Humidity and Slow Legs

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The 8:59 start on today’s ride felt like I was swimming due to the humidity. It didn’t take long for the perspiration to flow. As long as I was moving I didn’t notice it too much but when I stopped for a traffic light the pavement quickly sported a damp spot below my right elbow. I started earlier today in case the forecast rain came after lunch. Checking the radar raised doubts on the forecast with nothing showing. Considering all of the rain humidity will be a problem for several days. It was 94% as I left and dropped to 78% by the time I got home.

I planned to ride one route when I left home but changed to the “Eagle Springs – Walden – Huffman” route to add a couple of miles. I am still trying to regain the lost miles from earlier and I need to take advantage of each opportunity. I rode 34.71 miles today. My legs were not great today and I struggled to get my average speed above 15.0 mph. I did get it up to 15.1 mph finally around the 21 mile point. I held it there until I stopped for a break at the Huffman Chevron at 22.8 miles. At the break I washed out my gloves from the sweat and let them dry on a paper towel while I ate a trail mix bar and drank Powerade. I dried off some with paper towels and the breeze blowing through the pump canopy. The cold Powerade helped too.

Lots of other bikers out today along FM1960 and Fairlake Drive. One unfortunate man was stopped at FM2100 and Old Atascocita Road. I asked him if he needed help but he said help was on the way.  Most everyone waved back.

The last mile I rode in a very light rain. With all of the perspiration I didn’t really notice except for not being able to see the Garmin 510 screen very well for the rain drops. Back home at 11:58 the rain stopped as I rode up the driveway.

Mileage totals: 151.37 miles this week (5 rides), 552.13 miles this month (16 rides), 2221 miles this year (66 rides). Last year on this date I was at 2370 miles in 2014. I am 149 miles behind so I recovered almost 300 miles. If I ride tomorrow (weather permitting) it will narrow more.

Weather when I stopped in Huffman

Weather when I stopped in Huffman

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Texas Bicycling News Roundup May 29th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The Huntsville Mountain Bike Team: It’s NOT just about the bike!

www.hfactorblog.com

Now if you know anything about Huntsville Intermediate School Fifth Grade PE Teacher Coach Brad Didier, you know he has a passion for bicycling.
So much that, with the help of Mr. Kiser at Huntville Intermediate School (also a passionate cyclist)  and fellow community members and parents, he launched a mountain bike team at the High School in 2011. …

Fort Worth leaders don boots to celebrate new bike-share station

By Yamil Berard        www.star-telegram.com


FORT WORTH – Stockyards Station General Manager Gary Brinkley expected to hop a bike when he got up early Friday.
So he did what came naturally — he put on a pair of jeans and cowboy boots.
Dozens cheered as Brinkley and city leaders including Mayor Betsy Price rode bikes down Exchange Avenue to commemorate the opening of the first bike-share station on the north side.
The effort is sponsored by Fort Worth Bike Sharing, a nonprofit organization in charge of the …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/604396887945400321

https://twitter.com/GabrielSlape/status/604150040181899264

Texas Bicycling Upcoming Event Reminders

Texas Cycling News Digest May 28th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Reveille Peak Ride, Pre Storm

Matthew Welton

Quicky before the storm hit

#pincusOnTheRoad2015 : Memorial Weekend

texasbikeracing.com


Michael Pincus, 21, is an engineering student at the University of Houston, and a member of the Super Squadra elite cycling team. He’ll be sending TBR summer race and travel reports.
With a top 10 already in the books from last weekend’s racing, I was feeling extra motivated to push myself to a top 5. My next set of races would include three criteriums over Memorial Day weekend, culminating with Monday’s race, the Tour of Sommerville, which is known as one of the oldest criteriums in the country.
As the days ticked by, inching closer and closer to the race weekend, I enjoyed hanging out with friends in the Big Apple and doing some more touristy things. Thise things included …

Bayou Hike and Bike Trail Extension

www.texasbids.net

Bid Date & Time: 05/29/15 11:00 AM    Prebid: 05/22/15 11:00 AM
Solicitation Title: Bayou Hike and Bike Trail Extension
Owner Solic Number: 18700-823-1-OTH
Status: bidding        Report: 6325753
Country : United States     State: TX        Location: Fort Bend County
Est. Low Value: $100,000    Est. High Value: $100,000
Scope: Construction of 3600 LF of 6′ wide decomposed granite hike and bike trail.
Notes: Pre-Bid: 05/22/15, 11:00 AM CST, Van De Wiele & Vogler, 2925 Briarpark, Suite 275 Houston, TX 77042.
Plans: From CivCast USA / Amtek Information Service, Inc., 4001 Sherwood
Lane, PO Box 692303, Houston, TX 77092. Phone: 713-956-0100.
Update Notes: Addendum#1 attached.
Owner Type: Public …

New research on women’s bicycling participation reveals insights and some surprises.

Sarah Braker, communications manager        www.peopleforbikes.org

http://peopleforbikes.org/page/-/blog/Infographic_thumbnail_2.png/@mx_560
What stops American women from riding bikes? At PeopleForBikes we’re familiar with the theories relating to fashion and fear, economics, and a lack of approachability at some bike shops. Mindful of the higher women’s riding rates we see in the most bike-friendly countries, we wanted to learn more and test our assumptions. So we decided to ask. In late 2014 we commissioned the U.S. Bicycling Participation Study, an unprecedented comprehensive survey of bicycling participation. We measured all kinds of riding by all kinds of people, including women. It turns out that much of what we …

Texas 4000 kicks off bicycle trip to Alaska with ATLAS Ride on May 30

by Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com


So maybe you can’t bicycle all the way to Alaska. You can still join the Texas 4000 crew on the first day of their 4,687-mile trip to points north.
The Texas 4000 ATLAS Ride is set for May 30. Cyclists can chose from routes of 25, 50 or 70 miles through the rolling hills between Cedar Park and Lampasas. Registration includes entrance to a post-ride festival featuring barbecue and live music.
The ride marks the first real leg of the annual journey that a group of University of Texas bicyclists make each year from Austin to Anchorage.
After that, the cyclists will …

Taking this Town on Two Wheels: Bike Hutto’s First Bike Month Deemed a Great Success

By Bike Hutto        www.biketexas.org


At the April 16th Hutto City Council Meeting, the chamber dias was lined with bicycles as Mayor Deborah Holland read a Mayoral Proclamation declaring that May is National Bike Month in Hutto, Texas. This was the first Bike Month proclamation for Hutto, Texas and the first time the city has celebrated the month of May as National Bike Month. Established in 1956 and sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month is a chance to …

Bike the Bricks VI Results – May 22 2015

www.road-results.com

» Men ALL Cat 2/3     Â» Men ALL Cat 3/4
» Men ALL Cat 4/5     Â» Men ALL P/1/2
» Men JUNIOR 1-18 Cat 4/5     Â» Men MASTERS 35+ Cat 4/5
» Men MASTERS 40+ Cat 1/2/3/4     Â» Men MASTERS 50+ Cat 1/2/3/4
» Men MASTERS 60+ Cat 1/2/3/4     Â» Women ALL Cat 4
» Women ALL P/1/2/3     Â» Women JUNIOR 1-18 ALL
» Women MASTERS 40+ Cat 3/4

Cyclist Discovers Unearthed Casket After Massive Texas Floods

www.texomashomepage.com


(KPRC 2) HOUSTON – A bicyclist made a bizarre discovery Tuesday morning when he found a casket on a sidewalk.
It happened near Keegan’s Bayou in southwest Houston. Police believe stormwaters lifted the casket out of the ground from nearby Riceville Cemetery, then carried it about 100 yards.
Yoel Rubio was riding his bicycle along a bayou path, when he saw the casket. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Rubio said. “It was crazy.”
After unsuccessfully trying to move the casket out of the middle of the path, Rubio called police. They say a woman’s body was found inside. The medical examiner is trying to confirm the identity.
Riceville Cemetery is owned by Riceville Mt. Olive Baptist Church on …

Mission Reach hiking, biking trails to reopen Thursday after floods

By Joshua Fechter        www.mysanantonio.com


Hiking and biking trails along the San Antonio River’s 8-mile Mission Reach are expected to reopen Thursday afternoon, days after a storm system ravaged Central Texas.
The river, normally about four to five feet deep, rose to 28 feet on Sunday morning, said Gloria Rodriguez, a San Antonio River Authority spokesperson, bringing with it lots of debris.
Photos posted to the San Antonio River Authority’s Facebook page show “debris, silt, mud and trash” piled up near the river’s edge on …

‘Hard Hats for Little Heads’ Gives Helmets to Local Children

www.bigcountryhomepage.com

Big Country children should have no option but to stay safe while biking after a special event.
The Texas Medical Association and The Taylor, Jones, Haskell, and Callahan County Medical Alliance will donate around 150 bicycle helmets to local children through the Hard Hats for Little Heads program.
This year they’re meeting at the Abilene Zoo on Saturday to spread the safety and keep young heads protected.
“We need to ensure children are doing so safely. Wearing a bicycle helmet — and wearing it correctly — is …

Saturday 5/30 and Sunday 5/31 Rides

by Thomas        steinerranchcycling.com

Lots of rain in the forecast, but who knows what will really happen.
Saturday is the Atlas 4000 ride that some of us will be doing. It is a fun 1 way charity ride that ends at a winery in Lampasas. It isn’t too late to sign up: http://www.texas4000.org. For those not doing this ride, just show up at …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/604006649393745921

https://twitter.com/m_vince/status/604006274930479104

https://twitter.com/BikePaulie/status/603995875757678592

https://twitter.com/October3Racing/status/603972156029083648

Texas Bicycling Event Reminders

Rain Recovery Underway

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A change in direction on today’s ride. I rode to the northwest on the “Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch” route. As I traveled the roads I could see some leftovers of the rain earlier this week and yesterday. Debris hung around the culverts under driveways and side streets. There were a few places water drained from the land along side the roads but not enough to cause any problems other than my moving to the center to avoid it.

I didn’t ride yesterday due to rain until noon. Just what we needed.

Compared to the last few days the weather warmed up (92 degrees at home when I finished) and the sky cleared off with far more blue than clouds. Humidity was 60% which meant lots of perspiration whenever I stopped for more than 30 seconds. The only stop was at the Valley Ranch Texaco on the US59 service road. I refilled the water bottle and ate a fruit bar. It was a quick stop. I dried some of the sweat which quickly reappeared as soon as I was back biking. The wind was from the SSE at 6 mph which helped to dry up the sweat as long as I was moving.

Grand Parkway construction on FM1314 still needs to install the beams over FM1314. The road shoulders are not open limiting my ride to the east of the construction. Rain has not been kind to construction. Tuesday evening my wife and  I went to KFC for dinner. Next door is a Taco Bell under construction. It has rained so much the contractor has a tent over the building footprint trying to keep it dry enough to work. The plumbing and electrical is laid out on the ground but no concrete poured yet. Some of the forms are in place. Outside of the tent is a giant mud pit.

I am making progress on recovering the lost miles from earlier in the year. This week I biked 101.25 miles (3 days), 502 miles this month (14 rides) and 2171 miles (64 rides) this year. Today’s ride was 32.75 miles at a 14.9 mph average speed. I had the average speed up to 15.2 mph but it fell back riding home through Kingwood.

Last night my daughter and son-in-law flew in from New York City. I bought a MTB (Motobecane 300HT) for my son-in-law to ride while he is here. We will assemble it later today and probably take a test ride.

Weather for tomorrow looks favorable for biking. 85 degrees and overcast but no rain to speak of. It should continue to dry out.

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