Texas Bicycling News Digest February 1st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Brownsville cyclist, group seek TxDOT help

BY TY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER        www.brownsvilleherald.com

AUSTIN — Brownsville added its voice last week to a growing chorus of cities hoping to stop the usage of money earmarked for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to shore up the state’s highways and rest stops.
Representatives from cities across the state have addressed the Texas Transportation Commission to express concern over rule changes last year that now allow the Texas Department of Transportation to transfer funds from the Transportation Alternatives Program, a line item that funds bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, into a …

Bear Mountain continues growing as outdoors hub, buys Bicycles Outback shop

By TOMMY WITHERSPOON        www.wacotrib.com


The Bear Mountain is continuing its upward spiral in the Central Texas outdoor and recreation market by acquiring Waco’s oldest bike shop.
Bicycles Outback, which opened 20 years ago and chose its name because the fledgling company initially literally kept its bikes “out back,” sold its inventory to Brandon Blagg, owner of the expanding The Bear Mountain.
Blagg is conducting an inventory clearance sale at Bicycles Outback, 4707 W. Waco Drive, with …

All walks of life

By TRAVIS M. WHITEHEAD Staff Writer        www.valleymorningstar.com


Runners and bicyclists gather at the Runner Extravaganza and Race Expo
HARLINGEN — Edmundo Mejia was taking a break with his son Jorge after attending an event where numerous running and bicycling groups had gathered.
They’d enjoyed networking with other runners and groups at the 2015 Runner Extravaganza and Race Expo on Saturday at the Valley Baptist Health and FitnessCenter. The event was organized by 2 Run Crew LLC, and co-owner Javier Vazquez was overjoyed at the turnout.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Vazquez, looking at the crowds of people with red bags passing by tables set up by …

Santa Teresa Out-and-Backs

Saturday, Feb 7, 2015, 8:30 AM

River Run Plaza
1071 Country Club Rd El Paso, TX

5 Cyclists Went

Meet at River Run Plaza and head up Upper Valley Rd. then climb Artcraft. Three out-and-backs: Border Crossing, Strauss Road and Union Pacific Road. All-paces ride; slower riders can turn around early on any of the three legs then regroup. 40 miles total. Coffee break at Penny’s Diner. Randy Limbird,[masked]

Check out this Meetup →

Band Against MS bike ride helping raise money to end the disease

By Damali Keith, Reporter        www.myfoxhouston.com

(Video)

HOCKLEY, Texas (FOX 26) – Country music superstar Clay Walker can certainly draw a crowd, but it wasn’t his performance that attracted more than a thousand cyclists in the Houston area — it was his foundation.
Walker isn’t just the founder of Band Against MS.
“Every year, it’s getting bigger and bigger,” explains Walker. “This is our third year.”
Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis almost two decades ago.
“I was diagnosed here in Houston 19 years ago,” says Walker with a …

Cycling the Hill Country of Texas

www.adventurecycling.org


Although winter living in the Northwest and Northeast has it advantages of skiing, sledding, skating and other winter sports; dreaming about the warmth of the Texas sun during March and April is a favorite pastime of mine. A favorite locale is the Hill Country of Texas. It offers a little bit of everything to the spring cyclist in training trying to escape the cold season up north. …

United Airlines Cycling Team

www.placestogoinhouston.com


The team is based in Houston Texas. The team rasies funds for many charitable organizations and also schedules fun trips to scenic destinations worldwide.
Cycling and Fitness
The United Airlines Cycling Team is open to all employees, retirees, family and friends. Our team participates in many charitable rides and events each year. Locally we are a big part of the MS150 ride from …

DATES 25th Anniversary Ride

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

When:     Feb 15, 2015 09:30 AM
Where:     Garland Road – Gaston Parkway across from RBM – Dallas
Category:     DATES ride
Description
RIDE: DATES 25th Anniversary Ride
DATE: Sunday, Feb 15th
START TIME: Meet at 9:00. Ride at 9:30.
START POINT: Across Garland Road from the Bike Mart. Bike Mart restrooms will be open.
HOSTS: John McManus & Brenda Cole
PHONE EMAIL: 214-613-2507 or brenda.cole@yahoo.com
DISTANCE: 20 +/- or 28 +/-
DETAILS:  Muffins, juice and coffee near the end of the ride. If weather is bad (check DATES Facebook page) ride will be cancelled but the social is on at John and Brenda’s at 10:00. We hope some of the “really old members” come out of the woodwork and join us for the social. R.S.V.P. please.

February Newsletter Published

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

The February edition of the DATES-Line Newsletter is published and available for download from the newsletters page. This month’s edition includes the following:
Upcoming Rides
DATES 25th Anniversary Ride
DATES Mesquite Ride
Southwest Tandem Rally
Ride Reports
No ride reports this issue!
DATES Annual Meeting
Ride Leaders Needed
Easter Hill Country Tour
2015 Double DATES Membership Renewal
DATES Rides & Activities …

Paceline

Fort Worth Bicycle Association

Our most recent Paceline (the club’s online newsletter) was added 2-1-15 and is available below. Archives are available in the Members Area.
{February 2015 (pdf)](http://www.fwbaclub.org/docs/paceline/02-15.pdf)

Current Club Newsletter

Northwest Cycling Club

The Monthly Publication of the Northwest Cycling Club – Houston, Texas
Volume 30 – Issue 2 February 2015
February 2015 newsletter (pdf)

Riders with the wind

BY JARED WILSON        www.oaoa.com

Local bicycle team making tracks

Think back to the time when you rode your bike with your family or friends. More often than not, the friendly ride turned into a race, a competition, and a heated bout to determine who was the fastest.
Lance Bowers, along with Scott and Lisa Anderson, have captured that childhood competition bringing it into their adult lives in the form of a racing team based out of Odessa.
One Hour Racing, as they are known, started several years ago with six members; however, the group has …

The Racing Post – February 2015

theracingpost.us

BikeHouston’s monthly newsletter Spoke&Word #11is out

BikeHouston


In this issue of Spoke&Word
– What BikeHouston staff and volunteers have done in January;
– Upcoming events, BikeHouston needs you to volunteer as ride leader, outreach table volunteer, bike valet volunteer, photographer, BikeHouston Ambassador and much more. Check it out and sign up;
– Read BikeHouston volunteer Alec Lawton’s amazing bike tale in Mexico;
– Houston Bicycle Club in the spotlights.
Follow this link to …

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

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A Break in the Weather Allows Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

February is off to a better start than January. My first ride in January was the 6th so I got an earlier start this month.

The weather forecast had rain but when I got home from church it was trying to be sunny and the temperature was 77 or 78. The clouds were thick in places but not enough to delivery any rain. I rolled out the drive way at 11:45 on the way to Huffman. I expected to ride about 30 miles and ended up riding 30.15 miles. It didn’t take too long to meet another biker on Tree Lane about 2 miles from my house. Our paths went different ways though. Earlier on Woodbridge Drive two bikers were going north while headed south. The last biker I saw was on Fairlake Drive.

I dressed somewhat lightly with shorts and a long sleeve jersey leaving the jacket at home. Most of the time I was comfortable but riding over Lake Houston the wind picked up the coolness from the water and I was glad the body heat from riding was just enough to keep me kinda comfortable.

At the beginning the wind was 13 mph was the SW but as the ride went along I thought it was stronger than that. When I got home my suspicions were correct with a 12 mph WSW wind with 21 mph gusts. Those gusts helped me riding east over Lake Houston on FM1960 but coming back it was like riding with a weight tied to me. Going east I rode at 22 mph and returning home it was 11 to 12 mph. The west bound traffic didn’t help much to block the wind. I thought I was going to be able to ride at 15 mph as I left the Huffman Chevron but by the time I got to Lake Houston I couldn’t keep that speed up.

Clouds were starting to get heavier during the ride home and the sun left leaving body heat to offset the wind chill.

I am still short of 200 miles for the year with 171.66 so far. The weather forecast does not bode well Monday through Friday with temperatures below 60 and some rain. When will this weather give me a break?

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.

Today’s ride route – Google Earth
Today’s ride metrics
IAH weather end of ride
Home weather end of ride
Week to date ride summary
Year to date ride summary

Texas Bicycling News Digest January 31st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Wahoo Kickr: How I setup mine

by Ray Garza        rgvcycling.com

Old man winter has visited the lower Rio Grande Valley and while it’s nothing like those in the Northern states it does affect me. Cold, windy and rainy days has kept me indoors for the past several months. I have managed hop out on the those 60+ degree days and put in some relaxing miles but otherwise, I’m indoors on my trainer. Oh no, the dreaded trainer you say. Not for me, I actually like riding my trainer and I’ve seen the improvements already on a couple of rides. Today, I’m going to describe my setup and what I do with my Wahoo Kickr.
What is a Kickr? Sounds like some car speakers or something but it’s not. It’s an indoor …

Ready2Roll MS150 Training, Weeks 1 & 2

The Surly Biker        thesurlybiker.wordpress.com


As you know, the wife and I are riding again this year in the BP MS150 ride from Houston to Austin in support of the National MS Society and those with Multiple Sclerosis. (Please help our fundraising campaign and donate if you can!)
Last year, my wife did the two day, ~150 mile ride cold turkey, because she was finishing her thesis and is stubborn. She made it, though not without various knee pains. Since I didn’t start working until March, I had lots of free time to train and get in long rides. But this year, we both signed up for the Ready 2 Roll training series, which is the official training series for the MS150. It’s been around for years and man do …

Simmons, Pervis Sign With LMC Cycling

Written by Christopher Parker        www.goblueridge.net

Lees-McRae Director and Head Coach of Cycling Tim Hall is pleased to announce the signing of incoming freshmen Katelyn Pervis and Connor Simmons,
announced Hall Friday afternoon.
Pervis reigns from Austin, Texas and specializes in mountain bike. She is a product of the NICA League of Texas and will compete on the Bobcat road squad to gain experience and contribute to the road team.
Pervis has won …

W’ford to Lipan Milsap Santo

Fort Worth Bicycle Association

Saturday, February 07, 2015 9:00 am
Moved from the January calendar to the February calendar. Maybe we’ll get lucky with south winds; less likely in January.
We’re at an annual rotation for this route. Last year the snow had just moved away. Join us on a old club favorite with edits to the legacy route to create a different finish. Also added last year to this collection is an 80 miler that heads as far west as Santo.  The 60 route travels as far west as Lipan. The mid distance falls shy of Lipan before traveling the back to Weatherford. …

Memorial Park Master Plan, Jan 12 slideshow

GHORBA.org

Here are the details of the LAST public input meeting for the Master Plan process.  If ANYONE has thoughts, they need to attend the next meeting on memorialparkconservancy.jpg:
“The next public update meeting will take place on Monday, March 9th, 2015 from 6:30-8:30pm at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium (Caroline Wiess Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet St., 77005).   This will be the final public update meeting prior to taking the proposed plan forward for City Council review and ideally approval.  We hope to see you all there. …

Texas man, dog rides across country to promote animal shelter adoptions

By Calvin Men, Santa Cruz Sentinel


Mike Minnick from Austin, Texas, has been pedaling a cargo bike across the country with his dog Bixby for the past two years. Fans are tracking his trip on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. (Dan Coyro — Santa Cruz Sentinel)
SANTA CRUZ >> Most cross-country cyclists haul 80 pounds on their bike, including the frame, food and equipment.
Mike Minnick’s bike haul weighs close to 300 pounds, including his 50-pound dog, Bixby.
For more than 18 months, Minnick and his dog have traveled by bike across country to promote local animal shelters in each city, drawing local media to write a story about him and highlight the animal shelter in the process.
“I set out to change my life and this is how I’m doing …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

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Texas Bicycling News January 30th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

TMC Individual Time Trial Series (Open to the public)

Team McAllen Cycling

Sunday, March 1st, 2015 at 8am – 9am
Sunday, March 29th, 2015 at 8am – 9am
Sunday, April 12th, 2015 at 8am – 9am
Location: Jarachinas Rd near La Joya High School in La Joya, Texas. View Parking Map
Time: 7:00 AM to register, first rider out at 8:00 AM
Cost: FREE TMC members, $15.00 to non-members
Open to all classes of bicycle
Categories
Male & Female
Open and Age Groups
Age groups:
Under 19
20 -29
30-39
40-49
50-59
59 plus
Awards
Open Category
1st Place Trophy & bragging rights for the whole year.
2nd Place Medal
3rd Place Medal
Age Group Categories
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Certificates will be presented.
12 – 18 – 24 miles individual time trial series
3 out of 3 races will be scored for the series overall; you must compete in min 3 races to be scored.
Order
Participants will be placed in the order they are registered and when payment is received.
Point System
Points are tallied based on the riders finish order at each individual Time Trial series event.
Points cannot be moved from one class to another. Points are awarded in the following manner …

Early Bird Slow Intermediate-level ride @ Walnut Creek 9:00 AM

Saturday, Feb 7, 2015, 9:00 AM

Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX

7 Mountain Bikers Went

Please bring your helmets , and a working bike.  This is not a sanctioned ride.This will be a slow intermediate level ride but we can split into more groups, basic or advanced if others are willing to lead and post in the comments section before the ride.Meet in the parking lot by the swimming pool.Helmets are required along with a bike in good…

Check out this Meetup →

Teen riding bicycle collides with pickup truck

www.foxsanantonio.com


SAN ANTONIO — A teen riding a bicycle was injured when he collided with a pickup truck on the North Side Friday.
The accident happened around 4:45 p.m. Friday near the intersection of San Pedro and Hildebrand. Police said a 13 or 14-year-old boy on a bicycle pulled out of a Jack in the …

Houston Officials Give Update On Complete Streets Policy

By: Gail Delaughter        www.houstonpublicmedia.org

The goal is to make streets accessible to all users. Supporters say the real benefits of the policy are still years down the road.

In 2013, Mayor Annise Parker signed an executive order mandating the city adopt a Complete Streets policy in the future designs of the city’s roads. That means streets need to be accessible to all users, like walkers and cyclists, not just cars.
Jay Blazek Crossley, with the public policy group Houston Tomorrow, said it’s a good start, but things won’t change overnight.
Cyclists-and-motorists-share-the-road-on-Heights-Blvd-at-11th-Street400px-310px-tn.png
A cyclist shares the road with motorists in Houston.
“You know, the big change is going to be in your grandchildren’s lives,” said Crossley, an analyst with the organization. “We’ll start seeing things very soon, but this is a monumental change for the City of Houston in the long run.”
In a new report, Houston’s Public Works Department details what’s been done so far to make …

Fort Davis Cyclefest–The Ride

Pedal Pushers


Yes, 2014. I don’t know where the time went; from this ride to now is just a blur of activity. Cruise, trip to California, and on and on.
As in the past few years, we stayed at the historic Limpia Hotel in downtown Fort Davis. The rooms are rustic and still have some of the …

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/561313693850697729

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Event Reminders