – Del Rio to Langtry
Tuesday March 15, 2016, 63 miles (102 km) – Total so far: 1,634 miles (2,630 km)
Woke up ready to head on to Langtry before 9am. Walked out to take off and noticed the new Trek had a flat! So off the wheel comes and time to swap out the tube. Glad I got a spare tube yesterday, or I would have had to wait for the bike shop in Del Rio to open! Hope we don’t need another one! Kept the flat in case we need to patch it up…
Got started out of Del Rio and crossed the Amistad Reservoir, which is the dammed up Rio Grande. Runs across the U.S.-Mexican border.
The 30 miles of the morning went quite well. Was a good climb of about 700′, but it was very gradual and it wasn’t too warm yet.
Started to have some nice scenery through West Texas. Quite a few canyons as I followed the Rio Grande along the …

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

by Thomas steinerranchcycling.com

NOTE: Rides start at 7:30am now!
It is time for a longer ride this Saturday! Max provided a route that is almost 80 miles that takes us ‘way out East’ then back through downtown and hooking into the dam loop (clockwise) for our return. Check out the route here: https://www.strava.com/routes/4352496 . As usual, we will hang out at …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Texas Bicycling Event Reminders

Eagle Springs – Walden – Huffman Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The “Eagle Springs – Walden – Huffman” route I rode today is one I don’t do very often. I rode it twice in 2015 and now once this year. I think the main reason is the crash I had at Atascocita High School in September 2013. Now I ride there when school is not in session. Today when I went past the parking lot exit where I collided with the car it was closed off with barriers and yellow caution tape. It looked like a work crew was doing something where the street connects to the parking lot. So no one could cause a crash there.

Rolling out of the driveway at at 12:19 I headed south out of Kingwood. The sky was overcast with the temperature in the upper 70’s. Not as warm as yesterday thanks to a minor cool front moving through and then backing up. The wind was 10 mph from the east. Later in the ride it seemed stronger.

Nothing unusual on the ride as I rode toward Huffman. I got to the Huffman Chevron a few minutes after 2 PM and took a break to rest my legs after battling the wind. I bought a Powerade fountain drink ($1.70 compared to yesterday’s $1.50 at Stripes) and settled down under the canopy to eat a couple of granola bars. When I stopped I took this picture of my Garmin Edge 520 screen.

3-16-2016 Bike Ride Huffman Chevron

The 23.75 miles were tough whenever I was riding into the wind. I noticed after I turned north onto FM2100 I was in a higher gear than I normally use which increased my exertion even more. The 1 1/2 miles to Huffman was easier with the wind behind me and a better gear.

I stayed at the Chevron about 30 minutes. Before I left I took these weather screenshots.

Notice the wind speed in the right shot. When I got home at 3:23 and checked the airport weather the wind was 17 mph with 23 mph gusts. No wonder the headwind was so strong. The temperature was 81. With the somewhat cooler temperatures I opted to wear long sleeve and short sleeve jerseys topping off my shorts.

The new tube in the front tire solved my flat problem. I wish the Bluetooth connection with my Edge 520 was as easy to fix. I got another phone disconnect alert before going 1 mile but it reconnected and I didn’t go through the pairing mess from yesterday. Maybe there are spy radio waves in my neighborhood breaking Bluetooth since once I get away from there the problem does not happen very often.

No biking tomorrow (Thursday). Friday looks like rain. Saturday and the Grand Parkway Bike Ride in New Caney might have rain before the 8 AM start time. The forecast shows the chance of rain decreasing after 7 AM.

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Texas Bicycling News Digest March 15th 2016

Texbiker.net Posted on by

How to lose 90 pounds and turn pro – one man’s story

By Ben Delaney www.bikeradar.com


Three simple tips from Elevate Cycling’s Mitchell Sides
In his senior year of high school in small-town Texas, Mitchell Sides weighed 250 pounds (113kg). Today he is racing as a professional on Elevate Cycling, weighing just over 160 pounds. His main advice for losing weight by riding bikes? Consistency.
With a physiology degree from the University of Texas, Sides is also coaching for Source Endurance, helping other riders improve on the bike.
For Sides, losing weight wasn’t the motivator to get on the bike in the first place. He got into cycling after watching his older brother ride in 2011, and decided it looked like fun.
“I never really noticed that I was big until after the fact,” Sides said. “I never noticed I was …

Houston area Rides

the sci guy www.bikeforums.net

So I saw on FB that the cops were out giving out tons of tickets to riders at the BBX yesterday.

by txags92

Apparently the Magnolia Miles ride didn’t let Waller County know they were coming on Saturday. Waller County has been dealing with closed and flooded roads for several days. People came a bit unglued at riders blocking lanes, all the usual issues. So the Sheriff told NWCC (who had notified the county of the BBX ride the next day) that they would have officers out ticketing riders who didn’t obey the law. NWCC also had several paid Waller County off-duty deputies working intersections. The on-duty officers apparently setup at an intersection and numerous riders rolled through without stopping, thinking the deputies were there to guard the intersection, and instead got tickets. Now the WCSO is saying they won’t allow any of their deputies to work off-duty for any bike ride in Waller or surrounding counties. Going to make it very interesting for that MS150 start in Waller.

by SAGit

I saw the Peace Officers writing citations to 4 riders at fm 529 and fm 3346. At the time I was guessing the tickets are for impeding traffic (riding more than 2 abreast or failing to stay to the right. If the riders were riding 3 abreast, then I would have no objections to the officers for the citations provided they also cited drivers who were speeding over the limit on the route.
This will be interesting since I think there are at least 10 t-shirt rides that go through Waller County.

by txags92

I have no way to confirm this since the Waller County Judge was kind enough to delete his post and all replies that went with it, but was an allegation made that some of the intersections that didn’t have deputies were supposed to be manned, but the deputies assigned called in “on-duty” instead. Then went to those intersections and wrote tickets instead of helping riders through safely. If so, then I would hope BBX and NWCC go scorched earth on the county.

the sci guy

… You know, I’m all for cyclists following the rules and when a car is coming get in a tight two abreast or single file depending on the road- but when the road is wide open, and it’s such a large event – I’m going to ride in a pack of friends and people 4 wide and unorganized because why not? (not crossing the center line, though).
BBX has been going on for like 25 years hasn’t it? All of a sudden? They need to get a grip.
Also, totally agree about the MS150 starting route. That will be interesting. We started there a few years ago.

The Bluebonnet Express Presented by Northwest Cycling Club

Bluebonnet Express www.facebook.com

Official Northwest Cycling Club comment on the Bluebonnet Express:
Waller County residents have been understandably frustrated due to the large number of organized rides, training rides, and individual cyclists that are training for the MS150 in their area. The unfortunate situation on Sunday at the Bluebonnet Express was the culmination of that frustration. Northwest Cycling Club was not specifically targeted, but cyclists were. One of Northwest Cycling Club’s top priorities is cycling safety, as evidenced by …

Self Supported Bluebonnet Express

by James Webster

I rode it but I was self supported.

There were some pacelines with ten plus riders in them. One crash where I arrived just as the ambulance did and waited as two riders stopped behind me. They quickly dismounted and walked past the scene. The ambulance driver tried to get other riders to dismount and walk past but none did they just took the lane. ( broken ribs, collarbone and a hole in his thigh)

Here is my account of my ride
Is it less expensive to register to ride than riding self supported? by James Webster

I decided not to register for the Bluebonnet Express ride as an experiment. I wanted to see if it would be less expensive to ride self supported . The day of the ride registration was $50.00. The benefits of registering that I would not have were rest stops every 12 miles with water and sport drinks and food. sag support, restroom, parking and a shower available.

It was an open start so no time wasted waiting for a mass start. I left at about 6:15 from my starting point south of Hwy 290 and Field Store Road. It was dark but I had lights. No advantage there for not registering. I spent $9.83 for snacks and I had two Cliff bars from a previous ride. Add $2.50 for the Cliff Bars. I had three water bottles. I rode as far as Hwy. 159 for my next stop and a bottle of Power-aid was $2.34.

I should have stopped at the Sonic and rested at Hwy. 290 and FM 1488 but I pressed on to Field Store Road on the 75 mile route. I arrived at the store out of water and spent $4.12 for Power-aid and water. It is now 1 pm and I miss the Joseph Road turn off and continue on FM 1488 to Kickapoo turning into the headwind.

I finished the ride about 4:30. The high school was abandoned as I went past. Spent $10.00 for a shower where I parked.

It adds up to $33.34 for the ride.

Conclusion: It is much better to register for rides than to wing it . . Poor choices, not stopping at the Sonic, could have put me in a real pickle. also the convenience store on Rt 159 was new and doesn’t show up on Google Maps Street View. Besides I didn’t get a tee shirt. Bummer

2016 Texas Team Preview : TILT Racing

texasbikeracing.com


We’ve got some new kids on the block. Please welcome to the Texas peloton… TILT Racing.
We are an entry-level racing development team based in Austin, TX. Our mission is to help develop the unique talents of each rider through teamwork, mutual-respect, and mentoring – with the goal of developing further through racing. In addition to building strong racers, we also strive to positively impact the …

An Englishman in America

By Rob Lee www.crazyguyonabike.com

Mar 15: To Navasota
Tuesday March 15, 2016, 70 miles (113 km) – Total so far: 1,751 miles (2,818 km)
Fortunately no fog this morning, although being deep within the forest the sun took its time to appear.
Leaving the campground, the cycling was easy and fairly pleasant. Being in the National Forest there was a little scenery now and then and the road had some small hills. …

Long Promised Road

By Bob Elias* www.crazyguyonabike.com

It’s DeRidder, it’s de flood, it’s delay: 25 miles to Texas – and holding
Tuesday March 15, 2016
With apologies to Cole Porter, but it was just too easy.
So every bridge over the Sabine River within 75 miles of DeRidder is closed. This morning they did close I 10, which will add about 4 hours to an east/west drive. It appears the earliest the bridge on US 190 will reopen is Friday – just in time for the next round of storms, before it clears on Sunday. Cheryl was going to meet me in Texas tomorrow, and take some off bike time with friends in the Dallas metroplex. She and my brother in law Richard left Tallahassee yesterday morning bound for Houston via Nawlins, and he flies home from …

Why I Ride

By Steven Amen www.wheelbrothers.com

When I get into a conversation with someone about hobbies and interests and such, the conversation invariably leads to me saying: I’m a cyclist. It’s not a shameful admission. Infact, it’s something I love to do and talk about. Although, it does tend to annoy my girlfriend when the conversation takes a turn in that direction. Usually, I’m asked a …

Sheriff Hands Out Tickets At Bluebonnet Express

Cycling Space City cyclingspacecity.blogspot.com


Last Sunday was the Bluebonnet Express ride that starts and stops in Waller, TX. This is one of the most popular BPMS 150 recommended rides and hosts over a thousand riders. Unfortunately the Waller County Sheriff decided to brag on their Facebook page about issuing 25-30 tickets. As a percentage of riders the ticket …

Annual Meeting Q & A

bikehouston.org

Thank you for writing your comments, concerns, and questions about biking in Houston at our Annual Meeting. We received a lot of complimentary notes, but here are the bare-bones questions and suggestions along with our answers and reactions. Did we miss your comment card? If you have a question, please send us an email at info@bikehouston.org. We are not yet done answering all of these questions, but what we have answered is below. If you would like a quick answer to specific bikeway planning questions, please see the map at houstonbikeplan.org.
Q&A
How can you overcome your fear of bike riding in Houston? I can barely drive a car without being scared. The only time I ride a bike is with a group.
Riding a bike in this city, off of the existing trails, for the …

Texas Bicycling from Twitter

https://twitter.com/MitchellGSides/status/709846675213275137

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/709830677076770816

https://twitter.com/AustinBikePed/status/709755297754173440

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/709695602750332930

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Texas Bicycling Event Reminders

New Caney – SR242 – Valley Ranch Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Some days technology just loves to thumb its nose at me. I was delayed getting started on the ride because our Epson printer/scanner decided to forget the wifi password and I couldn’t get it to connect for awhile. Finally I got that fixed and got ready to ride. I left home at 12;14 and around .90 miles my Garmin Edge 520 told me my phone was disconnected. I figured it would reconnect like it did in the past but not much further on the ride I got a message on the 520 telling me the pairing code to enter on my phone to complete the Bluetooth pairing. I opened my phone settings and then the 520 said it was connected again. Off I went in an ignorant bliss thinking the problem had been fixed until I was in Woodridge Forest and I checked the 520 status screen to find my phone was not connected. I messed around trying to get Bluetooth to pair and finally powered off my phone and then powered it back up. Wow!! the 520 and Nexus 6P decided to talk to each other and I was back biking again.

Last night when I went out to move the trash can for today’s pickup I reached over and pinched the front tire for some reason. It was flat. After getting the trash positioned I took the wheel inside to fix the flat. This was a frustrating event. I had bought several patch kits from BikeTiresDirect.com. I got the one out of my saddle bag and proceeded to find the hole. At first it didn’t show up but after inflating the tube more I could feel the air escaping. I marked the spot with an ink pen ( I have a history of missing the hole with the patch) and let the air out. Next I checked the inside of the tire to try and find the cause but couldn’t find anything sticking out or in. Using the sandpaper I roughed up the tube at the hole. Putting the glue on I let it dry and positioned the patch pressing it in place. Before putting the tube back in the tire I pumped the tube up and the patch came loose. I sanded the spot again and tried another patch kit, same result. The third attempt failed as well. Switching to a Nashbar patch kit I thought this would surely fix the hole but it failed too. I think there was too much glue for the Nashbar patch to hold. Their kits have worked in the past. I gave up and put a new tube in the tire, put it in the tire and back on the wheel. Airing up the tire no problem happened and I checked it again this morning and it still was firm.

Today’s ride was great. I left the long sleeve jersey at home with the temperature in the mid 80’s. The wasn’t clear blue like yesterday with high clouds. The wind was out of the SW at 12 mph. That was great riding north to SR 242 and when I made the turn around crossing over US59 my average speed was 15.7 mph. From that point I was facing a strong headwind and my speed dropped to 12 to 13 mph and my average speed started going down. Today’s route is an extension of the “New Caney – Roman Forest – Valley Ranch” one. I took the next crossover of US59 north of Roman Forest Blvd. I don’t have any recent rides using this exact route. Normally at SR242 I go west.

This took by the New Caney ISD Stadium where the Grand Parkway Bike Ride will begin this Saturday. I expect the parking lot will be full but today it was empty.

I continued into the wind all the way to the Stripes station at FM1314 and Valley Ranch Parkway (or Blvd depending on which sign you choose). My legs needed a rest after battling the wind for 8+ miles. I bought some Gatorade and sat in shade to eat a trailmix bar and a granola bar. Before I went inside to get the Gatorade I took this picture of my 520.

3-15-2016 Bike Ride Stripes Stop

The weather while I was at Stripes.

I left Stripes and headed home arriving there at 3:19. The winding roads and streets meant I was in and out of the headwind which helped.

March miles are up to 355.91. Only 275 more miles to reach my goal for the month. The weather looks favorable for biking tomorrow (Wednesday). Thursday I will take my wife to the medical center for her cancer treatment. Friday’s forecast shows some rain. Saturday I plan on riding the Grand Parkway Bike Ride in New Caney.

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