Texas Bicycling News July 2nd

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Real Life. Real Racers : Matt Moore.

by admin        texasbikeracing.com

As bike racers, we see the same people week in and week out at our own Weeknight World’s and the weekend races, but outside of our teammates and close friends, do you know what the guy or lady pedaling next to you does for their “real” job? 99.9% of us are not pros. What do we do to pay the bills? What affords us the opportunity to be passionate about our crazy sport of bike racing?
TBR’s “tattoo of the week” has run its course so we’re introducing a new weekly segment, “Real Life. Real Racers.” Each week (give or take) we’ll introduce Texas to a member of the cycling community in …

Tour de Fort Worth

fitworth.org

07/05/2015 (All day) to 07/25/2015 (All day)

FitWorth is thrilled to announce that we are taking on Mayor Price’s Tour de Fort Worth, in partnership with Bicycles Inc., and 21 days of cycling kicks off on July 5th!
FitWorth will host 7 organized rides, including separate walkable and kid-friendly routes, as listed below. On days without organized rides, we will meet up at local trailheads for 21-mile trail rides with Bicycles Inc. More details will be posted on these routes soon! …

Boy Scouts earn cycling badges

by Tiffany Roney • Reflector-Chronicle        www.abilene-rc.com


Sweat dripped from their faces. Their quadriceps burned. The sun beat down heat upon their shoulders.
In spite of sizzling temperatures and powerful headwinds, four local boy scouts completed a 50-mile bike ride June 20.
Most of the people they were riding with were adults who wanted to challenge themselves and support the Quality of Life Coalition by participating in the Cowtown Classic. For the boys, though, it wasn’t just about spending a …

Pedaling For A Cause

By Stefanie Ponte        www.kulr8.com

Video

Thirty-three days after departing from Austin Texas the longest annual charity bicycle ride in the world rolls through Helena and onward to Anchorage, Alaska.  The rides, all students from the University of Texas will continue to brave the rain, snow, sleet, wind and heat as they pedal more than four-thousand miles in the fight against Cancer.
There are a total of …

Mobility Authority receives grant package for 183 South Project

By ASHLEY SAVA        www.hillcountrynews.com


Last week, The Texas Transportation Commission granted preliminary approval of a $203.4 million loan and grant package for the 183 South Project, an eight-mile Expressway that The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is constructing between US 290 and SH 71.
Locals can expect three new toll lanes and up to three general-purpose lanes in each direction, as well as direct connector ramps at US 183 and SH 71. The project is estimated to cost between $750 and $800 million, not including the financing costs. …

.. This project will include pedestrian bridges, and a seven-mile, 10-foot wide shared use path for pedestrian and bicycle travel. Major trailheads will connect the Shared Use Paths with nearby hike and bike trails.  According to Bike Texas spokesperson Su Wilcox, the …

North Valley Haasville Loop

El Paso Bicycle Club

July 5th
Meet at 6:45 a.m. (Roll out at 7 a.m.) at Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Rd. All flat route — take Valley Roads (Upper Valley, Borderland, Strahan, Bosque, N. Vinton, Westside, Washington) to Gadsden HS at NM 28, then loop back on Haasville and NM 28. 27 miles, 18-20 mph. Rick Rivas, …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/rothetraining/status/616781219599024129

https://twitter.com/BSS_Road_Club/status/616767039550693376

Texas Bicycling Upcoming Event Reminders

Completed Yesterday’s Rained Out Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

After getting rained out yesterday I was able to ride the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route today without any rain though with the 72% humidity I was as wet as if I was biking in the rain. The 41.94 mile ride got an earlier than normal start with my leaving home at 9:43 and returning at 1:22. The sky was overcast but that didn’t hold the brightness back nor the heat at 95 degrees. I thought the wind was not too much until I started riding south on FM2100 from Old Atascocita Road. The pedal cadence dropped down as I struggled riding into the south 6 mph wind and the 18 mph gusts.

Before that I met a group of 8 bicyclists going the opposite direction on Old Atascocita Road east of the railroad tracks. Apparently I wasn’t the only that thought today was a good day for a ride. Later I saw another biker on Ramsey Road. We exchanged waves as we passed. By then I had a tailwind to help me ride at 18+ mph and improve my average speed to 15.2 mph. Turning to the west onto Old Atascocita Road I headed to Huffman and a rest break. I drank all of my water and needed to cool down and rest up for the final 11 miles home. When I got to the Chevron station it took many paper towels to soak up some of the sweat. Standing in one place made the pavement look like a rain shower from the sweat dripping from my elbows and shorts. I rinsed out my gloves and once I sat down I wrung out my wrist bands and created a big wet spot on the concrete. The wrist bands stopped some sweat but it was so heavy that my gloves still got soaked. The dual headbands tried to hold the sweat back but it still ran down the side of my face and nose. Several paper towels helped dry my forehead to slow the flow.

I got a 44 oz Powerade with ice to cool me down while I ate a trail mix bar and whole grain bar for energy to get back home. The cold drink and the breeze blowing through the canopy area eventually cooled me down and almost dried my shorts and jersey. The gloves were on 3 paper towels to dry from the water rinsing. I stayed at the Chevron a little longer than normal while I enjoyed the wind and the cold drink. I didn’t drink all of it though, 44 oz is a lot and I got that size so I could put extra ice in it and still get enough liquid. I refilled my water bottle and headed back home.

At the west end of the FM1960 causeway over Lake Houston I waved to a casual biker on the other side of the road as he rode east and he waved back. About 2 miles later on Kings River Drive another biker passed going opposite of me. We waved.

Today I retired another pair of Bellwether Forma shorts and put a new pair of Forma shorts into service. The retired ones showed the same worn spots on the outside pad seams plus pilling from rubbing something else. That should replace all of the worn shorts for now.

My goal for July is 834 miles, 134 less than June. Last June I rode 834 miles so I chose that as my goal.

Friday’s weather will be great for biking: 93 degrees and partly cloudy sky with a low chance of rain.

Huffman weather during my stop

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Texas Bicycling News July 1st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Mountain biking: Dallas Texas

Jesse Ramirez        Published on Jun 27, 2015

First time at the Big Cedar Wilderness Trail near I-20 and Spur 408 in Dallas, Texas. This will be one of those I’ll frequent in the future!

GoPro: Arbor Hills Bike Trail – Plano, TX

Shaun Ehret        Published on Jul 1, 2015

Cypress Creek 1st Timer MTB-TX

Mack McDoogal        Published on Jun 28, 2015

This was my inaugural ride on the Cypress Creek MTB Trails out here in Houston, Tx. Not bad…except for that run in with a fellow rider haha This is why you call out “RIDER!”

Motorist collisions with pedestrians, bicyclists jump in Houston, data show

By John D. Harden        www.houstonchronicle.com

Accidents with pedestrians saw largest increase, jumping 71 percent since 2010

Ricardo Martinez joins cyclists in a silent protest outside City Hall to remind motorist to share the road. In the past three weeks, there have been four bicycle-related fatalities in Houston. Three of those deaths were at the hands of someone driving a car. The fourth one was cause by debris leading to a crash on the Elysian Bridge.
Crashes involving a motorist and a pedestrian or bicyclist have jumped 63 percent here since 2010, contributing to more than 220 related deaths, and Houston has the dubious distinction of leading the state in such accidents.
To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to HoustonChronicle.com.

GPS helps University Police Department track missing bicycle

www.theeagle.com


Texas A&M University police officers arrested a 38-year-old Bryan man after he attempted to steal a bicycle owned by the University Police Department, authorities said.
The bicycle, which is equipped with a GPS tracker, was placed by an officer near the Liberal Arts building on campus. Monday afternoon, officers were alerted when the tracker indicated the bicycle was moving, according …

http://www.meetup.com/Make-Shift-Happen/events/223636395/?a=ea1_grp&rv=ea1&_af=event&_af_eid=223636395

In this edition of Spoke&Word…

BikeHouston

A Word from Michael Payne about traveling the Journey of Hope to make cycling safer, Houston deserves better, read more>>
BikeHouston@Events Come see us at our events from socials to community rides, read more>>
BikeHouston@Work
Find out what BikeHouston has been doing to improve your rides, read more>>
BikeHouston&Me
Find our what’s in it for you, read more>>
BikeHouston@Reviews
An overview in pictures  read more>>
Ride > in the spotlight this time the maintenance team of the Bayou Greenway Conservation, read more>>

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/616326222713384960

https://twitter.com/BSS_Road_Club/status/616281187305263104

https://twitter.com/txbikeracing/status/616246057379364864

Texas Bicycling Upcoming Event Reminder

Not Again, Biking in the Rain

Texbiker.net Posted on by

July is not off to a dry start. I left home biking at 10:51 planning on riding the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route. Prior to leaving I checked the weather radar for rain. Off to the far southwest of Houston was a band of rain but I thought it would go north and take several hours to get where I was biking if at all. Below is the weather before I left home.

7-1-2015 IAH Weather Start

Biking south through Kingwood I could see the sky getting darker to the south. Many times the weather moves to the west below FM1960 for no reason. Hoping this would be the case today I rode on through Atascocita and across FM1960 to Walden. Once I was in Walden around the 10.5 mile point I started to doubt riding the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route. Lake Houston seems to attract rain but also hangs on to it from moving into Kingwood. I moved along the streets in Walden and back to Farmingham Road to Atascocita. Thunder was in the not too far distance and I felt a few rain drops as I rode on Pine Cluster Lane. I turned onto Pine Echo Drive going south and a few more rain drops hit me. At the corner onto Timber View Drive the wind kicked up sharply and the temperature dropped as the rain picked up. I felt a chill from the suddenly cold wind blowing through my wet jersey. I sped up to reach Atascocita Shores Drive riding north and hopefully away from the rain. I was making progress until I reached the traffic light at FM1960 and had to wait for it to change to cross. At this point I officially abandoned the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route. The rain got closer and I rode as fast as I could on Atascocita Shores trying to reach Kings Harbor on the north side of the Lake Houston on W. Lake Houston Parkway. The rain caught up to me where Atascocita Shores becomes Kings River Drive. I biked up the short hill to get to the Kings River pool house where I took refuge on their porch. I waited there about 10 minutes for the rain to slow down or stop.

The rain didn’t stop but it slowed to a light drizzle and I rolled away. Between the cooler wind and my wet jersey I was chilled moving. I hoped my energy would warm me up and the wind would warm so. At W. Lake Houston Parkway I turned to the right and as I rode onto the bridge the pavement went from wet to dry. No rain north of the river at this point. This happens many times. I was about 71 miles into the ride. Continuing to home I rode into the rain again at Kingwood Drive and rode the rest the way home (2 miles) in a light rain. Overall out of the 21.85 miles I rode about 9 miles was in the rain. Two days in a row biking in the rain! Not my favorite activity. The airport weather when I got home.

7-1-2015 IAH Weather Finish

No rain in tomorrow’s forecast. I will try the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route again, I think. After rinsing off the Stradalli I went inside to dry off.

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