Texas Bicycling News and Blog Digest April 19th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Wahoo RFLKT+ Bike Computer System Follow-up

by Ray Garza        RGV Cycling

I’ve been using and testing the Wahoo RFLKT+ Bike computer system since mid January of 2014 and I’ve posted several reviews of various software configurations. Some I liked and others I found lacking. The consistent factor in all of this is that the system is very finicky. It would work perfectly for a week then the following week it’s nothing but problems. Screen locking up, losing ANT+ sensor data, blank screens or failure to turn on are some of the problems I’ve encountered. For this reason I have to give the system a thumbs down.
I really hate giving the RFLKT+ system my thumbs down rating but I have no choice. Wahoo makes great products, I love my Kickr indoor trainer, the ANT+ dongle and the Bluetooth heart-rate strap. The RFLKT+ has so much potential if they can only iron out the bugs and do a better job of testing the software and firmware. It’s a lot to juggle, you got…

Refuge Internation hosting Chainge the World Bike Ride & Fun Run

www.gilmermirror.com

Refuge International is hosting the 5th Annual Chainge the World Bike Ride & Run to be held April 26, 2014 in Gilmer Texas. Bike riders will have the opportunity to enjoy a picturesque bicycle ride through towering pine trees and rolling hills on the beautiful back roads of both Upshur and Camp Counties. Different rides will appeal to different levels of riders and include 8 mile, 20mile, 40 mile, and 100k rides. This is a fully supported ride with rest stops about every 10 miles. The run will be held at the Lake Gilmer City Park with a 1 mile Fun Run that is off road and a 5 K run down Armadillo Road, near beautiful Lake Gilmer. Registration will start at the home of Joe & Deborah Bell at 104 N. Montgomery, Gilmer, Texas at 7 am. Early registration will be held on Friday, April 25 from 5 to 7 at the Montgomery address and at Wooley G’s Bike & Fitness 4410 N. Hwy 259 Longview, Texas.
Refuge International is a compassionate 501(c)3 volunteer organization dedicated to the goal of improving the lives of families and individuals through the collaborative development of…

Mountain Bike Ride – Farmersville, TX

Sunday, Apr 20, 2014, 11:00 AM

Chaparral Trailhead (aka Audie Murphy Trailhead), Farmersville, TX
205 S. Main St., Farmersville (At the old Onion Shed) Farmersville, TX

9 Members Went

A last minute notice from Marlys and Kim for a MB ride tomorrow, Sunday, 4/20/14. We’ll ride a portion of the Northeast Texas Trail (NETT) from Farmersville to Celeste – approximately 25-30 roundtrip. Lunch in Celeste if their sole restaurant is open on Easter Sunday. If not, we’ll scavenge elsewhere.Definitely Mountain Bike only – no hybrids, no…

Check out this Meetup →

DORBA Beginner Clinic POSTPONED – New Date May 17, 2014

Saturday, May 17, 2014, 9:30 AM

Rowlett Creek Preserve
2525 Castle Drive Garland, TX

61 Participants Went

DORBA will have a new beginner clinic on Saturday May 17th at Rowlett Creek Preserve at 9:30 AM.Blain Norfleet will be your instructor, you can send him a private message at “bikecop” on the Dorba.org website, if you have any questions. Blain is THE mountain bike instructor for the Dallas Police Department and patrols downtown on his bike.What: T…

Check out this Meetup →

MS150 turned 30 this year: Lisa Lin and Rose Mikulski share their story

BikeHouston


An estimated 13,000 people in bikes cycled from the biggest city in Texas to the capitol. A 180-mile fun ride to raise money for the MS Society Lone Star, but it is known as the BPMS150. The first one was in 1985 and brought 237 cyclists together. This year the MS Society employed 3000 volunteers to make it all happen for riders like Lisa Lin an Rose Mikulski, who decided that 2014 was the perfect year for their debut at the ride.
For Lisa Lin, it was a long time wish to participate as well as the significance that she and the MS150 were both turning 30 this year that helped her decide it was the year to ride. Another reason was to meet other cyclists who work for the City. “The City of Houston team nearly doubled in size since last year. We had a lot of encouragement and support, especially from our Human Resources Director who was trying to build more interest in cycling and encourage more active City employees. I didn’t train as much as I should have for the hills. For next year, I will…

WTCA Caprock Escarpment Tour

West Texas Cycling Association

Date: May 17, 2014
Location: Crosbyton, TX
Contact: TBA
Details: The Caprock Escarpment will be held on Saturday, May 17th, at 09:00am starting from the Silver Falls Rest Area just east of Crosbyton. Silver Falls Rest Area is on highway 82 going east from loop 289. Just take the Idalou exit and follow Hwy 82 through Idalou, Ralls, Lorenzo, and Crosbyton to arrive at the rest area. The drive takes about 45 minutes from central Lubbock. The bicycle route continues east on hwy 82 until you arrive in Dickens. At Dickens, we will have a rest stop and then have you turn south to Spur. We’ll refuel you in Spur and then send you northwesterly back to Hwy 82. We’ll have a rest area at…

Sun Adventure Sports 6 Pack MTB Race Series – Race 3

West Texas Cycling Association

Date: May 18, 2014
Location: Amarillo, TX
Contact: Sun Adventure Sports806-654-1689
Details: Best 4 out of 6 races count towards series championship. Trophies only (No Payouts). $25 entry fee to benefit Children’s Home. Pitcher Pump Trails

Tweets

https://twitter.com/livehillcountry/status/457694994451554304

https://twitter.com/velopaso/status/457719173779443712

https://twitter.com/txbikeracing/status/457709781986209792

https://twitter.com/VILLARREAL_14/status/457630526161969153

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/457583958905978880

https://twitter.com/Kevin_E35/status/457581477471875072

Tour de High Schools

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Splendora was in my ride plans today. I went back and forth on which route to ride that included Splendora. I finally decided to ride to Splendora on US59 north and then take FM2090 west to Grangerland. The goal was to get close to 50 miles and I was successful hitting 50.51 miles. The average speed was great coming in at 16.3 mph. I was pedaling a consistent RPM and the wind was not that strong nor in my face that much. From the ESE at 10.4 mph. Partly cloudy skies helped me to enjoy the 75 degrees when I started at 11:31 increasing to 84 by the time I got home at 3:49.

Traffic on these roads is generally light. The only high traffic road is FM1314. The road surfaces are mostly asphalt except for FM1314 and the northbound US59 service road.

The reason I titled this ride Tour de High Schools is the number I rode by: Kingwood Park HS, New Caney HS, Splendora HS, Caney Creek HS and Porter HS. I had not noticed how many are on this route but since I have not ridden this route since 5/22/2010 my memory failed me. I did not realize it had been that long. Porter HS probably wasn’t build then.

I took a break at the Stripes station on FM1314. When I stopped and rolled up to one of the towel/trash boxes by the pumps a man filling up his car asked if my bike was carbon fiber. I said yes and he asked if it was light. I told him without the waterbottle cages it was 17 lbs. He asked if the BP MS150 was this weekend and I said no it was last weekend. A couple of other people commented about the weather being great for riding. I agreed.

All was going well until the 48.3 mile mark when I had a flat rear tire. This was almost home. I pulled the tube out and found a small piece of wire sticking in the tube. I removed the wire, checked the inside of the tire and patched it. After pumping up the tire I headed home. The only nice thing about the flat was the park shelter that I walked from the street to. It was shady and had a nice seating area.

April’s mileage continues to increase: 531.48 miles after today’s ride. I am within 246.52 miles to reach it. I biked 168.37 miles this week and 1791 miles year to date.

Tomorrow is Easter and I will not bike.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”311″ size=”auto”][/wppa]

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/483055129 470px 570px]

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2506020/embed 95% 700px]

Texas Cycling News and Blog Digest April 18th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Local Leadership Students Prepare for 925 Mile Bike Journey

by Courtney Burris        www.bigcountryhomepage.com

After months of planning, the second Bike Ride Across Texas team is gearing up for a ride of their lives.
Director of Leadership Studies at Hardin Simmons University, Dr. Coleman Patterson, explains that biking across the state has been a dream of his for awhile. “Actually, I dreamed this up several years ago and actually presented it to students on the day that Michael Jackson died..it just took several years to get the right combination of people and time and opportunity”.
While a 925 mile bike ride does not seem like a dream for just everyone, this group of faculty and students have been hard and work planning and training physically for the 10 day journey. “Its a lot of work. Its a lot of prep work and then you actually get out there and go and do it and you work all the way through, and at the end its…

Heroes riding for heroes

www.weatherforddemocrat.com

United States Air Force Cycling Team taking part in Ride for Heroes event
The 12th annual Ride for Heroes bike ride this Saturday in Aledo will include some VIPs: members of the United States Air Force Cycling Team.
More than 20 members of the USAF cycling team are expected to arrive in North Texas today the day before Saturday’s ride, according to RFH board chair Dennis Thompson. Some team members are coming from as far away as San Antonio.
The cyclists are scheduled to meet with their sponsors, members of the Bush Legacy Republican Women of Weatherford, on the grounds of the…

EDITORIAL: Valley cyclists fatally hit

www.themonitor.com


For the third time in a month, a bicyclist has been struck and killed on an area road in a senseless tragedy that we, as a community, must do more to prevent.
Of course, with everything there is risk. We acknowledge that cycling can be dangerous. But early reports suggest the cyclist who was struck and killed Thursday morning was doing his part to make this sport as safe as possible.
Eddie Arguelles, 38, was riding with at least one other cyclist at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday — en route to a 5 a.m. group bicycle ride — when he was struck by a Ford pickup truck on the frontage road of Interstate 281 near Trenton Road in Edinburg.
Area governments have done an admirable job of accommodating bicyclists by providing miles of designated bike lanes. And local ordinances, particularly in Edinburg, provide for additional safety measures. In Edinburg, motorists must…

The Driveway Series – Thursday Night Bike Racing in Austin

stevetilford.com

I had the pleasure to make my way over to the The Driveway in East Austin to do the local Thursday night’r last night. But, it was way more than the average local weekday training criterium. It was a full on, super organized race on near perfect asphalt. It was a blast.
I have a hard time believing I’ve never done this race before. I’ve been down in Austin on Thursday nights a million times and, for the life of me, have no idea how I’ve not raced here before.
The Driveway is a local car race track that is hidden back in the woods East of Austin. I’m not really sure how long the track is, last night they just used a lower section. The track has a bit of rise, so it isn’t your everyday flat, boring racetrack criterium.
I met Stefan Rothe over at Mellow Johnny’s and did the 10 mile ride over to the course with him and a couple others. It started drizzling pretty good on the way, nearly raining and I was…

Biking Through Texas with BMC for a Great Cause

####  by Jana Thibodeaux        communities.bmc.com

I have a long tenure with BMC Software and have always been inspired by the culture of giving back.  In my office, and locations across the globe, there are several fundraising events and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. These activities bring employees from all organizations together to make an impact on other people’s lives, and usually have a little fun. Last weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time with 27 other BMCer’s from around the country for a 2-day charity bike ride.
The BMC Software cycling team ‘Bit by Byte’ participated in the BP MS150. This is a two-day fundraising ride organized by the National MS Society. The ride is approximately 180 miles, riding from Houston to Austin. I didn’t…

3 East Texas cyclists hit in last 8 days

BY KENNETH DEAN        www.tylerpaper.com

Three cyclists have been hit in the past eight days on area highways, and authorities are cautioning motorists to be on the lookout for increasing numbers of bicyclists out enjoying the spring weather.
Steve Farris, president of the East Texas Triathletes, said his organization and sister organization of the Tyler Bicycle Club are urging members to be aware of their surroundings and use good judgment on area roads when cycling.
Farris said the first accident occurred in the Mt. Selman area when a motorcyclist turned in front of a female bicyclist.
“She went to the hospital as a result and it totaled her $10,000 bike, which I am hoping insurance will cover. The motorcyclist, who was cited, said he just didn’t think she was going that fast, but she was doing time trials on the shoulder and was doing about 30 mph when she hit him,” he said.
Farris said the second accident happened Tuesday night when…

Rocky Tuesday. Barton Creek Greenbelt. Intermediate Pace. Very-Hard Terrain.

Tuesday, Apr 22, 2014, 5:00 PM

Barton Creek Greenbelt – Travis Country entrance
4513 Travis Country Circle Austin, TX

6 Mountain Bikers Went

Note the 5pm start time.  The next four weeks will be the same start time due to my work schedule.  We will drop back to 6pm or so for the four weeks that follow.This is not a ride for beginners or even budding intermediates.  The terrain is rocky, dangerous, difficult.  This is a drop ride meaning that if you are unable to keep pace, you may be …

Check out this Meetup →

J.T. CYCLING

www.brownsvilleherald.com

Have you heard about the new business in Brownsville whose main focus is on road bikes, mountain bikes or even spinning bikes? It’s J.T. CYCLING, and it’s here to stay! With a combined experience of over 60 years in riding, racing and the mechanics involved in bikes, they’ll show you the difference in them and guide you towards that specific bike that you need, not necessarily what you think you need..
Heard of spinning bikes, spinning bike classes and always wondered what they are or where you could go besides a gym? Stop by early in the mornings or late in the afternoon, and sign up for…

http://www.meetup.com/Katy-Bicycle-fun-riders/events/177994862/?a=me2_grp&rv=me2&_af_eid=177994862&_af=event

Ladies only on May 11: CycloFemme

BikeHouston

When: May 11, 2014 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Happy Fatz
3510 White Oak Drive
Houston, TX 77007
Join us for a celebration of women and cycling at Houston’s second annual CycloFemme, a healthy and inspiring way to start your Mother’s Day.
Bring your friends, mothers, daughters and sisters. Bring the woman you want to inspire to ride. Last year’s inaugural event saw the participation of approximately 60 women from diverse cycling and social backgrounds. With so much positive momentum building around cycling in our city, we have much to celebrate (and do) this year.
We’ll enjoy a casual, conversational pace ride of approximately 12 miles through the scenic Heights and into downtown before returning to the Heights. We will have a rest stop at…

Meeting Scheduled with a member of TXDoT’s Bicycle Advisory Board

by Kelly Boucher        Tyler Bicycle Club

Billy Hibbs, a current member of TXDoT’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and fellow cyclist, is hosting a meeting at Heartland Secruity Insurance Group auditorium, one block north of the Chili’s on Loop 323 and across the street from Elite Bicycles. The adress is 501 Shelley Drive Tyler, Texas 75701. The meeting is schedule for Thursday, April 24 from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the evening. (The most convenient parking is by the flagpoles.) Mr. Hibbs will be presenting a slide show on the agenda from the first BAC meeting, which should be very interesting and enlightening to the membership of all concerned cyclists in East Texas. Please make plans to attend!
From Mr. Hibbs:
“The East Texas area has never had a voice on TxDOT’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, and as a result, our region has been left out of…

Three Guys in West Texas – “Tom’s Ride”

By Richard Cavin        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 1 – Clint, TX to Sierra Blanca, TX: First Full Day of Touring – Are we really Doing This?
Monday March 3, 2014, 75 miles (121 km) – Total so far: 100 miles (161 km)
Day 1 (first full day of riding) – Clint, TX to Sierra Blanca, TX – 73+ miles
Let’s be honest I was a bit worried about this day, although I did not say so.
Yeah I have climbed much more on other rides but never on a loaded touring bike. My bike weighs twice as much as my normal bike and when you throw in another 30 pounds of gear and food/water…you get what I mean. Let’s see an 18 pound carbon bike compared to 65 pound steel touring bike…plus mountains.
This is the day I found out what kind of riders Tom and Roy are. As previously mentioned Tom is an experienced touring cyclist. He has done the Transamerica route in the past, quite an achievement so I know he has what it takes for a tour. I’ve put a lot of miles on the bike in the 2+ years I’ve been riding but never on a touring bike. Roy is the real rookie, having less than 2 years on a bike and…

Twelve U.S. riders advance to finals at BMX World Cup

www.usacycling.org

Manchester, Great Britain (April 18, 2014) — The first round of this season’s UCI BMX Supercross World Cup got underway on Friday in Manchester with the time trial and moto qualifying rounds for Saturday’s Supercross finals.
The U.S. team qualified 12 riders for Saturday’s final sessions, including…
…Tanner Sebesta (Austin, Texas).

What not to do during a Marathon Race…

Texas Mountain Bike Trails

     This is the second of our two Austin Rattler recaps that we recieved. This time Christopher Robbins describes how to totally wreck your race day. It’s a fresh perspective from an athlete training for a different type of race. Enjoy the different perspective!
Two days before Austin Rattler rolled into town I was talking to my coach about the long ride I needed for the weekend and we decided why not just go out and roll the Austin Rattler 100K and get some time off the tri-bike. I said why not as I have really missed the dirt during this last build phase where I have been spending way too much time with Netflix and Red Box on the computrainer.
So here was my first mistake, ALWAYS…

Pull the plug on BicycleAustin.info?

by MichaelBluejay        bicycleaustin.info

Communication in the Austin bike community has always been pretty bad.  Each group has traditionally done their own thing, without communicating very much with other groups.  There’s been some improvement in recent years (notably from YBP), but it’s still far from ideal.
Back when I was actively trying to aggregate the news and events from different groups, I got almost no participation.  I remember one time in front of Wheatsville when a Yellow Biker asked me, “Why didn’t you publicize [such and such event we had last weekend] in your newsletter?”, and my response was, “Because your telling me about it now, after the fact, is the first I heard about it.”
Fast-foward to the present, and now we have a forum where anyone can post their events, and have them automatically show up on the first page of the site to boot.  But they don’t.  I’ve invited YBP to post their newsletter (with their events) to the forum many times.  They never have.  I’ve invited the…

Tuesday: Intermediate/Advanced Mountain Bike Ride at the Ant Hills

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014, 6:15 PM

15200 Memorial Dr
15200 Memorial Dr Houston, Te

4 cyclists Went

This will be a medium to fast pace ride through the Ant Hills of Hershey Park! Bring WATER, spare tube/tire, snacks, etc…Helmets required. Call if you are going to be late so we can wait for you. Wheels rolling by 6:30! See you there

Check out this Meetup →

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/457299007992102912

https://twitter.com/KonradJohnson/status/457055992174620673

Event Reminders

Slow Tumble

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A couple of days ago I was wondering to myself, when will I have my first crash on the Stradalli? Well I don’t have to wonder any more. About 4 miles into the ride today as I rode beside Kingwood Dr. on the trail I approached two teenagers from the back. As I got closer I called out but suddenly the one riding a skateboard (talking on a phone) stepped off the board into the middle of the sidewalk. The other teenager rode a BMX bike slightly behind the skateboarder. When the skateboarder stepped off the BMXer passed and then one of those front wheel wheelies turning the bike across the trail and blocking my passing. I wasn’t going that fast but too many things happened and I didn’t unclip from my pedals. Over I went on to the concrete. A slow tumble. I stopped at the McDonalds in Town Center to wash the scrapped knew. The pictures show the damage:

My right knee road rash
Right pedal scratched

I took these pictures while I was stopped at the Huffman Chevron about 19 miles after the crash. Before I left Huffman I washed up the dripping blood. Stopping too long allowed my knee to get sore when I started pedaling but it loosened by the time I reached the Lake Houston causeway. I never considered going back home after the crash since my knee had no trouble pedaling.

Speaking of the Lake Houston causeway. Many times riding on the causeway can be tricky due to the wind exposure. Today was one of those days even though the wind was not real strong: from the NE at 10 mph with 17 mph gusts. The tricky part is when I ride over the sections where the water goes under the causeway. The wind currents move the bike around and the traffic sometimes adds to the problem. Going east was tricky while the return leg going west was not. While I was going east on the causeway I saw the Houston Police river patrol boat beside what appeared to be an empty pontoon boat not too far from the south side of the causeway. They looked like they were inspecting the boat and three or four other boats were in the area. Not sure what was going on. When I came across later I did not see the boats although there was a slow moving boat headed to the railroad bridge south of the causeway.

My route plan was going south more than usual through Eagle Springs on to Walden and then across the lake to Huffman before returning home. I biked 34.92 miles averaging 15.6 mph. The weather was picture perfect with an almost clear blue sky; a few clouds wisps dotted the sky. The temperature started at 74 (12:20) and ended up at 84 (3:24) by the time I got home.

Four other bicyclists passed my way as I rode, all going the opposite direction. I suspect the Good Friday holiday freed some people up.

I plan on biking tomorrow. The weather looks better than today.

Click on an image to enlarge it.

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/482376803 470px 570px]

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2498630/embed 95% 650px]