Weather Breaks and I Ride the Bike

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The weather finally broke in my favor today. My wife and I had to drive to The Woodlands around noon and as we were driving the clouds started to break up and the temperature was in the low 70’s. While my wife was shopping in Sam Moon’s I walked over to the Bike Lane shop to browse around. It had been a couple years since I had been in. As I entered the door there were 3 Salsa Fat Bikes welcoming me. They were sharp looking but the almost $4000 price on each was enough to require some smelling salts. I walked up and down the aisles looking at the bikes. The brands were numerous and the types varied from road, MTB, comfort, single speed to cruiser. If I had to guess I think the shop had $500,000 or more of bike inventory, not counting the accessories. This visit encouraged me to get out and ride when we got home. Stopping at Arby’s in Porter for lunch we made it home around 3 PM. My wife had errand to run and I got dressed to ride.

I pushed the start button on my Garmin at 3:27 to begin the Atascocita – Walden – Huffman route. With the late start I modified the route by about 3 miles to get back home by 5:30. I ended up riding 29.34 miles and got home at 5:34 as the sun was moving behind the trees. At the beginning of the ride the wind was kicking up from the SE at 15 mph and gusting to 24 mph. As the ride progressed the wind let up some to 12 mph by the time I finished. The temperature was 78 as I started and a nice 74 at the end. It was still chilly riding across Lake Houston on FM1960. One day of 78 degrees doesn’t heat the water up. I was glad I opted for the long sleeve jersey and shorts. I saw another biker with short sleeves but I don’t know if he was going over the lake.

It’s easy to get discouraged about biking with the winter weather not letting up much. Today was the first ride since February 15th and I told my wife I was beginning to wonder if I would ride at all during March. Well today’s ride took care of that. Another cold front is supposed move through southeast Texas tomorrow late afternoon. I hope to ride before that if the rain stays away. So far my miles for the year stand at 464. That is pretty pitiful. The cold may hang around until Sunday when it could warm up but then rain. I have been putting off riding the windtrainer but this may bring it out of the closet.

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Texas Bicycling News Digest March 2nd

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Vuelta a Nuevo Leon

Measuring how America rides

www.peopleforbikes.org


When PeopleForBikes launched 16 years ago as Bikes Belong, we established the mission of “getting more people riding bikes, more often.” This goal remains central in all of our work today.
As we’ve grown, and as we’ve evaluated the progress of our key projects, we’ve often been frustrated by not being able to confidently answer two of the most basic bicycling questions: How many Americans ride bikes today? What are the key trends in participation?
We’ve struggled with these answers because of the limitations of available participation research. Some surveys have focused exclusively on recreational bike riding. Others have honed in on bike commuting. What’s been missing is a broad-based survey that addresses participation in all types of bicycling in the context of an overall questionnaire that asks a reasonable number of questions.
Today, we are pleased to announce that we …

Mad Duck Cyclery


Mad Duck Racing Family member Adam Mills in action this weekend (while we sat looking at ice and snow) in San Diego Omnium.

TAKE ACTION & MAKE A DIFFERENCE DURING MS AWARENESS WEEK, MARCH 2-8, 2015

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price Joins National MS Society in Challenging Supporters to Join the Movement with Upcoming Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride & Walk MS Events Benefiting MS Research

DALLAS (March 2, 2015) — Members of the Dallas/Fort Worth community, renowned local researchers and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price are calling on the public to take action during MS Awareness Week, March 2-8, 2015, to pursue a world free of multiple sclerosis. Anyone can make a difference in the lives of those affected by multiple sclerosis by registering to participate and fundraise in one of three upcoming National MS Society signature events -  – Walk MS: Dallas, Walk MS: Forth Worth and Bike MS Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride.

“Join me in supporting all those fighting to end MS for this years MS awareness week,” said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. “We are excited to host the finish line of Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride in Sundance Square with a grand celebration. Riders across North Texas, especially those from Fort Worth, whether you are a novice rider or experienced, gear up with me for the ride of a lifetime! You can also show your support by participating in Walk MS: Fort Worth and Walk MS: Dallas.”

As we celebrate MS Awareness Week taking place March 2-8 the Society urges communities to take action and connect with others to support one of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s foremost priorities: advancing research for more than 2.3 million people living with MS worldwide, and providing programs and services that enable people impacted by the disease to live their best lives. In 2014, the Society invested $50.6 million to advance more than 380 research projects around the world, and even in Dallas/Fort Worth, in order to stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. In 2015, funds raised through local events will help sustain and continue fostering this revolutionary research as well as provide programs and services that have an immediate impact on individuals and families affected by MS. …

Tuesday: Intermediate/Advanced Mountain Bike Ride at the Ant Hills

Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015, 6:15 PM

15200 Memorial Dr
15200 Memorial Dr Houston, Te

1 cyclists Went

This will be a medium to fast pace ride through the Ant Hills of Hershey Park! Bring WATER, spare tube/tire, snacks, etc…Helmets required. Call if you are going to be late so we can wait for you. Wheels rolling by 6:30! See you there

Check out this Meetup →

Memorial Park Conservancy

Greater Houston Off-Road Biking Association (GHORBA)

This is another important meeting to attend. The Master Plan should be approved by City Council shortly after this meeting and the details contained will define the mountain bike, trail running, and hiking experience in Memorial Park for years to come.

Route 66 goes through the Texas Panhandle.

Don’t forget Winona … Adventure Cycling releases Bicycle Route 66 maps

by BRAIN Staff        www.bicycleretailer.com


MISSOULA, Mont. (BRAIN) — Adventure Cycling Association has released its Bicycle Route 66 map set, charting the course for cyclists to travel the famous corridor from Chicago to Los Angeles on roads appropriate for cycling, including sections of the historic highway. The 2,486-mile route is covered in a specially designed six-map set, allowing cyclists to tour the whole thing or ride a few sections.
“The vision for Bicycle Route 66 is the same as the original vision for Route 66, which was to connect the main streets of rural and urban communities,” said Ginny Sullivan, Adventure Cycling’s director of travel initiatives. “Bicycle Route 66 will be a perfect choice for traveling cyclists looking to …

Be sure to read the “Hangin’ On” column by Andy Hollinger

The Racing Post – March 2015

theracingpost.us


Features
6 Knight Ride
10 Product Review – Limar Cycling Sunglasses
11 Ride Preview – Germanfest Metric Century
13 Product Review – Canari Kit from a Woman’s Point of View
14 2014/15 Cyclocross in Review
18 Meet MSU’s Hannah Ross
19 The Great Escape
22 The First Weekend in March – LaPrimavera
24 The Racer’s Lens
25 First Rally Decision
27 Photo Essay I – Cedar Hill Bike Festival – Brian Barrett
28 Product Review – Selle SMP T3 Saddle
29 Single Speed Love
30 Inside the P/1/2/3 at Megan Baab Road Race
36 Photo Essay II – Cedar Hill by Lee McDaniel …

Action Alert: Tell the Waxahachie City Council You Want Safe Streets

BikeTexas


Waxahachie has a great opportunity to make the city safer for all residents, including people who ride bikes, with the planned 10 miles of bike lanes. However, the two miles on Marvin Avenue have come up against strong opposition. Without those critical two miles, the whole project could be lost, because Marvin Avenue is a key connecter through the city.
Your voice matters! Contact Mayor Strength TODAY and let him know that you support bicycle lanes on Marin Avenue. Additionally, contact the …

Newsletter March 2015

San Antonio Wheelmen

In This Issue – Monday, March 2, 2015
Dear Friends,
Happy Texas Independence Day!
With a new month, we have a number of things happening at your Alamo Area MPO. From meetings of all our standing committees, to public open houses happening around the area with our partner agencies to special events happening this Saturday toencourage us all to get outdoors and live earth wise – March is off to a roaring start!
We are pleased to announce, due to popular request, that we will be holding 3 separate Street Skills classes this month – limited spaces remain available – check out the article in this newsletter and sign up quickly!
Whether its through FastTrack Online, the FastTrack e-newsletter, our Facebook page, our Twitter handle, our YouTube Channel, our website, or in person at one of …

Paceline Newsletter

Fort Worth Bicycling Association

Our most recent Paceline (the club’s online newsletter) was added 3-2-15 and is available

Hudson Bend/Lake Travis Middle School MTB Team and LTHS MTB team

Southwest CycleSport

Congratulations to the kids representing Hudson Bend/Lake Travis Middle School MTB Team and LTHS MTB team at the Mellow Johnny Classic in Dripping Springs on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s temperatures were below freezing with drizzle (and lots of mud); Sunday was a bit warmer but was a slopfest. Wes Figg took his spot on the podium in the Cat 2 19-25 category; Hunter Ling also had a space on the podium in …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

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Event Reminder

Texas Bicycling News March 1st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

COMMENTARY: Bicycle safety and awareness in the RGV

RICHARD CAVIN | GUEST COLUMNIST        www.themonitor.com


Remember when you were young and full of energy? Maybe you are still full of energy, and although a lot of us are not young anymore, we’re still young at heart.
Remember riding your bicycle when the world was not so crazy, hurried and complex? Some of us remember those times fondly. Recall the tassels on the bike handlebars and baseball cards put in tire spokes (to make motor sounds) that were connected to the fork via mom’s clothespins? We put our favorite stickers on the bicycle frame. And we lived on our bikes!
Yes, those were the days when life seemed much simpler and less hurried.
As the years passed, advancements in technology and …

Texas Bicycle and Beer Expo 2015, 10/31 – 11/1

www.texasbicycleandbeerexpo.com

2015 Exhibitors
Stay tuned for information on registering as an Exhibitor for the 2015 Texas Bicycle and Beer Expo!
Exhibitor Categories
Our exposition will offer the best in regional exhibitors from the following categories:  Custom Bicycle Frame Builders, Bicycle Manufacturers, Apparel and Accessory makers, Tools and Components, Local Bicycle Advocates and Bicycle Shops, Touring and Adventure, Media, Transportation, Race Promotion, Lifestyle, and Craft Breweries.  …

Texas A&M Cycling Team

We’ve experienced significant growth this season! Treated everyone to a cold and wet race weekend at Texas State University. Lots of good racing and lots of good company!

Day 3: In a Silent Way

by Beth        www.brothersbikeride.com


I’m a day behind. We apologize for any inconvenience.
I worked for about five hours on Friday but didn’t finish the thing I’d really wanted to finish, so I left the hotel in a BAD MOOD.
On my way out of town I had to make a hairy left turn onto a busy street. After waiting a while I finally saw an opening and started creeping into the lane of oncoming traffic; I just needed the traffic on my right to pass, and in seconds it would. But suddenly a car coming from the right turned left onto my street, taking my turning window. Meanwhile, a semi truck was bearing down on me from my left, and I didn’t have time to accelerate quickly enough to clear it. So I backed up to avoid death. But it was scary and did not improve my mood!
The drive was neither here nor there for me; it was too crowded to achieve the sense of oneness with the world I’ve found on previous trips, and I was pretty distracted thinking about work. I contemplated moving to …

Austin on a Bike’s Alternative Bike Routes: The Southern Hippie Highway

Austin on a Bike        austinonabike.com


Whenever I see a cyclist start cranking uphill on South First, I cringe.
There’s just no good reason, pretty much ever, to ride a bicycle (especially southbound) on South First Street.
But, once upon a time, I was brutally unaware of this fact too, and thus after a decade of finding better ways to go, I present to you the inaugural post in a series I’ll call “Austin on a Bike Guide to Alternate Bike Routes (or How to Try to Stay Alive on a Bike in Austin)“. Each post, which I’ll attempt to deliver you each weekend, assumes you know some of the very basic connectors downtown (stick with 2nd, 3rd and 4th for crosstown) and that you’re painfully aware of the Hike and Bike trail, the Boardwalk and the Pedestrian Bridge, but need to know the best way to actually go somewhere beyond downtown on a bike.
These routes will take you along some of the most basic north-south corridors in town without sticking you on too many (if any) busy major roads where you need to take a lane amongst traffic. If you’re new here, trust me, these are the ways you need to know.
For each of these routes, you can …

BikeHouston’s monthly newsletter Spoke&Word #12 is out

www.bikehouston.org


BikeHouston presents its latest newsletter Spoke&Word #12 with a list of the events BikeHouston will be part of the coming month, please consider signing up to help with BikeValet, Outreach, leading a ride, or when and where your district holds its Capital Improvement Plan meeting so you can attend and speak up for cyclist’s wishes and rights.
If you want to receive the newsletter, send an email to newsletter@bikehouston.org with your full name, address and phone number or sign up as a member and support BikeHouston’s mission to make Houston a more bicycle friendly city.
You can read the whole newsletter by …

Solo bicycle trip to San Antonio to benefit local Planned Parenthood

CHRISTINA R. GARZA | STAFF WRITER        www.themonitor.com


Seventy-six-year-old Eugene “Gene” Novogrodsky left Brownsville early Thursday morning to embark on a 300 mile solo bicycle trip to San Antonio, aptly called “The Spirit of ‘76” to raise money for Planned Parenthood of South Texas.
Novogrodsky and his wife Ruth Wagner were spurred into action to support the health care provider when state funding was cut. Both Novogrodsky and Wagner became alarmed at the long-term effects lack of affordable health care and family planning could have on …

Tacos at Rudy’s II

Hill Country Randonneurs

Start Date and TIme: 5/16/2015 at 7:00am.
Starting location: CVS Pharmacy, Parmer ln at Avery Ranch, Cedar Park, TX 78613
This is a hilly course through some of the most popular cycling roads in Austin. It is a modified “Dam Loop”. You are never very far from a place to stop a grab food or drink.
If you want more information or to notify me …

Pace Bend, Rain, Elevated

Michell Sides        mitchellsides.wordpress.com

I knew going into Pace Bend that we were going to be ready to roll, but it’s kind of an odd course in that you never really know how it could go.  It was also cold and lightly drizzling, and I perhaps underdressed with only a SanRemo and Aeroshell for warmth.  I made it through, only cold once when we slowed up a bit.  I’ve been told the early breaks rarely succeed, but with the depth on Elevate, we really wanted to be part of anything that had a legitimate gap.  So, the team meeting had us, or me at least, pretty hyped on this one.  Get in the moves, follow everything, then deliver Zach to midway up the hill sprint  if it’s all together.  We don’t care what happens, as long as someone in the Elevate kit gets the win.  We will only work with absolute numbers.  Another team has …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

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https://twitter.com/MitchellGSides/status/572091472649977856

Event Reminders

Texas Bicycling News February 28th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Gator Ride – Baytown, TX

runwithapurpose        instagram.com


Biking 62 miles solo today.. With a couple hundred other crazy people. Temp still in the 30s and windy. I’m bundled up! Can’t say I didn’t train in it… Here we go!

Dallas Cycling Trail Riders and Weekend Pub Crawler

Allen, TX
1,678 Members

We are a fun 2 part group. Fitness buddies that want to be social too! So we combined what we like doing, riding our bikes around and doing pub crawls or other social events w…

Check out this Meetup Group →

DORBA – Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association

DORBA


We would like to congratulate DORBA member Thomas Mullins on being featured in the new REI catalog! Thomas is one of the many assistant trail stewards that builds and maintains the Northshore trail in Grapevine, TX. He is …

Cyclists report a disproportionate number of errors to Google Maps

Updated by Joseph Stromberg        www.vox.com

Google relies on user-submitted complaints to continually improve its maps. If the turn-by-turn directions tell you to turn left at an intersection where lefts are forbidden, for instance, you can report the problem, and engineers at Google’s Project Ground Truth will adjust their data accordingly.
In this new video (above), the Wall Street Journal’s Christopher Mims dug up an interesting fact about this system: cyclists contribute disproportionately more complaints than anyone else. Google hasn’t …

Huebner Creek Hike and Bike Trail

www.texasbids.net

Bid Date & Time: 03/27/15 10:00 AM
Prebid: 03/20/15 10:00 AM
Solicitation Title: Huebner Creek Hike and Bike Trail
Owner Solic Number: 2117-001-00     Status: bidding    Report: 6157458
Country :United States     State: TX    County: Bexar
Location: Leon Valley
Scope: The project includes construction of a hike and bike trail. 15 SY of rem conc (sidewalk or ramp); 3,072 SY of erosion control compost (2″); 6 mo of barricades, signs, and traffic handling; 10 ea, trail signage; 2 ea, trash receptacles; 1 AC of cellulose fiber mulch seeding (perm). See attached file.
Notes: Pre-Bid Details: March 20, 2015 at 10:00 AM at CIty of Leon Valley, 6400 El Verde Road, Leon Valley, TX 78238. Deadline for questions: no later than seven (7) full calendar days prior to the bid opening time and date. This project has a “prevailing wage” requirement.
Plans: From CivCast USA / Amtek Information Service, Inc., PO Box 692303, 4001 Sherwood Lane, Houston, Texas 77092. See attached & linked files.
Outside Link: http://www.civcastusa.com/projectdetails.aspx?projectID=6080
Bond: 2% bid bond
Owner Type: Public
Buyer: Leon Valley, City of
Address: 6400 El Verde Rd
City: Leon Valley    State: TX    Zip/Postal Code: 78238 …

Bike MS 2015 training is in full swing!

by Laura        lauramakes.com

Well, it’s official. I’ve signed up for my 8th annual Bike MS ride and started training 3 weeks ago! For the second year in a row, I’m doing the Sam’s Club Round Up Ride in DFW on the first weekend in May. I had originally planned to choose a different ride, but our schedules this year just didn’t allow it. Plus, they’ve changed up the Sam’s Club Round Up Ride so that it ends in downtown Fort Worth’s Sundance Square on Sunday, rather than ending at the Texas Motor Speedway both days. Thanks to you, I achieved top fundraiser status last year, so that should make this a good year. I haven’t yet set up my fundraising page, but I did have an interesting training ride last weekend that I wanted to share. We were in Dallas to tour some breweries and I took my bike and explored the …

San Angelo Currently Second-Healthiest Mid-Size Community in Texas

By Chelsea Reinhard        sanangelolive.com


It’s been two months since countless San Angeloans swore off their sweets in favor of becoming better versions of themselves in the new year, and so far the hard work has paid off: San Angelo is currently ranked second in the state for healthy activity, logged online as a part of HEB’s annual Community Challenge.
Over 11,000 individual activities and participation from local schools, businesses and organizations have logged the city 129,300 points—Some 375 lost pounds. The efforts are pitting the city behind Pharr and just ahead of Cedar Park (in DFW) in the number two slot in the mid-size range.
The challenge, which began statewide three years ago, was brought to San Angelo in 2014 and …

31st Annual Tour de Paris Looking for Sponsors

www.eparisextra.com


Paris Visitors and Convention Council and Lamar County Chamber of Commerce are already making plans for the 31st Annual Tour de Paris Bicycle Rally to be held on Saturday, July 18, 2015.
This bicycle rally brings over 900 bicyclists from all over Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and states as far away as California.
Many of these riders will be staying in local hotels, visiting area retail outlets to shop and eating in our restaurants.
There is a lot of expense involved with putting on an event of this magnitude and organizers are looking for sponsors.  There are several levels of sponsorships available.
The Tour de Paris offer the riders many …

Tail Wind Ride from Piney Woods, TX to North Woods BWCA, MN

by Brian Riecker        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Bicycle Touring Classifieds
37 year-old experienced touring cyclist biking 30-80 miles per day with occasional layovers. Averaging 13-15 MPH fully loaded.
Starting in late April 2015 and taking about 3 months. Meandering route from Gulf of Mexico in piney woods region of Texas to northern Minnesota, ending with a week-long canoe trip in Boundary Waters. Taking advantage of scenic highways, historic spots, and state parks. Smelling the roses with no definite schedule or route.
Self-Contained, Camping and Warm Showers with occasional Motel when necessary. Looking for several people any age or gender for all or part of the ride. …

Frankenbike is a go. My toes are a-frozen.

Austin on a Bike

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

 

https://twitter.com/MitchellGSides/status/571875298578325504

https://twitter.com/bicyclesplus/status/571855131500781568

https://twitter.com/FightCancerYes/status/571703030023892992

https://twitter.com/FrozenMOVlE/status/571543936680005633

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