Texas Cycling News Digest February 5th

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CCMTB: Longish Lunch Quickie (MTB)

by fefillo        forums.mtbr.com

Hey, it’s not Colorado or Utah but you got to make do with what you got! Anyhow… here’s a few videos of mine of some of the better spots around the Houston area.

A postcard from Brownsville on pedalling and aging

By Alden Moore        www.northbaynipissing.com

Editor’s Note: Former regular Almaguin News contributor Alden Moore sent us this post card from the sunny south. We found it an enjoyable read worth posting.
For the past several years my wife, Sally, and I have been fortunate enough to escape the bone-chilling temperatures and squalid snowstorms so commonplace during our Northern Ontario winters. Instead we spend our winter months at Palm Resaca Park, a safe, friendly gated community in Brownsville Texas.
There are several paved roads in our park and I have turned myself into an ardent bike rider. Constant biking can be an arduous and grueling chore until you can get your legs worked up. And riding around the park can become a little monotonous and mundane.
Brownsville has some very scenic and well laid out bike paths right in the city. Sally had been suggesting for years we ride our bikes over to the closest bike path at the HEB on Paredes. Jaime Zapata road in front of our …

Woof! 2015 Bulldog Bike Ride set for February 21

by Rex Knepp        www.examiner.com


The U. S. Department of Agriculture says that in the Houston area, the average last frost day is February 21. What better way to celebrate the arrival of “spring” (such as it is) than a bicycle ride with a few hundred of your closest friends? This year, the closest date is Saturday, February 21, and the event is the Bulldog Bike Ride. This year’s the tenth edition of this annual ride-slash-pancake pigout.
Riders will find courses of 25, 32 and 50 miles; all of which leave Waller Junior High School starting at 8:00 a.m. You’ll find plenty of familiar territory out there north of the towns of Waller and Prairie View, including some lightly-traveled roads you’ll see again in March’s Bluebonnet Ride. If you haven’t ridden this terrain before, rest assured that it’s a generally flat course with the occasional “roller” and small stream crossing.
Proceeds of this year’s Bulldog Ride will benefit student activities at …

Bike Lanes!

Facts for Five

Bike Lanes! Duncanville is making a move to begin catching up with what we have seen as a growing trend not only across the country and state, but in Dallas County as well.
The Dallas County Bike Plan when completed will connect almost all communities with bike trails, and dedicated and shared lanes on streets.  Part of that plan brings trails to to the front door of Duncanville. Cedar Hill has already jumped on the idea with a few smaller existing trails with more in development.  The Cedar Hill Trail Plan spiderwebs the entire city and will eventually allow bikers a dedicated route to navigate the entire city and access all neighboring towns on bicycle.  The Dallas County Plan Includes …

Faculty host bike ride to honor colleague

med.uth.edu


On the morning Monday, Feb. 2, a group of UTHealth Medical School faculty members headed to work on their bikes in the memory of a former colleague.
The morning ride marked the inaugural Bob Lasky Bike to Work Day. Dr. Robert Lasky was a professor in the Department of Pediatrics who died April 15, 2014. His birthday would have been Feb. 2.
“Bob used to ride his bike to work every day and left a lot of friends at UT,” said Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, the Richard W. Mithoff Professor of Pediatrics and director of the MS in Clinical Research Degree Program. “We’re hoping to do it every year.”
The group biked from the Lasky home to the Medical School Building, where they held …

Cyclists enjoy the beauty of Coldspring in annual bike ride

By Jacob McAdams        www.yourhoustonnews.com


The annual Bike Ride Through the Forest and Hills brought in numerous cyclists, some of which experienced the beauty of Coldspring and challenge of the ride for the first time on Jan. 24.
The Bike Ride is a path no greater than 46 miles in length that takes bikers all around Coldspring.
The Kingwood Fillies, the drill team of Kingwood High School, hosts the bike ride every January. The proceeds go to the Fillies.
Cyclists do not have to traverse the entire 46-mile path and instead …

Ride of Silence – White Rock Lake

Bike Friendly Cedars        www.facebook.com

May 20th, at White Rock Lake at 7:00pm
Ride of Silence, a FREE ride and is a slow paced approx 12 mph, with Zero words spoken as we line up and ride between 9-10 miles.
I’m asking everyone to go to www.rideofsilence.org
Order a t-shirt or jersey to wear during the ride. I believe it will make more of a statement to on-lookers what we are riding for.
I believe, we again will get local news coverage from my friends at CBS/DFW channel 11.
Reason: …

Let’s Meetup and Ride the Mountain Bike trails of Memorial Park

Monday, Feb 9, 2015, 5:00 PM

Memorial Park – Soccer/Rugby Pitch Parking lot
6501 Memorial Dr (29.765522, -95.444994) Houston, TX

5 Members Went

Intermediate MTB Ride – Every Monday at Memorial Park. 5pm until Danny gets tired or it gets too dark. Join Danny every Monday for a fun, moderate pace ride through the Memorial Park Trails. The ride starts about an hour before dusk, so the time changes as it gets dark earlier or later. Meet at the parking lot by the Soccer/Rugby field. Bring your …

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Day 2 – Giddings, TX: ride cut short

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

It was a slightly late start today. I stayed up till 1 AM yesterday planning my route, fixing my bike, updating this journal, etc. When I woke up at 5:30, and ate the breakfast that my host Jeff had provided, I went back to take a nap, to get a little extra rest, which helped a little. It was around 9 when I left, and my legs clearly weren’t prime. I averaged about 3 mph slower than yesterday. My legs were tired, there were rolling hills, and it was wet. I’m experiencing saddle sores. I don’t know if it’s from the wetness or if it’s from a lack of lubrication, but I need to find a way to manage it to keep it from getting worse.
Today, I was planning on 150 miles straight from Houston to Austin. I had planned to bike 95 miles to Giddings, TX, and eat at a buffet, which I did. However, I was depleted when I got there, and I knew that no matter how much I ate to replenish my calories, it would be useless because I’m limited to 250 cal/hr of digestion, which is not enough to sustain a reasonable speed for the rest of the 60 miles. Also, because I had …

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Texas Bicycling News Roundup February 4th

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Beaumont to San Francisco (Feb 2015)

By Alan Guo        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Introduction: Preparing for the trip
Monday February 2, 2015
About me: I’m a 24 years old chemical engineer, living in Texas. I rode bicycles for commuting throughout high school and college. When I graduated, I had a lot more free time and financial stability, allowing me to buy a nice bike, and ride my ass off. Eventually, I started racing, now doing a little touring, so the journey continues. Right now, my goals in cycling is to reach cat 2 or above, and race with elite amateur and pros. I also want to tour Europe and a number of other places. …

Day 1 – Houston: Ditching Hicktown for H-Town

Today kind of sucked. It rained for about 30% of my 92 miles – light drizzle. I was soaking wet, and my bike and body were covered in sand. Also, a large portion of the road I was traveling was on a busy highway. Even for a more rural route, the traffic was relentless between Beaumont and Houston. I also had to bike on a busy road without a shoulder, side by side with commuters as far as the eye can see. At least there was a lot of traffic lights that kept the traffic tame and the speeds low. This was the only time I thanked god for traffic lights. Also, I was lucky to have a wonderful host from WarmShowers, Jeff and Dotty. They fed me really good, and treated me like a son. I feel lucky and blessed, and my faith in humanity has improved tremendously.
I had my first mechanical. As I was riding towards Houston, my bike …

Lick Creek Hike and Bike Trail

www.texasbids.net

Bid Date & Time: 02/05/15 2:00 PM
Prebid: 01/29/15 2:00 PM
Solicitation Title: Lick Creek Hike and Bike Trail
Owner Solic Number: 15-026, ST1104    Status: bidding    Report: 6090474
Country :United States     State: TX    County: Brazos
Location: College Station
Est. Low Value: $3,396,209    Est. High Value: $3,396,209
Scope: Project consists of a five (5) mile hike and bike trail. Work includes: demolition of existing 4′ walks; tree protection; irrigation
system salvage; clearing and grubbing for trail alignment (30′ trail corridor); erosion control; fence removal; paving (gravel) removal;
grading; concrete curb & gutter; retaining wall; concrete drainage culvert (3’x5′); landscape boulders; trailhead concrete paving (5″ thick
concrete w/ 6″ lime base and excavation); trailhead limestone paving; trailhead bicycle rack; trailhead trash receptacle; trailhead
informative signage; trailhead fence; precast concrete pavers; pedestrian crosswalk striping; hydroseed. See attached file.
Notes: A pre-bid Meeting will be held at 1101 Texas Avenue, City Hall, second floor conference roomat 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, January 29, 2015. This meeting is not mandatory, but attendance ishighly recommended. Q&A
Deadline: Monday, February 02, 2015 2:00:00 PM Central.
Plans: From Owner. See attached files.
Bond: 5% bid bond
Update Notes: Addendum #1 & 2 attached.
Owner Type: Public …

Dallas Cycling Trail Riders and Weekend Pub Crawler

Allen, TX
1,679 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…

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Austin Multi-Sport

by JJ Velasquez        impactnews.com


Tom and Lara Ruthven are parlaying a lifelong love of athletics into a local enterprise they said they hope will help people lead active lifestyles.
The Ruthvens began Austin Multi-Sport in June 2013. The business offers gear and other retail items for swimming, cycling and running, and the Ruthvens offer triathlon training as well as suspension training, a type of exercise using body-weight resistance.
Tom said the business is cultivating a reputation for providing cycling expertise.
“I think we have one of the finest repair and service shops for bikes in all of Central Texas,” Tom said.
Austin Multi-Sport offers services for cyclists ranging from those who enjoy riding as a pastime to those who compete in Ironman competitions.
The shop’s bike-fitting service accommodates different kinds of bicycles, such as youth, mountain, road bikes and …

Pedernales Falls State Park Trail Build & Ride!

Saturday, Feb 7, 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…

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Road Ride in McKinney/Plano

Saturday, Feb 7, 2015, 10:00 AM

Location details are available to members only.

5 Members Went

So they are saying beautiful weather Saturday so if you are not going on the Spaghetti Warehouse ride then come on up and join me for a road ride to work off those extra holiday pounds. Pace about 15-16, distance 25-30 miles, helmets required.

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February Club Meeting Fun

Woodlands Cycling Club

How many people does it take to change a tire?  Continue reading and check out the video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNVs59UM00A

2015 PCC Great Escape Bicycle Ride – Canceled!

Pearland Cycling club

The 2015 PCC Great Escape Bicycle Ride, originally scheduled for Sunday, March 8, 2015 has been Canceled.
From the PCC Board:
Regretfully, the Pearland Cycling Club has canceled The Great Escape (TGE) MS150 recommended ride which was scheduled for Sunday March 8, 2015 because 3 of 5 TGE segments are experiencing either complete road closures (CR 190/Bissell Road in Manvel and FCR 65/FCR 48 in Iowa Colony) or have increased vehicular traffic due to community festivals occurring on the same date. We feel that putting an additional 1,000 TGE cyclists in the midst of the increased vehicular traffic pressure on alternative routes due to these force majeurs would not be a safe situation.

Fairmount: Lookin’ fairly fantastic!

bikeabledallas.com

You may have noticed numerous new shared lane markings popping up in Uptown in the last few days. Fairmount Street now has shared lane markings from Thomas Street to Welborn Street– the first leg of a new bike route between Uptown and Oak Lawn! (If you say it often enough, as we have been doing in the planning and design of this route, you’ll be amazed what a tongue twister “Uptown-Oak Lawn” can …

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Texas Bicycling News Digest February 3rd

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Rollover Pass to Lake Jackson

By Steve Martinez        Texas Gulf Coast

Saturday December 20, 2014, 70 miles (113 km) – Total so far: 70 miles (113 km)

Christmas was coming up and I had already planned to take the whole week off to ride my bike down the Texas Gulf Coast. Originally I wanted to start in Louisiana and go down to the Mexican boarder but I changed my plans so I can actually spend time with family and friends for the holidays. My plan now was to ride from roll over pass on the bolivar peninsula all the way to North Padre Island. I went to work on Friday the 19th of December with my Surly riding in the back of my 1996 Suburban already fully loaded. My plan was to have my buddy George meet me at work and take me to rollover pass that night so we can do some fishing. Georges truck had broke down a couple of days earlier and I had agreed to lend him my suburban if he would drop me off at rollover. I clocked out at 5pm and we were on our way. A cold front was already blowing in and the temp was already dropping. By the time we got gas, food, bait and made it to rollover it was 9pm. We threw out our lines and …

Bicycle Facility Engineering

www.texasbids.net

Bicycle Facility Engineering
Bid Date & Time: 02/05/15 5:00 PM
Owner Solic Number: 15-0071    Status: design    Report: 6080236
Country :United States     State: TX    County: Tarrant
Location: Arlington
Scope: Professional engineering services for on-street bicycle facilities.
Notes: All questions concerning this RFQ must be directed to: Christina Sebastian via email at christina.sebastian@arlingtontx.gov. The
questions must be in writing and received on or before January 26, 2015 at 5:00 pm.
Plans: From Owner. See attached file.
Update Notes: Addendum #1 attached.
Owner Type: Public …

Go Oak Cliff’s Mardi Gras Parade, February 15th, 3:30 PM

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

Go Oak Cliff’s Mardi Gras parade is the best family parade the entire year in Dallas!  Come out to ride with BFOC to lead the parade down Davis St from Montclair into the Bishop Arts District.  Dress up, decorate your bicycles, cargo bicycles, bicycle trailers, tall bikes, tricycles or whatever kind of bicycle your ride or ride in.
Meet at 3:30 PM at the corner of Montclair and Davis St on February 15th.  This is a slow pace, lead out of the parade, so all of the fans …

Gravel Grinding at the Texas Chainring Massacre

by Adam Spears, Mirage Cycling        texasbikeracing.com


So this past weekend, I embarked on another new adventure – gravel. Sure, I have ridden the random stretch of gravel with the guys on training rides now and then, even searched it out a bit when training on the cyclocross bike, but never had I signed up to do a gravel grinder. That all changed last weekend when I signed up for Spinistry’s Texas Chainring Massacre in Valley View, Texas.
It started like any typical race weekend with some good eats and coffee before heading out the door. In typical North Texas fashion, as we got further away from the Metroplex the temperature started to drop. What seemed like what may be a decent day in the upper 40s quickly deteriorated into low 40s with …

South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference Schedule

South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference


2015 Spring Road Season
Feb 28-Mar 1  Texas State University – San Marcos, TX
Mar 7-8           University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, AR
Mar 28-29       Texas A&M University – College Station, TX
April 11-12     Midwestern State University – Wichita Falls, TX
April 18-19     Conference Championships – New Orleans, LA
May 8-10        National Championships – Ashville, NC

New Garage – Day 38

Pit’s Fritztown News

After a few minor items [door handles etc.] had been installed over the past few weeks, last week the bicycle lift was finally out up in the workshop. And that is what it looks like, without bicycles: …

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Texas Bicycle Daily News Wrap Up February 2nd

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“Adventure Road” Bikes

Bike Noob


As I deal with less than optimum biking weather this winter (although I shouldn’t complain — I rode today in 62-degree (16C) sunshine), my thoughts turn to other bikes. What’s out there that I need to pay attention to?
I’ve noticed one category that has taken hold quickly, at least based on the offerings of all the major bike companies. That’s the so-called “Adventure Road” bike. Evolved from cyclocross bikes, the adventure road is intended to let the recreational roadie go beyond the tarmac. The wider tires offer good traction on gravel roads, too, and more comfort when the pavement disintegrates. It has the drop handlebars of a road bike, and it’s priced in a wide range — from under …

Wednesday Evening H.P. “Drop-In” Ride

Wednesday, Feb 4, 2015, 5:30 PM

Voigt entrance to H.P.
Voigt @ Paseo Canada Hollywood Park, Texas, TX

2 Members Went

The complete “tour de H.P” (tour 1) is an 8.33 mile ride. See map below. Because twilight ends around 6:30 PM,  we’ll ride only about 4.88 mi. of “tour 1”, then take the “B” connector (Donella @ Mustang Circle) back 1.09 mi. to the start, for a total of about 6 miles.We’ll start the “tour de H.P.” in counter-clockwise direction (see map for route…

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Help The Tejano Trails!

Can You Dig It!        canyoudigitbmx.com

27 comments

It only takes one rotten apple to ruin it for the rest of the bunch. The putrid festering apple in this case goes by the name of Ty Bement. The locals at the Tejano Trails just outside Austin, Texas recently installed a gate out of growing frustrations stemming from Ty bringing kids to the trails to “teach them BMX.” You see, Ty charges parents an undisclosed amount of money to teach their kids this thing we call BMX. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it’s the way he has gone about it that has upset a lot of people.
Long story short, he is benefitting financially from other people’s work without so much as offering to pick up a shovel to help contribute. It would be one thing if he consulted with the locals first and got their approval. Maybe a deal could have been …

Bike Ride on TerryHershey Park

Sunday, Feb 8, 2015, 9:00 AM

Terry Hershey Park on Memorial Dr.
15200 Memorial Dr. Houston, TX

3 Tour de Friends Went

Another ride on Terry Hershey park!!Sorry for the short notice cyclists. Please forgive me…Does 9:00 AM sounds good or can we push it to 10:00 AM?Lets gather at the Terry Hershey park on memorial Dr by 8:45AM and roll out by 9:00 AM. Let bike towards the end of Beltway and come back to the start point. We can then join with the NEO cyclists,…

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Weekly Moderate Intermediate-Level Ride — Pace Bend Park (16 miles)

Sunday, Feb 8, 2015, 12:45 PM

Pace Bend Park
2011 Pace Bend Rd N Spicewood, TX

13 Mountain Bikers Went

NOTE: I’ve been informed that, after a few weeks of leading these rides, I’m apparently not riding very “slow” anymore, so I changed the pace description to “moderate”.  I’m still not a racer, but we’re definitely not making as many stops as we were when this ride series began.About my riding styleI am a technical rider with advanced skill, but …

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Hermann Park to U of H Downtown via Columba Tap Rail Trail

Sunday, Feb 8, 2015, 10:00 AM

Hermann Park
6000 Fannin St Houston, TX

13 Cyclists Went

Sunday Morning Ride. Well head down breaswood bayou trail to Columbia Tap Rail Trail to U of H downtown  over to washington ave then back to hermann park. This will be a easy pace ride of approximatly 16 miles, road, hybrid or mountain all bikes are welcome.

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Leaving a Mark at Zilker Park

By Payson McElveen        www.austinfitmagazine.com


The days were cold. The course, extremely muddy. The obstacles, more than plenty. But the cyclocross racers—well, they were born ready.

The national pastime of the country of Belgium looks very different when brought to the United States. Instead of thousands of roaring fans packed into stadiums with body armor, and big hits happening, it involves thousands of roaring fans leaning into muddy course tape, bicycles being mounted over big obstacles, and incredible feats of endurance. The sport is called cyclocross, and it holds more similarities to the sport of football than you might think.
In Belgium, the top cyclocross riders make seven-figure livings, and loyal fans enjoy beer and fried food while raucously cheering on their favorite gladiators. Despite enjoying celebrity status, being a top-level Belgian cross racer is an incredibly blue-collar profession. The season takes place during the winter, no matter the weather. Actually, the season is held in winter because of the weather. Racers must ride, run, and …

Sunday Mountain Bike Ride: Rowlett Creek Preserve

Sunday, Feb 8, 2015, 2:00 PM

Location details are available to members only.

0 Members Went

XC Ride #1This will be the 1st MTB Ride of the season.* This ride will be to gauge interest, abilities, and just have a bunch of fun!Please note that trails we will be riding are for pure mountain bike (cross country), no hybrids or road bikes please. Also due to nature of trail riding you will be required to wear a helmet.Linda Colon has offere…

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Injured veterans invited to fifth Warrior 100k

by Adam Newman        dirtragmag.com


It’s hard to imagine mountain biking being a priority of the United States military, but without the sacrifice of men and women in uniform, it’s possible many of us would not be able to enjoy our favorite sport the way we do today. Former President George W. Bush is known for passion for hitting the trails, and for the fifth year the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative is welcoming injured veterans to participate in the Warrior 100k mountain bike ride on his range in Crawford, Texas.
Veterans wishing to participate must apply, but if they are selected to join their travel and lodging expenses will be covered by the Institute. To be considered they must have been wounded or …

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