Texas Bicycling News December 6th

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Inaugural Fat Bike Open draws MTB pro Dave Wiens, nearly 70 racers to Gold Run Nordic in Breck

by Phil Lindeman        www.summitdaily.com


It was the sort of race where even Dave Wiens laughed his way to the finish line.
On a chilly Saturday afternoon, Wiens joined nearly 70 curious bikers for the inaugural Fat Bike Open at Gold Run Nordic Center in Breckenridge. The Gunnison local has won the Leadville 100 MTB six times and owns a spot in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, but that didn’t stop him from hopping on a fat bike for his first taste of snow racing. And …

… There was Kate Zander, a 29-year-old veteran of the summertime Summit Mountain Challenge series who was testing the first fat bike from her team, Chumba Cycles of Texas. Then there was Nick Frey, co-owner of Boo Bicycles, one …

Dick Nicholas Park. Intermediate and Advanced Beginner ride (2 groups) 9 am

Saturday, Dec 19, 2015, 9:00 AM

Dick Nichols District Park
8011 Beckett Rd Austin, TX

35 Mountain Bikers Went

Helmet and working bike required, spare tube suggested.We will have two groups the intermediate group will do two loops on the trail and the advanced beginners will do one (maybe two).After the ride will probably go for lunch somewhere near downtown.This is an unsanctioned ride.  Ride at your own risk.

Check out this Meetup →

Yes, cyclists pay for the roads, too: Here’s how

By Ben Wear – American-Statesman Staff        www.mystatesman.com


My story last week about a delay in the $14 million bike-pedestrian bridge over Barton Creek produced what, after more than 12 years covering transportation, has become a familiar complaint from readers.
Why is the city of Austin spending so much money on bike stuff — not just this notably expensive bridge, but all those bike lanes and trails that have been showing up around town over the past decade — when cyclists pay no gas taxes or registration fees? And to that …

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Warming Up As I Biked the Kingwood Trails

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Warm weather today pulled me out to ride the Kingwood Greenbelt trails. The blue sky and 71 degrees waited for me to ride among the trees. It was a little cooler in the trees and shade but not enough to chill me. I left the leg warmers at home, only the long sleeve jersey and windbreaker jacket topped my shorts. I left home at 1:02 and returned at 2:35. The weather screenshots.

I stopped at two bridges to take these pictures with my Nexus 6 phone. (click on the image to enlarge it)

Over the bridge to the park
Kingwood Lakes bridge

Many people were out on the trails enjoying the weather. If you look closely at the picture on the left there are two people sitting on a bench to the left of the tree beyond the water. On the other page a bunch of of ducks are on the bank to the left of the bridge on the distant shore.

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Texas Bicycling News December 5th

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Phoenix to El Paso

By Sebastian Huttner        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Photos

Alamogordo, NM to El Paso, TX: More missile range and two days in El Paso
Wednesday November 18, 2015, 340 km (211 miles) – Total so far: 1,330 km (826 miles)
What I wanted to do was just continue towards Roswell and the onwards towards Dallas, New Orleans, …
What I had to do was get to El Paso, TX to get on a flight on Saturday (well, I actually only left on Sunday due to that winter storm in Chicago, but that’s another story).
I only ‘had’ to be in El Paso by Thursday night, but I didn’t see any valid way to prolong my journey for just another day, so I took off towards El Paso.
It’s mostly flat and there isn’t really much to see between Alamogordo and El Paso.
There`s the little town of Orogrande in between, but I seriously doubt that anyone still lives there. It has/had two gas stations, but both seemed to be closed for good. The small post office had a window fixed with plywood and the remaining buildings all were in different states of neglect and disrepair. Depressing.
A few miles before the state line, right in front of some prison, I had another …

Crosby American Legion distributes bikes to children in Crosby, Barrett Station

By Jennifer Summer        www.yourhoustonnews.com


For the first year, children of families who might be in need throughout the Barrett Station and Crosby communities will have a new bike this Christmas.
The Crosby American Legion David H. McNerney Post 658 partnered with local businesses to provide more than 100 bikes to church congregations in the …

Born on the Bayou

archpaper.com

Houston’s $215 million Bayou Greenways project shows progress.

With the addition of 150 miles of walkways and bike trails, Houston’s Bayou Greenways project is on course to link up all new and existing parkland along the city’s bayou network.
The scheme aims to be complete by 2020, despite experiencing difficulty acquiring plot spaces from some landowners. Boosted by the city council’s approval of $19 million for the project, the Houston Parks Board can now press on and purchase more land.
Houston’s residents eagerly anticipate Bayou Greenways. In 2012, 68 percent of …

Cyclists ride for bike lanes, against city plans for street parking

By William Malm        kxan.com

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More bike lanes or room for cars to park on the streets? That was the issue in the Northwest Hills neighborhood Saturday as families gathered to walk and ride in support of keeping bike lanes.
The display was organized by Bike Austin, a cycling advocacy group of those who use their bikes every day. But along Mesa Drive city plans for connected bike lanes are getting push back from some residents who would rather have more space for …

Bicyclists ride to keep bike lanes in Austin neighborhood

by Jenni Lee, KVUE        www.kvue.com

Video

AUSTIN — Some residents in a northwest Austin neighborhood said they want more parking spaces instead of the existing bike lanes to accommodate visits from their families. And it’s not sitting well with bicyclists in the area.
One of the plans the Austin Transportation Department (ATD) is looking into is replacing the existing bike lanes with space in the shoulder for car parking on Mesa Drive between Cat Mountain Drive and Far West Boulevard. The move is part of the …

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East End Park Alligator Alley Bike Ride

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Another ride on my Motobecane 700HT on the Kingwood greenbelt trails. Today my son-in-law rode with me. The pace was slower but who is in a hurry with the sun shining and the blue sky. It could have bee a few degrees warmer but I dressed with shorts, leg warmers, short and long jerseys and a windbreaker jacket. It wasn’t too cool (63 degrees) but when we rode in the shade it got cooler.

This time we rode through East End Park along Alligator Alley and then on trails back to the park exit. Alligator Alley has stretches of trail with crushed granite but over the swap areas a raised wood walk keeps you about 2 feet or so above the water. It is about 3 feet wide so you need to pay attention going through the turns. After we left the wood trail I thought to take pictures. Maybe next time. I told my son-in-law not to fall off the raised wood walk way; I didn’t want to tell my daughter the alligators got him. Some of the trail was grass with a few spots of rock. This might qualify as singletrack if you stretch the definition some.

With this ride I reached my 6500 mile goal for 2015. I am at 6505 miles. If the weather cooperates I plan on adding to that.

The weather during the ride.

Weather at the start
Weather at the start
Weather at the end
Weather at the end

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