Cancun Triathlete on a Motorcycle

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After yesterday’s long ride it was okay to ride a shorter ride. I headed off to Huffman at 10:26AM after watching stage 2 of ENECO Tour on EuroSport. You would think this would inspire me to ride fast and I did okay until the last 8 miles when I turned onto Atascocita Shores Drive. I think the combination of heat (95 degrees, 106 heat index), tired legs, a little bonk and the wind slowed my pedaling way down. I managed to average 14.5 mph on lap 6 and 12.4 mph on lap 7. Over the 33.7 mile long ride I averaged 14.7 mph.

It was hot and I needed the break at the Huffman Chevron. The PowerAde was cold but I think I could’ve used 64 oz instead of the 32 oz. Usually when I am at the Chevron there is a breeze moving under the pump canopy. Today the breeze did not reach there except for a few minutes.

Early in the ride when I was waiting at Forest Bluff Drive and Northpark Drive to cross Northpark a motorcycle pulled up behind. He asked about my mirror and we cahtted. He then pulled beside me asking if I rode the MS150. I said no but I was going to the Hotter’N Hell Hundred next weekend. He said he was a triathlete and was going to Cancun Mexico soon to compete in an IronMan. He was impressed with the number of bikers going to HHH.

Not much out of the ordinary on today’s ride other than this. No other bikers were out where I could see them. A “cool” front might arrive later today lowering the night time temperature a few degrees but not much affect on the daytime highs. It will be drier too.

Mileage markers:

  • 95.98 miles this week
  • 421.1 miles for the month (424 miles left to reach my goal)
  • 4633 miles for the year

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.

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Texas Bicycle News Digest August 11th

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East Texas bicyclist hit by car, in critical condition

By Summer Dashe        www.kltv.com

EAST TEXAS (KLTV) – An East Texas woman is in critical condition after she was hit by a car while riding her bike south of Tyler Sunday morning.
The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed the incident happened around 8:00 a.m. near Farm-to-Market 3052. Janice Terry was riding her bike with a friend when the car struck her. She is in critical condition at a Tyler hospital and…

Hit and run

lufkindailynews.com


Crime Stoppers wants your help identifying the driver in a hit and run accident that left a Lufkin teen hospitalized.
Shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, July 13, an unidentified driver ran his vehicle into a 17-year-old on a bicycle.
The victim and two friends were riding their bicycles southbound on South Timberland Drive in Lufkin when a truck struck the victim from behind. The impact threw the victim onto the asphalt and the truck traveled a short distance pushing the victim’s bicycle. The witnesses watched as their friend tumbled along the roadway and the truck slowed down briefly before continuing south on Timberland Drive. One witness hit the…

La Mesa/Las Cruces

Sunday, Aug 17, 2014, 7:00 AM

Chopes Bar & Cafe
16145 S Highway 28 La Mesa, NM

3 Cyclists Went

7 a.m. Sunday Aug. 17: Meet at Chope’s in La Mesa. Ride to truck stop in Anthony then rollers to Las Cruces, return on Hwy 28 to La Mesa. 40 miles, 15-17 mph. Dan Post,[masked]

Check out this Meetup →

Double Lake Big Loop

www.mtbproject.com

This Featured Ride is still in development or editorial review. It might not be ready for use.
Overview
The Double Lake Recreation Area has one of the most extensive networks of singletrack in the Houston area. The network is set up a series of loops that can be linked up to make as long or short a ride as you want.
This ride is the best way to see what these trails have to offer. Miles of flowing singletrack in the piney forest. The ride is almost all shady which is nice on a summer day and the sandy soils in this…

Join The Bike Austin Tour de Cure Team

www.austincycling.org

Join Team Bike Austin (formerly Team Austin Cycling Association) for the Central Texas Tour de Cure on September 13 at Reunion Ranch in Georgetown.
The Tour de Cure is a fundraising ride for the American Diabetes Association. With routes ranging from 11 to 100 miles and a fun, family-friendly venue, it’s a truly inclusive event. Whether you are a seasoned roadie or a neighborhood cruiser, we encourage you to…

Status report: Lawson Craddock, midway through his neo-pro season

By Andrew Hood        velonews.competitor.com


Lawson Craddock (Giant-Shimano) might be a neo-pro, but he’s been knocking around European races since he was 15 years old.
Now 22, he’s no bright-eyed kid thrown to the wolves. His experiences racing with USA Cycling’s U23 team, as well as with the Bontrager and Trek-LiveStrong development teams, are already paying dividends in his rookie pro season.
Following a busy spring racing in Europe, Craddock delivered a solid performance at the Amgen Tour of California, riding to third overall, behind Bradley Wiggins and Rohan Dennis, and…

Saturday August 16th [Team Beef] and Sunday August 17th [Coffee Shop Ride]

steinerranchcycling.com

Welcome Back!  It has been a few weekends since I have sent out an email.  I am eager to get back to riding with you guys and getting back to the normal weekly grind.  My SoCal visit was great and if I get that second home in San Diego I’ll be sure the doors are open to any of you that would like to go and have a place to stay.
As many of you know Steve Cummings is taking orders for new kits so make sure you reach out to him if you are looking for a kit.  Also, Thomas Lea has received the bibs from Descente for those of you that requested a replacement.
Tour De Cure Please make sure you join our Tour de Cure team which we…

Rolling My Wheels In Fort Worth’s Gateway Park After A Happy Birthday Mom Call

Durango Texas


On this day in August, many decades ago, in a town in Oregon named Eugene, my mom and dad’s first baby boy was born.
Which is why on my way to Gateway Park today I called my mom and dad to wish them a happy birthday, well, more my mom, since mom did most of the work on this day, long ago.
I’d not rolled over the Gateway Park mountain bike trails in well over a…

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BSS_Road_Club/status/498982772501786624

https://twitter.com/IamWillPowers/status/498707788131233792

Event Reminders

A Metric Century on Monday

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Saturday I said Monday would be a longer ride. Well it was, 62.28 miles long. The route came to together in part as I rode. I started out biking to Splendora up US59. My plan was to see how I was doing when I got to FM1485 and FM2090 west of Splendora at Caney Creek High School. At that point I had the option to stay on FM2090 or take FM1485 south for a shorter route. I was feeling good at the option intersection so I stayed on FM2090 to Grangerland and FM3083. FM3083 took me to what is called 4 Corners. I think it gets that name from the four roads that intersect there: FM3083, Creighton Road, Rocky Road and Jefferson Chemical Road. This was at the 32.40 mile point.

I stopped at the Valero Country Store for water and ice. By now I was starting to get hungry. Before I sat on the concrete by the front door the clerk inside motioned for me to come inside where it was cool. I thanked her but said that would cause a problem when I went back out to ride. As I drank the cold water I decided to eat the Kashi Trail mix bar and cookies I had. I was thinking about saving them for the stop at the Stripes station but my stomach won the argument. After about 1/2 hour of resting and eating I resumed the ride.

The last time I rode what I call the “Splendora – Creighton Road – FM1314” route was July 20, 2013. Since then a big new Chevron station went up across FM3083 which I did not notice until I came out of the Valero with a refilled bottle and sat down. As big as it was I should have seen it earlier. From the Valero station I took Creighton Road which now has a smooth coat of asphalt all the way to FM1314. Previously it had some rough sections and I dodged some low spots. The first 1/4 mile still has some washboard in the surface but not as bad as before.

FM1314 northwest of SR242 is asphalt and not as wide as east of SR242. The traffic is lighter too since most people turn onto SR242 to get to I-45. The road is smooth and I made good time to SR242 and then onto the Stripes station at Valley Ranch Parkway and FM1314. From the Valero station to Stripes was almost 20 miles and I was ready for another break. This time I got a 32 oz Gatorade and sat out by a pump since the shade was gone by the store building. I thought I would get a breakfast taco but they were sold out and I didn’t bring any more snacks. I should have doubled the trail mix bar and cookies. While I was sitting by the pump a man drove up in a Dodge pickup. I am not sure why he drove to the pump I was at since there were a number of others open. He pulled close so I drew my feet up. As he got out he said it was caliente and I agreed adding it wasn’t as hot when I was riding. He said he would only be a few minutes while he got some gas. He walked to the store and several minutes later came back with a package of beer and then put some gas in the Dodge. While he was pumping the gas he offered me a cold can of beer but I said no thanks since I don’t drink. He said he was going to enjoy it. After he left I got up and refilled my water bottle for the 11 mile ride back home.

The weather was hot. The sky only had a very few small clouds and the sun was beating down. When I left home at 10:31 it was 92 degrees. By the time I got home at 3:45 it was 97 and the heat index showed 112 on my home weather center. I sweat a lot when I stopped at the Valero station but after that I did not notice it as much. With the heat and sun I drank at least 4 water bottles of water plus the 32 oz Gatorade.

Saturday I was looking around the Garmin Connect website and saw a feature that I have wanted for sometime. Since my ride route are fluid my wife does not the exact route I am biking. I use the Garmin Edge 510 and it has Bluetooth but I never turned it on since I didn’t know what value it would add. If I would install the Gamin Connect app on my Nexus 5 phone and connected via Bluetooth to the 510 the feature called Live Tracking can be activated. This way I email my wife a secure link to a Connect website and she can she where I am biking. With the Hotter’N Hell Hundred coming up on August 23rd I wanted to try this out before to see how it works. At first I couldn’t get the email to send but about a mile into the ride I got the app to email the link to my wife. When I got home I asked her if she looked at the link and she saw me as I rode across Woodland Hills Drive on the way home. So it works. It does increase the battery drain but my phone lasted the 5 hours and 13 minutes I was gone. I will continue to use this to learn more about how it works.

Where I stand with miles:

  • 62.28 miles this week
  • 387.40 miles so far for August (458 miles left to reach my August goal)
  • 4600 miles for the year

Tomorrow the weather looks favorable to riding with 95 degrees with a chance of rain.

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/562919612 465px 550px]

Link to RideWithGPS

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Texas Bicycling News Digest August 10th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Saturday, August 9, 2014 – Photos from Hot Rocks 2014 – Rockwall, TX

www.bicycle-stuff.com

La Mesa and back

Saturday, Aug 16, 2014, 7:00 AM

River Run Plaza
1071 Country Club Rd El Paso, TX

6 Cyclists Went

7 a.m. Saturday Aug. 16: Meet at River Run Plaza and ride to La Mesa. 42 miles, 18-20 mph. Rick Rivas,[masked]

Check out this Meetup →

Saturday Beginner Ride

Saturday, Aug 16, 2014, 9:00 AM

Performance Bicycle
4750 Fm 1960 Rd W Houston, TX

2 Bicycle Enthusiasts Went

Leaves from the store to Cypresswood, Cypress wood to TC Jester going north an then back.Please bring a helmet, spare tube, waterbottle, positive attitude 🙂

Check out this Meetup →

Go for an easy beginner ride

Saturday, Aug 16, 2014, 9:00 AM

Performance Bicycle
7549 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX

1 Cycling Enthusiasts Went

You’re invited to join our Saturday morning, beginners group ride starting from and ending at our W. Houston, Performance Bicycle store. The ride is for beginners and those getting back on the saddle. The average pace will be between 10 and 14 miles per hour and the ride will last approximately one hour. We’ll explore some of the local bike paths a…

Check out this Meetup →

Upcoming Rides and Events

San Antonio Wheelmen

Saturday, 8/16:           Bullis County Park Ride
Sunday, 8/17:             Garden Ridge-Gruene Latte Ride

Celebrating Elsie Hotpepper’s Birthday In Arlington On A Village Creek Bike Ride With The Indian Ghosts

Durango Texas


Today I celebrated Elsie Hotpepper’s 29th birthday the way I celebrate all of Elsie Hotpepper’s 29th birthdays.
That is by driving to Arlington to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area to roll my wheels with the Indian Ghosts who haunt this location on the planet.
On the way to Village Creek I needed to get gas. After getting gas I did something I’d not done in…

LSC Club Meeting

Lone Star Cyclists

Date: Monday, August 18, 2014 – 7:30pm
Our next Lone Star Cyclists Club meeting is on Monday, August 18th at 7:30 PM at the Bob Duncan Center in Vandergriff Park, 2800 S. Center Street, Arlington.
It has been a while since we have had a regular club meeting. Come join us and bring your summer riding stories. We’ll have fun, fellowship and food.
Our LSC Board of Directors will meet prior to the club meeting from 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM. We will have a lot to…

A Trial of Tears and Joy: 4,700-Mile Cancer-Fighting Bike Trek Nears End for Chickasaw

Tony Choate, Chickasaw Nation


VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Cancer’s ultimate victory came calling just when a 20-year-old Chickasaw woman was waging war to defeat it.
Sierra Welch was a few days into a grueling 4,700-mile bicycle trek from Austin to Anchorage when the devastating news arrived.
Her boyfriend, Drew Herbort, relayed the unthinkable—his grandmother, Omie, was gone. The breast cancer she valiantly battled proved too aggressive and too…

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/IamWillPowers/status/498325277340999683

Event Reminders