Texas Bicycling Blog and News Digest April 17th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

TxDOT removes some ghost bikes for safety

by SHELTON GREEN / KVUE News and Photojournalist MATT OLSEN        www.khou.com


AUSTIN — You may have seen a bicycle painted all white sitting silently next to a busy road or highway. The white bikes are called ghost bikes.
Ghost bikes are real bicycles that serve as a memorial, marking the spot where a cyclist was killed.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has asked the group, Please Be Kind to Cyclists, to take down ghost bikes that pose as safety hazards to drivers on the road.
TxDOT already removed one ghost bike, and the agency plans to remove another. Both ghost bikes are…

Dallas’ Helmet Ordinance A Road Block For Bike-Share Plans

by Brian New        dfw.cbslocal.com


DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – When Dallas Councilman Philip Kingston rides his bicycle, he wears a helmet.
He says we all should, especially children, and yet Kingston is leading an effort to repeal the city’s bicycle helmet ordinance.
Dallas is the only city in Texas to require children and adults to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.
The councilman says in order for Dallas to start a bike share program, much like the B-Cycle program in Fort Worth, the city can’t realistically require helmets.
The city could rent helmets at the self-service bicycle share stations but…

Cyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run, 2 in Custody (Video)

www.krgv.com

EDINBURG – Two men are in custody after a morning hit-and-run. According to Edinburg police, they were trying to hide the body of 38-year-old Eduardo Arguelles, who was killed in the accident.
Officers said Arguelles and another cyclist were traveling along southbound 281, when a pickup truck hit Arguelles. The other cyclist called 911. When police arrived, they couldn’t find Arguelles.
Two hours later, around 6:30 a.m., police got a call about a suspicious vehicle on Iowa Road, east of…

Come Down For The Owens Trail Celebration

bikefriendlyrichardson.org

 

Bush’s annual bike ride for wounded military members to be held at his Texas ranch in May

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — Former President George W. Bush’s annual mountain bike ride for U.S. military members wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan will be held this year at his Crawford ranch in Central Texas.
The three-day ride will start on May 1. This will be the fourth year that Bush has hosted the Warrior 100K, a 100-kilometer ride.
Sixteen current and retired members of the military will…

Mountain bike: Lake Travis bikers holding on to lead midway through season

By Bonnie Jeter         www.statesman.com


Some of the fastest kids on mountain bikes in the state of Texas live right in Lakeway.
Midway through the spring race season, Lake Travis High School mountain bikers are holding on to their team lead.
With three races behind them and two on the docket, riders and coaches hope to add another year to their list of state championships.
Forty-one girls and 111 boys, a total of 152 riders from nearly every major city in Texas, showed up for the…

This is a Bad One

Bike Noob

A cyclist was hit and killed this morning by a pickup truck in Edinburg, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. The two men in the truck allegedly tried to hide the cyclist’s body, but were caught by police.
The victim, Eddie Arguelles, was a close friend of Ramon H., who has commented here several times and even written a guest post.
Our thoughts and best wishes go out to the family.

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

By Richard Cavin        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 0 – El Paso Amtrak Station to Clint, TX: We made it, on the bikes for a short ride to our first motel
Sunday March 2, 2014, 25 miles (40 km) – Total so far: 25 miles (40 km)
Day 0 (March 2, 2014) – El Paso AMTRAK station to Clint, TX motel– 25 miles
We hit the road around 3PM and find a convenience store within the first mile to buy some water, drinks. The weather is really nice and the wind is really blowing but it’s mostly a cross wind.
Our main objective is to get as far east as we can where there is a hotel. I notice right away that we are riding literally on the border between the US and Mexico. The Rio Grande or “Rio Bravo” is dry through this area of West Texas. No worries to me since I live very close to the border in South Texas. There are Border Patrol vehicles that frequent our path.
One thing we notice immediately is how clean the roads are and the wide bike lanes within the city of El Paso. The roads in this portion of El Paso were a nice surprise for us while riding in the city.
As we approach the edge of town we get onto our main highway, a rural road that parallels hwy 20 that is typical of roads I ride back home. Some shoulders, varying quality and…

Wed Road Ride

San Angelo Bicycle Association

South Gate Church of Christ
528 Country Club Rd – San Angelo
Date(s) – 04/23/2014
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: South Gate Church of Christ
Categories:     Road Ride
Join us for a moderate ride with multiple options of 14, 20 and 25 mile rides. This is a no drop ride so if you are new to the area and don’t know the route or just want the fellowship of a group ride, this is a great group ride…

Photos from the Burma Road and 9 Mile MTB Time Trials

San Angelo Bicycle Association

Bike Pub-Crawl this Saturday, April 19

The Violet Crown Sports Association

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On Saturday April 19, 2014 at 14:00 (2:00pm) we’re having a “pub-crawl” bike ride in remembrance of our lost friend and riding brother BILL REAMS.
It would be an honor to have you all (Bill would be proud I didn’t say Y’all) join us for a ride starting at Nelo’s Bike Shop on Mesa Dr. and heading down to The Draught House Pub where we will pay tribute to Bill Reams by doing 2 of the things he loved – riding and drinking good beer !
We’ll start at Nelo’s, tell some Bill riding/racing lore, drink a beer, re-live all the times he dropped us and all the times he dropped back to bring us back up. Have some munchies, drink another…

Palo Duro Canyon

West Texas Recumbent

Had a great time with Mike Marsh and his boys at Palo Duro Canyon.

More MetroBike stations set to open

By Pam LeBlanc        www.austin360.com

On April 22, Capital Metro will open six new bike shelters – at MetroRail’s Plaza Saltillo, MLK Jr., Highland and Lakeline stations, and at the Tech Ridge Park & Ride and South Congress Transit Center.
The fully-enclosed shelters have space for 24 standard or electric bikes. They also have sitting areas for changing shoes, work stands with tools for minor bike repairs and…

HSU Bike Ride Across Texas (Video)

www.onenewspage.us

2nd Annual HSU Bike Ride Across Texas

Tweets

https://twitter.com/danielcurtin/status/457001936105910272

https://twitter.com/danielcurtin/status/456987697744060417

https://twitter.com/velopaso/status/456816995783020545

Event Reminders

Completed Monday’s Route

Texbiker.net Posted on by

After cutting Monday’s route short I decided today I would give the route another try and complete it. The route rotation leaned to a northerly ride and the route fit in. I rode through Oakhurst, out to Cumberland Blvd. on FM1314 and then back to Valley Ranch Parkway where I stopped at the Stripes station for a rest and snack. The wind was more friendly today out of the ESE at 10 mph. There was still a bite of coolness in the breeze. Knowing this might be the case I wore a short sleeve jersey over a long sleeve jersey. Regular shorts were enough, no leg warmers with the temperature at 75 when I started the ride at 2:20. Scattered clouds kept the sun moving in and out adding to the chill when I hit shade.

After I turned back toward Porter at Cumberland Blvd. on FM1314 I saw another biker ahead going the same direction. I caught him about a 1/4 mile east of Cumberland Blvd. to find out it was James Webster who I exchange emails with about biking. We chatted all the way to Sorters Road where I kept going to Porter and he turned back. Later on he emailed he emailed that he rode 22.5 miles. I ended up riding 31.49 miles averaging 15.4 mph. It was great to meet up with James. Its been awhile since we saw each other.

I started later than I planned today because the Texbiker.net website has a problem after the recent WordPress upgrade to version 3.9. The theme I use stopped displaying the Tweets the way it is supposed to so I have been trying to fix that. I am not a programmer and digging into code is not my skill but I have tracked down the problem. I may have to change the theme if I can’t figure out to fix it. Added to that my wife has been trying to straighten out Social Security for our niece. Out of the blue they moved her to another county up by Dallas but she didn’t move. It seems hundreds of other people moved too and they didn’t know it either.

The weather is supposed to be warming up over the next several days. If this holds true I should be out biking.

Mileage standings after today’s ride:

  • 82.94 miles this week
  • 446.05 miles for April
  • 331.95 miles to reach April’s goal of 778 miles
  • 1706 miles year to date

Link to RideWithGPS map and metrics. Click on an image below to enlarge it. Back arrow in your browser to return to the page.

 

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Texas Bicycling News and Blog Digest April 16th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

10th Annual Tour de Pink Bike Ride Open for Registration

www.prweb.com

SOFTLAYER presents the 10th annual Tour de Pink bike ride benefiting Pink Ribbons Project Sunday, September 14 at Prairie View A&M University. Tour de Pink is the first bike ride in Texas to solely benefit breast cancer awareness and education.
“We are thrilled to open tourdepink.org for registration,” Kristi Okwuonu, Pink Ribbons Project Executive Director said. “For 10 years, Tour de Pink has raised lifesaving funds for breast cancer services and provided access to screening, diagnostic services and support for underserved women and men in Houston.”
Routes for all levels ranging from 12 to 100 miles wind through the back roads of Prairie View, Waller, Hempstead, Hockley, and other sites along US 290. Online registration is open for $30 through September 7 at tourdepink.org. Cyclists are required to raise $125 in pledges to support mammograms and follow-up services for underinsured…

Slow but steady

Bicycle Retailer

The latest landmark report from the Alliance for Biking & Walking shows a steady increase in bike commuting nationally.

Trail Steward Positions Available

Austin Ridge Riders

The Austin Ridge Riders has been granted the legal authority by the City of Austin to take over the off-road trail stewardship for the trails at:
Balcones District Park
St Edward’s Greenbelt
Attached is the ARR Trail Steward Guidelines that will give you a good picture as to what would be expected of…

Walnut Wednesday Workday

Austin Ridge Riders

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 – 17:30 – 20:00
ARR is back in the trail work business!  We have our insurance certificates and are getting back to work.
What:  Walnut Wednesday Workday
When:  Wednesday, April 23rd from 5:30PM to 8:00PM
Where:  Meet in the pool parking lot
What will we be doing:  We will be working on a…

Woman convicted of killing Horizon City bicyclist in 2009

By Adriana M. Chávez / El Paso Times

Jurors may determine a punishment Thursday for a woman convicted Wednesday of hitting and killing a bicyclist in 2009.
Araceli Nava, 29, was convicted of manslaughter in the Aug. 29, 2009, death of bicyclist Gustavo Vega, 47. Nava faces two to 20 years in prison but is eligible for probation.
Jurors began deliberating about 2 p.m. Tuesday but were sequestered after deliberating for about three hours. They announced they had…

Council members’ new bicycle task force aims to finish what 2011 bike plan started (and kill Dallas’ helmet law)

By Robert Wilonsky        cityhallblog.dallasnews.com


At 6 this evening a handful of Dallas City Council members and other cycling advocates will meet at Main Street Garden for a short bike ride to Dallas City Hall, where they’ll hold The Official First Meeting of the Dallas Bicycle Task Force. Among those scheduled to attend: council members Philip Kingston, Scott Griggs, Adam Medrano and Lee Kleinman; members of the Bike Friendlies around town; and reps from Downtown Dallas Inc.
The task force was the council members’ idea, born out of frustration with the slow roll-out of the 2011 Dallas Bike Plan, which, after many public hearings, demanded “wide-spread use of bicycles as an accepted and practical form of transportation, recreation and exercise” while calling for “a safe, efficient, connected bikeway system for all of Dallas, used by people of all ages and abilities, including a range of…

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

By Richard Cavin – www.crazyguyonabike.com

Introduction: My First Tour – West TX (El Paso, TX to Bracketville, TX)
Saturday March 1, 2014
OK, a little about me. I’m a 60 year old engineer/technology professional. A native Texan that currently lives in deep south Texas, five miles from the border of Mexico.
In 2010 I lost my wife of almost 30 years to heart failure. It was a major event in my life to say the least, may she rest in peace. After about 6 months I realized I needed to find new hobbies other than work to move forward with my life. After trying a few things I “stumbled” into cycling around May 2011. After almost 20,000 miles of cycling I embarked on my first tour….and cycling has been such a blessing for me for numerous reasons.
Even though 95% of my bike miles are on a carbon road bike I’ve been very interested in touring since becoming a warmshowers host (www.warmshowers.com) in 2012 and reading many journals on www.crazyguyonabike.com (CGOAB). Late in 2013 I bought a brand new Surly LHT with disc brakes and some touring gear, after extensive research.
I have a good cycling friend in Houston named Fred. Late in 2013 he invited me on a tour from El Paso, TX to Houston, TX with two other friends. Since I had just ordered my touring bike I accepted the invitation. Those two other friends are Tom and Roy. I like to call this tour “Tom’s Ride” since it was really his passion. Since I am employed spending three full weeks of vacation was not an option; I decided to opt in for only the first week of the tour….thus the El Paso, TX to…
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2014 Bent Wheel Bash – Abilene Mountain Bike Race

Turnin’ Cranks


My Cat2 40-44 mountain bike race video from 2014 Bent Wheel Bash in Abilene, Texas.
Race Report: http://www.turnincranks.com/2014/redemption-or-how-abilene-buck-trails-got-their-balls-back/
Finished 4th place
I didn’t get my GoPro mount properly installed so by the end of the race it was just flopping all around my handlebar.
Was a fun race and the Buck Creek Trails are a lot of fun. I was happy the race organizers put more of the technical nature of the trails into the race course. Made for an…

Biking like a woman

by Elly Blue        Taking the Lane

A couple months ago, a man explained to me that he believes in the fashionable biking movement because it allows women to still feel feminine while they ride a bike, thus demolishing one barrier to getting around on two wheels. I’ve heard this from women as well in the past and thought “well, to each their own taste” and moved on. Hearing it from a man caused me to stop and think about that use of the word a bit more critically.
My main thought was—what does it even mean to be feminine on a bicycle?
So I asked Twitter, and a big, sloppy interesting conversation ensued. Sarah Goodyear took it and ran with it, asking a more open-ended question and getting a lot of long form answers, which she’s posted at The Atlantic Cities today.
It’s fascinating to read the responses (the comments are pretty good too). They’re all over the map. The common thread in the responses is pretty clear (though hardly unanimous): Femininity…

A Lot is Riding on it

Dallas Cycling Trail Riders and Weekend Pub Crawlers

Friday, April 18, 2014    4:30 PM
The Lot
7530 East Grand (at Gaston), Dallas, TX (map)
This is a Good Friday ride. If your off work or want to play hookie, come join us for a couple of laps around White Rock lake for the afternoon. We’ll probably break into smaller groups by pace speed.
It is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous weather for the day with little or no wind and…

Pedernales Falls State Park TRAIL BUILD & RIDE!

The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group

Monday, April 21, 2014    8:00 AM
Pedernales Falls State Park
2585 Park Road 6026, Johnson City, TX (map)
meeting/staging area will be on CR 201 just east of the power sub-station where the northern most pipeline corridor (labeled “UTILITY R.O.W” on the map) runs next to CR 201. Parking/meeting/staging area: Lat: Lon: 30.281390,-98.236130
Pedernales Falls State Park TRAIL BUILD & RIDE!
Build and RIDE NEW TRAIL that Austin Ridge Riders is building at the park.
EARN PAYDIRT!  Bring your forms.
10 MILES with 1000′ of climbing are READY TO RIDE FOR TRAILBUILDERS TO EVALUATE BEFORE IT”S OPEN TO…

Our first BP MS150 – From Houston to Austin to Support the MS Society

the surly biker

So this past weekend was the BP MS150; the largest fund raiser for the MS Society in Texas, and one of the biggest cycling events in the country. It was an amazing and ass-numbing experience. Riding with over 13,000 other riders in part of such a prestigious event was definitely a great feeling. We’re already thinking about next year’s ride.
This was our first huge ride. I’ve done a few smaller sponsored rides in the past few months, but this was the first really large event. I was
http://thesurlybiker.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/13850268384_ebbf762b42_b.jpg
pretty sure I was ready, but I know my wife was not. Between moving to Houston and starting her full time job, and finishing her masters thesis, she had little to no time to train like I did. But she’s stubborn and was going to  give it her best; and she did. Aside from not being able to…

Our first BP MS150 – From Houston to Austin to Support the MS Society

the surly biker

So this past weekend was the BP MS150; the largest fund raiser for the MS Society in Texas, and one of the biggest cycling events in the country. It was an amazing and ass-numbing experience. Riding with over 13,000 other riders in part of such a prestigious event was definitely a great feeling. We’re already thinking about next year’s ride.
This was our first huge ride. I’ve done a few smaller sponsored rides in the past few months, but this was the first really large event. I was

pretty sure I was ready, but I know my wife was not. Between moving to Houston and starting her full time job, and finishing her masters thesis, she had little to no time to train like I did. But she’s stubborn and was going to  give it her best; and she did. Aside from not being able to…

Tweets

Event Reminders

Didn’t Cross the County Line

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Back on the bike today after not riding yesterday due to the cold front. I wanted to add a few of the miles I missed on Monday when I had to cut the ride short because of the incoming weather. Riding to Huffman was the plan but I altered the route by going north on E. Lake Houston Parkway, Smith Road east to FM2100, and north to Huffman-Eastgate Road. Huffman-Eastgate took me to FM1960 at the Liberty County Line. I figured this route would be 34 miles or so. The actual distance was 35.43 miles. I averaged 15.4 mph which was higher than I expected maybe because the SSE wind had a biting chill to it and I wanted to drive up my body heat. Riding this direction is the reverse of how I usually ride. I wondered if this would bring out some dogs that I slide past when I go the usual direction but none of them appeared. As I rode I was thankful for the many streets and roads I ride and the lack of dogs chasing me.

Yesterday the weather was windy with the temperature hovering in the low 60’s in the late afternoon. Today when I first started at 1:05 I wondered if I dressed heavy enough to combat the 65 degrees and biting wind. The cold fronts roll through and go out into the gulf where they hit the wind and then move back ashore to give us another dose. The sky was a little cloudy which did not help me stay warm. I wore shorts, leg warmers, short and long sleeve jerseys and a windbreaker. I did not realize I was perspiring so much until I stopped at the Huffman Chevron and opened my windbreaker to get the snacks. The bottom of my jerseys in the back were dripping wet. When I got home at 3:55 I noticed my gloves were soaked next to the jacket cuffs. Surprisingly my bandana was not wet all over.

I had a small scare riding west over Lake Houston on FM1960. As I neared the west side of the lake I ran over the edge of a rock and the rear tire made a loud crack as it shot the rock away. This made a lot more noise than when I had my pinch flat the other day. This time the noise was all that happened and the tire stayed at full pressure.

April miles are adding up to my 778 mile goal. After today’s ride I am up to 414.56 miles. The week totals 51.45 miles and year to date is 1674 miles.

The weather is slowly recovering from the cold front. Thursday it should be 74 degrees and partly cloudy. Riding should also be in the forecast.

Link to RideWithGPS metrics and map.

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