Texas Bicycling News October 2nd

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Corsicana Police hosting Texas Night Out on Oct. 6

www.corsicanadailysun.com

… Corsicana Fire Department will have a fire engine at the event since October is Fire Prevention Month. Representatives from the Child Advocacy Center will be there to pass out child safety information and to answer your questions. Impact Navarro County, a nonprofit organization promoting drug and alcohol prevention, will also have plenty of free information available. The Corsicana Animal Shelter will be there so you can obtain information regarding adopting a dog or cat that will bring joy to your family. In addition, Navarro Regional Hospital staff will be there to discuss bicycle safety and to give away some free bicycle helmets. …

Students must take lead to prevent bike theft

By Alexander Chase        www.dailytexanonline.com


For thousands of students on campus, biking to class makes a great deal of sense. However, the choices that students make to protect their bicycles do not. Short-sighted locking and registration practices are making bicycle theft easier and acting on it more difficult.
Early indications show recent improvement. University of Texas Police Depertment numbers show thefts have fallen from 161 in 2012 to 114 in 2014. Austin Police Department data on West and …

Ride Across Texas (RAT)

By Jason Reynolds        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Introduction: About me and the plan
Thursday October 1, 2015
I have been reading journals on CGOAB for about 2 years and loved the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of those who have written the journals. I have also enjoyed seeing the different writing styles of those who have chosen to journal their trips. Since I now have a chance to take a trip that might be considered unique, I am going to write about my trip this month.
Last year, I participated in the Ride Across Texas that was coordinated by Kevin Lee, owner of Spinistry. He set up an approximately 900 mile route from Texarkana, AR to Tucumcari, NM on mostly gravel roads. This was primarily a self-supported ride, but it was set up for 8 stages with camping locations pre-arranged. There was also a mini-RAT, a 3 day, 300 mile option for those who wanted a shorter distance or didn’t have time for the full ride. I rode the mini-RAT for experience and because I didn’t have enough vacation days left to ride the full RAT.
I really enjoyed the 3 day ride and in a way, was sorry that I didn’t get to ..

Training

Friday October 2, 2015
I have ridden approximately 3,800 miles this year. Most of the miles have been while riding my road bike. To prepare for the RAT, in the past month and a half I have put the majority of my miles on my Motobecane and riding on gravel road routes in North Texas.
One of the first gravel training rides that I did was a ride called the Midnight Massacre sponsored by Kevin Lee of Spinistry. He is the same guy who created the Ride Across Texas. The Midnight Massacre was a 12 hour gravel ride at Sanger, Texas that started at 8 pm on August 15th. I covered 125 miles in 10 hours and called it good. I felt good all during the ride, but the drive home was …

Pre-Ride Stage One

Saturday October 3, 2015
My plan is to get off work early on Friday, October 9th, meet up with my friend Jeff and drive to Dallas, where we will meet my cousin Charlie and load all of our gear and bikes on his car. We will drive to Texarkana, AR that afternoon, in time for the pre-ride meeting that Kevin Lee will be having. Charlie’s wife Laura will ride out with us, so she can return the car back to Dallas. At the end of the ride, Laura will meet us in Tucumcari and bring us back to Dallas.
To provide navigation for the ride, the routes have been created on Ride with GPS and riders can ride any pace, however, the semi-support of Kevin Lee is based on an 8 day schedule, with coordinated camping areas for those who ride at that pace.
Day One, …

East Texas Mountain Bike Trails

Google

This is a list of the mountain bike trails in the East Texas area along with their conditions, and any additional info about the trails. (list created and …
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ARR October Club Ride @ Barton Creek Greenbelt 360 Entrance

Saturday, Oct 10, 2015, 9:30 AM

Barton Creek Greenbelt – 360 Access
3755 S Capital of Texas Hwy. Austin, TX

43 Mountain Bikers Went

Come ride with the Austin Ridge Riders!  Where: Barton Creek Greenbelt  – 360 Entrance When: Saturday October 10, 9:30am arrival, 10:00am wheels down.Note this meetup was originally posted for the Zilker entrance, but due to ACL this weekend we are meeting at the 360 Entrance instead (map linked above, it’s down the hill from Toys R Us).T…

Check out this Meetup →

Video: Gravel bike vs. road bike — what’s the difference?

By VeloNews.com


Editor’s Note: This video is courtesy of Global Cycling Network

Day 23: Del Rio to 4 m. W. of Camp Wood: Relentless Forward Progress

By Judy Gamble        www.crazyguyonabike.com

No Tears on the Southern Tier

Friday October 2, 2015, 76 miles (122 km) – Total so far: 1,404 miles (2,260 km)
76 miles, 1,404′ climbing
Relentless Forward Progress is the title of a book written by Bryon Powell which is the bible for all folks preparing for, completing, or just thinking about undertaking an ultra marathon distance challenge. My copy at home has been read, re-read, annotated and passed around to others that have my same crazy idea of completing that challenge.
Today was a day of relentless forward progress. We rode …

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Back on the Bike From Vacation

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Today was the first ride since we got back from our 16 day vacation to Ohio and the UCI World Championship Road Races in Richmond, VA. It was good to get back on the bike but before I could ride I had to fix a flat that was waiting on me when we got home. I walked by the bike last night and did my tire check and the rear tire was soft. I didn’t have time to fix it last night and waited until this morning. I found a piece of wire sticking through the tire into the tube. It was about 3/8″ long and made a tiny hole that was hard to find. I patched it and double checked my work before putting the tire and tube back on the rim. The bike was ready to ride. I ran a couple of errands and double checked the tire when I got back home; it was still firm.

While we were gone I found a good deal on a Garmin Edge 520. Last night I read through the setup instructions quickly but waited until this morning to actually go through the setup process. I made a few mistakes but I corrected them and the 520 was ready to go for the ride. To be safe I uploaded the User Manual to my Google Drive in case I needed to fix something while I was biking. I could download it on my phone if needed. No problems during the ride thankfully. Once while riding my Garmin 510 decided to act up and I couldn’t figure how to fix it. I didn’t think to have the Owner Manual where I could pull it up on my phone. The Edge 520 performed perfectly and I am pleased. I wish I could say the same for my sit bones. The time off made them soft. I will have to get them back in shape. At least I didn’t gain the usual 10 to 12 pounds while we were away.

The route today was “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” for a total of 34.66 miles. I started the ride so that if I had any issues with the Edge 520 I wasn’t too far from home but that was necessary. Not much changed while I was gone but the weather changed to a cooler mode. When I checked the temperature this morning after getting up it was 57 degrees. That is why I decided to run my errands before riding to give the sun time to warm it up. By the time I left home at 12:39 it was it the upper 70’s and during my usual stop at the Huffman Chevron the screenshots showed this:

As I rode east over the Lake Houston Causeway on FM1960 I spotted a Google Map car going west. Maybe I will show up on a street view of FM1960.

While I was at the Chevron station another biker pulled in. He told me he lived in Kingwood Greens and was on his way back from Crosby where he stopped to eat BBQ. We chatted about the weather, the Saturday and Sunday rides, and where the Bike Werks shop moved in Kingwood. He said before he moved to London he bought the bike he was riding from them. I asked how it was to ride in London and he told me about the bike lanes and stuff. I thought it would hard to ride in London but he said it was easy and rode to work frequently. We both rolled out to leave at the same time but I rode onto FM1960 to ride back home first. Later I could see him behind me in my mirror. He caught up to me on Kings River Drive and across the river on W. Lake Houston Parkway. He rode on the greenbelt while I rode on the main lane shoulder. Once I was in Kingwood Greens I did not see him for long.

I didn’t expect my average speed would reach 15.0 mph since I was off for vacation but I managed to get it up to 15.1 mph for a brief time before it settled at 15.0 mph and dropped to 14.7 mph through Kingwood to home. I finished at 3:45. When iwas waiting to cross Kingwood Drive I saw another biker on the other side come to the center esplanade waiting to cross too. After a few minutes he gave up and headed to the traffic light. Not too long after that I was able to get across and continue home.

Now that I am back the quest to reach my goal for the year is on. The goal is 6500 mile and I am at 5552 miles as of today’s ride. The weather for next several days looks like biking weather.

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Texas Bicycling News October 1st

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Cyclist in Critical Condition After Being Hit By a Car in Leander

By Stephanie Gaskell        patch.com/texas

The accident happened just before sunrise on Wednesday.
A 62-year-old man is in critical condition after being hit by a car on the 500 block of South Highway 183 early Wednesday morning.
The Leander Police Department said the accident occurred just before 7 a.m. when it was still dark outside. Both the car and the cyclist were traveling northbound when they collided.
Police officials say alcohol and weather were not a factor in the accident. They said the …

DANGER: Overhead Artillery Fire Across This Road

texasbikeracing.com


The State Road Race, the culmination of a seemingly never ending road season in Texas. The course, entirely inside the Fort Hood Military Base, features a 33-mile loop on a closed course. It is one of the most balanced courses, and hardest races on the Texas calendar. The race regularly features harsh cross winds through the wide open, fairly flat start-finish stretch, followed by four different little ring climb that last between two to three minutes. Here, Super Squadra’s Jordan Oroshiba, a Category 2 racer and college student at Texas State, describes his experience at the championship event.
I woke well before 5 a.m. to travel from Austin to Fort Hood for the State Road Race, and rolled out into the dark early morning with my teammate, Michael Pincus. We stopped at McDonalds for ‘Hot Cakes’ and discussed the things that cycling obsessed college students tend to discuss: bike racing, more bike …

Can bike riders, car drivers coexist on the same roads?

By Marissa Nunez        www.itemonline.com

As the issue of climate change and the the effects humans have on the environment become more of a concern for people all over the world, some have been switching to eco-friendly alternatives when it comes to transportation.
Two alternatives people have been using are public transportation and more fuel-efficient automobiles. Another choice has people switching from motor vehicles to bicycles, which is not only better for the environment but better for an individual’s overall health.
As more and more people make the switch from automobiles to bicycles, it’s critical for both drivers and …

Race to victory: Fort Hood Challenge-VII

By Nick Conner, Sentinel News Editor        www.forthoodsentinel.com


Cyclists from across the state flocked to Fort Hood Saturday and Sunday for the Texas State Road Race Championship Weekend. Dubbed Fort Hood Challenge VII, it marked the end of the cycling season as more than 800 riders, from professional-level competitors to first-time racers, tested themselves over a 33-mile closed course that wound its way up, down and through the western side of the reservation.
According to race sponsor Andy Hollinger, the course is the …

Slaughter Creek !! Intermediate and Advanced Beginner ride (2 groups) 9 am

Saturday, Oct 3, 2015, 9:00 AM

Slaughter Creek Preserve Trail
9901 RM 1826 Austin, TX

13 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 afvanced beginners will do one (maybe two).After the ride will probably go for lunch somewhere near downtown.This is an unsanctioned ride.

Check out this Meetup →

Where We Ride 2014: Analysis of Bike Commuting

by Ken McLeod        bikeleague.org

In our third edition of “Where We Ride: An Analysis of Bicycling in American Cities” we take a look at the growth of bicycle commuters throughout the country, based on new data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
We dissect broad trends, like where among large cities bike commuting is growing fastest, and take on and more granular analyses, like which cities are exploding with bike commuters by region and size.
In this report, we take a look at:
How all 50 states rank according to bicycle commuters as a share of all commuters;
How cities with a high percentage of bicycle commuters compare to other cities in their regions;
How cities compare based upon multimodal commuters, looking beyond just bikes to other forms of transportation that involve more physical activity, including walking and transit; …

In this edition of Spoke&Word…

BikeHouston


A Word from Michael Payne The next few weeks will be critical in BikeHouston’s journey to make Houston a better, safer place to ride bicycles. Please join us in… read more>> …

10/3 & 10/4 Rides! Cozy Cove / Bee Creek! Red Horn

by Thomas        steinerranchcycling.com

The crowd is back for this Saturday’s ride! We should have a good showing to go do some hills out Bee Creek road on something close to our usual Cozy Cove ride. This time we will take a turn up that not-so-flat Bob Wire road! There is a convenience store at the top where you can wipe the puke off of your face. We will ensure that by the time we are finished with this ride it will be perfect for cold beer and hot burgers at Lakeside afterward (with our club discounts for everyone that shows!). Depart from Cups & Cones at the usual 7:30am. It is …

Day 22: Seminole Canyon State Park to Del Rio: A good, casual bike ride, if wind would stay away!

By Judy Gamble        www.crazyguyonabike.com

No Tears on the Southern Tier

Thursday October 1, 2015, 47 miles (76 km) – Total so far: 1,328 miles (2,137 km)
47 miles (incl. 3 around town), 989′ climbing
The night of camping of Seminole Canyon was quite nice. We left the fly off the tent (Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3, for those of you interested!) and when we laid our heads down at 830pm the stars were filling the sky. Within an hour the Milky Way was visible and constellations were in all directions. The darkness of the sky is incredible. We don’t remember such beautiful skies since sailing to Panama. The moon was in our eyes all night. (And in honor of the Milky Way we shared a Milky Way candy bar tonight, pure bliss!)
The night was super restful and we awoke to a deer and her two fawns crossing not far from our campsite. Since we hadn’t found any food (do we sound like scavengers???) yesterday we settled for a granola bar breakfast, packed camp and hit the road. We only had 40+ miles to go to reach Del Rio. A relatively easy day…except the wind was already blowing when we …

City of Dallas Bicycle Parking Inventory and Map!

bikeabledallas.com

Here’s another little side project we have going on… inventorying all the existing bicycle parking in Dallas. Ultimately, we want to someday create a smart phone-friendly way to access it when you’re looking for a place to lock up. The map below is interactive and provides information on bike racks both in
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Waco Results and Updated Series Overall Standings

www.texashighschoolcycling.org

Here are the Waco Results and Updated Series Overall Standings.
Please find them here:  Series Results

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Texas Bicycling News September 30th

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Bike Barn, Bayou City Adventures named exclusive providers for Buffalo Bayou Partnership

www.yourhoustonnews.com/west_university


Buffalo Bayou Partnership announced a five-year exclusive partnership with Bike Barn – a Houston-based bike retailer servicing the biking community since 1983 – and Bayou City Adventures – a popular provider of outdoor recreational equipment and services – to begin offering bicycles, canoes, and kayaks for rent along Buffalo Bayou between Shepherd Drive and Fannin Street. Rental stations will be located along major points of interest along Buffalo Bayou Park, namely Lost Lake and The Water Works, and also at the foot of Sunset Coffee Building at Allen’s Landing in downtown.
This agreement comes as the improvements to the 160-acre, 2.3-mile Buffalo Bayou Park are nearing …

Give bikers a break, and more lanes

www.paisano-online.com

As the price of parking permits rise and temperatures begin to fall, more UTSA students choose bicycles as their muscle-powered method of transportation.
Cycling to class is a great way to save money, energy and time that would otherwise be spent hunting down a parking spot. Students who bike to class burn calories while reducing their carbon footprint — a choice beneficial to cardiovascular health and the environment.
However, the benefits of biking do not come without …

Palestine gearing up for 2nd Annual Gravel Grinder Cycling Event

www.youreasttexas.com

The Camino 205, a long distance cycling adventure through the Piney Woods of East Texas, will kick off on Saturday, October 3, in Old Town Palestine.
According to event organizer Dave Morrow, “Cyclists in the upper Midwest have been putting on gravel grinder events for about ten years. One of the most notable being the Dirty Kanza, which traverses the Flint Hills National Grasslands in Kansas, and has over 1,200 riders.”
The popularity of gravel grinders is …

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

Tuesday, Oct 6, 2015, 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 →

October Slow Roll at Buffalo Bayou Park

Saturday, Oct 17, 2015, 8:00 AM

McGovern Centennial Gardens
6201 Hermann Park Dr Houston, TX

8 Cyclers Went

Let’s roll out for another relaxing ride through the city! Our goal is Buffalo Bayou Park and back. Afterwards, tacos at Bodega’s! Optional: visit to the Houston Bicycle Museum, if you’re interested. We’ll have a busy and fun Saturday, for sure!October’s Slow Roll Ride will start at McGovern Centennial Gardens, in front of the Cherie Flores Garden…

Check out this Meetup →

First Tour – Dallas to Austin/San Marcos/Gruene

by Jarrett2        www.bikeforums.net

Howdy all. I’m planning my first self-supported tour coming up in a month.
I’ve got the bike, got the bags, got the legs, got a ride buddy, but looking for route suggestions.
I’m wondering if anyone has ridden from the Dallas area down to the Austin/San Marcos/Gruene area before?
I’m actually starting about 40 miles south of Dallas, so the total trip seems to be between 185-215 miles depending on stopping point. This will be a one way trip as I have a ride back. …

biketoons

by MadKaw        www.bikeforums.net

’cause they’re not cartoons…

Remaining Mountain Bike Races

amct.tamu.edu

The remaining mountain bike races for the 2015 season are:
October 3/4 – UTA at Flat Rock Ranch – Comfort, TX
October 10/11 – SCCCC Conference Championships at Palo Duro Canyon – Canyon, TX …

Day 21: Sanderson to Seminole Canyon State Park (10 m. W of Comstock): Hot west Texas.

By Judy Gamble        www.crazyguyonabike.com

No Tears on the Southern Tier

Wednesday September 30, 2015, 81 miles (130 km) – Total so far: 1,281 miles (2,062 km)
81 miles, 2,078′ climbing
Since we had just experienced a few days where the wind came up within the first 20 miles of riding, we decided that today was gonna be an earlier start. After a cup of coffee in our room and a quick bowl of cereal we were on the road in the dark at 6:30am. Sunrise was around 7:35a or so. Temperatures were cool enough that we both started out with jackets on. They came off within the first 10 miles as we started to heat up and the sun came up.
Traffic was moderate, with primarily semis travelling in both directions. We have both LED headlights on the front and rear so we were very visible. All the drivers …

Balmorhea to Ft. Davis: Climbing into the Davis Mountains

By Steven Neish        www.crazyguyonabike.com

New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico!

Monday September 28, 2015, 35 miles (56 km) – Total so far: 127 miles (204 km)
This is a beautiful ride. Most of the world, who imagine that Texas is a flat world with longhorns and oil wells have no imagination that includes a Texas like I saw today.
The first few miles was slowly rising farmland. The weather was perfect, cool and calm. I saw a coyote just inside the fence line. I made eye contact, and …

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