Texas Bicycling News Digest October 17th

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Sweatin’ Burnt Orange Bike Tour

by Jack & Adams Bicycles


The Sweatin’ Burnt Orange Bike Tour, now in its tenth year, is the annual fundraiser for The University of Texas at Austin Cycling Club. Each year, Texas alumni and club supporters ride through the beautiful hill country around Blanco, Texas.  This year it’s on Oct 26th.
Texas Cycling is proud to announce the first Sweatin’ Burnt Orange ‘Boneshaker Round-Up’!
Boneshaker Project, a local Austin nonprofit whose mission is to inspire kids to lead active, health lifestyles, will be offering a ‘Boneshaker Round-Up’ for kids at the ride. Modeled off their Fit Is Fun After-school programs, kids can…

This Group Ride Is A No Drop , Its The Kenny Brings Snacks Ride, wheel down 8:30

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014, 8:00 AM

6 Dirty SOB’s Went

Check out this Meetup →

Camino205, October 4 – The Rest of the Story

By Dave Morrow, Ride Director        texasbikeracing.com


There is an old saying in bike racing: “You make your own luck.” I well remember the prestigious mountain bike race where I came in second because my front derailleur cable frayed and broke over the course of the race. I was passed in the last two miles while I was stuck in my small front chain ring, unable to go fast enough. My bad ‘luck’ was actually my failure to identify that the cable was suspect and replace it before the race. I made my own luck and did not win. Sometimes there are greater forces than ourselves that decide things.
For the inaugural Camino205 gravel grinder in Palestine, TX, Lady Luck was with us. Or perhaps the weather god Zeus was smiling upon us. However it happened, on race day, we lucked out – it was about 60 degrees when we started, with light winds and sunny skies, warming into the low 80s. Two days later…

Switching Gears Cyclery opening in Lake Highlands

by Christina Hughes Babb        lakehighlands.advocatemag.com


The charming bicycle supply and repair boutique Switching Gears Cyclery is closing its Fair Park location at the end of State Fair season and will open in Lake Highlands, hopefully in November.
Lake Highlands couple Andee Pittman-Clark and Colin Clark opened Switching Gears near Fair Park, where they have thrived; now they are planning a move to the former First National Bank building at Shoreview and Ferndale.
Andee says she and Colin will close shop in Fair Park Oct. 19 and begin moving into the new digs as soon as they finish a few repairs and receive the Certificate of Occupancy from the city. Sometime in…

School bus driver charged in fatal hit-and-run denies hitting anyone

By Rebecca Elliott        www.chron.com

The school bus driver charged in the hit-and-run that killed a bicyclist in southeast Houston Wednesday did not know she hit someone, her attorney said Friday.
Phyllis Ann Booker, 54, appeared in court for a brief hearing following her arrest in the death of bicyclist Bobby Brooks, 56, for which she was charged with failure to stop and render aid.
“She didn’t realize she was involved in an accident and hit anything or anyone, which is why she continued on her bus route,” Booker’s attorney, James Alston, told reporters following the hearing. “She didn’t realize anything had happened.”
Prosecutors told state District Judge Renee Magee that Booker denied hitting anything on…

Galveston Bay Foundation hosts 8th Annual Bike Around the Bay

By Community Reports        www.yourhoustonnews.com


With over 1,000 registered riders, the Galveston Bay Foundation (“GBF”) is geared up for Bike Around the Bay this weekend! Bike Around the Bay is a fully supported two-day, 180-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay showcasing the natural beauty of Galveston Bay and benefiting GBF.
The proceeds benefit projects that preserve wetlands, protect natural habitat, and enhance the water quality of the bay for present users and for posterity. GBF again…

Thursday Night Ninja Ride

Thursday, Oct 23, 2014, 5:30 PM

Kohl’s
5680 North Desert Boulevard El Paso, TX

3 Cyclists Went

This is a fast, leaderless ride beginning at the parking lot between Kohls and Starbucks/Crazy Cat, I-10 at Redd. Meet at 5:30 p.m., ride rollers to O’Hara Road and back. 22 miles. 18-22 mph average.

Check out this Meetup →

Tour de Cypresswood Bike Path

Thursday, Oct 23, 2014, 6:00 PM

Cypresswood Bike Path
1/2 Block East of Cypress Wood Crossing Blvd. Cypress, TX

6 cyclists Went

Tour de Cypresswood Bike PathIf you’re wondering what to do about that mountain bike hanging up in the garage, Come out and enjoy the trails of Cypresswood with us.People ask me sometime, “Tommy, It’s so hard to get out and ride my mountain bike”. As an Expert Rider, I tell them, ” First of all, do not hang your bike up on hooks. This will make i…

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Off to Huffman Again

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This ride went on the extended version of the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route where I add the northern leg to Smith Road. I biked 33.7 miles and averaged 15.4 mph (15.5 mph until 31.4 miles when I slowed riding on Kingwood streets). I saw two other bicyclists and both were in corners where we were going opposite directions and had avoid each other. The first time was within 1/4 of a mile from the start when I rounded a corner with brush and trees on the trail. The second was more open and when I applied the rear brake my wheel slid on the concrete. No problems just not the type of encounters I prefer.

The clear sky gave way to scattered clouds but the temperature was 84 degrees with a 7 mph N breeze. When I was in the shade the wind had a hint of coolness to it. At the Huffman Chevron I sat partially in the sun to offset the coolness of the shade. It was just about right. The Indian summer continues. I was thinking the southern hemisphere is at the middle of spring while we are in the fall. Sometimes I think I want to go to Australia during our winter although the winter in Houston is not that severe.

My Stradalli RP-14 Carbon bike just reached 4909 miles since I got it. I think at 5000 miles I will put new tires on. The front tire will have 5000 miles and the rear 4000. I don’t want to run them too thin and increase the chance for a flat. I have had relatively few flats and I enjoy not fixing a flat while riding. I got the new 34T front chainring yesterday and the KMC-11 Missing Link connectors from China came too. The chainring is easy to install but so far the old is working fine.

Keeping in shape by biking is something I look forward to. Occasionally I wonder if I am over training but the muscles don’t complain too much unless I throw hills at them.

Mile markers:

  • 128.96 miles this week
  • 437.91 miles for October
  • 5969 miles for the year
  • 172 rides this year

Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS metrics, charts and maps.

Ride Route – Google Earth
Ride Metrics
Huffman Weather
Home Weather Ride End
Ride comparison for the route
Week to Date
October to Date
Year to Date

Texas Bicycling News Digest October 16th

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Denton County receives aid for bicycle, pedestrian projects

by Mike Albanese        starlocalmedia.com

Bicycle and pedestrian projects across 25 cities and seven counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area received a $38.2 million boost from the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) on Thursday.
The RTC allocated the funding to 33 projects as part of its Transportation Alternatives Program project selection. With local entities contributing more than $40 million toward the projects, over $78 million will be invested in active transportation enhancements as a result of the funding awards, improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Hunt, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties.
More than 46 miles of sidewalks, trails and on-street bikeways will be constructed, as well as…

School bus driver charged in fatal hit and run

By Rebecca Elliott        www.chron.com

The driver of a school bus has been charged in Wednesday’s hit-and-run accident that killed a bicyclist in southeast Houston.
Phyllis Ann Booker, 54, a driver for First Student Bus Company, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, the Houston Police Department said in a statement Thursday morning.
On Wednesday morning, a yellow school bus killed Bobby Brooks, 56, as it was turning through a…

Bike ride to honor missing children

www.dentonrc.com

In honor of missing and exploited children, Denton County will conduct the inaugural Texas Ride for Missing Children on Friday.
The Texas Regional Office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is conducting the Ride for Missing Children, a 100-kilometer bike ride in Denton County to begin at 8 a.m. at Lifetime Fitness, 3100 Churchhill Drive, in Flower Mound.
According to a news release by the Denton County Sheriff’s Office, the 62-mile ride will not only honor children missing or exploited but raise funds for prevention and education programs that help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation.
After stops at Liberty Elementary School and McKamy Middle School in Flower Mound and Central Elementary School and DeLay Middle School in Lewsiville, participants will be…

Weekly Collegiate Race Recap October 11th, 2014

www.usacycling.org


SCCCC: Baylor University Hosts Conference Championships – Ben Cork
Baylor University hosted the SCCCC Conference Championships in Cameron Park this past weekend. Waco, TX saw cooler temperatures with substantial amounts of rainfall Friday evening to Saturday morning. The most technical STXC of the year was changed to a flowier, less dangerous course to preserve riders’ safety. Men’s C started off the day with mud-infested derailleurs. Temperatures rose and ruts began to form for the later races. Michelle Vekasy (TAMU) showed the Women’s A field how to conquer the slick terrain while Luke Allen, Sam Croft, and Tony Baca (MSU) swept the Men’s A podium in fashion.
Saturday night consisted of a team relay that doubled as a costume crit. Each rider was responsible for racing two .5-mile loops. Points and candy were awarded to best…

Hans Johnsen Co. adds eight new product lines

www.bicycleretailer.com

DALLAS (BRAIN) — Hans Johnsen Company has recently added eight new product lines to its offerings, the Texas-based distributor announced Thursday.
The new brands are: Button Hole chamois cream, Fixit Sticks, Jet Black trainers, K-Edge products, Kinetic trainers, Lights & Motion lighting systems, Velowurks, and Vittoria Helmets.
Most of these products are…

Rolling Through Chumba’s Texas Facilities and Their Ursa 29+ MTB

theradavist.com

As you can probably tell, I’ve been really stoked on what Chumba is doing here in Austin, Texas. During MTB season earlier this year, I caught up with Vince, who was riding the first prototype Ursa 29+ MTBs. At the time, Chumba’s production was in Oregon, but in recent months, they’ve moved all production in house, using USA-made tubing…

Round Top to Navasota: Last day leg 4; the best day of riding for this Leg.

By Mark Sullivan        Another Week in Texas

Thursday October 16, 2014, 50 miles (80 km) – Total so far: 404 miles (650 km)
Another great week of riding has ended. It started with hard, long days of terrible weather, and then ended with 3 perfect bicycling days. Today was the best day so far and the pictures will tell the story.

What Does That Mean? Dictionary Day for Bike Advocates

BikeTexas


October 16, Noah Webster’s birthday, is World Dictionary Day. What better time to kick back and take a look at some of the words that are bandied about by bicycle advocates and people who ride bikes?
Bike Corral: a set of bike racks protected by curbs or other barricades. Frequently installed over one on-street car parking spot.
Cycletrack: also known as a protected bike lane or a separated bike lane. A bicycle-only lane that has some separation from traffic beyond just a stripe of paint (e.g., bollards, planters, parked cars, a curb, etc.). Can be one-way or two-way.
Modal split: also called mode share, mode split, or modal share. The percentage of travelers using a particular mode of transportation. For example, in the…

Last Day of L4 An Easy 52

by Tim        www.brothersbikeride.com


What a beautiful way to finish L4. I have posted pictures of some of our vistas on today’s ride. We all agreed this was one of the prettiest rides of the whole trip. It did nothing to diminish our appreciation of the State of Texas.
I was also impressed with the town of Round Top where we stayed last night. We stayed in the Round Top Inn, a B&B in several 18th century homes and a cigar making one room factory building that have been renovated into modern hotel rooms. Kudos to the owner and staff.
We are already talking about L5. Can’t wait to do some…

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School Dismissal Avoidance

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When I left home I planned on riding to Huffman but after about a mile I changed directions to the “Oakhurst – Sorters Rd – Valley Ranch” route. I was short on time (leaving home at 1:38) and needed to get back home by 4:00. I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to ride 30 miles and I thought this revised route would fit the bill. It turned out to be 27.17 miles long and I got back home at 3:40.

With the late start I knew I would be dodging school dismissal at 7 different schools. I managed to get around this by passing early or after the dismissal at each one. I wasn’t so good thought during the last 2 miles or so when I followed a school bus that stopped at every other street to let kids off. This wasn’t so bad though being near the end of the ride. It did drop my average speed down to 14.9 mph. At one time during the ride i got it up to 15.3 mph.

The fantastic biking weather stayed around one more day. It was 84 degrees during the ride with the clear blue sky looking gorgeous. Wind was light and the humidity a pleasant 43%. I tried to stop at the Star Stop Exxon in Porter but when I went inside to get a drink their dispenser had all of the ones I would drink marked off as out of order. I went back outside and ate a trail mix bar and rank water from my water bottle. This saved me a buck.

This route is on streets I usually ride on but in reverse. What I saw looks different from the opposite direction and side of the road.

Tomorrow’s weather is more of the same. Fantastic for biking and I plan on doing that.

Links for Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS metrics, charts and maps.

Ride Route Google Earth
Ride Metrics
Home Weather Ride End
Ride Comparison for this route
Week to Date
October to Date
Year to Date