Texas Bicycling News April 28th

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Taking the First Hit : Becoming a Track Head.

by Adam Spears, Mirage Cycling  •  photography by Kato Bentley

texasbikeracing.com


The first hit – they always say that in becoming an addict, all it takes is once. Just one hit. Well, track is the new crack, it would seem.
Up to this point, I’ve managed to avoid that first hit for well over ten years. I took that first hit on Monday night and I am afraid I may be hooked; I may become a “track head.”
I always knew the Superdrome was there in Frisco, heck, I have even raced crits in their parking lot. I have seen plenty of videos on Facebook, even looked up the details on what it takes to be track certified, but I had never bothered to follow up. As I said, that all changed on Monday night.
I have seen and received the invitations to come join for the …

Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge is Therapy for Veterans

by Tim Hawkins        www.erietvnews.com

Fort Worth, TX — Over 200 veterans road their bikes nearly 470 miles from Houston to Fort Worth, taking part in the Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge, which provides therapy on wheels.
“I get clinical therapy from my psychologist, but this is the practical application day-to-day. It’s almost 500 miles of adaptive therapy,” US Army Colonel Glenn Richie said.
“I had a traumatic brain injury and I wasn’t able to talk, walk, and half paralyzed. For me, I tracked my recovery through this ride. The camaraderie. The connection that everyone is there to support each other,” Retired Arlington firefighter Robert Gray said.
Can you imagine trekking through Texas weather on a bike? Luckily, it helped push this …

Just Another Day In Paradise

Plano Bicycle Association

Cycling in Plano, Texas

May is Bike Month in Hutto

www.thehuttonews.com

Bike Hutto is excited to announce 2015 as the first year that Hutto is celebrating May as National Bike Month. Established in 1956 and sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to give biking a try.
Throughout the month of May there will be several bicycle related events going on throughout Hutto, some of which tie into National dates and celebrations.
May 6 is National Bike to School Day. The first-ever National Bike to School Day took place May 9, 2012, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Month. Almost 1,000 local events in …

PAYDIRT – Walnut Creek Trail Trimming

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 8:00 AM

Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX

2 Mountain Bikers Went

The trails need some TLC to trim back face slappers.BRING YOUR PAYDIRT FORMS.Meet at the Pool Parking Lot at 8:00 am and we will head out to the trails. Tools & gloves will be available, but bring your own if you have. Also, bring water and good footwear.

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Tour de RACHA

Saturday, May 9, 2015, 7:00 PM

No location yet.

5 cyclists Went

Hi!I am a volunteer for a local charity, Family Ties and help them organizing their annual fundraising ride, Tour de RACHA (Ride Against CHild Abuse). I was hoping you’d be kind enough to add it to your calendar as a club ride? It’s on May 9th, they’re MS150 recommended ride. Each mile and each rider will help save a child in our community. Will y…

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My “New Old” Road Bike

Pit’s Fritztown News

Finally I’ve started to put together the vintage Gianni Motta road bicycle I got myself for Christmas, and which arrived totally disassembled [see my posting “Christmas Present Puzzle“]. This here is how far I got today: …

Fort Davis Memorial Day Weekend Ride

West Texas Cycling Association

Date: May 22, 2015 – May 25, 2015
Location: Fort Davis, TX
Contact: Pat Crawford806-344-1422
Details: It’s a beautiful place to bike! Camp at Davis Mountains State Park. Group Ride on Saturday May 23, a 72 mile loop with plenty of climbing and scenic views. Ride or hike at your leisure on Sunday May 24. Balmorhea State Park, Alpine, and Marfa are all within biking distance—swim at Balmorhea, dine in Alpine, or tour the art scene in Marfa! There is so much to do! Or just stay in Fort Davis and tour the historical points of interest.

Houston’s Progression and Ranking

BikeHouston


BikeHouston and COH representatives hosted Steve Clark, from the DC Office of the League of American Bicyclists. Steve runs the Bicycle Friendly America program which rates cities, companies and other organizations which strive to be bicycle friendly.
Houston has carried the Bronze (entry level) rating since 2013.  We gave Steve a pedaling tour of some of Houston’s neighborhoods and were privileged to have the opportunity to discuss what steps need to be taken to achieve a silver rating.  For more details follow this link.  This is all very …

Which Trails Are Worthy? BAC to Meet With CoA Next Week to Decide

Austin On A Bike        austinonabike.com

There’s a whole lotta history around this, but suffice it to say that CapMetro still owes the city some dough from a deal that went south when the city said no to rail back in 2000. And now that the city has said no to rail yet again, some of that same money needs to find a new home.
Austin Public Works was in attendance at last month’s Bicycle Advisory Council meeting to let them know that there is $21 million left in the ol’ Capital Metro “Quarter Cent Fund”. Next week, the BAC subcommittee will meet with the city of Austin Bicycle and Urban Trails programs to determine what projects are most worthy to present to city council for consideration.
Find the details of the meeting below, as sent to the BAC email list by David Orr: …

Biking community expert visits

BY TY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER        www.brownsvilleherald.com


Brownsville , the self-proclaimed cycling capital of the Rio Grande Valley , could take another step toward fashioning itself into a bicycle-friendly city now that it has evoked interest from The League of American Bicyclists.
Stephen Clark, who specializes in developing bike-friendly communities, visited the city earlier this week ahead of an information session at Market Square on Tuesday afternoon.
Clark said he and others traveled more than 16 miles along Brownsville ’s thoroughfares to …

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

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Texas Bicycle News April 27th

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Austin Cyclocross Cup


Excited to Announce our 2015 @ATXCXCup Schedule. 3 Weekends/6 great days of TXCX Racing. Our season kickoff will take place on Oct. 10 & 11. More details will be posted soon. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the series or individual weekend, contact us at Rolando@TexasCXProject.org

FR512 Trail Build Sat and Sunday! Camping, BBQ and PayDirt!

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 11:00 AM

Rocky Hill Ranch
578 Farm-to-Market 153 Smithville, TX

3 Mountain Bikers Went

Trail work this weekend at RHR! May 2nd and 3rd. We’ll be working Saturday and Sunday. Camp out and BBQ if weather permits. Saturday we will meet at the main pavilion at 11AM, Sunday meet 10:30 AM. If you come late please use back entrance off Arrowhead DR. We will be in the quarry area by the back gate. Bring shovels, rakes, cordless drills, etc i…

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Anthills Work Day

GHORBA

Event category: General
Trail: The Anthills (Terry Hershey Park)
Saturday, May 9, 2015 – 8:30am
Due to all the rain we have had the vegetation is flourishing along the trails. The primary focus of this trail work party will be to trim back vegetation. We will probably also work on fixing some of the lingering mudholes so that they drain better. We will meet in the center of the Dairy Ashford parking lot at 8:30 am. Bring your work gloves, loppers (if you have them), comfortable hiking shoes and water.

Bikeabout TX

By Gordon Hodge        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 12- Coldspring to Huntsville,TX: Turning NW, time to point homeward
Monday April 27, 2015, 37 miles (60 km) – Total so far: 448 miles (720 km)
The severe weather forecast proved correct. At 4 a.m. the fury was unleashed. I heard the rumble of thunder and double checked the tent and closed the fly vestibules. The storm blew for about 2 hours. I slept through most of it without concern. I only worried about large tree branches falling. I heard some branches falling nearby. None dropped on my shelter. It would have to be really large to get through my triple layer of protection. After the storm and daylight appeared, I assayed my situation. My encampment came through unscathed. I think I was the person in the park except for 2 campground hosts. They told me later they came by to check on me and didn’t see me. I was asleep. I heard chainsaws starting up and walked out to the park road to see what was up. Down the road there were at least 3 very large pine trees across the road. I walked around the park and took some photos and then slowly went to pack up tent. My tent was dry as I had a tarp over the tent. Park Host Buddy was driving his golf cart down the road toward me. I wanted to talk with him so I waived a towel over my to signal him. He was coming toward and stopped about 200 yards short and stopped. I couldn’t figure out what in the world he was doing, so I went back to packing. He finally showed up on foot to my camp. The whole area was without electricity due to storm and his cart batteries were low. He mentioned all the damage and a …

Sunday Streets Houston on 19th Street Slide Show

www.houstonpress.com

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A Dog Sprint on the Way to Plum Grove

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I was thinking of potential northerly routes for today’s ride when I remembered I haven’t been to Plum Grove in a long time. I wasn’t sure how long the route would be but I guessed it might be around 25 miles. The weather played a factor with overcast gray clouds and maybe a chance of rain. Earlier this morning we did get a little rain (.13″ at my home weather station) but with a nice breeze the roads dried off pretty quickly. There were a few puddles and water in road depressions but nothing I couldn’t ride around. The temperature was 76 degrees which felt a little cool with the wind blowing so I chose a long sleeve jersey to top off the shorts.

Loading the bike into the Jeep I drove to Brookshire Brothers in New Caney to park and start riding. I was going to ride FM1485 east to the Plum Grove – Cleveland Road but in order to add some miles I went north and through Roman Forest. By the Plum Grove – Cleveland turn I was at 10+ miles. Earlier on FM1485 just east of the bridge over the East Fork of the San Jacinto River I had dog sprint. The smallish dog (15″ at the shoulder may be) had the angle on me and got to the road before I was past him. Fortunately he overran my direction and I cut past him. He chased me a short ways but gave up. Fortunately it wasn’t uphill like it was just before I reached this property. I have been reading a thread on Bikeforums.net about dogs on rural roads. The comments offer tactics people use and some stories of success and failure. I can identify with them all. No more loose dogs after that but some fenced and chained ones looked like they wanted to chase if it wasn’t for the restraints.

On the Plum Grove – Cleveland Road I rode through some rain drops but it didn’t last thank goodness because there was no shelter. I haven’t been on this road in a long time and some developments popped up in Plum Grove. There is a new volunteer fire department building replacing the outdoor spot where the trucks parked across FM1010. The old genral store is still closed though. I rode over to the new volunteer fire building to turn to the west. The curve in FM1010 at the Plum Grove – Cleveland Road intersection is a wide sweeping one with limited visibility of traffic coming from Splendora. After waiting for some traffic to pass I started biking to the west on FM1010 which became FM2090 before the Montgomery County Line.

This was an unusual ride passing through 3 different counties: Montgomery, Harris and Liberty. Usually riding in two counties is the most on one route around home.

I rode to Splendora and stopped at the Chevron to rest and eat some snacks. No sport drink today, just water. I was at 21.1 miles which confirmed my guess on the mileage today. After the break I started to the south bound US59 service road thinking I would take a side trip on SH 242 to check on the Grand Texas construction and then get back on the service road to New Caney probably ending up biking 27 miles. When I got to SH 242 I turned to the west. I looked for some construction activity south of 242 but couldn’t see any. As I rode by the construction office on the north side I tried to see any activity there but the lone SUV in front of a portable office was all that was there. So I am not sure where the go-cart track is located but according to some newspaper articles it is being built.

The wind was at my back on SH 242 so I decided to stay on it all the way to FM1485 and then ride FM1485 to New Caney and Brookshire Brothers. This would added miles and with the weather clearing up some rain was no longer in the picture. I was able to get my average speed up to 16.2 mph on 242 by the time I pulled into the Chevron station at FM1485 and 242. I pause there to let some traffic go by on FM1485 before heading east to New Caney. The helpful wind was now a headwind and my average speed started to go down some. By the time I got to the Jeep I biked 37.25 miles averaging 15.9 mph. If I had not stopped at two traffic lights in the last 1/2 mile I think my average speed would have been 16.0 or 16.1 mph.

Weather at the start of the ride
Weather at the end of the ride

A cool front is supposed to arrive this evening dropping the temperature into the 50’s with tomorrow’s high of 69. It will be partly cloudy to clear. Not sure how this affects my biking.

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/758816044 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/293773351/embed/f4e0a76f7e79fb4cb636a4f0f955af92ead0167c 590px 500px]

Texas Bicycling News April 26th

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Elbowz Racing Elite Cycling Team


Some bad luck in yesterday’s Stage 3 Road Race when Colin and Kevin got caught up in a crash in the final 200m, but today’s a new day and we’re rested and ready for the final day of the Joe Martin Stage Race.

Fayetteville 2015

U23 Development Team

Great weekend of racing for the U23 Development Team at the Lapeze & Johns Fayetteville Stage Race! Although John Paul had some back luck with some early mechanicals and flats, TC and Issac worked together and finished strong in the GC at 5th & 6th! Some podiums and some cash too! …

Hill Country Ride for AIDS raises funds with bike ride

By William Malm        kxan.com

Video

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 16th annual Hill Country Bike Ride for AIDS took place on Saturday with over 400 cyclists riding through Central Texas.
Ten AIDS service organizations came together more than 15 years ago to create a cycling event to raise money to fund services for people affected by HIV and AIDS in Central Texas.
In fourteen years, the Ride has distributed more than …

Motorist hits 10-year-old on bicycle

By JC Cortez        amarillo.com

A 10-year-old boy was taken to a local hospital with a head injury and broken bones after he was struck by an SUV just before 8 a.m., April 23 at the intersection of South Georgia Street and Southwest 16th Avenue, Amarillo police said.
The boy was heading to school, riding his bicycle east on Southwest 16th when he was struck by a GMC Terrain driven by Jessica Ann Fajardo, 27, of Amarillo, traveling south on …

Cycling in Caprock Canyons provides adventure

By Mark Moser        lubbockonline.com


Jumping out of a comfortable bed at 5 a.m. to bicycle more than a 100 miles feels like jumping out of a good airplane.
Though, when the noise of the city fades, substituted only by the crunch of gravel beneath your tires, the reluctance is replaced by a gravitating pull toward the horizon.
Last week, that pull took me to Caprock Canyons State Park. Hours of poring over maps reveal a route of nearly 90 percent gravel roads connecting to …

Go for an easy beginner ride

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 9:00 AM

Performance Bicycle
7549 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX

1 Cycling Enthusiasts Went

You’re invited to join our Saturday morning, beginners group ride starting from and ending at our W. Houston, Performance Bicycle store. The ride is for beginners and those getting back on the saddle. The average pace will be between 10 and 14 miles per hour and the ride will last approximately one hour. We’ll explore some of the local bike paths a…

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Overcast skies can’t dampen Wounded Warriors visit

By PAUL GNADT        www.keenestar.net


Overcast skies didn’t dampen the atmosphere of the seventh annual visit of more than 200 Wounded Warriors who bicycled into Keene for breakfast Friday morning.
The riders are wounded military veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who rode in the seventh Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge.
The riders arrived in Keene about 8:50 a.m. and stopped to eat at Callicott Student Park on the …

El Clásico Bicycle Race

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 2:00 PM

Downtown El Paso
Exact location TBA El Paso, TX

3 Cyclists Went

The first-ever event offers road, criterium and sprint races Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3. Information: elclasicorace.com. The 45-mile road race will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday in Downtown El Paso. There will be a couple of checkpoints along the route through the valley before arriving in Las Cruces. The race will end at the 3rd Annual Blazin Beerfe…

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Saturday Beginner Ride

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 10:00 AM

Performance Bicycle
4750 Fm 1960 Rd W Houston, TX

1 Bicycle Enthusiasts Went

The ride starts from the Performance North Houston store location.  We do not ride on 1960 but go through the neighborhoods to start the ride.  The ride is approximately 10 miles and pace is based on participants for the day.  It is a No Drop Ride.Please bring a helmet, spare tube, waterbottle, positive attitude 🙂

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The 2015 BP MS150

the surly biker

Last weekend was our 2nd BP MS150. Unfortunately, weather cut the event in half – the MS Society and event coordinators canceled day 1 of the ride due to bad conditions. It had been raining and storming heavily on and off all week, and we got nailed again Thursday night and Friday night. This caused the campgrounds at the half-way overnight point in La Grange almost completely flooded leaving no place to put 13,000 riders and their tents. With the threat of more storms Saturday night, having a bunch of tents in a soppy field isn’t the best in an electrical storm either. This was only the 2nd time in the entire 31 years the MS150 has been …

Texas Hill Country: Groundroll 8

the surly biker

A few weeks ago, our company’s EVP invited the wife and I to participate in an invite only small gathering of folks from the E&P industry in the Texas Hill Country. Every year, they get together and bike different routes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We’ve never been out to Hill Country before, so we were really excited – especially since it’s such an elite event. We knew we wouldn’t do as well as the regulars because we aren’t super strong cyclists and we’ve never biked in hills like that before, but we were pumped anyway.
It’s held in the little town of Fredericksburg, TX. It’s about a 3 hour drive west from Houston. It’s a fabulous, old, little town with …

The Long Road Back

by Bike Noob

The great concert pianist, Ignace Paderewski, is quoted as saying: “When I miss a day of practice, I know it. When I miss two days, my teacher knows it. When I miss five days, the audience knows it.”
As you know, I’ve missed the equivalent of a month on the bike, with just a few days sprinkled in there where I actually got a chance to ride. And boy, do I know it.
Our friend, Don Blount, has just told us about the rehabilitation regimen he’s putting himself through to return to biking from surgery. Don is a focused, goal-driven kind of guy. I take more of a recreational approach to my biking. I want to have a good day on the bike, maybe …

2015 BP MS-150

Cycling Space City

The largest charity bike ride in North America is the BPMS-150.  It is a two day ride from Houston to Austin with a mandatory fundraising amount of $400 for every rider.  The ride is capped at 13,000 riders!  Last year, 2014, the ride raised over $20 Million for the MS Society.
This year because of epic rains for a week leading up to the ride, the overnight campground at the La Grange Fairgrounds was too flooded and the ride organizers cancelled the first day.  Since I had friends and family, many from outside Texas, donating $$ for me to do this ride I didn’t want them to think I spent Saturday on the …

Lower Crabapple Ride

Pit’s Fritztown News

As we had some wonderful weather – well, except for the wind [of up to 15 miles per hour in gusts] – I went on a bicycle ride again on Lower Crabapple Road. I hadn’t exactly planned it, but when I felt that today I had really good legs I did all of Lower Crabapple, from it’s beginning at the intersection with TX 16 [N. Llano Road] …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

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