Texas Bicycling News Digest February 11th

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2015 Gran Fondo bicycle ride cancelled

www.woodlandsonline.com

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The Steering Committee of the 2015 TWFG Insurance Services Gran Fondo: Texas TMCO announces that this year’s ride is cancelled.
The primary consideration of any bicycle ride is the safety of the participant riders. After an exhaustive effort to find safe routes in the area surrounding The Woodlands, Texas, it was the …

Big Changes in the Bike4Heck House and San Antonio for 2014-2015:

Bike4Heck

Right now the city of San Antonio has a new interim-mayor and we will be holding an election soon for a new mayor. This has me a bit nervous because the previous mayor, Julian Castro, was very big on increasing bicycle infrastructure in San Antonio and it was under his watch that the bicycle master plan was passed. During his time here in San Antonio we saw a vast expansion of bike lanes and trails and signs that reminded motorists to share the road and that bikes can use the full lane and the start of Siclovia. Castro has now moved on to a position in Washington D.C..
What will the future bring for San Antonio it’s uncertain but only time will tell. I hope we continue to move forward with pro-cycling city policies but lately some actions have left me doubting what will happen to the future of two wheeled transportation in San Antonio. I will be exploring these doubts in the next few blog posts over the …

Pedernales Falls State Park Trail Build & Ride!

Sunday, Feb 15, 2015, 9:00 AM

Pedernales Falls State Park
2585 Park Road 6026 Johnson City, TX

4 Mountain Bikers Went

Pedernales Falls State Park TRAIL BUILD & RIDE!BRING YOUR PAYDIRT FORMS! http://www.tmbra.org/paydirt/paydirt.htmThe completed sections of the new trail were a hit at the 2014 Cranksgiving!  BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!  5+ miles of trail are still under development!These sections, not yet open to the public, have lots more elevation changes, G-ou…

Check out this Meetup →

Cypress Creek Mountain Biking Trails

Texas Adventure Racing Club

Ron Dorrell with Chris Phillips and Sarah Ginsbach at Cypress Creek Mountain Bike Trails
(Video)

Bike Sharing with Heart

texasbikeracing.com


Bike Donations Needed for Special Olympics Athletes
We’re calling for some outreach within the Texas bicycle racing community to help a great group of athletes get some much-needed bicycles. The Baylor University/Waco area chapter of the Special Olympics is in need of bicycles they can use to train with and compete on at regional and national events.
William “Ray” Lamb of Waco is spearheading this donation drive after spending the last year helping develop a cycling program with the group. “They are really excited to compete in cycling,” says Lamb, a cyclist who races in endurance events and also teaches road and mountain biking classes at …

‘Ghost bikes’ vanishing from Houston streets

By Katherine Whaley        abc13.com

(Video)
HOUSTON (KTRK) — Have you ever wondered about those white bikes along the side of the road? Each of those bikes marks the spot where a cyclist was hit and killed.
Richard Tomlinson, a cyclist himself, almost single-handedly maintains Houston’s ghost bikes. Each bike is stripped of its chains and gears, is spray-painted white, and is installed at the location where a cyclist was hit and killed. So far, Tomlinson, along with a small group of volunteers, have placed 53 ghost bikes in the Houston area.
The ghost bikes are part of an international project to memorialize cyclists — there’s even a …

Green Valentine Kidical Mass

Kidical Mass

Saturday, February 14
at 10:00am – 12:00pm in CST
3 days from now · 23°C / 11°C Clear
Onion Creek Coffee House
3106 White Oak Dr, Houston, Texas 77007
Kidical Mass rides again. Join us for a safe, family-oriented ride starting at Onion Creek Coffee House during the Green Valentine Market.
BikeHouston will lead a Kidical Mass ride beginning at 10am. Get organized early and come join the fun.
Kidical Mass is a legal, safe and FUN bike ride for kids, kids at heart, and their families. The first ride was held in April 2008 in …

USA Cycling unveils 2015 American Mountain Bike Challenge calendar

www.usacycling.org

(Feb. 11, 2015) – USA Cycling announced the nine-stop American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar on Wednesday. Launching in March, the 20th installment of the AMBC will feature nine contests in eight states, which will span 15 days of competition between March and November.
The nine-race 2015 AMBC will run March through November.
The AMBC was created in 1996 to provide opportunities for mountain bikers of all ages and abilities. Each stop on the series offers cross-country races, while some events may host short-track cross country, downhill, observed trials, or super D competitions as well.
AMBC events held prior to July 13 will also serve to qualify riders for cross-country events at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships, which take place July 15-19 at Mammoth Mountain in California. The number of rider qualification slots will be …
September 4-6 – Camp Eagle Classic Mountain Bike Festival – Rocksprings, TX

Bike lane plan in the works

by Julie Butterfield        impactnews.com


Although a bicycle lane plan is still a component of the South Montgomery County Mobility Study, the wider scope of what the Bike The Woodlands Coalition and The Woodlands Township hoped to see in the study was not addressed. In response, the township in September incorporated funding for a master cycling plan it hopes will lay the groundwork for the development of bike lanes.
The purpose of the mobility study, according to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, or H-GAC, which conducted the study in 2014, is to improve the efficiency of the roadway network in south Montgomery County. The study also evaluated bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
“There were some gaps [in the study],” said John Powers, assistant general manager of …

Route safety concerns doom Gran Fondo bike ride

By Bridget Balch        www.yourhoustonnews.com

The TWFG Insurance Services Gran Fondo: Texas TMCO bike ride has been canceled due to concerns about the safety of the route.
“We were really concerned with the ability to put on a safe ride with the volumes of traffic,” said Scott Beard of the ride’s steering committee.
The ride was expected to attract about 3,000 cyclists to The Woodlands area for the weekend of March 29, and organizers hoped to raise thousands of dollars for the …

Austin recognized as national leader in creating streets that work for everyone

BikeTexas

The City of Austin is working to make streets safer for all road users—and our work has been recognized by the National Complete Streets Coalition as among the nation’s best.
Austin’s Complete Streets policy, adopted in June 2014, is #3 in The Best Complete Streets Policies of 2014, released February 10. The policy directs transportation planners and engineers to design and build streets that provide safe, convenient travel for road users of all ages and abilities—pedestrians, transit users, people on bikes, and drivers—which leads to less congestion and a healthier Austin. Bike Austin and …

Day 8 – Fort Stockton: Easy Day    Tuesday February 10, 2015

By Alan Guo, Beaumont to San Francisco (Feb 2015)        www.crazyguyonabike.com

(Photos)
The day was nice. I had a late start, knowing that the next few days are going to 65 miles or less. It was hot, topping out at 97 deg F at one point, but the distance was short, and I had plenty of water. When I stopped at a truck stop, I even got a bottle of water from a trucker, who also happens to be a cyclist.
Today, I stopped in Fort Stockton, explored the town a little, showered at …

Day 9 – Balmorhea: Headwind sucks Wednesday February 11, 2015

By Alan Guo, Beaumont to San Francisco (Feb 2015)        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Today, the headwind ate me raw. The forecast now indicates a wind from the North at 19 mph, with gusts of 24 mph, which would indicate a crosswind. The direction must have changed, because I had a headwind the whole way, grinding along at 10 mph on the flats. It sucked big time.
Tonight, it looks like it might rain. I will try to setup camp under some shelter. There are several …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/andrewpyoung/status/565530509854253056

https://twitter.com/AustinpalStacy/status/564994758402408448

Event Reminder

Sore Muscles Recovery Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Last night after eating dinner I started to get up from my chair and my leg muscles let me I had overworked them biking. This morning when I got up the soreness was still there but at least I could move around without constant pain. At first I thought biking today might be a bad idea, a recovery day, but as morning changed to noon the muscles were doing better. With the sun finally burning off the fog I set off on the ride at 1:14. It was 76 degrees, partly cloudy sky and a light SE wind of 9 or 10 mph. The first 5 or 6 miles were difficult from the sore muscles but as they warmed up the soreness seemed to go away. In reality it didn’t go away as I found out whenever I stood up to pedal.

According to Dr. Mirkin, sore muscles means you have been working them to grow stronger. I think I did that.

Around the 8 or 9 miles into the ride I decided to shorten the route. Rather than ride to Huffman I would ride to Walden and then circle back home. Today’s ride was 22.84 miles long and the average speed was a lowly 13.6 mph. Every time I thought about pedaling harder and faster my sore muscles reminded me this was a recovery ride.

With the nice weather I stopped at the west end of Lake Houston on FM1960 and took these pictures (click on the image to enlarge it).

Looking northeast
Looking NNE

The picture on the left looks like I have two bikes, a big one and a little one.

I saw three bikers along the route. To get 22 miles I rode out to the middle of the causeway and then back to Atascocita Shores Drive.

Mileage standings:

  • 98.96 miles this week
  • 202.84 miles for February, 6 riding days so far
  • 344.34 miles YTD

A cool front is supposed to arrive later tonight and I need to take my wife to the medical center tomorrow which means no ride. Friday’s weather looks too cold to ride; maybe the weatherman will be wrong. Saturday’s Humble Lions Club ride still looks possible but I will wait to see if it is anywhere close to warm enough at the start.

RideWithGPS map, metrics, and charts.

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Texas Cycling News Digest February 10th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

the Inaugural Big Southie

THE BIG SOUTHIE

Are you ready for some BS?
What:  This is a self-supported, fun ride linking the various trail systems in South Austin.  No entry fee, no prizes, (almost) no road!
Date: 3/7 (rain date 4/4)
Time: 9AM rollout
Where: Dick Nichols parking lot.
Route:  Consists of three loops, each loop is about 17-18 miles long.  Total mileage is about 53.  Check the Route page for details.
Rules . . .we don’t have a lot but here they are:
1.  All trails are two-way and open to other user groups (even horses) . . .be a good MTB ambassador.
2.  Be responsible for yourself.  Get your bike in working order and wear a …

Big Southie pre-ride

Saturday, Feb 14, 2015, 9:00 AM

Dick Nichols Park
8011 Beckett Austin, TX

8 Mountain Bikers Went

2/14, 9AM Dick Nichols parking lot. We will do the ‘guts’ of the full ride. This will give riders a good tour of each loop and we will point out where you break off to do other sections. We will skip Slaughter, GB, Stephenson and Bauerle. 24 miles with two stops back at DN park. Casual pace, may break into different speed groups if there is demand …

Check out this Meetup →

Big Southie pre-ride

Sunday, Feb 15, 2015, 9:00 AM

Dick Nichols Park
8011 Beckett Austin, TX

4 Mountain Bikers Went

2/15, 9AM Dick Nichols parking lot. We will do the Gnorth loop in full. Riders can see the GB loop and also ride the maze in Stephenson. Will be about 18 miles out and back, so pack accordingly. Casual pace, may break into different speed groups if there is demand for it. Link to route on the website: https://thebigsouthie.wordpress.com/

Check out this Meetup →

Marin recalls kids’ bikes due to handlebars

by BRAIN Staff        www.bicycleretailer.com


NOVATO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Marin Mountain Bikes is recalling 450 kids’ bikes because the handlebars can loosen or separate. The recall involves Marin 2014 MBX 50 and Tiny Trail boys and girls bikes with 16-inch knobby tires.
On its website Marin said a limited number of handlebar stems on these models are out of manufacturing tolerance. “In an abundance of caution, we have initiated a recall with the CPSC,” the company said. “This is a voluntary recall, and Marin has received no reports of any injuries.”
The boys’ models are red and have …

Saturday 2/14 [Triple Bs or Pace Bend laps] & Sunday 2/15 [Coffee Shop Ride]

Steiner Ranch Cycling

Saturday 2/14 is Valentine’s Day and the club encourages you to spend time with your true love.  Bring your significant other to Cups & Cones and prepare to ride it, as you know it wants to be ridden, starting at 8:30 AM for the Triple Bs lead by Jason Yunker.  An alternative option for those looking for extra punishment would be to join the SRC folks that have signed up for the 2/22 road race at Pace Bend park for practice.  That group will meet at Pace Bend park at 8:30 AM and …

Scoping New Work Commute Routes

Cycling Space City

So I have a new job that will have me working at Enclave Parkway near Briar Forrest in the Energy Corridor for the next 2 months.  I decided to try out possible routes from Katy on a Sunday afternoon.
With the multi-use path through George Bush Park and Terry Hershey Park I can ride most of the roughly 16 miles car free.  I was hoping there would be an exit from Terry Hershey right next to my new office but there wasn’t.  If I exit at …

Cycling’s Cost of Entry

A Bicycle’s Point of View

Getting into Cycling:
Cheap, Expensive or Both?
When looking at the kinds of bikes professionals use (and I mean the guys we actually see on TV, not riding around the neighborhood on Sunday mornings), many formulate preconceived notions that cycling is a rich man’s sport, similar to playing golf and yacht racing. The truth is that there is a slight bit of truth, however small it may be, to that stereotype. It’s a view that often gets compounded and reinforced by the bicycle industry itself. Most bikes seen in the Tour De France are actually rebranded custom made bicycles that are not available in stores. The ones that are, however, can sell well over $10,000 USD. Does that mean that cycling is …

Upcoming Events

Greater Dallas Bicyclists

2/14/2015
8:51 AM DFW Airport Fast Ride – Fal/Win
2/14/2015
Best Of The Southwest – Mountain View – Fall/Winter/Spring
2/14/2015
9 AM DFW Airport Ride – Fal/Win
2/14/2015
9 AM Distance Builder – Fal/Win
2/14/2015
9:30 AM Plano East Side – Fal/Win
2/14/2015
10 AM Easy Going Ride
2/15/2015
9:30 AM Sunday Roll – Fal/Win
2/15/2015
9:30 AM Skill Builder By Request

Cool Breeze

Fort Worth Bicycling Association

Sunday, February 15, 2015 9:00 am
Jim’s Tarrant-Johnson counties ride that takes in Arlington, Kennedale, Retta, Burleson, Lillian, and Mansfield, and hits almost every shady tree lined road in the county. It is 60 miles and it has enough hills to make you tired and has enough trees to keep you cool and not much traffic either. Come on out and join Jim for a great recovery ride. There are also 20, 35, and 48 mile versions.
This time Fran and Jerry are leading.
Routes
County Road Cool Breeze
80 mile route
57 mile route
46 mile route
34 mile route
20 mile route

The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group

Austin, TX
3,937 Mountain Bikers

Meet other local mountain bikers to organize rides, review trails, gear and trade tips. All skill-levels welcome. We’ll try to organize rides that fit all experience levels. M…

Check out this Meetup Group →

Sunday morning training ride

Sunday, Feb 15, 2015, 10:00 AM

Location details are available to members only.

8 Members Went

Sunday morning training ride from RBM @ 10:00 am approximately 30-34 miles. This is is a DROP ride, so beginning riders may want to wait until our social ride later on this month. We will ride 14-16 mile pace. Bring water and a helmet. We will stop for a short break during the ride for snacks/refreshments.

Check out this Meetup →

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/565325880797696002

https://twitter.com/BSS_Road_Club/status/565191594597285889

Event Reminders

Leaping Past Grand Parkway Construction Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Today I moved the starting point to James Webster’s house west of the Grand Parkway construction on FM1314. He is just past the place where FM1314 is narrowed to barely two lanes. With the new starting point I came up with a new route name, Cumberland – Conroe – Cumberland. I wasn’t sure how long this route would be. My first guess was 25 miles but it turned out to be 36.56 miles. I have been on all of these roads but for some of them it has been awhile. Loop 336 from FM3083 to FM1314 has been out of my route for several years because to include this in a ride from home the distance would be close to 70 miles.

I found a new convenience store at the corner of FM1314 and Loop 336. It was a good place to take a break for a trail mix bar and fruit bar. At this point I was at 23 miles and had been riding into the wind since I turned left from FM3083 a few miles back. A couple of pictures while I was there.

Looking to the northeast at the Corner Store FM1314 & Loop 336

Looking to the northeast at the Corner Store FM1314 & Loop 336

2-10-2015 Bike Ride Conroe

A selfie at the Corner Store just before leaving

Leaving James’ house I had a favorable wind as long as I was riding to the west or northwest. On Gene Campbell road I had to work hard to keep my speed at 16+ mph. On FM1485 and FM3083 the wind helped me to get the average speed up to 15.9 mph. Turning south on Loop 336 to get to FM1314 moved me into more of headwind and my average speed started to slowly fade. At the end of the ride it was 15.5 mph. Not riding through all of the streets in Kingwood let me get my speed up and stay there unlike all of the stopping and starting I usually have.

The weather wasn’t as warm as yesterday but the sky was as blue and clear. The temperature was 76 at the Corner Store and 74 when I finished the ride. Thankfully the wind was a slow 9 mph from the SSE. This was much better than yesterday’s 24 mph gusts. A couple of screenshots of the weather from my phone.

2-10-2015 Conroe Weather

At the Corner Store FM1314 & Loop 336

At the end of the ride

At the end of the ride

I was hoping it would as warm as yesterday but it did not carry over. It was chilly when I rode in the shade. I was glad I chose a long sleeve jersey and jacket. I left the leg warmers at home.

With today’s ride it is the first time I biked 4 days in a row this year.

By the time I got back to the starting point my legs and butt were ready to sit in the Jeep and rive back home.

Before loading the bike into the Jeep

Before loading the bike into the Jeep

This was the first time I carried my bike in this Jeep. It is easier with the hardtop and rear window plus the space is larger when I fold up the rear seat.

Tomorrow I hope to ride with more nice weather. The forecast calls for clear skies and 74 degrees. Bring it on!!!

February miles: 180.0. YTD 321.51 miles. This week I biked 76.12 miles. I have surpassed January’s total miles so things are looking up.

RideWithGPS map, metrics and charts.

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