Texas Bicycle Blog and News Digest May 30th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Day 16 – Lubbock, TX: Bailed Out by the Post

By Christopher Johnson        North By West By South By Far East

Woke up to an unexpected surprise this morning, but the frosty cold was actually not that bad given the fact that the winds were still calmed when I exited the tent. I was even able to change over the tube without wearing my gloves, but unfortunately the patch that I had put on in Anson the other day had developed a slight leak.
The leak didn’t seem that bad, so I proceeded only to find the tire soft again after roughly two miles. This is what I had been fearing all through last night, as I was forced to use my last patch to cover the old leaky patch. This didn’t help, though, but luckily when I reached the hamlet of Justiceburg once the tire went soft again I found a quaint country diner where I could…

For Houston Cyclists, Bike Plan is On the Way

By Aaron Reiss        blogs.houstonpress.com


Not much good could’ve come from Chelsea Norman dying in December 2013, killed while biking her way home from Whole Foods.
It was past 10 p.m. when she was hit by a car that did not stop. It wasn’t until February that the woman driving the car that hit Norman was arrested.
A tip to Crime Stoppers helped solve the case
On Thursday, Crime Stoppers was rewarded with a…

Uptown Ciclovía shuts down Dallas streets to put bikes, pedestrians in the spotlight

By ANDREW SCOGGIN        www.dallasnews.com


The training wheels had come off 6-year-old Gregory Cherry’s bicycle just two days earlier.
As his parents, Paul and Natalya Cherry of Rowlett, stood in an Uptown parking lot Monday, Gregory couldn’t wait to hit the road, pedaling around in circles. The fitness-focused family had planned to run as part of Uptown Ciclovía, but Gregory’s two-wheeled revelation changed their minds.
“We like anything that encourages out-and-about family stuff,” Paul Cherry said.
Monday, thousands of people made their way to Uptown Ciclovía, a car-less path traversing parts of…

Day 2 Winnie to Livingston (No, not MT!)

2 On a Tandem


May 29th 2014
86.7 miles
6 hrs 8 min saddle time (st)
14.1 avg
Well, isn’t that special- a flat tire. Yup, before we even thought about getting on the bike. We found a piece of wire on the inside of the tire. Must’ve picked it up when we rode to the store last night.
Yikes, it was hot today! 88 degrees. Not exactly the type of weather you’d normally choose to ride in for that long.  But, we kinda didn’t choose…
We miscalculated. Based on weather predictions for today, we changed our route yesterday to try to…

Brownsville bicyclists will ride all the way to Austin

Marty Watson Reporter        www.kveo.com


BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS (KVEO NEWSCENTER 23) — Some members of the Brownsville Bike Brigade will cycle all the way to Austin and back in an event called “Look Out Austin” beginning Sunday.
The 350-mile ride is an attempt to spread bicycle safety awareness throughout the state.
The Bike Brigade is also hoping to demonstrate the environmental benefits of community with bicycles rather than…

Summer Camp @ Ft. Lewis College: Calling all dirt-shredding high school boys and girls in Texas.

www.texasmtb.org

The 2014 Texas, Utah and Arizona Leagues are hosting 2 1 week summer camps at Ft. Lewis College in Durango, CO.  These camps are intended to offer any high school student in the USA, the opportunity to fellowship with other student athletes in NICA leagues while riding mountain bikes in one of the best locations in America. The cost of attending the camp with…

Ride Interview – Collin Classic – McKinney, TX

www.wheelbrothers.com

Time for another awesome Wheel Brothers Ride Interview! We were lucky enough to grab a quick interview with Rob Scichili, the Marketing Director for the ride. He gave us the scoop on this long running, awesome ride on June 14th, out in McKinney, TX. Check it out!
Why join your ride?
The Collin Classic is a quality ride that offers something for both the serious cyclist and the weekend rider. With four different routes of 22 to 64 miles, we strive to provide riders with an exceptional experience, that supports an exceptional cause.
How long has your ride been around?
The ride has been around for 23 years now, but this is only the second year to be managed by us.
What was the motivation behind starting the ride and who benefits from it?
The original motivation 23 years ago came from the many North Texans who cycle and decided to start up the Collin Classic as an annual ride. City House is the sole beneficiary of the Collin Classic and is one of our primary…

The Ride that Shall Remain Nameless

Shawnee Trail Cycling Club

It will, of course, remain nameless until it has a name.  We have very exciting news about our Saturday ride offerings.  Beginning Saturday, May 31 2014, we will have a regular 50-60 mile ride at a C Pace (15-17mph).  It will leave at 8am, along with CPS, so come prepared to make a ride choice.  This ride is 50-60 mi with a moderate hills, making the ride a challenge, but not overwhelming.  I think you’ll enjoy the mostly smooth and…

Upcoming Rides and Events

Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club

June 8, 2014 8:00 am – June 8, 2014 11:30 am
Leon Spring to Shavano Park
June 14, 2014 8:00 am – June 14, 2014 1:00 pm
Rudy’s Ride
June 21, 2014 8:00 am – June 21, 2014 5:00 pm
Saturday June 21st Open Ride
June 22, 2014 8:00 am – June 22, 2014 5:00 pm
Sunday June 22nd Open Ride
June 28, 2014 8:00 am – June 28, 2014 5:00 pm
Saturday June 28th Open Ride
June 29, 2014 8:00 am – June 29, 2014 1:00 pm
Sunday June 29th Hay’s Ride

Spinning My Wheels On The Gateway Park Roller Coaster Before Getting Melons At Town Talk

Durango Texas


Today my mountain bike’s handlebars got rolled to a familiar location in Fort Worth’s Gateway Park, looking down a cliff at the green Trinity River.
My inferior photographic skills are unable to adequately photograph something like a…

RIDE SCHEDULE – Georgetown Cyclopaths

>

Day Date Time Meet at Miles Map Miles Map
Saturday 5/31/2014 8:00 AM Berry Springs Park 31 miles B9 40 miles B6
Sunday 6/1/2014 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 35 miles B23 41 miles B58
Saturday 6/7/2014 8:00 AM Catholic Church in Andice 35 miles A3 48 miles A4
Sunday 6/8/2014 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 33 miles B59 42 miles B49
Saturday 6/14/2014 8:00 AM Dale’s Essenhaus Restaurant in Walburg 32 miles WA11 46 miles WA12
Sunday 6/15/2014 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 20 miles B37 35 miles B24
Saturday 6/21/2014 8:00 AM Gravel Parking Lot in Weir 27 miles WE2 51 miles WE8
Sunday 6/22/2014 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 20 miles B36 31 miles B61
Saturday 6/28/2014 8:00 AM Union State Bank in Florence 29 miles F5 40 miles F6
Sunday 6/29/2014 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 20 miles B42 34 miles B55

 

DATES Events

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

Sunday June 1st @ 8:00 AM
DATES Tour of the TV Towers
Wednesday June 4th @ 6:15 PM
Round and Round the Lake Ride
Sunday June 8th @ 9:00 AM
DATES Van Alstyne Ride

 

Day 3. Livingston to Lufkin

2 on a tandem

May 30th 2014
44.5 miles
3:03 ST
14.8 avg
A couple minor things from yesterday:
We did a good job of hydrating yesterday. I drank almost two Camelbaks (45 oz each) plus a 20 oz bottle of sport drink. Gerry drank about a gallon. Looking back we’re pretty sure that my issue of not feeling well on Wednesday was lack of liquids. In the excitement of getting going and riding along the Gulf, I just forgot to drink.
My fortune cookie from last night said, “You will soon be crossing desert sands for a fun vacation.” I had to laugh, thinking “if we cross any desert sands, we have taken…

Tweets

Event Reminders

Brief Encounter at the Tracks

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Mike and Frank on the American Pickers TV show talk about “breaking the ice” when they make their first buy at a picker site. Last Saturday, Sunday and Monday were my breaking the ice days from 21 days of not biking. Then I took three days off with rain on Tuesday, drying out on Wednesday and taking my wife to the medical center on Thursday. Back riding today I had to start earlier than I have lately to get back home to meet the Dish technician to install a new dish and receiver.

I rolled out the driveway at 9:05 and got back home at 11:48 about 15 minutes before he arrived. When I started the air was heavy with humidity at 80% and the temperature was 75 degrees. By the time I finished the humidity dropped to 57% and the temperature moved to 84. Unlike most of my rides this year thanks to the humidity I was perspiring heavily at the end. I wiped off my arms and almost immediately they were wet again. Welcome Houston humid weather.

The route I chose was going to the north to Roman Forest Blvd and turning south through Valley Ranch. After a stop at Stripes for a Gatorade I continued through Briar Tree and Oakhurst. Today is the last day of school for the New Caney ISD but I am not sure about Humble ISD. I rode past all of the schools before they let out early today.

Riding out of Kingwood on Adams Street I had brief encounter with a young lady driver. I think I might have over reacted and owe her an apology. She was stopped at the railroad crossing waiting for the train to pass. I waited on the side street until the train was gone and then pulled behind her thinking she was going to cross the tracks. Instead her backup lights came on and she started to come back to mean. I pulled from behind her up to beside the driver’s door. She had the window down so I explained that she was going to back into me. She said she was backing up to make room for a large truck to come over the tracks but I said she wasn’t paying attention to me behind the car. She had a phone or iPod in her hand and I thought she was looking at it and not what was behind. She said she checked both mirrors and did not see. This could have been true because I was not in the middle of the of the car or I might have been pushed back. After going back and forth a couple of times I told her to go ahead and I continued biking.

Riding the route totaled 33.17 miles and I got my average speed up to 15.6 mph from the 14 mph I biked the last three rides. May miles total 233.28 so I will not reach 300 let alone the 400 mile goal I set at the beginning of May. Too many days off and the rain did not help. I really needed Tuesday off to catch up on a pile of things from our vacation. The week to date shows 65.21 miles and year to date I biked 2370 miles. Hopefully I can bike tomorrow. The forecast calls for a 75% chance of rain.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”329″ size=”auto”][/wppa]

Link to RideWithGPS map and metrics.

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/510134900 465px 548px]

Texas Bicycling News Digest May 29th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Teddy Bears and Bike Racers

by Anne Clarrissimeaux        texasbikeracing.com


Spring through fall, weekends are full of rally rides. Bringing together hundreds, if not thousands, of riders to support one cause or another, rally rides really do serve an important purpose in the cycling world.
Not only do they raise funds, they bring together cyclists of all ages and abilities, and help spread good cycling mojo to the rest of the world that doesn’t choose to endlessly pedal their bikes for fun every day.
For example, the Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred benefits a wide range of organizations, including the American Red Cross, the Children’s Miracle Network, and nature conservatory programs, and is one of the largest bicycle rally rides in the country. The famously jam-packed weekend-long event also includes three days of tough racing and competition. The event takes over a town, is a year in the planning, utilizes some 4,000 community volunteers and is run like a well-oiled machine. LiveStrong’s Ride for the Roses, which…

Bryan Firefighter Rides in Brotherhood Ride to Honor Fallen Lt.s

kagstv.com


Bryan–
First responders from across the country are biking almost 800 miles on the Brotherhood Ride, a bike ride to honor the firefighters who died in the line of duty over the past year.
This particular ride honored the 19 Texas fallen firefighters: 12 from West, four from Houston, two from Bryan, and one from Dallas. They started their ride on May 22 in Plaquemine, La. and will finish in Houston on May 30.
Bryan Firefighter Matthew Deemer works at Station One, and knew Lt. Eric Wallace and Lt. Gregory Pickard.
“The rest of the days we would ride for other people and we would try to keep those people in our minds to try to give us motivation for the ride, just from those different people,” said Deemer.
“I think if you asked each one of us, we know that our profession is very dangerous and when we have a bad day, it’s…

Day 18: Dalhart TX to Guyman OK

Herm’s Coast-to-Coast Bike Ride 2014


Well, after checking out the weather forecast for today, I realized it’s going to be a great day for someone whose legs don’t feel energized or fresh, the new normal.  The predicted WNW wind at 9mph was expected to give us a slight tailwind vector push to Guymon along a relatively flat and ruler-straight US 54.
Because of the time zone change from Mountain to Central, we were given a one hour later starting time this morning.  We were…

University of Texas students to cycle to Alaska for charity

by Fares Sabawi        impactnews.com

The community will have a chance to send off another class of University of Texas student cyclists before they embark on a 70-day journey to Anchorage, Alaska, to fight against cancer.
Residents can attend the free Texas 4000 send-off party, which kicks off at 1 p.m. May 30 at the LBJ fountain to mark “Day Zero” for the nonprofit’s summer journey.
Each year, UT students partake in the 4,000-mile ride to Alaska after 18 months of training, fundraising and planning, said Drew Hibbert, Texas 4000 public relation chairman. The planning and fundraising is all student-driven, he said.
Texas 4000 so far this year—the organization’s 10th anniversary—has raised $4 million through fundraisers and…

Rolling Ribbon Cutting June 15 for the Trinity River Revel!

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

You’re invited to join Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and cyclists from around the city to celebrate the grand opening of three new bike-friendly arrivals to the Trinity River corridor: Trinity Skyline Trail along the river, the Continental Avenue Bridge Park and West Dallas Gateway Plaza connecting to Trinity Groves, and the Sylvan Avenue Bridge that includes a bike lane!
The ride begins at the east end of the Continental Bridge at 2pm sharp, but the festivities go on all day! A gospel brunch, farmers market, driving range, 1930s danceathon, kid…

Rocky Hill Ride Pics – 5-25-14

www.austinbike.com

With all of the rain we’ve been having, heading east seemed like the best choice.  Luckily, the trails at Rocky Hill were still very dry, and other than a few washouts in sand, there were no real problems with the trail.
All of the water stations were stocked and other than starting to lose energy towards the end, everything went smoothly.

North By West By South By Far East

By Christopher Johnson        www.crazyguyonabike.com

A Gulf to Pacific Coast Tour and a Continuation of a Much Longer Journey Toward Personal Sovereignty!
744 miles (1,197 km) so far after 30 days from April 29, 2014 to ???
For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is Chris and I thank you for checking out this tour journal. This upcoming tour, a ride of a bit over two months from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific Coast in California, is pretty much a sequel to last year’s tour from New England to Texas. A tour you are probably familiar with if you at least somewhat followed last year’s “Northeast by Southwest” tome. The ending of this account, by the way, is still undergoing final revisions and photo uploads after a long rough winter of technological challenges, but it can be read at www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nebysw all thanks to our kind two wheeler hosts here at Crazy Guy! I do thank all of my readers for following, and I hope my writing here ends up contributing to wealth of material found within this site’s journal database. I believe that many of the tour accounts found here are valuable resource for future bicycle tourists, in the form of both practical and existential guides to this sport and art, so hopefully this particular journal will help out another cyclist someday.
This is going to be a different sort of journal than what I posted here last year, though. As I began writing the first draft of the introduction to this journal, I realized that last year’s “Northeast by Southwest” had become a work I would spend hours a day writing and editing. Not only was the writing done at the expense of daily mileage, but I would often find myself digging into and…

Wednesday Night Ride

Wednesday, Jun 4, 2014, 6:00 PM

Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Road
at Artcraft (parking lot next to Little Caesars_ El Paso, TX

3 Cyclists Went

These are leaderless rides of 17-22 miles leaving from Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Rd (at Artcraft). The most popular route is a 19-mile loop to Gadsden H.S. Riders begin  about 6:00 p.m. this time of year. NOTE: FORECAST IS FOR 105 DEGREES AT 6 PM SO YOU MAY WANT TO LEAVE AS LATE AS POSSIBLE! And be sure to hydrate before, during and after the ri…

Check out this Meetup →

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas supports bike helmet program

Kritika Kulshrestha, Staff Writer- Austin Business Journal


The TMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Texas Medical Association, received $65,450 from Richardson-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas to support a bike helmet giveaway program.
The TMA program is known as Hard Hats for Little Heads, the foundation said in its…

Heads or Tails 40K Time Trial in Beaumont

jerryscyclingblog.blogspot.com

First of all, I had to get through Houston on a Friday.  That meant I left home at 9am in order to beat the afternoon traffic.  Even at 11:15am, cars were backing up and it was a slow slog.  Still, it could have been worse.  I arrived in Beaumont and the first stop was packet pick-up.  It was quick and efficient, and the nice folks answered all my questions.
Next I drove to the start line, the field house at Lamar State University, just so I could see it unhindered by the crush of participants.  Only a little over 60 folks signed up to cycle, but over 2,000 runners were doing the running events (marathon, half-marathon, 10k, and kids race).  I found the parking lot and the overflow lot, and stopped to chat to one of the guys who seemed to be in charge of setting up stuff.  Then it was time to check in at the hotel and get squared away.
Of prime importance was the weather.  It looked like the rain would hold off, so I was facing mid-50s, overcast, with a SE wind.  Long-time readers know my mantra “Under 65 degrees, cover the…

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BikePaulie/status/472144346645422080

https://twitter.com/Bufflion/status/471797039861223424

Event Reminders

Texas Bicycle News Digest May 28th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Riders On 750-Mile Trek Honor West’s Fallen First Responders

By: Matt Howerton        www.kwtx.com


WEST (May 27, 2014) Nearly 40 cyclists pedaled into West Tuesday afternoon after completing the sixth leg of the 2014 Brotherhood Ride, a 750 mile bike tour to honor 19 first responders who died in the line of duty in 2013 in Texas, including those were killed in the April 17, 2013 fertilizer plant explosion.
The group traveled 87 miles from Dallas to West Tuesday.
The tour started in Baton Rouge and will end in Houston.
The stop in West was symbolic.
The riders, almost all of whom are firefighters or police officers, wanted to honor the sacrifice of the 12 first responders who lost their lives in the explosion at West Fertilizer Co.
“Everybody always says we never forget, so we’re actually bringing that…

Texas Cup Action — Bike the Bricks V

txbra.org


Michael Sheehan, Boneshaker Project, took home the glory and the $$$ in the P/1/2 race. Bret Crosby and Stefan Rothe, Elbowz Racing, rounded out the top 3.
Photo courtesy of Sheri Rothe.

Club Meeting at Gateway Park-Tuesday, June 3rd 7:45pm

Fort Worth Mountain Bikers’ Association

It’s back to the trailhead at Gateway Park for the June meeting.  Come get the latest on the 4th annual Fat Tire Festival and other tantalizing club news.  Bring your bike, a chair, beverages of choice and join in. The meeting will begin between 7:45-8:00pm.
Topics of discussion will be. . . .
– 4th Annual Fort Worth Fat Tire Festival planning updates.
– Fat Tire Festival volunteer opportunities
– Lake Worth Trail at Marion Sansom Park alignment exhibit on display.
Gateway Park west trailhead location…

Chase Hawk — Austin, Texas

Oakley

Chase Hawk is one of the few pro BMXers to come out of Austin, Texas. Renowned for his style and his vast trick list across various riding disciplines, he’s established himself as one of the premier talents in the sport. Whether in competition, free-riding or video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyJ-EGQDT_g&feature=player_detailpage

Q&A: New League study challenges assumptions about fatal bike crashes

by Stephen Frothingham        www.bicycleretailer.com

The League takes a look at how American bicyclists die.
WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — For years, friendly bike advocates have re-assured nervous newbies that — despite their fears — it’s very rare for bikes to get hit from behind by cars or trucks.
Turns out, maybe the newbies have reason to be nervous.
“It doesn’t matter how may times you say, ‘well, statistically that doesn’t happen very often.’ When you read about (a fatal crash) in the paper, that’s what happened,” said Andy Clarke, the president of the League of American Bicyclists.
The League recently published an analysis of fatal bike accidents in the U.S. It looked at the circumstances of fatal bike accidents and the…

79 crazy Texans volunteer to bicycle 4,000 miles to Alaska

By Heather Alexander        www.chron.com


A group of University of Texas students are doing their final preparations before setting off this weekend on the bike ride of their lives, all the way to Alaska.
The 70-day, 4,000-mile grueling haul to America’s Last Frontier starts on Saturday and is the eleventh time for what is the longest charity cycle ride in the world, twice as long as the Tour de France.
Riders have three routes to choose from, the Rockies takes them up through Colorado, then across Canada, the Sierra takes them up and down the coastal hills of California’s Highway 1 and the Ozarks, which brings them down to Houston then up the center of the country to join the others in Canada.
“I heard about it on campus, people were like, have you heard about these people riding 4,000 miles, they’re crazy,” said Houston native Reid O’Conor, who’s one of the 79 taking on the epic challenge designed to raise…

Corpus Christi officials get street-level look at bicycle safety (+ Video)

www.caller.com


CORPUS CHRISTI — City and transportation policy- and decision-makers got a street-level look Wednesday at cyclist and pedestrian safety, by going on a bike ride on Ocean Drive, arguably one of the city’s most popular cycling routes.
Organized by the city of Corpus Christi Transportation Advisory Committee, the City Leadership Bicycle Ride was…

B/IG Basic Bike Maintenance

Tuesday, Jun 3, 2014, 6:30 PM

Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Road
at Artcraft (parking lot next to Little Caesars_ El Paso, TX

9 Cyclists Went

Beginner/Intermediate Group (B/IG ) presentation and ride. Meet at Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Rd (at Arcraft). Lesson is on basic bike maintenance. Show your bike some love and keep it running. Due to the heat, meet at 6:30 p.m. for the June 3 ride — we’ll leave at 6:45 and we’ll do the presentation after the ride. Helmets required. Margaret O’K…

Check out this Meetup →

New UT grad set to bike 4,000 miles cross-country in her uncle’s memory

By Amber Elliott        www.houstonchronicle.com (subscription required)

New UT grad preps to bike cross-country in her uncle’s memory
Like many of her collegiate peers, 2014 University of Texas graduate Lesley Zimmer has big plans for the future.

Walnut WEDNESDAY Workday

Wednesday, Jun 4, 2014, 5:30 PM

Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX

2 Mountain Bikers Went

What: Walnut WEDNESDAY WorkdayWhen: Wednesday, June 4th, from 5:30PM to 8:30PMWhere: We will meet at the POOL PARKING lot.What will we be doing: We will be working on a full scale trimmingsession of Mark’s Art and Tangle of Trails.What do I need to bring: I will have a lot of loppers and shears, butbring water, wear long pants and long …

Check out this Meetup →

Exxon 211 Ride Sunday June 1st

Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club

Ride starts at 7:30am. We’ll meet in the parking lot next to the Exxon/Subway on 471.  We’ll ride up  & back on 211 and continue on to Rio Medina. If someone doesn’t want to ride 211, they can ride to Rio Medina turn around.  Lead Rider  Randy five six two – zero three hundred.

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/RichBikeMart/status/471739377572663296