Texas Bicycling News Roundup May 6th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Houston Grand Crit 2015

Butch Stephens


This year’s best criterium cyclists battled off at Bike Barn’s Annual Houston Grand Crit
Editor & Pilot: Butch Stephens
Gear used: Phantom 2 with Zenmuse H3-3D, using a GoPro Hero3+ and Sony NEX-7 with Sigma 19mm 2.8.
Music: Voyager – Daft Punk

Texas Gran Fondo Bicycle Tour

www.sanantoniomag.com

May 9, 2015
08:00 AM until 05:00 PM
Come ride the Texas Hill Country! The second edition of the Texas Gran Fondo promises to be one of the premier cycling events of the year. Hosted in the City of Fredericksburg, considered by many to be “The Cycling Capital of Texas”. Offering rides of 100, 65 and 36 miles with six fully-stocked aid stations, plenty of SAG and vehicle support, friendly volunteers, a post-ride party, great prizes and breathtaking …

Two Shepherd restaurants set to host Ride for Hope for veterans

By Jacob McAdams        www.yourhoustonnews.com

The Pizza Kitchen and Texas Grill are partnering up to host the Ride for Hope fundraiser on May 30, which will benefit Camp Hope for Wounded Warriors suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome.
“Camp Hope is an interim housing [project] for Wounded Warriors with PTSD,” said Gary Bellinger of the Pizza Kitchen. …

… There will also be a bike ride, which will begin at 10 a. m. that morning. …

Energy Corridor Bike to Work Day 2015

www.bikehouston.org

When: May 14, 2015 @ 6:30 am – 7:30 am
Where: Terry Hershey Park gazebo
15342 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77079

Ride of Silence

West Texas Cycling Association

Date: May 20, 2015
Location: Lubbock, TX
Contact: Marta Rosas806-535-0451
Details: This year’s ride will start at 6:30 p.m. Wheels will roll at 7:00 p.m. The parking lot just east of the Texas Tech Credit Union at 19th and Indiana will be the starting point. A police escort will be provided by the Lubbock Police Department as the cyclists travel south along Indiana to 98th Street and back. The route is about 11 miles. Riders should be able to ride 12 miles at 12 miles per hour. Cyclists must also wear helmets and lights are recommended. The Ride of Silence is a free ride where cyclists ride at a slow pace, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride. There are no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is …

Bicyclists to rally at courthouse Thursday at Pedaling for Safer Roads event

by Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com


Heads up, bicyclists.
Pedaling for Safer Roads III, a rally to remind lawmakers and city officials of the need to enforce laws and prosecute motorists who injure or kill cyclists, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday.
Please Be Kind to Cyclists, a non-profit group that works to foster cooperation between bicyclists and motorists, is organizing the event.
Cyclists are invited to gather in front of the Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe Street, for a short group …

Commuter Stories: Suzanne Wheat

www.bikehouston.org


Suzanne Wheat lives in the First Ward and works at the Texas Medical Center, a 40 minute commute on her bike which she prefers over taking her car. “The medical center is quite crowded and parking is very expensive. For me the best part is the ride home, because all the stress of work goes away in the miles.”
She rides the Heights Bike Trail into downtown and then chooses the more quiet streets to the Medical Center. “Some parts are a bit tricky, I leave around 7 a.m. so I am in the morning rush hour and that can be a bit challenging.”
“I picked my house because of the Heights Bike Trail. I thought this is where I want to live.  I hope we will get more bike lanes like the one on Lamar Street. I despise cycling on sidewalks. I follow the laws and …

Bike to Work in May

www.bikehouston.org

Bike to Work with BikeHouston in May. Find all the details on our events calendar.
Celebratory Ride Downtown May 15
Texas Medical Center ride planned May 8
Greenway Plaza, Galleria ride on May 14
You can also participate in Bike to Work events in the Woodlands – May 12th, Energy Corridor – May 14th, and Sugarland – May 15th.
From the perspective of many Houstonians navigating Houston traffic in a car or truck, riding a bicycle to work may appear to be a tough alternative. But with proper planning for a good ride, biking to work can be liberating and convenient, and save time and money.
BikeHouston, Houston’s bicycle advocacy organization, and its partners are planning Bike to Work events as part of Bike Month in Houston to focus attention during May on …

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BSS_Road_Club/status/596000266526162945

Event Reminders

Retirement Flexibility Gets Me Around Rain

Texbiker.net Posted on by

One of the luxuries of retirement is flexibility on when I get to bike. Today I need that flexibility. Rain started early this morning and continued off and on until after 11:00. I rearranged my chores to then and waited for the streets to dry off and the radar to clear up in the direction I wanted to ride. By the time everything was clearing off it was time for Kingwood HS to let out so I waited until 2:53 to leave home. By the time I got the high school almost everyone was gone and traffic was thinning out.

The ride plan took me on the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route to get extra miles in my quest to catch up on the miles I am behind. Today I biked 38.51 miles. I had to fight the wind again until the 20 mile point when I turned left onto Ramsey Road and the wind became my ally. Until that turn I was fighting the SE 21 mph wind almost all the way there. It wasn’t quite as bad as yesterday but it took a lower gear and constant pedaling to get through it. My average speed up to that turn was around 14.0 mph. From there I started to increase my average speed thanks to the wind. Riding with the tailwind I realized I was doing intervals. I would pedal as hard as I could for 10 seconds, build up to 20 or 21 mph and then coast down to 19 mph and repeat. With this effort by the time I got to the Huffman Chevron at about 27 miles I averaged 15.1 mph. On the 11 miles home from Huffman I got it up to 15.2 mph for a mile or so before I drifted lower ending up at 15.0 mph when I got home at 6:04. This is the latest I rode in some time. When  I worked I usually was starting the evening ride about this time. I prefer the earlier in the day rides.

It was around 80 degrees most of the ride but when the sun popped out from behind the clouds it felt warmer. The long sleeve jersey was fine but it won’t be too much long when short sleeves will be the norm. Today’s rain was much needed at my house and plants perked up. The wind dried the streets quickly and I didn’t have to dodge any puddles.

After battling the wind and the longer ride the rest break at the Huffman Chevron was well received by my legs. It was nice sitting in the shade, eating a snack and drinking the Powerade. I had to rally myself after the Powerade was gone to get going.

Strava reports these: (All of these are with a tailwind or at least not into the wind)

  • PR on Westbound Atascocita Rd to FM2100 (7:46)
  • 2nd fastest time on Gum Gully Sprint (2:23)
  • 3rd fastest time on Ramsey Drag (4:21)

Mileage standings: 110.07 for this week, 221.16 for May and 1890 YTD.  May 2015 is within 44 miles of the total of May 2014. I should make progress on catching up this year’s miles the rest of May. I will take a few days off now. Next planned ride is Monday May 11th.

Weather when I stopped at the Huffman Chevron

Weather when I stopped at the Huffman Chevron

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Texas Bicycling News May 5th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Some Bike for Mike pics:

by the sci guy        www.bikeforums.net

Starting line at the entrance to the Ranch/Vineyards

FrankenBike # 52 ~ Southwest Schwinn (6607 S Braeswood Blvd)

houston.craigslist.org

FrankenBike # 52 ~ May 16th ~ 10am till 4 pm
Southwest Schwinn
6607 S Braeswood Blvd
Houston, TX 77096

Boone Cycles and Houston bike history

By Leah Binkovitz        www.houstonchronicle.com


The Sign: “You have to know about us to get here,” said Joy Boone, seated in a lawn chair underneath the blue tarp set up beside her shop. From the street, the blue sheet disappears behind the lush greenery of the front yard. Passersby might spot the table with bike shoes or the rows of bicycles set up just behind that, but they might just see a beautiful old house on a leafy corner of a changing neighborhood. A few blocks northeast of Hermann Park, Crawford Street at Prospect is now more surrounded by mid-rise condominiums than the sort of single-family spreads Boone recalls from the early days.
“We never did a sign,” she explained. Closest thing they’ve got now is just a thin vertical one that …

Biking in Ft. Worth, Texas. Trinity Trail/ Stockyards

SindtsFlicks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdlcoE8ON4
Biking along the Trinity Trail in downtown Ft. Worth. This adventure includes horses along the trail and the historic Ft. Worth Stockyards. 5-3-15

Double Lakes Mountain Biking (Coldspring, TX GoPro Hero3+)

Canuck Texan


GoPro footage of the 2015 Texas Mountain Bike Racing Assocation Big Ring Challenge race course at the Double Lakes in Coldspring, TX. Shot 4/30/2015.

President George W Bush’s 2015 W100k bike ride

ghost@nigthy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7iE1w4iWWk

GoPro Hero 4: Park Bike Ride

BradleyG050


GoPro Hero 4 silver of a picture lapse of my bike ride in 2.7k! Texas City Bike Ride around the park. This timelapse shot solely on the new GoPro Hero 4 Silver.
Bike: Schwinn mountain bike
Bike Ride 2.7k. Shot with GoPro Hero 4 chest mount.

Corinth, TX Mountain Bike Trail

Sean Birdsall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw4TyVa1Xro
Riding the Corinth, TX mountain bike trail on 5/4/2014.

Sun & Ski had a blast at the 2015 Big Ring Challenge!

Sun & Ski


The Big Ring Challenge is a cross country mountain bike race for all ages and skill levels. Hosted by GHORBA, it is one of the best races in Texas!!! Sun & Ski has been a proud sponsor for many years!

Texas Cycling Team Criterium Practice

Preston Glace

New company offers order fulfillment, purchasing and e-commerce help for IBDs

by BRAIN Staff        www.bicycleretailer.com

BEE CAVE, Texas (BRAIN) —     , being launched by a Texas bike retailer, will offer bike shops three services related to profitability and efficiency. All three services essentially let a shop farm out aspects of their businesses that aren’t directly related to customer service and sales.
Cycle Commerce was co-founded by Rick Applewhite, owner of Crank House Cycles in Bee Cave, Texas, outside Austin.
“We are bike shop people,” Applewhite said of the team behind Cycle Commerce. “We recognized many areas of inefficiency in our shop’s operation, due to lack of information, lack of access to products, lack of tools to minimize cost and create opportunity … so we looked at creating tools that really leverage relationships and technology in an effort to increase margins for bike shops.”
Cycle Commerce is getting ready to …

Sugar Land celebrates Bike to Work Day

www.chron.com

The city of Sugar Land and Shape Up Fort Bend will celebrate National Bike Month on May 15 with the fifth annual Bike to Work Day and third annual Bike to School Day.
Join the celebratory ride from Sugar Land Memorial Park, 15300 University Blvd., to Fort Settlement Middle School, 5440 Elkins Road, and Sugar Land Town Square at U.S. 59 and Texas 6.
The event begins at 7:30 a.m. with food and prizes at the South Meadow Pavilion at Sugar Land Memorial Park, located adjacent to the Pawm Springs Dog Park.
Participants will depart at 8:15 a.m. for a 1.1-mile ride along University Boulevard to Fort Settlement Middle School. After dropping off …

Lewisville police officer participates in memorial ride

by Heather Goodwin        starlocalmedia.com


The Department of Public Safety Memorial Ride and Metroplex C.O.P.S Cycling hosted the first annual “Texas Peace Officers Memorial Ride” event. The event started on May 2 in Houston with a unity type bike ride to LaGrange for the first night’s rest stop.  On May 3 the ride continued to the final destination in Austin at the Texas Peace Officers Memorial. The 150-mile event honors all of the fallen Texas Peace Officers and their families.
Lewisville Police Department Honor Guard …

57-Year-Old Man Cycling Across America For His Wife Battling Cancer

By Melissa Adan        www.everythinglubbock.com

LUBBOCK, TX– The Hub City serving as a pit stop for Eric McIntyre, 57, who is cycling 7,200 miles for his wife, Liz who is battling pancreatic cancer.
McIntyre calls the cross-country bike ride The Pancreatic Victory Tour.
“We are going to make some real change happen that’s what it’s all about not just doing something and pedaling, but having a plan and getting people on board that we can attack [pancreatic cancer] now,” said McIntyre.
McIntyre is very passionate for the cause as his wife has …

Bike Month Buzz

BikeHouston

Jump on a bike and join us for a ride or come party with us at a non-ride event such as Mid Main’s First Thursday. 45% of Houstonians want to ride their bike more – let’s make it happen!
May 6th Ready to Roll Night
May 7th Mid Main First Thursday
May 8th Bike to Work TX Medical Center
May 10th CycloFemme
May 14th Bike to Work  Greenway Plaza & Galleria
May 15th Bike to Work Day  Downtown
May 15th Dinner + Bikes
May 17th East End Mural Tour
May 20th Ride of Silence
Volunteer with Us!
Hey Houstonian, Got a Bike? …

Local veteran mountain bikes with former President Bush

Karissa Neely Daily Herald        www.heraldextra.com


Leslie Zimmerman, right, poses with former President George W. Bush in Texas at the fifth annual Warrior 100K mountain biking event.

PLEASANT GROVE — Retired Army Sgt. Leslie Zimmerman is a skilled mountain biker, so she had no qualms about riding with former President George W. Bush last weekend.
Well, not about the bike riding part. She was a bit nervous about meeting the former leader of the free world.
“I mean, what do you say to a former president?” Zimmerman said. “But he was so warm and …

May Newsletter Published

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

The May edition of the DATES-Line Newsletter is published and available for download from the newsletters page. This month’s edition includes the following:
Upcoming Rides
DATES Blue Ridge Ramble
Ardmore DATES Weekend
DATES Social
Ride Reports
Chisholm Trail White Oak Ride
Tax Relief Ride Around the Lake
DATES Bluebonnet Ride
DATES Loop the Lake Ride
Southwest Missouri Tandem Weekend
DATES Rides & Activities

DATES Blue Ridge Ramble

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

When:    May 09, 2015 09:00 AM
Where:   Mitas Hill Vineyard – McKinney
Join DATES for a scenic country ramble from Melissa to Blue Ridge in northeast Collin County. The 38 and 56 mile options traverse rolling terrain on smooth asphalt, some chip seal and paved county roads. We will eat lunch afterward at Mitas Hill Vineyard, which has a great patio and view.
Date: May 9, 2015
Time: Meet at 8:30 AM, rolling at 9:00 AM
Leaders: Marc and Susie Mumby …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BikePaulie/status/595632830023106561

https://twitter.com/whodatashkid/status/595616407586533376

Event Reminders

30mm Rims and 32 mph Wind Do Not Mix

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Dancing around the rain was what it took why I waited for the streets to dry off. It rained three different times before I could start biking. Each time it rained lightly and the wind blew enough to dry the streets off rather quickly. Finally at 2:12 I rolled out the driveway on the way to riding the “Huffman – Atascocita – Walden” route. Even though i ride this route most of the time it has been several days since I rode this particular route. Today I biked 31.92 miles averaging 14.6 mph. With the wind I am surprised I got my average speed as high as 14.8 mph on the way back home.

That wind was brutal. I battled it all the way to Old Atascocita Road and FM2100 where I turned left and it was finally at my back. Up to that point (18.1 miles) I exerted lots of effort riding into the hard wind. Going east over Lake Houston on FM1960 the wind kept trying to push me to the left. I had to keep a tight grip on the handlebars and constantly correct my direction. Riding about 5 feet from the concrete causeway guardrail should provide some wind break but it was so strong it didn’t make any difference. I looked at the water and saw waves with white caps. At the Huffman Chevron I looked at the weather and it showed the wind from the ESE at 10 mph with 17 mph gusts. It felt higher than that. When I got home looking at the airport weather I saw a SE wind at 24 mph with 32 mph gusts. The airport is out in the open and the wind can move without much in the way but I think where I was riding it wasn’t too much slower. If I had a sail I could make it home without pedaling. The clouds hid the sun most of the time but the 80 degrees still felt warm. My short sleeve jersey was just right.

At the Huffman Chevron I stopped to give my legs a break and eat. This time before I leaned back against the post I checked the aluminum paint; it was dry this time. Some love bugs weren’t so fortunate, they landed when the paint was wet and stayed there. I didn’t notice very many love bugs today probably because the wind was blowing them to another county.  After resting my legs and eating I headed home. While I battled the wind to get to Huffman getting away from Huffman going west was fast. Now I built up my average speed to the 14.8 mph max for the ride. Riding west over Lake Houston was harder than the east bound trip. I didn’t have the concrete guardrail to block the wind. The 30mm section rims caught the wind and shoved me to the right and trying to correct this I then moved too much to the left. Passing traffic didn’t shield me from the wind. If someone were watching from behind I wove back and forth on the causeway. Thankfully it is only 2 miles long. The water on the north side of the causeway was almost without a ripple, vastly different from the other side.

After turning right off of FM1960 to ride through Atascocita to W. Lake Houston Parkway I got some relief from the wind amongst the houses and trees. I made good progress and maintained my 14.8 mph average speed. When I reached Kingwood Drive I waited awhile for a break in the rush hour traffic to get across (it was almost 5 o’clock). As I stood on the pedals to cross the street I could hear my rear tire rub and it took more effort to move. After I got to the other side I looked at the rear wheel for damage or something lodged but couldn’t see anything. I then checked the quick release and it was loose letting the rim move around. I tightened it and the rub went away and I pedaled much easier. I finished biking at 5:01. Though the sky looked like rain somewhere I stayed dry the whole ride.

Around 13 miles into the ride the Garmin 510 started beeping and a message came up on the screen and then it shut down before I could read it. I have no idea what caused this but I turned it back on, ignored the save data button and restarted the timer. All of the data up to that point was still there. The ride appears to upload correctly to Garmin Connect, Strava, RideWithGPS, Golden Cheetah. and Sports Track. Not sure why upload the rides to so many places. Redundancy backup I guess.

Tomorrow’s weather forecast: 83 degrees with a 50% chance of rain in the middle of the day. Hopefully it stays dry.

Huffman weather when I stopped at the Chevron

Huffman weather when I stopped at the Chevron

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Houston IAH Airport weather at the end of the ride

Houston IAH Airport weather at the end of the ride