Texas Bicycling News Digest October 21st

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Cyclocross in Austin

by Clair Melton        outdooraustin.com


A  zigzagging course is taped off in a local park. Pop-up canopies displaying the names of bike shops and teams and brands are clustered in one area, and–even though it’s mid-morning–some folks are drinking beer. Spectators of all ages are scattered along the course, with a large crowd up under the trees and canopies, seeking shade on another hot Austin day. An announcer says something about a “pineapple hand-up,” compliments a racer on a less-than-smooth negotiation of a pair of barriers, thanks a local bike shop for their contribution to the event, and reminds those in attendance that the “Under 10? race is coming up. The sense of camaraderie is palpable. And in…

New Houston area member with an etiquette question

by mac_encheeze        forums.mtbr.com

I was watching some videos on youtube that were taken at The Anthills and Memorial park area, and in the ones that didn’t have music in them, I noticed that the person would every once in a while yell out “Rider!”. It seemed like they would do it around blind corners mostly, but I wouldn’t see anyone. So I figured maybe they were just doing it as a precaution.
So just exactly as to when should you announce yourself? For right now I plan on riding the Armand Bayou park trails since I live in Pasadena, but do… (several replies)

St. Mary’s plans Boo Bash bike helmet giveaway

www.stmarytx.edu


University receives grant to promote safety to children, students
The St. Mary’s University Student Health Center and Office of Residence Life want to help ensure the well-being of children and students by giving away bicycle helmets.
Through a grant from the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Academy of Family Practice, the “Rattlers Have Heart” organization will distribute and properly size 150 helmets to children at Boo Bash on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 6-9 p.m.
Boo Bash is an evening for local children and their families to trick-or-treat on campus and participate in other Halloween festivities. The 27th annual event, for children age 14 and under with…

Dero Dream Bike Room Contest: BikeTexas and Green Building Alliance are Both Winners

www.prweb.com

Dero is proud to support the dream bike rooms of two nonprofits: BikeTexas opts for an outdoor “bike room” for events around the State of Texas, while Green Building Alliance will renovate its indoor bike room at its Pittsburgh office.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) October 21, 2014
Dero is proud to support the dream bike rooms of two nonprofits: BikeTexas opts for an outdoor “bike room” for events around the State of Texas, while Green Building Alliance (GBA) will create its indoor bike room at its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office.
Earlier this year, BikeTexas and GBA entered the Dero Dream Bike Room Pinterest contest to win $7,500 in Dero products, plus $1,000 to decorate the winner’s dream bike room. In May 2014, BikeTexas was declared the winner via public online voting. While working on layouts and logistics, Dero and BikeTexas realized that an indoor bike room would not meet this bicycle advocacy organization’s needs. BikeTexas envisioned an outdoor “bike room” that would support its many events. Dero generously donated Dero Event Racks to BikeTexas, which will…

Lost Pines Mountain Biking Tour

Saturday, Oct 25, 2014, 9:00 AM

Bastrop State Park
100 Park Road 1A Bastrop, TX

11 Mountain Bikers Went

Take a guided mountain biking tour in an area of Bastrop State Park that is normally closed to the public. On this moderate five-mile ride, see a historic town site and learn about the history of the park.Bring your own mountain bike – hybrid bikes are not recommended. Helmets and some experience with off-road biking required. This is not a techni…

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Fitness profile: Former college athlete still runs, bikes and swims

By LESLIE BARKER        www.dallasnews.com


Chauncey Deller, 29, swam four years in high school, started doing triathlons, and joined the track and cross country teams at the University of Texas at Tyler.
“I love the rhythm of sports,” says Chauncey, who lives in Dallas and works in recreation management. “When everything is in sync, there is no greater feeling. I don’t wear headphones because I would rather hear my breathing and be present in the action with my thoughts.”
Typical week of workouts: …

Behold, the Electric Cheeto!

By Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com


You might recognize the bike, which we’ve long called The Cheeto. For the last six or seven years I’ve been pedaling it all over Austin. My husband Chris built it up from parts, and it’s served me well in getting me to work and home most days.
But now that my husband has converted it to an electric bike, it’s a lot easier riding up hills.
I blame Rocket Electrics, an Austin bike shop that sells purpose-built electric bikes. After years of scoffing at people who rode e-bikes, this summer I borrowed a very fancy electric one from the shop. I immediately fell in love.
Suddenly I could zip home without breaking a sweat (or a bad sweat) on an August afternoon, but I…

We’re in A Bike Racing Drought

by Bill Cullens        Team San Angelo

If you live in the San Angelo area and want to compete in cycling races, be prepared to travel out of town to find events.
Our city is experiencing a severe drought as relates to road and mountain bike racing.
With the exception of the upcoming 6-Hour Dinosaur mountain bike event and the small time trials put on by the local cycling club, there hasn’t been an organized road or mountain bike race in San Angelo since the Red Bluff Mountain Bike Challenge took place in October of 2009.
It wasn’t always this way.  During the 80s, 90s and as recently as the mid 2000s San Angelo was a hotspot for bicycle racing.
Our community hosted the Texas road cycling state championship event twice (1997 and 1998) with bike racers from…

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

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How Low Can That Stuff Get?

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One of the things I like to watch when I am biking is the price of gasoline. Earlier this year the prices were moving up but for the last couple of months they have been going down. Each ride I see a new low price. Today on Loop 494 south of New Caney there was a Valero station with a cash price of $2.599 and a little further north an Exxon station had the same price but not with the cash requirement. As an owner of a gas consuming Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Wrangler the price declines are greatly appreciated. In Houston though many companies’ fortune depends on the price of oil being stable to rising. The drop in gasoline prices could start to slow down the Houston and Texas economy.

Back to biking. Today I rode the “New Caney – Gene Campbell Road” route for the 24th time this year. All of those are not the exact same route but close enough. Today I biked 34.99 miles (I should’ve done something to get that extra .01 of a mile). I left earlier than yesterday (11:21 today) under another clear blue sky. Temperatures were a little lower today and caused me to select a long sleeve jersey. At times I was glad and other times I was sad of the choice. In the sun I was over dressed but the shade affirmed my choice. It was 80 degrees when I finished at 2:09. An ENE 6 mph wind made it feel cooler. When I stopped at the Stripes station on FM1314 the big Valley Ranch US flag alternated between standing straight out and falling limp.

Average speed once I reached the 15 mile point stayed above 15 mph. At one point I got it to 16 mph for a mile or so. It settled at 15.9 when I reached Kings Manor to start the ride through Kingwood to home. The final average was 15.6 mph.

No other bikers spotted today.

The Stradalli reached 5013 miles today. I may wait a few days to switch the tires that I mentioned yesterday. Overall I have biked 6073 miles this year. The difference was on my Motobecane Le Champion CF Ltd prior to buying the Stradalli RP-14 Carbon. October has been a good biking month with 541.75 miles so far.

The weather for Wednesday looks like a repeat of today. Riding looks to be in my future.

Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS metrics, charts and maps.

Ride Route Google Earth
Today’s Ride Metrics
Porter Weather at Stripes
Home Weather Ride End
Ride Comparison for today’s route
Week to Date
October to Date
Year to Date

Texas Bicycling News Digest October 20th

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Austin cyclist dies moments after finishing local cyclocross race

By Maxwell Nagel        velonews.competitor.com


The Texas cycling community suffered a tragic loss over the weekend when Guy Nethery, 47, died suddenly, just moments after a cyclocross race in Webberville, Texas.
Following his race on Saturday, Nethery rode away from the course. He then collapsed on the ground without cause. A passerby quickly noticed Nethery and notified race officials. CPR was administered within 30 seconds of Nethery’s fall and emergency services were contacted immediately.
Fellow racers and spectators stood at Nethery’s side until an EMT crew arrived. Nethery was promptly…

Brownsville police mount bicycle safety campaign

By Christina R. Garza | Staff Writer        www.brownsvilleherald.com


Brownsville police took to the streets to inform bike riders of traffic laws and promote safe cycling after two bicyclists were involved in traffic accidents over the last two weeks.
According to authorities, a bicyclist was involved in an accident on Oct. 12 when he collided with another vehicle on the 5100 block of Boca Chica Boulevard when he failed to change lanes safely. The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries and…

9-year-old in SA for cross-country charity bike ride

texas.icito.com

SAN ANTONIO – Four years and many charitable rides later, a young boy is taking his charity work to another level.
C.J. Burford is riding his bike across the country to raise money for the National Children’s Cancer Society.
His goal is to average a distance of 40 miles a day and raise $100,000 for the NCCS.
Burford isn’t your typical 9-year-old. He is gearing up and ready to kick cancer in the butt by riding his…

GO for a Mountain Bike Ride

Sunday, Oct 26, 2014, 8:00 AM

Meyer Park
Cypresswood Dr. Spring, TX

4 Bicycle Enthusiasts Went

Join us every Sunday at Meyer Park for a 1hour and a half (approx) ride for beginners and intermediate riders.Ride is 10 milesWe will be on the Cypresswood TrailAny questions please call us at the store:[masked]Bring a helmet, water bottle, spare tube and a positive attitude

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Cemetery Bike Ride

Sunday, Oct 26, 2014, 8:15 AM

Onion Creek Coffee House-area of Saturday Farmer’s Market
3106 White Oak Drive Houston, TX

4 Katy bicyclist fun riders Went

Subject: Cemetery Bike Ride & River Oaks Bike RidesWe will meet at 8:00 am at the Onion Creek Cafe at 3106 White Oak Dr in the Heights.  We will start at 8.15 am and our first stop will be the Hollywood Cemetery on North Main. From there we will bike towards the Glenwood Cemetery to see where Howard Hughes is buried.  We will also see some famous…

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New funds for trails boost Dallas efforts to ‘connect the dots’

By TOM BENNING        www.dallasnews.com


Dallas officials are celebrating two recent infusions of money that will add several miles of hike-and-bike trails.
This month, the Regional Transportation Council, an arm of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, approved financing for more than 30 bike and pedestrian projects across North Texas. Among them: extensions of a trail in North Dallas and one near downtown.
Separately, the Dallas City Council was informed this month that Dallas County earlier agreed to pay for six trails in the city as part of the county’s major capital improvement program.
All told, the financing totals nearly…

All Level Ride @ Walnut Creek Spring/Summer hours

Sunday, Oct 26, 2014, 9:30 AM

Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX

18 Mountain Bikers Went

New Spring/Summer hours to help when the weather gets warmer.  Starting 3/9 we go to 9:30 am.We know that this time change doesn’t work for everyone so we hope you considering hosting a ride for yourself and those who might want to ride at a different time or on a different day.You do NOT have to be a ARR member to attend most club riders. You wi…

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A RESEARCH STUDY ABOUT BICYCLING AND SAFETY

DEAR FELLOW BICYCLE RIDERS,
IF YOU ARE 18 OR OLDER, please take part in an anonymous survey for a research study about bicycling practices and bicycling accidents.  The survey will take only about 15-20 minutes to fill out.

IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT RIDING YOUR BICYCLE.  Your answers will help researchers find out how to make bicycling safer.

YOU WILL NOT BE ASKED FOR YOUR NAME.  No one will find out how you answered the questions.

TO GO TO THE SURVEY, please use this link:

http://survey.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eXRDaDI9sn3TrrT

THANK YOU!
Mark W. Hoglund
Doctoral Student
School of Public Health
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
450 Clarkson Avenue
Brooklyn, New York

Light the Night

Old Tascosa Cycling

BRAIN returns to Texas for second tour—this time in Austin

Bicycle Retailer

AUSTIN, TX (BRAIN) — BRAIN’s final Dealer Tour of 2014 gets underway Tuesday in Austin as BRAIN editors, sponsors and guests set out on bikes to visit shops in the Texas capital.
The tour will visit 13 retailers over three days. Leading our group will be Robin Stallings, executive director of Bike Texas, a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to advancing bike access and improving conditions for riders in the Lone Star State. Stallings also guided riders during BRAIN’s Dallas-Fort Worth Dealer Tour in the fall of 2010.
The Dealer Tour will cover a wide gamut of bicycle retail, from triathlon stores like Jack & Adam’s Bicycles and Austin Tri Cyclist, to…

In Memory Of Guy Nethery

by joeyTWOwheels         texascx.com


Anyone who toe’d the line with Guy Nethery knew he was a kind person. He would ask how you were doing and wish you luck on your race. He was always talking to someone, with a big, bright smile on his face. You’d bump elbows with him in a crit, cross race or on a ride and new you were leaning into a stable man – the type of seasoned racer and rider you want by your side.
Much of that transferred to his daily life.
Guy was – first and foremost – a husband and father. He was proud of his three girls and he loved his wife with all his heart. Often on team rides we’d…

Livestrong 2014 – A ride with Lori

Plano Bicycling Association


Lori (holding the yellow rose) achieved her goal of 65 miles for the Livestrong Foundation. We are part of Team Plano Buddies in Action, captained by Tim Elliott. Thanks Tim! And cancer survivor Don Swartz rode the 100 mile route. Great rides Lori and Don!

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Wardrobe Change Ahead

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The days of just reaching into my closet and pulling out the short sleeve jersey are winding down. Today I did just that and I was just fine but the air has a chill in it. Riding into the shade reminded me of the approaching cooler days. I rode to Huffman on the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route for a total of 33.59 miles. The sky had just a few wisps of clouds which helped to offset the cool I felt whenever I was in the shade. I got a late start (1:21) but this was probably good giving the sun time to warm things to 80 degrees. The NE 10 mph wind emphasized the coolness too.

It took me until 16 miles to get my average speed up to 15.0 mph. I was able to build it up to 15.7 mph from there until I started in the residential areas at 31. 2 miles. It stayed at 15.6 mph all the way home. With the later start I missed all of the school dismissals. The school buses were on the streets as I made my way back home from Huffman but I was able to avoid stopping when they let the children off.

Miles on my Stradalli are 4978 and when I get to 5000 I will replace the tires. I will use the Continental Gatorskin 700×25 tires. They are durable and I don’t have flats very often. Currently I have a Schwalbe Ultremo 700x23c Black on the front. This performed great but the same tire on the back wheel did not stand up to the cuts and debris on the roads and I replaced it with a Gatorskin 700×25. It will look better with the tires and wheels matching.

So far I biked 506.76 miles this month and 6038 miles this year. Today’s ride is the 53rd time on this route and 174th ride of the year.

The weather should be great for biking tomorrow repeating today’s.

Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS metrics, charts and maps.

Ride Route Google Earth
Ride Metrics
Huffman Weather
Home Weather Ride End
Ride Route Comparison for routes
October to Date
PMC by month
Year to Date