Texas Bicycling News Digest June 3rd

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Night Bicycle Ride: Downtown San Antonio Texas

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Riding a bicycle ride on downtown city streets in San Antonio, Texas at night is visual treat as much as it’s a blast. Though I would prefer a little more action going …

Texas Man Cycles Down California Coast to Commemorate Son’s Harrowing AIDS-Related Death

By David Heitz        www.TheBody.com

David Flanagan watched his son Josh die a horrible, plague-era death, complete with bedsores, a collapsed lung, and health care workers who
seemingly knew very little about HIV/AIDS.
Except it wasn’t the plague era. It was 2013, in a small town in Texas.
David is riding his bicycle 545 miles down the California coast this week to tell the story of his son’s untimely death. He is participating
in AIDS/LifeCycle, which raised a record $16.4 million this year to help support …

Head for the mountains

By Joshua Trudell, For the Express-News


Jayden Hakala rides a trail on his mountain bike while wearing his champions jersey near Stone Oak Parkway. Hakala won the freshman boys category in the Texas High School Mountain Bike League, which completed its season in early May.
Cammie Robbiano and Jayden Hakala are two of the first out on the trail any time the San Antonio high school mountain biking team practices.
To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to ExpressNews.com.

2015 Texas 4000 team rolls into Pampa June 8

www.thepampanews.com

Students on 70-Day ride to share hope, knowledge and charity in fight against cancer.
AUSTIN — On the longest annual charity bicycle ride in the world, the Texas 4000 team will be rolling through Pampa on Monday, June 8, just 10 days after departing from Austin, Texas on their way to Anchorage, Alaska.
While in Pampa, the 2015 Texas 4000 Team will celebrate and share hope, knowledge and charity with friends and family before continuing on their 70-day journey.
The 72 undergraduate and graduate students from The University of Texas at Austin will brave the rain, sleet, wind, snow, heat and pedal more than 4,000 miles in the fight against cancer. After 18-months of leadership development training, volunteering, fundraising, and cycling, riders are put to the test throughout their summer ride to …

Brownsville Named Bicycling Capital of the RGV by Texas Legislature

riosouthtexas.com

The Texas Legislature passed House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 132 recognizing Brownsville the Bicycling Capital of the Rio Grande Valley on Monday, June 1. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Eddie Lucio III in the Texas House of Representatives.
The resolution reads in part, “the City of Brownsville has carried out an innovative program to promote bicycling, and in so doing, the city has become a well-known center for this healthy and environmentally friendly activity.”
“This is a significant milestone for Brownsville,” said Brownville …

Austin Yellow Bike Project

austinyellowbike.org


Community Shop
Continues through Monday, July 7th
All community shops are Kid Friendly June 2015!

Call to Action: Back the BAC Recommendations on the Quarter Cent Fund

austinonabike.com

A quick call to action before I head back out of town (hence, the blog radio silence lately). As we mentioned after the BAC meeting in April, there was money to be doled out from the remainder of the Quarter Cent Fund. The Austin Bicycle Advisory Council has come up with there recommendations, which you’ll find embedded below. Christopher Stanton, BAC Chair, has put out the following call to action to the BAC email list:
Hello BAC mailing list,
My apologies for the last minute email (I only found out yesterday), but wanted to let you know that …

Bike trails could “help preserve park beauty”

by Tyler Mask        www.weatherforddemocrat.com

City of Weatherford Parks and Recreation, Weatherford City Council and the newly formed Weatherford Mountain Bike Club have been in discussion for several months regarding the club’s proposed project on multi-use nature trails for Soldier Spring Park. The conversation, which formally began at a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has evolved into controversial topic, spurred by board member and then-acting chair Michael Anderson and wife, Laura, who live across from the park and have formulated a movement against the …

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/khwilliamson/status/606216883423965184

https://twitter.com/bicyclesplus/status/606136224429010945

https://twitter.com/BikePaulie/status/606129194716807169

Rubbed Patch Delays Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I didn’t get started as early as I planned. I went out o the garage to open the door and drop some trash off. I went to the Stradalli to check the tires with a pinch and the rear tire was flat. I check the tire surface for some object but couldn’t see anything. Taking the wheel off the bike I moved to the patio chair and removed the tire and tube. Pumping up the tube I could feel some air escaping but couldn’t tell where. Pulling the tube out of the tire it didn’t take long to find the hole. It was in the center of an old patch where the patch had worn away exposing the hole it was over. I never had this before. The tube had several patches and I didn’t think putting a patch over the leaking one was a good idea so a new tube was in order.  Good thing I ordered some spares a few weeks ago.

Now that the tire was fixed I left home at 9:30 to ride the “Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch” route. I haven’t been north for several days and variety was in order. I wanted to ride about 32 miles and ended up at 33.04 miles averaging 15.0 at the end but I was as high as 15.3 mph. The wind seemed to be coming from all directions and I had trouble getting to 20 mph and staying there for any length of time or distance. Riding to the southeast seemed to have the least wind resistance. I was trying to get back home by noon so that I could ride MTB’s with my son-in-law before they had to leave today. I made it back 12:08 and after a half hour rest we hit the trails.

No change in the Grand Parkway FM1314 overpass construction. The lanes are constricted and no shoulder to get through the work area.

Yesterday we went for a ride and were good until about 11.3 miles when he had a flat on the front tire. The bike is new and this was the second flat. Each one was on the inside of the tube where a spoke opening is in the rim. We walked home (about 1/2 mile) and I worked on the front rim putting duct tape as a first line rim tape with the original rubber one. today we had no flats. His bike also had a clicking sound. I tried several items but the solution was greasing the pedal threads and inserting them back on the cranks. Clicking gone. Today we rode 10.1 miles.

This helps me reach the 968 mile goal for June but I prefer the road bike for long rides.

Today’s weather:

Home weather at the start
Porter weather while stopped at Stripes
Home weather at the end of the long ride

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Texas Bicycle News June 2nd

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Biking To Work (Especially From Montrose) Is Easier Than You Think

By Amber Ambrose        montrosedistrict.org


BikeHouston interviewed Houstonians from all over the city — including some that live in the Montrose area — to find out why and how they go about their bicycle commutes. Here are a few of the best responses they came across.
Veon McRenolds, who is retired, but still rides his bike everywhere (he doesn’t even own a car), says, “Just make up your mind, get on your bike and go.”
Enjoying the freedom of not having to worry about parking, Judith Villarreal tells BikeHouston, “There are so many social rides each …

HPD Is Really Sorry About All That Poop on the Downtown Bike Lane

By Michael Barajas        www.houstonpress.com


Before an evening storm dumped even more water on us, Saturday was all sunshine, a perfect day for biking in Houston. Which was good timing for the first Houston Bike Plan meeting, an info session with city workers and Bike Houston volunteers hoping to …

RIDE SCHEDULE – June 2015

Cyclopaths of Georgetown        www.cyclopathsoftexas.com

Short Rides     Long Rides
Day     Date     Time     Meet at     Miles     Map     Miles     Map
Saturday     6/6/2015     8:00 AM     Catholic Church in Andice     35 miles     A3     48 miles     A4
Sunday     6/7/2015     9:00 AM     Berry Springs Park     33 miles     B59     42 miles     B49
Saturday     6/13/2015     8:00 AM     Dale’s Essenhaus Restaurant in Walburg     32 miles     WA11     46 miles     WA12
Sunday     6/14/2015     9:00 AM     Berry Springs Park     20 miles     B37     35 miles     B24
Saturday     6/20/2015     8:00 AM     Gravel Parking Lot in Weir     27 miles     WE2     51 miles     WE8
Sunday     6/21/2015     9:00 AM     Berry Springs Park     20 miles     B36     31 miles     B61
Saturday     6/27/2015     8:00 AM     Union State Bank in Florence     29 miles     F5     40 miles     F6
Sunday     6/28/2015     9:00 AM     Berry Springs Park     20 miles     B42     34 miles     B55

Bike sales up in units, down in average value in 2014, says NSGA

by Lynette Carpiet        www.bicycleretailer.com

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. (BRAIN) — The National Sporting Goods Association found that consumer-reported retail sales of sporting goods equipment, athletic footwear and athletic apparel increased 2 percent in 2014. The NSGA published its 2015 edition of its Sporting Goods Market report this week.
In the cycling category, Dustin Dobrin, director of research and information for the NSGA, said bike sales were up 3 percent in units last year. Complete bike sales totaled $2.1 billion, down 9 percent compared to a year ago. The decline in dollar sales was driven by a …

USA Cycling announces 2015-16 Pro CX Calendar

By VeloNews.com        velonews.competitor.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — The 45-race American professional cyclocross circuit will travel to 25 cities during the 2015-2016 season, which runs from September to early January, USA Cycling announced Tuesday.
The Professional Cyclocross Calendar (Pro CX) features six UCI C1 events and 39 UCI C2 events, as well as eight junior men’s races and four U23 men’s races.
The 2015-16 Pro CX season will kick off on September 5 with the …

… December 19: Highlander ‘Cross Cup, Waco, Texas C2
December 20: Highlander ‘Cross Cup, Waco, Texas C2 …

Rolling Wheels Through Wilderness Searching For Arlington’s Vietnam War Memorial

Durango Texas        durangotexas.blogspot.com


Today I decided to roll my mechanized wheels to a wilderness location to pedal my handlebars to the scenic scene you see here.
I don’t have to go far in my rural location on the planet to be in wilderness that …

Texas 4000 Team Rolls Into Lubbock as Part of 4,000 Mile Cycling Trek

www.everythinglubbock.com


On the longest annual charity bicycle ride in the world, the Texas 4000 team will be rolling through Lubbock on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015, just 5 days after departing from Austin, Texas on their way to Anchorage, Alaska. While in Lubbock, the 2015 Texas 4000 Team will celebrate and share hope, knowledge and charity with friends and family before continuing on their 70-day journey.
The 72 undergraduate and graduate students from The University of Texas at Austin will brave the rain, sleet, wind, snow, heat and pedal more than 4,000 miles in the fight against cancer. After 18-­-months of leadership development training, volunteering, fundraising, and cycling, riders are …

Graham to host ride, food festival

by Casey Holder        www.grahamleader.com

Graham’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is pulling out all the stops this weekend for a three-pronged event combining a bike ride, music and the inaugural Food Truck Championship of Texas, this Saturday, June 6.
The ride
The 2015 annual Possum Pedal Bike Ride, sponsored by the Graham Chamber of Commerce, will …

Take the Houston Bike Plan Survey!

www.bikehouston.org

This survey is short and sweet. It only takes 2 minutes to complete and informs our city planners of how and what to build for better, safer biking in Houston. We want a network of low-stress streets that connect communities and allow people to navigate this city safely! More info at houstonbikeplan.org.

Houston Critical Mass – 05/29/15

JONxBLAZE

Critical Mass Houston is a casual bike ride starting from downtown Houston and going wherever. Cars rule the road every day, but one day a month we get together to celebrate our love for bicycles and have fun riding our bikes.

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

Texas Bicycling Upcoming Event Reminders

More Air Is Better

Texbiker.net Posted on by

More air is better. As I was getting my bike ready for today’s ride I squeezed the rear tire. It wasn’t as soft as if it had a flat but I easily moved the sidewalls. Time to air up the tires. This may account for the sluggish speeds on the last few rides. I could tell the difference as I rolled down the driveway onto the street. There is a 2″ drop at the end of the driveway onto the street and I could feel this firmly as I rolled off it. Yesterday it wasn’t so firm. As I rode the “Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman” route I rode faster than yesterday. The weather conditions were much the same so that probably didn’t play apart. My average speed built up to 14 mph sooner and I got to 15.o mph sooner as well over the 33.8 mile long route. Before today I checked the tire pressure by tapping the tire with a spoke and listening to the sound. apparently I can’t tell the difference from one pressure to another. The pump gauge showed 60 psi before I pumped it up to 110 psi. I will not bother with the spoke tap test now; squeezing is better.

With my revived speed I covered the 33.8 miles at an overall 15.0 mph average speed with the maximum average of 15.4 mph. This is .6 mph better than Monday’s ride.

On Old Atascocita Road I met and passed 3 other riders going the opposite direction. We waved and yelled hello. No much further I saw a dog on the grass to my right. He saw me and started to run beside me but not in a threatening manner. He ran along for several hundred feet before slowing to a walk. On Fairlake Drive as I came around the corner near the Fairlake Houston Marina a large doe deer scampered across the road hoofs clicking on the asphalt ahead of me before veering off the road into the brush. This is the first deer I have seen in some time.

In Walden I tried to add more distance going on a street I thought would loop around to where I exit Walden but I took the wrong street and looped back to where I came from. Looking at the map when I got home I should’ve went straight instead of turning right. I will try this the next time I ride this way.

I took a break in Huffman at the Chevron station. It was about 20 minutes long. Sitting in the shade under the pump canopy was pleasant with a light breeze and 83 degrees. By the time I got home at 12:56 is was up to 89. I left home at 10:01. Partly cloudy skies continued, a welcomed change from last week’s rain. More nice weather tomorrow.

The Spindletop spin is Saturday in Beaumont. I think I will ride it with the weather forecast. I rode there last year too.

Weather when I stopped in Huffman

Weather when I stopped in Huffman

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