Texas Bicycling News Digest March 17th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Living Local: A bike-centric guide to Austin, Texas

by Stephen Krcmar        www.grindtv.com

Custom bike-frame builder Lauren Trout provides the two-wheel lowdown on ATX

Last August, Lauren Trout left her home of many years, Boston, to return to Texas. The bike messenger turned custom bicycle-frame builder had lived and worked all over the U.S., delivering packages by bike in cities like Houston, San Francisco, Denver, and Washington, D.C., while competing in courier competitions in urban centers like Seattle; Montreal; New York City; Columbus, Ohio; Portland, Oregon; and Richmond, Virginia, before returning to her home state.
A native of Houston, the owner of Saila Bikes headed back west to escape Boston winters, the fast pace of the East Coast, and to set up shop in a place that doesn’t have the bazillion custom builders that …

Bicycle Safety Awareness Media Campaign

www.texasbids.net

Bid Date & Time: 04/22/15 2:00 PM
Prebid: 03/24/15 10:00 AM
Solicitation Title: Bicycle Safety Awareness Media Campaign
Status: bidding    Report: 6193087
Country :United States     State: TX    County: Bexar
Location: San Antonio
Scope: Bicycle safety awareness media campaign.
Notes: Written question deadline: 03/31/15 by 2:00 PM. Pre-bid meeting will be held on 03/24/15 @ 10:00 AM at The City of San Antonio, Finance Department, Purchasing Division, Large Conference Room, 111 Soledad, 11th Floor, San Antonio, Texas 78205.
Plans: From Owner. See attached file.
Owner Type: Public
Buyer: San Antonio, City of – Purchasing & General Services
Address: PO Box 839966 City Hall Annex, 131 West Nueva
City: San Antonio    State: TX    Zip/Postal Code: 78283-3966
TEL: 210-207-7260    FAX: 210-207-7270
Website: http://www.sanantonio.gov/pgs/ …

Riding Brevets: Part 1, Texas

On Bicycles, and…. what else is there?        djconnel.blogspot.com

This year I decided to dip my toes in the brevet pool.
Back now further in time than seems real, in the late 1990’s I began a Hill Country Randonneurs brevet series hosted by Russell Hahn and John Fusselman out of Austin Texas. I didn’t ride these bacause of embracing any sort of randonneuring culture. It was more an interest in the ultra culture, a culture I’d experienced with Nick Gerlach’s excellent Texas Hell Week, which I first attended in 1997 when I was at Stanford, then later on a more limited basis when I lived in Austin from late 1997 to 2000.
In California, we had our double centuries: fully supported 200 mile events where all you had to do was carry two water bottles and enough food for at most 40 miles. Davis Double, for example, had 11 rest stops, more than one every 20 miles. That could easily be ridden skipping every other rest stop with …

RGV provides biking opportunity in Mission

JOSE RODRIGUEZ | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR        discovermission.com

There is nothing “mountain” about the Valley, and bicycling has little fanfare along the border.
But mountain biking in the Rio Grande Valley is growing, thanks to the Mission Hike and Bike Trails. The park boasts an extensive series of narrow paths carved into dense woodland, and for the adventurous it offers miles of startlingly good fun.
The trails can get technical and you’re going to need appropriate gear. Get a good bike, but don’t spend a fortune. Instead, spend time searching for the best balance between cost and performance. When I first set out, I asked a knowledgeable friend for help choosing something from the local department store.
He said sarcastically that any cheap bike would do but added that I made sure I had dental insurance because when it …

MS150 Training, Week 8 – A Ride of My Own

The Surly Biker        thesurlybiker.wordpress.com

So, the Ready2Roll Training ride was all the way out in Fayetteville, TX, this past Saturday, and I just didn’t have the heart to get up at about 5am and drive an hour and a half out there to begin around 7:30am. Instead, I decided to hit the pavement around here like usual and bang out as many miles as I could. Unfortunately, about 18 miles in, I got foiled by the park being flooded – you’ll see in the pics below. So, I turned around, and did some other stuff around the neighborhood and still managed to get in almost 40 miles.
Nothing special to share, just some interesting pics of the flooding from …

Pedal Through The Pines

Pedal Pushers        roy-pedalpushers.blogspot.com

Pedal Thru The Pines
March 14, 2015
Smithville, Texas
Smithville is a small town just outside of Bastrop which is near Austin. “Pedal Thru the Pines” has been starting from the Smithville Park for several years now. We used to pedal through the pines until a wild fire swept through miles of ranchland and decimated the forest of unusually isolated stands of loblolly pines. The ride, however, is still one of our favorites, and we try to attend each year. They have 24, 40, and 70 mile rides. This year we chose the 40 mile ride. …

Where do people get hurt on the #TheDrag you ask? [PICS]

Austin On A Bike        austinonabike.com

Last year, the city began taking a serious looking at improving the hairy situation we Austinites fondly refer to as The Drag. The “Guadalupe Corridor Improvement Program” began in 2014 “to identify and recommend short to long-term transportation improvements to enhance mobility, safety, and quality of life along the Guadalupe Street Corridor.” Now, the results are being released and we have some fun maps to look at in the meantime. We all love maps, right?
There are a plethora of items to dig through on the city’s page, including the survey results which we briefly reviewed earlier this week in our post “Survey confirms what I already knew as a cyclist: The Drag still sucks”. Before moving on, I’d like to note that the conversation is not over and there is still time to give your own feedback on what should come next to the Drag. There’s a comment hotline for public input – (512) 676-5488 – and they are using the hashtag #TheDrag on Facebook and Twitter (as you can …

Spring Fever – Sulphur Springs, TX March 14

www.bicycle-stuff.com


New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/578030325189738497

https://twitter.com/vhuckaba/status/577991980195549184

Event Reminders

New Caney – Cut and Shoot – New Caney Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I drove to New Caney to start today’s ride parking at Brookshire Brothers. The weather was a little overcast but the temperature was 79 degrees with a light breeze. Perfect for biking. After unloading the Stradalli and putting the wheels on I put on my shoes and helmet to leave at 1:02. After the last ride I checked the Duck tape on the inside of the left chainstay and it had been rubbed through. I positioned the wheel in the rear and moved it to the right a little with the quick release. Today after putting the rear wheel in I checked the clearance again and nudged the wheel to the right. I would check the results when I got back.

The name I gave this route sounds a little European: New Caney – Cut and Shoot – New Caney. No cheering crowds along the side of the road though.

Starting at New Caney I stayed on the US59/I69 service road all the way through Splendora to Fostoria Road. I can’t remember the last time I road norht of Splendora and on Fostoria Road. My route plan was fluid because I wasn’t sure of the total distance. I could turn south from SH 105 West on several roads: Old SH 105, Crockett-Martin, Waukegan Road or FM1485. I was averaging 16+ mph and feeling pretty good. The distance wasn’t too bad so I opted for FM1485. Before I got there though I did have a dog sprint on 105 around the 18.4 mile marker. A large light brown dog came out the front yard of house on my right. He stayed about 5 or 6 feet to my right but was matching my speed. I yelled a couple of times and he either gave up or my yell influenced him. That’s 3 dog sprints out of 4 rides, way above what I normally encounter.

Fostoria Road built up over the years from when I first started biking there in the 1980’s. There use to be a couple of houses north of Morgan Cemetery Road. Now the houses sprouted up but are the large lot type.

On SH 105 the right shoulder varied from wide and smooth to narrow with those divots cut in the asphalt. Sometimes those divots and the shoulder only left 2 feet to ride on. One spot by the landfill entrance in Security the shoulder was covered with dirt from the garbage trucks exiting forcing me into the main lane for a couple of hundred feet. Traffic always made room for me in those spots.

Reaching FM1485 I turned south and saw the sign showing 17 miles to New Caney. My legs were ready to head back to the Jeep. On FM1485 the shoulder had some small rock from the trucks leaving Pavers Supply. After I crossed the railroad tracks the rock all but disappeared. The road was rolling and my tired legs faltered some getting up them. I relished the downhills but they didn’t last long. At the FM2090 and FM1485 intersection I took a couple of minutes rest waiting on the light to change. Not too far away at FM3083 and FM1485 I planned on stopping. At that point I thought there was 7 miles to the Jeep (it was really 8 miles). A quick stop at the Dollar General store netted two small bags of chips. From there I stopped at the Valero station next door for some sport drink and rest.

Rest and refreshed I set out from the Valero station to New Caney. I got to the Jeep at 4:22, 45.19 miles later. Average speed was 16+ mph most of the ride with a max of 16.3 mph and 16.2 mph overall according to the Golden Cheetah program. My phone showed 83 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.

As I put the bike in the Jeep to head home I checked the Duck tape on the left chainstay, no rubbing marks. Great! I need to pay close attention to the wheel position when I put the rear wheel back on at home.

Just 18 miles until the Stradalli hits 6,000 miles. I will install new tires after the next ride. I don’t want to risk a flat if I starting away from home like today. The front tire has 5982 miles on it and the rear has 4982.

643 miles YTD, 208.44 miles for March, and 77.32 miles this week.

Tomorrow the weather forecast calls for 50% chance of rain. Biking will be iffy.

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/722415940 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/269849082/embed/9de55b25f567ab79788f0868503c394e7745b3c4 590px 410px]

 

Texas Bicycling News Digest March 16th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

What is Success for You this Cycling Season?

by Adrian Flores        texasbikeracing.com


You may know me as the flashy bike racer, formerly known as…
Yet there was a time before bike-racing when I attended college enrolled in a pre-med degree program and was swimming on a college sponsorship. My life could only be described as masochistic. I spent 15-18 hours of my week in classes, double that studying, and 25 hours a week with my face submerged in a pool or challenging the limits of my body. The rest of the time I slept or was eating (a ton). Some of it wasn’t exciting, but all of it formed who I am today.
I gained a unique perspective in the most tranquil of environments – staring at the bottom of a pool. I learned how to handle sports in my life in conjunction with a harsh reality: I was a great swimmer, full of …

Team FIAT Plus at Tour of Corsicana

Bicycles Plus


It was a great weekend of racing by the FIAT Team at Tour of Corsicana Stage a Race. Congratulations to Craig Keane finishing on the podium in 3rd place, 40+ category. The rest of the team had strong showings with …

Texas Hell Week Is upon Us

Pit’s Fritztown News

Texas Hell Week – it started last Saturday – has kicked off the bicycling season here in the Texas Hill Country. Well, even if they do have short rides [ca. 30 miles], this event is not for me. Just now even the shorter ones are too much for me, the brevets of 200k and 300k will never be my kind of ride. …

Bricks and Bikes – Corsicana Stage Race attracts 370 cyclists to event

By Bob Belcher, Daily Sun        www.corsicanadailysun.com


Overcast skies did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm and turnout for the fourth annual Corsicana Stage Race bicycle event — held in conjunction with the city of Corsicana’s “Second Saturday” event.
Debbie Wilson, president of the Corsicana and Navarro County Chamber of Commerce, said this year’s bicycle event was the biggest yet, with 370 cyclists taking part in the race through the streets of downtown Corsicana.
“They really love our …

Valley Ranch Neighborhood Park Trail

www.texasbids.net

Bid Date & Time: 04/02/15 2:00 PM
Prebid: 03/24/15 2:00 PM
Solicitation Title: Valley Ranch Neighborhood Park Trail
Status: bidding    Report: 6190551
Country :United States     State: TX    County: Bell
Location: Temple
Est. Low Value: $57,000    Est. High Value: $57,000
Scope: This project entails the construction of a 6 FT wide crushed granite trail with compacted, fine grade, select road base as a sub-base and steel edging over 1,930 LF of distance. Also, a 3 FT wide section of concrete trail will connect the existing neighborhood to the park – this section is 170 LF in length. Additionally, along each walkable side of the detention spillway, ten FT of 6 FT wide trail will need to be of concrete construction to off-set any erosion.
Notes: A voluntary pre-bid conference will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at the Patsy Luna Building (adjacent to the Free Clinic and Wilson Park) located at 1909 Curtis B. Elliott Dr., Temple, Texas. This project has a “prevailing wage” requirement.
Plans: From Owner
Bond: 5% bid bond
Owner Type: Public
Buyer: Temple, City of – Purchasing Department

New Dallas cycling studio takes your senses on a ride

By Diana Oates        dallas.culturemap.com


We are fortunate to have a variety of cycling studios from which to choose in Dallas. But, if you’re being honest, can you really tell the difference between them? Probably not.
A new studio on Lovers Lane hopes to differentiate itself by transforming the entire sensory experience. After nearly 20 years of teaching spin in Los Angeles, Parker Williams has returned to Texas with Ride House.
To appeal to all senses during a workout, Ride House considers …

Caffeine Cruisers Sipping Coffee

Plano Bicycle Association


Alex says…
“We had some new faces and …

Getting Sunburned Rolling My Wheels In Mallard Cove Park

Durango Texas


What with the temperature today being in the 70s for the first time in what seems like years, I decided to roll my mechanized wheels to Mallard Cove Park to roll my non-mechanized wheels on a bike ride with (virtually) Mallard Cove Park neighbor, Mary K.
Those would be my handlebars  looking at …

Texas Mountain Biking (Day Two)

by Dave Bravo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYiBooF4dwo
Mountain Biking in Lantana, TX

Mountain Biking in San Antonio Texas as Goverment Canyon Park

by Ben Smeding

Buffalo Hill Mountain Bike Race 2015

by chrispodz


The first lap of the Cat 1 Men Mountain Bike Race at Buffalo Hill Trails in Canyon, TX on March 8, 2015.

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/IamWillPowers/status/577613314844422144

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/577556977473073152

https://twitter.com/texasaggie1/status/577263173713068033

https://twitter.com/AustinpalStacy/status/577364419279204352

Event Reminders

Tired Leg Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The clouds made it feel cooler than the temperature indicated. I dressed warmer than I probably need to with shorts, long sleeve jersey and a jacket. For the first 20 minutes or so I was glad I had made this choice. By then I started to warm up and it wasn’t so cool. It was 71 when I left home at 1:16 under cloudy skies with a light wind from the ESE. The forecast called for 78 degrees and it got there by the time I was back home at 3:41.

I rode the Atascocita – Walden – Huffman route with a change to the section through Atascocita. I went south on Kings Park Way to FM1960, crossed over that and went to Atascocita Road. After a few hundred yards on Atascocita Road I turned into one of the Atascocita subdivisions and made my way to Aerobic Drive; a fitting name for exercising. Crossing W. Lake Houston parkway I entered Walden to make my way to FM1960 and Lake Houston. From there I followed the normal route to Huffman and back home for a total of 32.13 miles. I made a short stop at the Huffman Chevron to rest my tired legs and eat a trail mix bar. After a few minutes I was back on FM1960 headed west. I hoped the wind would be at my back and it was kind of, at least it wasn’t the headwind I seemed to battle all the way to Huffman.

As I crossed Lake Houston on the way back home the clouds thinned enough to allow more brightness which stayed with me most of the way back home. This was when it felt warmer and my jacket got wet with sweat.

My legs are feeling the effort from three riding days in a row. When I call for more effort they don’t deliver as much as I would like. My top average speed was 15.1 mph but it only lasted for a couple of miles towards the end of the ride. The final averages speed was 15.0 mph.

No dag sprint today. I had a couple bark at me from behind fences. The pine pollen was not so evident today but the front edge of the Garmin still had a light yellow collection.

The weather is supposed to hold for another day before rain may come back. I hope to ride on St. Patrick’s Day. A green jersey could be in order.

RidewithGPS map, metrics and charts.

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/721536853 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/269282601/embed/0e3bc5b71f38b1044a5198176b53feb072ed6335 590px 405px]