Early this morning a line of rain storms moved through the area cleaning out the sky for today. The blue sky is a contrast to the many clouds since Sunday. The wind that pushed the rain through hung around for the ride. I watched the Criterium Dauphine live on NBCSports (my Nexus 7 was perfect for this with the app) this morning inspiring me to get out there and bike. The WNW wind was stiff but since I was going south and east it didn’t cause too much of a problem. The wind was 15 mph with 21 mph gusts when I left home at 10:04 and the temperature was 79, a pleasant break form the 80’s of the last couple of days. By the time I got home at 12:56 the wind was from the W with not much change in speed; 15 mph gusts 20.7 mph. The humidity dropped some today to 40% at the end of the ride. I wore a long sleeve jersey and it didn’t feel too hot.
After leaving the Huffman Chevron to finish the last 11 miles I rode into the wind almost all the way. I slowed down going over Lake Houston on FM1960 without anything blocking the wind. I should’ve change the gear I was using to help. Every once in awhile a line of vehicles would pass going to the west and suck some of the wind away for a few seconds. This helped me to speed up.
There were several other cyclists out in various spots along the 32.79 mile long ride. Even with the wind I managed to average 14.9 mph (based on the Golden Cheetah metrics).
Mileage:
66.81 miles this week
350.36 miles for June (535 miles to go to reach June’s goal of 885)
2754 miles year to date
I said I would use SportTracks for the program of record this month but I am going to change back to Golden Cheetah. GC mileage is closer to Garmin Connect.
Congrats to these riders for completing the 100 mile ride from Denton to Lake Murray, OK on Saturday – the Pack, Nat & Roll. Hats off to Scooter McCall for organizing the ride.
Oak Forest residents are certainly diverse, but on some matters, the community seems to beat with one heart.
Such is the case with the Ghost Bike that mysteriously appeared on the northeast corner of Oak Forest Dr. at W. 43rd recently. The all-white, riderless bicycle is affixed to a pole and serves as a memorial – and reminder.
At 2:50 p.m. on April 14, 2005, 10-year-old Anthony Dwight was riding his bike home from a day at Oak Forest Elementary School. According to the police report, a woman in a Suburban pulled out of the parking lot on the northwest corner traveling south on Oak Forest. Anthony, who was wearing a helmet, was cycling north on the same side. The woman ran the boy over. He was pronounced dead soon after. No charges were filed.
“It was the worst day of my life,“ stated Angela Pennington, Oak Forest resident, mother, and friend of the Dwight family. “It was the…
Pancake Breakfast Ride returns
Sunday, Jun 15, 2014, 7:00 AM
La Mesa NM 28 (Park across from Eagle Grocery) La Mesa, NM
5 Cyclists Went
We have not done this one in a while – join us for a Beginning/Intermediate Group Weekend ride to the Las Cruces Airport for the fabulous breakfast that includes a green chile cheese omelet- 1 or 2 pancakes, bacon or sausage, peaches, OJ and coffee- all for the great price of $6.00 (cash only) sponsored by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Assoc. Chap…
HOUSTON – Over the years Houston police have raised millions of dollars for kids suffering from blood disorders. They have done that by pedaling annually to places like Alaska and Maine.
This year they are going to Tacoma, Wash. in the annual Houston Police Bicycle Relay.
They will ride for patients like 7-year-old Ethan Hooks, who has no choice but to…
Date: June 19, 2014
Location: Lubbock, TX
Contact: Brian Alger
Details: Chapparal Cycling Club, as a part of the West Texas Cycling Association, will be hosting the 2014 Third Thursday Time Trial series. We will be looking for a few volunteers to help at each event as the series can not happen without you. No experience necessary. Time Trial will start at the intersection of HWY 84 & FM 1585 at 6:30pm
While writing my recap of 24 Hours in the Canyon I realized that I had a HUGE segment about what I packed. I decided to split this off into its own separate post to break it up a bit. Below is my 24 hour packing list recap and some tips I picked up along the way.
Packing for a 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race
I went with the philosophy that it would be better to be over prepared than under prepared. Especially since the weather can change so dramatically in the canyon going from 100+ degrees in the day to raining or 60 degrees over night. The following is a…
Want to be more confident riding in groups? Want to ride more safely in groups? Want to help others ride better in groups? Want to be more confident riding in groups? Want to ride more safely in groups? Want to help others ride better in groups? Then take this Group Riding Skills course and you will learn to dodge obstacles, ride in close proximity to other riders, make emergency stops and communicate with other riders. There is no online work to do as part of this class. The course does have a short classroom portion but the majority of your time will be spent learning and practicing riding skills. We will do…
ROCKWALL — Hot Rocks, an annual cycling event hosted by the Rockwall Rotary Club, will make it’s return Aug. 9 as summer begins to wind down, attracting a projected 1,000 riders of all different skill levels and ages.
Three courses will be offered at the event – including a 13-mile course, 43-mile course and 57-mile course – providing challenges for everyone from children and families to Jumping Jack Flash’s and others that wish to ride like wild horses.
The day’s races will kick off at 7:30 a.m. at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium, 1201 T.L.Townsend, with staggered starts for the different routes. The family loop will begin after all races have left.
Volunteers will provide rest stops every 8-10 miles serving drinks, ice and fruit to weary riders as they continue on their journey to get what…
Since Montgomery County was still working on Adams St. I exited Kingwood through Elm Grove Village, North Kingwood Forest, Mills Branch Drive and Ford Road. This was to ride the New Caney – Gene Campbell Road route. When I started to get ready to leave I could hear the wind pickup. Checking the Weather Underground website the wind was from the south at 15 mph with 21 mph gusts. This would be great getting to New Caney but the return trip into this headwind presented a challenge. Going out the driveway at 10:00 I looked at the clouds and some were darker than I like. The radar showed rain but it was way to the northwest of Huntsville giving me time to ride I thought.
The ride was going good with the wind dropping off some. Riding southeast on FM1314 to the Stripes station I had some headwind but not enough to be a problem. Crossing over FM1314 into the Stripes station I saw the pavement was wet with some puddles. It probably rained 10 or 15 minutes before I got there. I took a break to eat 2 trailmix bars and drink some Gatorade. I watched the sky and checked the weather on my phone. Rain was to the southeast but not very close. I left Stripes riding to Briar Tree and Auburn Trails and onto the south US59 service road. Riding on the service road the wind tried to slow me down and I could only pedal 13 to 14 mph. I didn’t mind this too much. After stopping Northpark Drive I continued south. About halfway to Kingwood Drive the rain started and I got very wet. Just before I reached Kingwood Drive and the dry under US59 the rain stopped. I pulled under US59 and waited 10 minutes or so to see if the rain was done. The streets were wet but no more rain the rest the way home.
Despite the rain I biked 33.88 miles averaging 14.6 mph. I thought the heat would be my main adversary today but it turned out to be rain. When I started at 10:00 the temperature was 82 and the same when I got home at 1:08. The wind died down to 6 mph at the end. I could hear thunder in the distance after I got home.
Mileage:
33.88 miles this week
316.62 miles this June (568 miles left to reach the 885 mile goal)
Event category: General
Saturday, June 14, 2014 – 8:00am
Trail Recovery work party
Saturday, June 14 at 8:00am
10539 Normont Dr, 77070
We’re going to split up into groups and work different sections of trail that need repair after the flood.
Gloves, safety glasses, long sleeves, bug spray, clippers, and a…
3-in-1 ride
Saturday, Jun 14, 2014, 7:00 AM
Rio Plaza / La Union / La Mesa Upper Valley Rd at Artcraft / NM 28 El Paso (and northward), TX
14 Cyclists Went
Goal is for everyone to meet at The Bean in Mesilla at about 8:45 a.m. Fast group (20+ mph) leaves from Rio Plaza at 7 a.m. for 62-mile round trip ride to Mesilla and back (co-leader: Randy Limbird,[masked]). Moderate- pace (15-17 mph) group leaves from La Union (park next to the old Gallery 28 on NM 28 just south of Vinton Rd) also at 7 a.m. …
One of the first things a new cyclist learns is how to lube the chain. The advice often given is to lube it every month or so…or every 200 miles…or every third ride…heck, there are as many suggestions about lubing the chain as there are bikes, it seems.
I’ve adopted my own routine over the years. I lube it every two weeks. During that two-week period, I will have ridden anywhere from 100-250 miles.
That has served me well, but a few weeks ago, I was on a ride one…
About 7AM
Corner of Rainey St and Davis St.
I come around the corner and out of the corner of my eye, a guy has a 2×4 twisting up a bike cable.
It registers what I saw just a moment later and I spin around to investigate.
Black and blue…
Men’s Cat 4/5
My 2nd ever crit race. Manage to do better, but with the same result as my first race (dropped and pulled).
I feel like I rode much better this week, but found myself out in the open and blowing up at a very bad time. Lost momentum and was dropped.
I think looking better overall and…
Thanks to Bruce, over at the Bike Friendly Richardson Facebook page, for spotting the new Bike Lanes on the eastern section of Collins Boulevard – in Richardson, Texas. Although not complete, lacking ‘bike’ markings on the pavement and ‘bike lane’ signage, they are ready for riding. Eventually, these bike lanes will continue east, into the Yale Park neighborhood, where more bike lanes are scheduled for Yale Boulevard. Unfortunately, the bike lanes will not continue west, right now, and connect to the other bike…
Wednesday Morning Ride
Wednesday, Jun 11, 2014, 8:30 AM
Richardson Bike Mart 1451 W. Campbell Rd Richardson, TX
