Texas Bicycling Blog and News Digest April 27th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Sounding Off: Park Cities-North Dallas readers tell us if they think Dallas should repeal bike helmet law

www.dallasnews.com


RAISE YOUR VOICE: Share your own opinion online at dallasnews.com/sendletters. Sign up for Sounding Off or submit a guest column (and include your full name and contact information) by visiting dallasnews.com/voices.
The Dallas Bicycle Task Force wants to repeal the city’s helmet law for cyclists. Do you think that’s a good idea?
Jim Hairston, University Park: I think the helmet law needs to be repealed. Interestingly, there is no law for motorcyclists to wear helmets, and their accidents are certainly more debilitating. The bike-helmet lobby will not like this law repealed, given…

Charity Bike Ride “Bike for Mike”

Saturday, May 3, 2014, 7:30 AM

Union Chappel Vineyards/Bar 0 Ranch
8426 Wallis Street Fulshear, TX

2 Katy bicyclist fun riders Went

There is a fee for this ride. $35 before April 30th. Miles are 68,35 or 19.I hope you can make it!www.bikeformikefulshear.com

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MS 150 2-Day Ride

Saturday, May 3, 2014, 8:00 AM

Med Assets Inc.
5543 Legacy Plano, TX

4 Members Went

I am posting this on behalf of Diane Breznik. Please contact her for detailed information regarding this event.  –SueContact: Diane Breznik, [masked]Date(s): May 3 & 4, 2014Start/Finish Location: Starts at Med Assets Inc. and ends at Texas Motor Speedway.Registration Fee: $40Fundraising Minimum: $300 – The minimum $300 fundraisi…

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Flat Creek Crossing Ranch Open Ride

Saturday, May 3, 2014, 9:00 AM

Flat Creek Crossing Ranch
County Road 201 & Ulrich Road Johnson City, TX

21 Mountain Bikers Went

Flat Creek Crossing Ranch is open to the public on Saturday May 3rd for mountain bikers, come out and ride.This is a notification that the trial is open to the public, not a ride call with a specific leader. If you don’t know the trail and want a guide for your ride post up in the comment box and someone will join you.Gate fee is $10, proceeds b…

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Memorial Day Sunnyvale Ride followed by pool party/bbq at Gary’s

Monday, May 26, 2014, 11:00 AM

Gary’s house
1005 Callahan Drive Forney, TX

30 Members Went

Lets do a nice leisurely 20-25 mile ride on the quiet countrylike streets of Sunnyvale.  Along the way we will explore the mostly remote southwest shore of Lake Ray Hubbard and see plenty of horses and wild life.Later we can celebrate the holiday with a cookout. Bring your swimsuit, suntan lotion, towels, a dish or dessert, your favorite libation …

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I Just Rode To Ethiopia…And Boy Are My Legs Tired

Guest poster Jeff Hemmel had the ride of a lifetime — or not.    Bike Noob

Before you dismiss that headline, let me just assure you that it’s true. Yesterday, I rode to Ethiopia. I started in Florida, apparently hauled arse across the North Atlantic, beelined it straight across Africa, and finished up my journey in Ethiopia.
Don’t believe me? Just check out the nice little map that Strava compiled of my journey. As more than one person has said, hey, it’s on the Internet…it must be true.
Ray has recently mentioned he’s jumped on the Strava bandwagon. For better of for worse, I’ve been there for years, logging my rides, checking my stats, even feverishly going after a few KOMs, or King of…

Preparing for summer across Texas and Arkansas

by Sharpshin        www.bikeforums.net

Still prepping for a June/July 2,000 mile trek to New York State from San Antonio. Here’s where I’m at at present (photos taken at an establishment where they just happened to sell beer 😎
The bike; a kitted out ’89 Schwinn Voyageur, a comfortable all-day mount. When I started training for the ride I was hauling 60 pounds everywhere, including my first century, now I’m down to about 40 in camping gear/clothes etc. That figure will probably come down some, however early indications are that on more isolated stretches this summer I may pack an extra gallon or two of water in those…

Tour D’Italia

Saturday, Jun 21, 2014, 7:00 AM

Italy High School
300 College St Italy, TX

13 Members Went

The tour d’Italia is a fun ride thru the rolling hills of Texas just south of the metroplex. This is a well supported ride. I had a great time last year. Different lenghts to ride up to the 100k.

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San Diego to St. Augustine with 60 friends on Bubba’s Coast 2 Coast 2014

By Andrew Duncan Carson        www.crazyguyonabike.com

2,812 miles (4,525 km) so far after 51 days (out of 52 days total) from March 8, 2014 to April 28, 2014
Planning – the long term view: I wrote this ‘first’ entry actually in March, 2009
Friday December 6, 2013
The point is that this idea of a cross country bike ride started way back. Really in 1996, the first time I did a charity event for a 2 day, 150 mile ride, the seed for this adventure was planted. By March of 2009, it burst out in a Facebook rant –
“It’s a fantasy. One that bugs me right now. I’d like to do it. I COULD do it. Ride south across Amerika, or what you will. ‘Mr. Intrepid wanders the world on the long bike.’ A part of me would really like that. I’d be better with responsibilities I care for to stay put and earn every dollar I can, pay the bills while we still can, care for my partner, stick it out, make choices together. That’s my life and that call is stronger than the fantasy. But the fantasy haunts, and is difficult to let go. I checked it out – the rationale [in 2009} to hang it on is a wedding for my nephew in Boca Grande, Florida on May 9. I could get there, by bike, from here. Start about a month from now, south a day to Chicago, stay with my friend Eric there. South on Day Two on a bike path I haven’t seen into Indiana – there is a Warm Showers host who is willing in Hebron, In. And so on. I could do it. 1660 miles. Think of it! 20 (or 21) days. Oh my! I was talking to my friend Chuck on Saturday – If I hadn’t imagined, in 1993, that I could DO 35 miles on a bike, I’d never have had the thrill of riding down the I-279 expressway in Pittsburgh. I’d never have had the obsessive riding hobby I now enjoy. If I hadn’t imagined it in 1995, if I hadn’t imagined I COULD do the MS150 – allowed myself the possibility of…

Three Texans Travel The Trans-Am.

By Wesley Young        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Introduction: Stop saying someday and just do it before it’s too late!
On May 15th two of my nephews ( Kendal, Mac ) and I ( Wes ) will board an Amtrak train out of Fort Worth, Texas and head for Williamsburg, VA with stops in Chicago and Washington, DC. We will arrive in Williamsburg on the 17th and ride out to York Town on the 18th to start our trip along the Trans-Am bike route. Kendal has been racing mountain bikes for several years, including at collage in Durango, CO. Mac has ridden bikes for recreation and commuting, and I have been a life-long cyclist, including some short tours in Texas and Colorado ( Great Divide ). This will be the first long tour for all three of us. Along the way we hope to…

Ride to remember: Local officers bike for fallen comrades

Chris McGuinness | Herald staff writer        kdhnews.com


It’s just after 7 a.m. Friday when Killeen police Officer Neal Holtzclaw pulls into the parking lot of the La Quinta Inn on Fort Hood Street.
While many in the rooms around him are asleep, Holtzclaw falls in with a small group of men who are busily preparing their lightweight road bikes for the day’s ride.
Today the group is participating in one leg of the “We Remember” Memorial Bicycle Trek Across Texas.
The ride, organized by police officers from San Antonio, travels across the state, visiting every city where an…

Walnut Tuesday Workday

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014, 5:30 PM

Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX

10 Mountain Bikers Went

What: Walnut TUESDAY WorkdayWhen: Tuesday, April 29th from 5:30PM to 8:00PMWhere: We will meet at the LICONLNSHIRE entrance to Walnut Creek, and NOT in the Pool parking lot.  Here is the Google Map location: https://www.google.com/maps/@30.399624,-97.692134,3a,75y,128.03h,84.37t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sD59UmuHFDqVuk78lw8qaGQ!2e0?hl=enWhat will we be…

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2014 Hotter Than Hell (33rd Annual)

Saturday, Aug 23, 2014, 6:00 AM

Location details are available to members only.

29 Members Went

This is the ride of the year and a experience that you wont soon forget. It was my first time last year and I had so much fun. Formed a great friendshup that day that still continues. I was one of almost 14,000 riders last year. The rest areas are each a different theme and so well supported. $30.00 before[masked]$35.00 after[masked]$45.00 t…

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Red River Rally

Saturday, Aug 9, 2014, 5:00 AM

Tanglewood Resort
290 Tanglewood Cr Pottsboro, TX

8 Members Went

Join us for what was a good ride last year. Varied lenght of routes 26m, 45m, 62m, 80m, and 100mile.Cost is $30.00 with early reg. Reg closes Aug 5th. You reg the day of at a slightly higher fee. They had a great after ride lunch last year. This is a road bike ride, it would be a tuff ride on a mtn bike.If you would like to meet at my house and…

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Houston Ride of Silence 2014

www.bikehouston.org

May 21, 2014 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Where: Memorial Park – North Picnic Loop
Washington Ave./ Memorial Park
Houston, TX
On May 21, 2014 join cyclists worldwide in a silent slow paced ride in honor of those who have been injured of killed while cycling on public roadways. …

Ride of Silence

www.bikewtca.org

Date: May 21, 2014
Location: Lubbock, TX
Contact: Details: The Ride of Silence, May 21, Sign in @ 6:30, Wheels roll @ 7 PM, Start Location is the parking lot on the NW corner of the Intersection @ Texas Tech Parkway and 19th Street. The route is approximately 11 miles and riders must be able to ride at least 12mph. There will be a police escort to block intersections and maintain a steady pace.

Having A Smoggy Sunday Reaction After Rolling My Wheels On Gateway Park’s Mountain Bike Trails

Durango Texas


I must have misunderstood the weather forecast for today. I  thought serious storms were a sure thing for this final Sunday of the 4th month of 2014.
Last night I figured this morning’s pool bout would have me swimming in the rain. And that I would not be going anywhere hiking or biking today.
I figured wrong.
I had myself a mighty fine rain-free swim this morning,  followed by an equally mighty fine rain-free rolling…

7:30am – Harden Dental Team Ride

Corinth Cycling

When: Sat May 10, 2014 7:30am to 10:30am  CDT
Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: This is the weekly training ride for the Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental race team. This is a 62 mile loop on an established route. Expect a fast pace and be prepared to fix your own mechanicals. There are no stops on this ride. -7:30am- http://ridewithgps.com/routes/337788

Two Men and a Bike and a Camera

by Christopher Curnutt        Biking in Dallas

Eliot and I share an interest in photography as well as cycling.  Seems like for ages we had been talking about going on a ride without much purpose other than to photograph interesting things we saw along the way, so we finally picked a day and did just that.   He suggested we start at Davis Street Espresso and then we pretty much meandered around that area.  There’s something to be said for riding bike just for the sake of riding bike, no real destination other than to enjoy the experience, and in this case take a…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/txbikeracing/status/460601265639010304

Event Reminder

No Excitement Today

Texbiker.net Posted on by

On the way home from church I was thinking about what route I should ride today. My first inclination was to ride to Huffman to complete the route I could yesterday. Driving east on Northpark Drive I saw the signs for Dr. Mosby’s car show at Town Center in Kingwood. This made up my mind to ride the opposite direction because of all the traffic at the car show. To ride to Huffman I go south on W. Lake Houston Parkway and its tough to avoid the Town Center area. The route I chose was the Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch one.

While eating an apple and Kashi trailmix bar I watched the video of the last 2.2k of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race from Europe. I looked at the weather and noticed the wind was really blowing. When I left at 11:45 it was from the south at 20 mph with 32 mph gusts. By the time I got back home it dropped down a little to 16 mph and 26 mph gusts. It was really tough riding into the wind with the gusts. The worst places were on the south bound US59 service road after I exited Valley Ranch and Loop 494 from FM1314 to the turn onto Adams Street getting back into Kingwood. Temperatures during the ride were late spring like; 87 at the start and 90 at the end. With these temperatures the long sleeve jersey stayed in the closet. I wore my newest Texbiker.net short sleeve jersey with sunscreen and shorts. The strong winds were bringing the warmer weather in.

I wondered how the Continental Gatorskin 700×25 tire on the rear rim would ride compared to the Schwalbe Ultremo ZX I replaced after yesterday’s ride. A good test was when I was back in Kingwood almost home. I went around a corner and hit a rock or piece of concrete causing it to shoot off toward the yard. I winced thinking a pitch flat was going to come from this but the Continental Gatorskin stayed firm the last 2 miles to home. Other than the mismatched colors of the tire sidewalls the Gatorskin looks like it will be a great replacement.

Today’s ride was 30.12 miles at a 15.1 mph average speed. The lower average is from the strong wind where I bogged down to 12 mph or so. I am within 4 miles of April’s goal; 774.14 miles for April. This week I biked 242.66 miles and year to date 2034 miles.

Monday’s weather keeps gyrating away from rain and then back. The temperature could be in the low 90’s. If the rain stays away I plan on biking.

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[iframe http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/488492513 465px 548px] Link to RideWithGPS ride metrics and map.

Daily Texas Bicycling News Digest April 26th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Police Mountain Bike Officer Certification – Texas Department of Public Safety

txdps.state.tx.us

Police Mountain Bike. Officer Certification. The Texas Police Association and the Texas Department of Public. Safety with its Bike Patrol Unit,.

Pro and con: Dallas bicyclists face hazards; Cyclist road rage at White Rock Lake

By Letters to the Editor        dallasnews.com

Bicyclists face hazards
Riding a bicycle in the D-FW area is harmful to your health! I have ridden a bike from the Pleasant Grove area to downtown Dallas and back several times. Each time I had to suck up the fumes from the exhausts of many vehicles and got run off the road several times. Once I got run off the road by my next-door neighbor, who told me that bikes shouldn’t be on the streets. The Texas attitude about cars and trucks is why public transportation does not do well in Texas. That is also the reason that biking won’t do well. If we have more bicycles on the road for any reason, we will suffer more deaths and injuries to the riders.
Edgar Carol, Kaufman
Cyclist road rage
Dear unknown cyclist who aggressively suggested on Good Friday that I run on the other side of the road at White Rock Lake,
I was 150 yards from Big Thicket, at the end of a 10-mile run, and I…

Oak Cliff Bicycle Company

Great job at Big Cedar Anthony, Leslee, Phillip, Nate, Josh and Ortega! 1st, 3rd, 4th, 17th, 7th, 4th.

Blotter: Bicyclist hospitalized after being struck by vehicle

www.dentonrc.com

A bicyclist riding along a bike trail in Denton was hospitalized Saturday morning after being hit by a car.
Police said officers were dispatched at 9:10 a.m. to the 6200 block of Lakeview Boulevard where a man in his 40s was reportedly struck by a woman in her 20s who was driving southbound in a small, four-door vehicle.
Officer Ryan Grelle, spokesman for Denton police, said the…

Colorado River Bikefest

Pedal Pushers

Colorado River Bikefest
Ballinger, Texas
April 26, 2014

Line ready. One official said that over 60 riders showed up. Not bad as a lot of the San Angelo regulars did not make this day. …

Mountain Biking Gateway Park Blocked By Piles Of Brush Before Finding Elsie Hotpepper At The Tandy Hills Prairie Fest

Durango Texas

I think it has been a couple weeks since I last rolled my bike’s wheels on the Gateway Park mountain bike trails.
A couple weeks and today I found that piles of brush are still piled up, blocking the trail, the sidewalk, and spilling over on to the road.
When I started pedaling today I was quickly annoyed by a metallic rattling noise that sounded like…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/txbikeracing/status/460251234817945600

https://twitter.com/txbikeracing/status/460246678985908224

https://twitter.com/IamWillPowers/status/460157938087493632

Sometimes Ride Plans Fall Apart

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Sometimes ride plans just fall apart. Today was one of those days. I planned to ride what I call the “Kingwood – Crosby – Kingwood” route. This is the route:

4-23-2011 Road Kingwood-Crosby-Kingwood

The ride started 10:50 under an overcast sky, 77 degrees and a 13 mph southeast breeze. The ride was going good until I got on Fairlake Drive east of Lake Houston. A fine mist started to fall and I was concerned it might turn into a heavier rain. The planned route did not have any shelter to speak of until I reached Crosby. I kept going and when I got FM2100 as I waited for traffic to open for me to cross I decided to stay on Old Atascocita Road to the T intersection with Ramsey Road, about 2.5 miles east of FM2100. My plan was if the mist got heavier I could turn back there. When I reached Ramsey Road the mist was still falling but not any more than before. I turned right onto Ramsey Rd. with the thought if the mist stopped I would take Louis Road and stay on my original route. As I got to Louis Rd. the mist was still there. I stayed on Ramsey Rd. headed to Peters Dr., now converting the route to the ” Stroker Road – Huffman” one. This route takes me back to FM2100 quicker where there are several places I could stop if the rain started. By the time I got to Peters Rd. the mist had stopped and I did not want to turn back to resume the original route.

Normally the Stroker Road route does not have any dogs but today I encountered one small barking dog on Peters Rd who came out into the road to chase me. I easily escaped to reach two more dogs who barked but stayed behind the low fence beside the road. I figured this would be the last dogs but one more was waiting for me near the Peters Rd. intersection with Stroker Road. This dog was bigger and more aggressive. I sped up to get past him and he looked like he stayed on the other side of the deep ditch between him and me. He charged down the ditch as I went by and started to give chase down Peters Rd. I made the right turn onto Stroker and increased my speed. He was barking all of the time but stopped after a hundred feet or so. From there to FM2100 no more dogs. The wind was now at my back and the effort dropped down as I increased my speed. The sky was still overcast but no moisture was falling.

Going north on FM2100 I made it to Huffman and rolled into the Chevron station for a rest, snack and Coke One drink. As I sat under the canopy a black Jeep Wrangler (2 door) pulled up to the pumps. I noticed a HoustonJeep People sticker on the side. Last night my wife, niece and I went to the Northeast HoustonJeep People Meetup in Humble but I did not recognize the jeep. That wasn’t too hard because there were 25 or more Jeeps lined up at the Meetup. I walked over and introduced myself and asked if he went to the Meetup. It turned out that he did and as I got closer I did recognize him. His name is Jim Dalrymple. We talked a few minutes until he finished gassing up.

Up to this point I rode about 26.2 miles. I left the Chevron station going west to home. At the 27.82 mile point I heard a loud POW and my rear tire went flat fast. I quickly stopped and looked at the rear tire. A screw was stuck in the tire. I yanked the screw out and looked around for a place to fix the flat. I was a ways west of E. Lake Houston Parkway and deiced to go west to the Lake Houston Marina. It was about 1/10 of mile further. When I got there I saw a picnic bench behind some bushes, a good spot to work on the flat. The fun was just beginning.

Sitting on the bench I pulled the tube out where the screw did its nasty work. I figured the screw went through both sides of the tube and it did. That makes patching tough but I put a patch on each side, installed the tube in the tire and back on the rim. Using my frame pump I aired the tire up to a good pressure. Unscrewing the pump hose all of a sudden I heard the swoosh of air exiting. I looked at the end of the pump hose and the valve core was sticking out of the hose. No wonder the air escaped. I never had this happen before. I screwed the valve core in and aired up the tire again. The tire stayed firm for a minute or so and then went flat. I decided to replace the tube with my spare tube. Wrong!!! The valve stem was too short to stick out of the high profile carbon rim. I was stopped. Time to call the rescue Jeep Grand Cherokee. I called my wife and then walked across FM1960 to the Cedar Landing restaurant to wait. I leaned against a concrete thing that turned out to be a historical marker. I took this picture: (click on the picture to enlarge it)

4-26-2014 Bike Ride Historical Marker

My wife arrived and we drove home. At home I removed the tube to see one of the patches failed causing the tube to go flat. The screw made a nasty hole in the Schwalbe Ultremo ZX tire. I need to decide whether to replace the tube and tire. I quickly decided a new tube was necessary, the flat one had 5 patches already and the two opposite each other was a prescription for failure. Replacing the tire was not as easy. I did not have another Schwalbe, only Continental Gatorskin tires and not in the same size; 700 x 25 while the Schwalbe were 700 x 23. I thought the Gatorskin might be more durable since I had 5 patches on the old tube and the screw hole looked bad with a small flap of rubber dangling from the tread. For peace of mind the Gatorskin went on the rim and I left the Schwalbe on the front rim resulting in a visible mismatch. I will figure out what to do about the visual disparity. I was checking my ride history and found another disaster when I rode the Stroker Road – Huffman route about 3 years ago on 4/23/2011. That day was just as bad with 2 flats and calling my wife to get me at the Huffman Chevron.

Check the slides for the ride metrics. I am getting close to April’s mileage goal: 744.03 miles as of today. 34 miles to go. I also reached 2003 miles for the year, 212.55 miles for the week. Link to RideWithGps map and metrics.

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