A Blue Jersey With Lightening Come to Life

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My jersey choice for today’s ride probably could have been better: a blue jersey with a white lightening bolt. I knew I was taking a chance of riding in the rain when I left home at 12:14 but the rain activity on weather radar was widely scattered with no particular direction. It was 91 degrees at the start of riding the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route. While riding south out of Kingwood I saw some dark gray clouds gathering to the east but I hoped to ride away from them. I shortened the ride by a couple of miles to 30.89 miles hoping this would get me back home before any rain arrived.

Riding past Kingwood High School I passed a man with an umbrella walking towards me on the sidewalk/trail and wondered if that meant rain ahead. It did but just sprinkles which stayed with me until I turned south on W. Lake Houston Parkway. I took my usual route through Kingwwod Greens exiting back on W. Lake Houston Parkway. On the bridge the shoulder showed signs of a recent rain but no standing water. Off the bridge I rode through Atascocita and Walden without rain. Coming to FM1960 to ride east over Lake Houston I saw more gray clouds but not over me nor where I was headed.

I reached the Huffman Chevron around 1:35 19.2 miles into the ride for a rest break. After going inside for a Powerade I sat under the canopy to eat snacks, cool down and look at the sky. Not too much later I started hearing thunder to the west where the sky was dark followed by lightening. Checking the weather on my phone I saw this:

I decided to wait at the Chevron store for the thunder and lightening to stop. Cars coming from the west had their windshield wipers on. I didn’t want to ride in the rain but it looked like I would. While waiting I could feel the temperature going down and my soaked jersey accentuated the drop. After the thunder and lightening stopped I left thinking I would leap frog from one shelter to another up to the causeway over Lake Houston. I made it to the Exxon station at E. Lake Houston where the rain was a little harder. I waited there again hoping the rain would stop or let up. Finally after waiting the clouds west of Lake Houston started to move north and I left the Exxon station even though it was raining lightly.

FM1960 was wet and passing traffic sprayed me with mist but I didn’t get too wet. Riding into Atascocita Shores the rain let up some and I got relief when I went under trees. By the time I got to W. Lake Houston the rain stopped. From there to home it didn’t rain but the streets were damp. After I got home at 3:53 I washed my bike and put it in the garage as a few more sprinkles fell.

With this ride I am closing in on my goal for September with only 21 miles needed. More rain on Friday in the forecast but Saturday and Sunday look dry. Today was the 32nd time riding this route in 2015. A summary of the rides is below.

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/894462297 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/389448389/embed/a8f7a6b9394e5cc3838841d785ae604abe0dd629 590px 500px]

Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Thu, Sep 10, 2015 12:14 PM 2:08:30 30.89 581 14.4 20.2 — — 1719 8197
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sun, Sep 6, 2015 12:29 PM 2:11:32 32.49 489 14.8 20 — — 1729 8410
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Fri, Aug 21, 2015 2:37 PM 2:10:45 32.97 591 15.1 20.5 — — 1796 8319
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sun, Aug 2, 2015 12:12 PM 2:07:04 31.71 689 15 20.4 — — 1783 7864
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Fri, Jul 31, 2015 11:04 AM 2:10:29 31.72 673 14.6 21.1 — — 1797 7939
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Fri, Jul 24, 2015 11:39 AM 2:16:00 33.68 568 14.9 22.1 — — 1830 8607
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Thu, Jul 23, 2015 11:28 AM 2:17:37 33.58 604 14.6 21.1 — — 1853 8326
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Tue, Jul 14, 2015 11:04 AM 2:15:57 33.24 656 14.7 20.5 — — 1837 8043
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sat, Jul 11, 2015 8:54 AM 2:22:56 34.74 482 14.6 19.4 — — 1829 9148
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sun, Jun 28, 2015 12:26 PM 2:06:30 31.41 479 14.9 20.4 — — 1672 7719
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Thu, Jun 18, 2015 12:27 PM 2:15:01 34.2 633 15.2 21.6 — — 1905 8532
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sun, Jun 7, 2015 11:21 AM 2:04:21 31.33 486 15.1 21.3 — — 1692 7414
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Mon, Jun 1, 2015 10:34 AM 2:15:19 33.35 505 14.8 20.1 — — 1799 8611
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sat, May 16, 2015 11:09 AM 2:18:09 33.12 1004 14.4 21.1 — — 1966 8213
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Tue, May 5, 2015 2:12 PM 2:10:58 31.93 1296 14.6 21.1 — — 2050 7869
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sat, Apr 25, 2015 1:46 PM 2:19:42 34.26 732 14.7 21 — — 1939 8451
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sun, Apr 19, 2015 12:03 PM 2:02:15 30.55 817 15 21.3 — — 1767 7846
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Wed, Apr 15, 2015 11:59 AM 2:13:52 33.85 574 15.2 20.6 — — 1829 8573
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Mon, Apr 13, 2015 11:45 AM 2:16:16 33.81 810 14.9 22.3 — — 1905 8395
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sat, Apr 11, 2015 12:23 PM 2:19:10 34.41 538 14.8 24 — — 1864 8483
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Mon, Apr 6, 2015 12:10 PM 2:13:18 32.86 751 14.8 21.3 — — 1900 8251
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Tue, Mar 31, 2015 11:49 AM 2:12:36 32.6 679 14.8 21 — — 1826 8105
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Fri, Mar 27, 2015 1:48 PM 2:11:50 32.32 955 14.7 21.9 — — 1885 8307
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Wed, Mar 25, 2015 2:12 PM 2:10:22 32.19 912 14.8 21.7 — — 1853 8142
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Fri, Mar 20, 2015 12:11 PM 2:04:13 31.41 614 15.2 21.7 — — 1717 7998
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Wed, Mar 18, 2015 2:11 PM 1:59:20 30.31 594 15.2 22.2 — — 1687 7697
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Mon, Mar 16, 2015 1:16 PM 2:10:40 32.14 568 14.8 21 — — 1743 8442
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Wed, Mar 4, 2015 11:21 AM 2:10:53 32.66 702 15 21.6 — — 1841 8203
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Tue, Mar 3, 2015 3:27 PM 1:59:27 29.34 659 14.7 21 — — 1641 7645
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Sun, Feb 8, 2015 12:17 PM 2:15:02 33.07 879 14.7 22.3 — — 1923 8234
Atascocita – Walden – Huffman Tue, Jan 27, 2015 12:17 PM 2:16:36 32.09 469 14.1 19.7 — — 1684 9011
Atasacocita – Walden – Huffman Sat, Jan 17, 2015 1:55 PM 2:02:54 29.84 686 14.6 21.2 — — 1686 8118

Texas Bicycling News September 9th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Tandem trek for mission

By Heather Hahn        www.umc.org


The Rev. Paul Escamilla, pastor of Saint John’s United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas, rides in back while church member Toby Sudduth captains a tandem bike on Friday, Sept. 4 near Bastrop, Texas. Church members are joining Escamilla, who recently fractured his clavicle, in working toward riding 670 miles for the church’s 67th anniversary and in turn raising funds for mission.

He’s a pastor with a need for speed in a rush for mission – all on a bicycle built for two.
The Rev. Paul Escamilla, senior pastor of Saint John’s United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas, planned to celebrate the church’s 67th anniversary by cycling 670 miles across central Texas. His goal for his modern-day circuit ride: To visit where the church is engaged in mission and raise funds for St. John’s endowment, which …

Why is kids’ bike safety soaring? It’s not that kids are biking less

by Michael Andersen, Green Lane Project staff writer        www.peopleforbikes.org


Last month, a fresh analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared some potentially terrific news: youth biking fatalities have plummeted 90 percent since 1977.
It seemed like such outlandishly good news that a shade of doubt hovered over the data. Surely, many figured, much of that decline came from the collapse of biking in cloistered modern childhoods. Here’s how Bloomberg Business covered the story: …

Splendora resident bikes across state of Michigan in six days

By Matthew Costa        www.yourhoustonnews.com/kingwood


Many Texans look to get away from the unforgiving heat of the south in the summer and fall, looking to find a place to relax and enjoy the outdoors in a reasonable climate.
For Splendora native Charlie Adams, his vacation earlier this month was a bit more involved than a family ski trip, or a Mai Tai on a beach.
Adams made a trip up to Michigan to start a bike ride of more than 500 miles from the southern tip of the …

Study examines bicycle-pedestrian connections to region’s rail network

fortworthtexas.gov

North Texas’ network of walking and bicycling infrastructure around rail stations was recently documented in a study that will help decisionmakers prioritize investments needed to improve access to transit services.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments study identified existing and planned sidewalks, trails and bikeways around 74 light rail and commuter rail stations operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the Trinity Railway Express and the Denton County Transportation Authority in 14 cities across …

Erwin Park – Mountain Biking

rootsrated.com


In the far reaches of the northern side of the metroplex, Erwin Park is a hidden gem found in the city of McKinney, Texas. …

Racking up

www.theeagle.com


Texas A&M freshman Kevin Gammenthaler, 19, secures his bicycle to a large bike rack with hundreds of others in an area adjacent to the north side of the Memorial Student Center on the A&M campus on Tuesday. Students and faculty can take advantage of a program offered by A&M Bicycle Services that allows them to borrow bikes for a day or weekend, free of charge.

Registration open for 2016 Rotary bicycle ride

by Bobby Vasquez        insidedp.com


The Deer Park Rotary Club is expecting hundreds of bicycle riders to converge on the city during the 2014 Texas Independence Bicycle Tour. The date is set for Jan. 16.
The ride is listed as an official practice ride of the BP MS 150. Any riders who are practicing for the popular Houston-to-Austin bike ride in the spring are encouraged to participate. The ride is also open to anyone who has an interest in medium- to long-distance bike rides.
The tour is a one-day cycling event that will travel through the San Jacinto Battleground area and nearby communities while …

How to make your cyclocross calendar for the year

by joeyTWOwheels        texascx.com

If you wanted to, you could race every twice a weekend from now until the end of December. Like wheelsets in Jeremy Powers’ caravan, there are just so many to choose from (32 total).
Variety and choice is great for you, the #TXCX racer. You are in the driver’s seat, so to speak. But how do you pick the races you want to attend?
It’s your schedule and your time, so be sure to choose the ones that matter most to you. Here are some ideas for you to consider when drafting your race calendar this year.
Location
Most everyone is going to choose the local race, right? After all, if you don’t have to travel why would you? There are many reasons to think beyond …

Seven Sisters and Allen Lane

Pedal Pushers        roy-pedalpushers.blogspot.com


Saturday September 5, 2015
Both Seven Sisters and Allen Lane are favorites (along with Burma Road and Susan Peak) to practice hill climbs. And it was getting time to start working on hills for the Fort Davis Cyclefest coming up September 19.
Lining up for the ride were Rick, Loyd, Robbie, Christine, Clay, Brian, David, Roy, Jeffri, and Phil. Joining us right after the picture were Stephen and Dorothy. …

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A Pair of Love Bugs Sighting, More To Follow?

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I haven’t mentioned “love bugs” since spring time. Today while I was stopped at the Huffman Chevron a pair of them landed on my knee. That was the only ones I saw at the station but I think I saw some along the roads today and the last time I was in the Huffman area. I was riding the “Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood” route which takes me among the grass farms which seems to be good breeding grounds for the “love bugs”. I don’t know if they will get more numerous in the coming days. I should’ve taken a picture of them.

The ride today was 44.5 miles long with favorable weather. The sky was overcast when I left home at 10:22 and the temperature was 85 degrees. Supposedly rain is approaching from the northwest later today so it was great I got back home (1:58) before it arrived.

About a mile east of FM2100 on Old Atascocita Road another biker approached after going around a truck and forklift unloading concrete culverts. They paused to let me ride through. With the somewhat cooler temperature I rode fast enough to get the average speed up to 15.7 mph by the 26 mile mark. When I stopped at the Huffman Chevron for a break to cool down and eat some snacks at the 32.8 mile mark the average was still at 15.7 mph. The weather while I stopped:

I arrived at the Chevron around 12:33 and left at 1:06. I used a number of paper towels trying to soak up the perspiration running down my arms. Thank goodness for wrist bands. They absorbed as much as they could but the 90% humidity and my body heat from riding was pumping out the fluid. By the time I left thanks to the cold Powerade I was cooled down to be comfortable. Riding the 11 miles home heated me up again but as long as I was moving I didn’t notice the sweat so much.

Today was the 8th time I rode the “Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood” route this year. Below is a summary of those rides. The number of strokes is close across the rides. My definition of a stroke is the number of times the cadence magnet passes the sensor.

Activity Name Start Time Distance Elevation Gain Avg Speed(Avg Pace) Max Speed(Best Pace) Avg HR Max HR Calories Total Strokes
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Wed, Sep 9, 2015 10:22 AM 2:54:19 44.5 554 15.3 20.1 — — 2361 11300
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Wed, Aug 26, 2015 11:13 AM 2:56:49 44.44 787 15.1 20.6 — — 2442 11651
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Tue, Aug 18, 2015 10:24 AM 3:02:10 44.62 771 14.7 20.2 — — 2441 11455
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Wed, Aug 12, 2015 10:43 AM 3:03:44 44.51 892 14.5 19.3 — — 2322 11594
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Tue, Aug 4, 2015 10:15 AM 2:57:17 43.76 489 14.8 19.8 — — 2303 11065
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Sat, Jul 25, 2015 9:07 AM 2:55:11 43.41 574 14.9 20.4 — — 2323 11477
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Tue, Jul 7, 2015 12:08 PM 3:03:18 43.72 1060 14.3 20.5 — — 2492 11163
Kingwood – Hare Cook Road – Kingwood Sat, Jun 20, 2015 9:58 AM 2:49:47 43.55 384 15.4 22.8 — — 2366 10935

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/893388994 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/388652034/embed/6850a2535c3b4c0982a9ac6e2460602a838ed03d 590px 500px]

Texas Bicycling News September 8th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Got a cool action pic from a Triathlon yesterday

by Jarrett2        www.bikeforums.net


Our local running and triathlon clubs puts on a Labor Day triathlon every year now. They started a few years back and it has continued to grow each year. It’s a sprint and super sprint triathlon or duathlon with a relay option. That means if someone one wants to run and swim, they can find someone to ride the bike. Or if you have someone that wants to swim, someone that wants to run, you can find someone to do the bike portion. It’s really geared to get folks active and …

How to prep for your first cyclo-cross race

by Gus Grissom        www.usacycling.org


Summer is coming to an end and even though there are certainly some hot and sunny days left to come, cooler, often wetter fall conditions will be upon us soon. For many racers, this means the end of road season and the beginning of a series of “coffee shop” rides with friends. But for many – actually more and more each season! – it means the beginning of the next phase of the racing year: cyclo-cross season.
Certainly you’ve been hearing your friends talk about cross for months now, speaking of the glorious nature of dust, mud and occasional blood in reverential tones. Perhaps you’ve been considering giving this particular cycling discipline a try? But, as with most things in life, it’s …

September Slow Roll at McGovern Centennial Gardens

Saturday, Sep 19, 2015, 8:00 AM

McGovern Centennial Gardens
6201 Hermann Park Dr Houston, TX

4 Cyclers Went

Check out the route here!Who’s interested in some urban adventure? I’m organizing a Slow Roll starting at McGovern Centennial Gardens, next to Hermann Park. As organizer of Rocket City Cyclers, I’ll lead you through some newly built bicycle trails along the Brays Bayou, TSU, and East Downtown. We’ll eat tacos afterwards, too. Let me know if you’re…

Check out this Meetup →

Conquer the Coast 2015 is Almost Here!

by Ray Garza        rgvcycling.com

For the past two months I have been training for the upcoming Conquer the Coast in Corpus Christi. I still have one more week of hard cycling then a final week of easy riding till the event on September 19th. As of now, I feel I’m ready to do my metric century but I want to be more than ready for the event. I’d rather be over prepared than under prepared.
This is the second time doing this event and I hope to finish it faster than my first time. I’m pretty sure that will happen, but you never know. I got some new tires put on so I …

Squabble Creek Trail, Rockwall, TX

www.mountainbiketx.com

Trail Review:
• Bike wash
• Rest rooms
• Water fountain
• Picnic table
Welcome to Squabble Creek A rather detailed trail map is posted at the trailhead Pretty simple, right? Your future holds a few ups and downs Trail bypass is rather clearly marked both on the map and on the trail
There’s plenty of trail packed in this parcel of land, so you will often see where you are going and where you have been Seeing other riders nearby isn’t uncommon here Who doesn’t love a soft winding stretch of singletrack? Winding through the pines, some sections are wide singletrack If you have riders of different levels with you don’t worry about splitting up; the split is short lived
Here’s what awaits you along the Hi-Road More of what you love! Though tempting to open it up, just watch for other trail users Quick ups and downs along Squabble Creek Loop 6 heads off under Lakeshore Drive, but you can choose to bear right and stay on Loop 5
Loop 6 parallels itself on the way in and out Zipping along the backside of Loop 6
unavailable
Squabble Creek is a City of Rockwall public park. The trail is currently 6.0 miles of looped singletrack with more planned. Once in the parking lot, look for the cedar and stone kiosk to find a map, park rules and other information or updates via the bulletin board. This area has the picnic table, restroom, water fountains and bike wash; with paved parking to accommodate approximately 20 vehicles. A cedar stained 4×4 engraved with “Squabble Creek” notes the beginning of the trail for bikers. This trail …

Wednesday Brushy Creek/Deception Ride

Wednesday, Sep 16, 2015, 6:00 PM

Brushy Creek Sports Park
2310 Brushy Creek Road Cedar Park, TX

9 Mountain Bikers Went

We will be meeting at 5:45 pm to air up, tune and hit the Brushy Creek Deception trail wheels down at 6:00 pm, this will be a ride for folks who want to ride Deception Trail at a faster beginner to intermediate group pace, depending on the crowd. If we get a big group we can split up based on the pace people want to ride. NOTE: This really isn’t a …

Check out this Meetup →

Bicycle Stop Leads to Burglary Arrest

www.newschannel6now.com

Wichita Falls, Texas – Two people are behind bars after police say they were found with items from a recent burglary during a traffic stop.
According to police, on September 6th, around 7:06 a.m. officers conducted a traffic stop after they ignored a red light at the intersection of 9th Street and Kemp. When officers talked to the suspects, one of them mentioned a gun being dropped, which led the officers to ask further questions.
The suspects had two backpacks in their possession, and further …

1400 Miles Cross-State Bike Ride to Make Stop in Lubbock [INTERVIEW]

###  By Jessica Paggett        kfyo.com

1400 Miles, a bike ride that raises funds for prostate cancer awareness, will be passing through the Hub City Tuesday.
The ride began Sunday, September 6 out of Austin, Texas and will end on Sunday, September 20 in Denver, Colorado.
Tony Drewry, 1400 Miles’ captain of fun, joined Lubbock’s First News Tuesday (September 8) to talk about riders making their way through Lubbock later this evening and what the cause is all about.
Today, the riders left Sweetwater, Texas and are making their way to Lubbock. They’re due to arrive between 5 – 6 p.m.
Riders will be meeting at the …

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