Texas Bicycling News Digest August 14th

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Short’N Sweet MTB Series

Venny Alub

Week 2 clips of the Cat 2 and Cat Pro/1 races.

Police identify person of interest in teen’s killing

By Dale Lezon        www.chron.com

Police say they have a person-of-interest in their investigation into the hit-and-run death of a 16-year-old boy Thursday night.
The incident occurred about 11 p.m. on FM 646 North.
The boy was reportedly hit by a pickup driver while he was riding his bicycle. The driver apparently fled the scene.
Santa Fe Police announce late Friday afternoon that they have a person-of-interest in the incident, but did not name a suspect.

Hot Rocks Bike Race draws 1325+ cyclists

blueribbonnews.com

(ROCKWALL, TX – August 14, 2015) More than 1,325 cyclists participated in the Rockwall Rotary Club Hot Rocks Bike Ride benefiting scholarships for local RISD students! The top three male & female finishers of the 59-mile competitive course won cash awards of $250, $200 & $150 respectively.
Congratulations to: …

Man receives head injury in bicycle crash at lake

By TODD GLASSCOCK         www.mineralwellsindex.com


A bicycle crash Friday morning at Lake Mineral Wells State Park sent a cyclist to an area hospital with a head injury.
The man, who wasn’t identified, was taken by Air Evac helicopter around 10:30 a.m. to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth after crashing his bike while riding down a hill near the spillway, said Monty Terrell, Texas Parks and Wildlife park ranger. The …

Missouri City native will ride bike to Alaska in hopes of curing cancer

By Keon Broadnax     For The Star


There are many ways to spread awareness about cancer, but one Missouri City resident is looking to do that through the Texas 4000 next year.
Sarah Qureshy, a University of Texas senior biochemistry major and Lamar Consolidated High graduate, chose  the Texas 4000 because it offers a unique opportunity for UT students to spread hope, knowledge and charity around the …

So fetch: Southeast Texas gets hip to delivery (finally)

By Beth Rankin        blog.beaumontenterprise.com

… Two-wheel delivery
When the Dat Mac food truck launched earlier this summer, it was already a welcome concept in Beaumont: indulgent, gourmet mac and cheese dishes served from an artsy-looking food truck that feels like something dreamed up in Austin, not the Golden Triangle.
Then they announced an even better feature: delivery. Now that Dat Mac is open five days a week — alternating between the parking lot at Tattoos by Mundo on 11th Street and a spot in front of the Sutton & Jacobs law firm downtown — anyone in Beaumont can call the food truck to have mac and cheese sliders delivered right to their air conditioned front door.
If you’re ordering from within a two-mile radius, your mac may very well be delivered by bicycle.
“Tell all of your friends that we have the only bicycle delivery service this side of Austin,” Dat Mac posted on …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/632372197269573632

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/632315872019894273

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Texas Bicycling Upcoming Event Reminders

Bad Trail Choice to Start the Ride

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I got off to a slow start leaving home at 10:52 I decided to add a couple of miles to the “May Park Community Center – Huffman” route by taking the greenbelt north to Sherwood Trails. The problem was I got slowed down and stopped by the trail maintenance crew cutting limbs and grass. Their ancient Ford Ranger is narrow enough to fit the 4 foot wide trail. There are two gas powered blowers on the back of the truck blowing the cuttings to the side. This meant I couldn’t pass them but the driver saw me and stopped, turned down the blowers and motioned for me to pass. After passing I caught up with a lady walking her dog. Her earbuds meant she couldn’t hear even though her dog kept trying to get her attention. After 100 feet or so a branch of the trail turned left and I went that way while she went straight. with all of this slowness my average speed was less than 6 mph when I exited the trail. If I had selected another trail to the right I would have avoided all of this. Normally in the first couple of miles I average 10 mph or more. In order to bring the average speed up I rode faster than usual on the way south to exit Kingwood but it took a while to make much of a dent in the average speed due to stops and traffic.

W. Lake Houston Parkway southbound through Kingwood Greens repair crews moved further south for the next panel replacement helping the traffic near the YMCA where I turn into Kingwood Greens and make a long U shape back to W. Lake Houston Parkway just north of the bridge over the San Jacinto River. Starting on August 24th the bridge will be repaired until mid-December but at night so this shouldn’t impact my biking during the day, I hope!

Riding south wasn’t a problem once I was on W. Lake Houston Parkway at the bridge. The NE wind was helpful and my legs seemed to have the energy for the ride. But when I turned to the east in Walden my legs weren’t able to keep my speed up into the wind. I thought the wind was around 6 to 8 mph but when I got home and checked the Bush IAH weather it showed 12 mph with 17 mph gusts. No wonder my legs bogged down whenever I rode into the wind. It wasn’t until I got to the IT May community Center on Wolf road and turned south to FM1960 that I escaped the wind. I was able to pickup my speed and slowly build up my average speed. Riding the roads to FM1960 reminded me of the roads I will be on in Wichita Falls on 8/29 for the Hotter’n Hell 100; smooth with numerous patches and seams. Once I was back to FM1960 it was 2 1/2 miles to Huffman and FM2100.

At 27.0 miles I stopped at the Huffman Chevron for a break. It was almost 1:00. During the ride it seemed to feel slightly cooler than it has lately. The sky had a few more clouds interrupting the sun. The sign company time and temperature scrolling showed 89 and 90 degrees, much less than the 100 of days past. I checked my phone weather app and got this

This looks like the recent days’ weather on the right but the breeze blowing through the gas canopy at the Chevron station felt nice. It didn’t take too long for me to dry off some thanks to paper towels and the breeze. I ate a couple of snacks and substituted a Sunkisk 10 drink for the “out of product” Powerade in the fountain dispenser; not as much sugar as the Fanta Orange soda from the fountain machine. About 1:30 I left the Chevron for the 11+ miles to home section.

With the wind at my back I built my average speed up 14.4 mph riding east on FM1960 before turning right into Atascocita Shores and back into the wind among the houses. I kept it there until I was slowed by the rolling “hills” approaching W. Lake Houston Parkway. My legs were too tired to power up them enough to not lose speed.

I pulled into the driveway at home at 2:22 after biking 38.76 miles. This was the 3rd time I took this route in 2015 and each time the distance varied. See the ride comparisons below.

Progress is being made towards my 956 mile goal for the month. I am at 514.52 miles so far, leaving 442 miles. This week I rode 186.32 miles. This is the 19th day in a row of biking. I am averaging 36.74 miles for each August ride.

The weather when I finished the ride. Several degrees cooler than previous rides.

8-14-2015 Home Weather Finish

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/865530053 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/368988799/embed/a2d3ec94447e61275453b838774eccd135af4bb1 590px 500px]

Comparison of the 3 rides on this route in 2015.

8-14-2015 Route Rides Comparison Summary YTD

Texas Bicycling News Digest August 13th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Bike rodeo new at Kids’ Expo

By CHRISTINE BROUSSARD        dailysentinel.com

A bike rodeo and back-to-school immunization booth are new additions to next weekend’s fifth annual Healthy Nacogdoches Kids’ Expo.
Subscription Required

Pickup truck drives off after hitting, injuring bicyclist

www.kvue.com


AUSTIN — A man has been charged after he allegedly hit a bicyclist in North Austin and did not stop to help, according to court documents.
Police responded to a call about a collision involving a pick up truck and a bicycle on Tuesday around 8:26 a.m. The collision allegedly happened as the truck was turning from the 10400 block of North Lamar Boulevard onto the 700 block of West Applegate Drive. A witness said that they followed the truck to a location after the collision and called …

Breakfast, Bikes and New Member Love with Bike Austin

by Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com


Heads up, cyclists.
If you’ve ever wondered about the benefits of a Bike Austin membership, drop by Mellow Johnny’s, 400 Nueces Street, between 7:30 and 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 21, for the Breakfast, Bikes and New Member Love event.
Bike Austin members will be on hand to explain what a membership in the non-profit organization gets you (discounts at more than a dozen bike shopes, and a free HOPE bag, for example). You can also enjoy some free coffee from Juan Pelota.
Current members who bring a friend to join will get a free gift card to Mellow Johnny’s. For more …

El Diablo’s Poker Dash & Bash A Smash

by djcurtin        bicyclesportshop.wordpress.com


We got together the first of the month with TexasBikeRacing.com for El Diablo’s Poker Dash & Bash. Over 200 riders joined us in the morning for a poker ride that traversed Austin while stopping at each Bicycle Sport Shop location. Starting at 8 AM and covering the terrain through Rollingwood, Loop 360, Balcones Hills, and Parmer Lane before dashing back into Central Austin via Shoal Creek, it was a hot affair befitting the ride’s name.
We were lucky that TBR.com brought along goodies from High Brew Coffee for the morning send off. This helped those in need to …

8/15 & 8/16 Rides: Oasis Brewery and Red Horn!

by Thomas        steinerranchcycling.com

Saturday will be the 3rd one of the month, and that means the return of the Oasis Brewery Ride! The ride departs from Cups & Cones at 7:30am and heads out Lakeline Blvd, through the new section, to Nameless, then Round Mountain, and stops at the Liberty Hill store for a break. From there we head back but stop at the Oasis Brewery for some beer and friends. Jason will be leading another group which will …

Wednesday Night Ride

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2015, 5:45 PM

River Run Plaza
1071 Country Club Rd El Paso, TX

1 Cyclists Went

The leaderless rides of 18-22 miles begin at 5:45 p.m. (some riders may leave earlier) from River Run Plaza, 1071 Country Club; and at 6 p.m. from Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Rd (at Artcraft). The favorite route is a loop to Gadsden H.S. Optional dinner afterward at Hello Pizza, 1071 Country Club Rd. Start time varies later in summer / fall.NOTE:…

Check out this Meetup →

ARR September Club Ride @ Bluff Creek Ranch

Saturday, Sep 12, 2015, 8:30 AM

Bluff Creek Ranch
Owl Creek Road Warda, TX

44 Mountain Bikers Went

Come ride with the Austin Ridge Riders!Where: Bluff Creek RanchWhen: Saturday September 12, 8:30am arrival, 9:00am wheels down.Bluff Creek Ranch offers a wide variety of trails. Bike rentals are also available on site. Ranch owners, Paul and Susan Nolan, are icons in the Central Texas mountain biking community and there is even bike repair ava…

Check out this Meetup →

Tour de France-style bike ride coming to Brownsville

By Frank Garza Staff Writer        www.brownsvilleherald.com


In collaboration with Texas Southmost College and the Consulate of Mexico, the City of Brownsville will be hosting an event geared for cyclists called the “Raúl Alcalá Challenge Bike Ride.”
The event, set for Aug. 23, was announced Wednesday morning at a press conference at the International Technology, Education and Commerce Center on Mexico Boulevard.
Alcalá is a former professional cyclist who represented Mexico in the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was the first …

Cyclist killed by alleged drunk driver in Haltom City

www.wfaa.com

Video

HALTOM CITY — Police in Haltom City are investigating a deadly hit-and-run.
A woman was struck while riding her bike early Thursday morning on Belknap Avenue. Police say a drunk driver who was arrested nearby is now charged in the case.
The jail has not released her name.
The victim is 55 years old and she has not been identified.

Bicyclist Killed In Haltom City Hit-&-Run

dfw.cbslocal.com


HALTOM CITY (CBSDFW.COM) – Police in Haltom City are investigating after a person was struck by a vehicle and killed along Belknap Street. The incident happened shortly after 4:00 a.m. early Thursday morning.
According to officials at the scene, a 55-year-old woman was riding a bicycle in the 5600 block of Belknap Street when she was hit by a driver in a black car. MedStar confirmed that the victim was pronounced dead at that location. Her name has not been released.
The driver fled from the scene, but was found a short time later. “Officers located a vehicle that matched the description about a mile down the road,” explained Capt. Cody Phillips from the …

This Texas Man Is On A Cross Country Bike Ride With His Dog

by callaie-naftolin        3milliondogs.com


Already crossing 31 states and 9,000 miles, the pair have garnered quite the fan base. Traveling on his bike, accompanied by a rubber chicken named Charlie, they just peddle, visiting sights and animal shelters along the way. Their overnight accommodations are often provided by strangers who are inspired by their undertaking. …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/632009939163156480

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/631902199195561984

https://twitter.com/Zevlin1/status/631812469674115072

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Texas Bicycling Upcoming Event Reminders

Perfect Timing of Rain

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Perfect timing. During the night we got some much needed rain and by the time I was ready to ride the streets and roads were dry. This is what bicyclists want but I suppose there are a few who don’t mind riding on wet streets. The down side is the humidity increased to 55% at Bush Intercontinental Airport. This makes me sweat a lot. The wrist bands absorbed about as much as they could hold. My arms perspired heavily whenever I stopped for stop signs and traffic lights.

I rode the “Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch” route with a variation in the beginning adding some streets in Kingwood. This was for a couple of additional miles but with all of the residential streets it didn’t help my average speed. The came in at 35.15 miles at a 14.4 mph average speed. The maximum average speed was 14.9 mph for a brief time dropping back to 14.8 mph once I was on FM1314 headed to Cumberland. From that point the interruptions were much less and I rode for long stretches at 16 to 18 mph. The wind wasn’t a factor at 4 mph or so. I reached the Stripes store just before 1:00 with 23.5 miles under my tires. I stayed about 40 minutes allowing enough time for the paper towels and the breeze to dry off some of the sweat. The weather screen shots while I was a Stripes.

From the Stripes rest stop it was about 12 miles to the south. Riding through Valley Ranch to US59 to the southbound service road. The Grand Parkway construction is to the north. Beside the Texaco station where I turned onto the service road construction workers are building something but I couldn’t see a sign telling me what it is. Once the Grand Parkway construction finishes in Valley Ranch construction will probably begin on a new Sam’s Club and Kroger store according to an article in the Houston Chronicle this morning. This will be part of 1 million square feet of retail space. Not sure what the other stores will be.

I rode what I call the “back way” into Kingwood through Woodbridge Forest and then Sherwood Trails and Elm Grove to get home at 2:25. According to my home weather station it was hotter than what I captured in Porter. This is the 18th consecutive day biking. A new record thanks to the cooperative weather.

8-13-2015 Home Weather Finish

Reading the Houston Chronicle weather by Eric Berger with the shorter daylight as summer moves to fall the 100 degree temperatures will become less frequent. He mentioned a cool front could arrive in 4 to 6 weeks. I can remember one year riding the Hotter’n Hell 100 with the temperature around 50 degrees at the start and the high around 85 degrees. That year was the fastest time I rode the 100 mile route. I don’t think that will happen this year. Our forecast doesn’t have any 100 degree days for now.

The ride today was the 11th time on this route in 2015 out of 132 rides. A comparison is below the Garmin Connect and Strava graphics.

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/864569268 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/368286488/embed/b50b0272b4fc030b3da8f2325e3cd756774b6d01 590px 500px]

8-13-2015 Route Rides Comparison Summary YTD