Texas Bicycling News and Blog Digest March 17th

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Don’t Let City Council Back-Pedal

www.velopaso.org

On Tuesday City Council will consider two agenda items. One calls for ending any new spending on bike lanes, the other calls for the creation of a Bike Advisory Council to help facilitate community investment and bicycle policy.
We are asking all bicycle riders to join us as we urge a NO vote on 11.3 (ending spending on Bike Lanes), and a YES vote on item 11.4 (creating a Bike Advisory Council).
It is important that we turn out on force to show the city and City Council that #WeRideElPaso, and that we not only need safe routes and bike lanes, but we want to play a roll in the planning and…

When you should expect construction work to finish on the MoPac bike bridge

By Ben Wear – American-Statesman Staff

The idea seemed fanciful when city of Austin officials first asked transportation planners for $5 million to build a bicycle bridge alongside South MoPac Boulevard at Barton Creek: Give Southwest Austin cyclists a safer way into the city’s core, and two-wheel commuting will increase.
Almost a decade after the idea first surfaced, clearing work commenced last month on what has expanded into a $12 million project with three bridges, about two miles of trail and, in the final stages, an additional traffic lane on southbound MoPac (Loop 1).
+When you should expect construction work to finish on the MoPac bike bridge photo Austin Humphreys
Workers have cleared trees near MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) in preparation for a bike bridge project expected to be finished at … read more
MoPac’s two high-speed bridges over the creek have long been a daunting obstacle for all but the most intrepid cyclists, with…

Tour de Houston – March 16th

by the sci guy        www.bikeforums.net

I only saw one lady wipe out from the slick roads. But I did see about 6 people fall over while trying to stop because of their clips. And…I was one of them. My first fall. I was more pissed I fell on the drive side of the bike. Things look OK though.
I couldn’t believe how many flats I saw. Those thin slick road tires must be really weak.
My wife bailed at the elementary school rest stop because her knee/IT band was killing her. Luckily we live right behind it so she just went home. I did the 20 miles back to the finish line and the car, raining the whole way. My bike shoes had puddles in them, and I was soaked all the way through everywhere else. But, it was still a good time. …

Honeymoon MTB Tour (New Braunfels to West TX)

by Awshucks        forums.mtbr.com

So me and the wife were married Friday and left Gruene, TX Saturday morning for San Angelo. We rode 16 miles at San Angelo State Park. I had an absolute blast out there. It was rather simple and super flowy IMO. I don’t remember that many technical spots. I endo on the Armodillo trail after we checked out Bells Point at the end of our ride. We started at the Burkett trail head. I had to change one flat because I had a mammoth sized thorn stuck in my rear tire. …

Spring Trail Work Day on Northshore

Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association

Sunday, March 30, 2014    8:30 AM to 11:30 AM
MADD Shelter – Murrell Park
4542 Green Oaks Drive, Flower Mound, TX (map)
Spring Trail Work Day on Northshore! 😀 You’ve been asking to help, you enjoy being outside with friends, and every time you pass a trail steward working on the trail you feel kinda guilty. 😳 We don’t mind, we love this stuff! Come on out to work, bond with the trail, and then ride like the wind after putting in a little sweat equity on Your Trail. We’ve got several projects to…

HBC Weimar-Wildflower Ride Ride

Houston Bicycle Club

Saturday March 29, 2014    8:00am
Distances: 13.5, 34, 47, & 63 miles
Weimar is the perfect ride area for the abundant spring time flowers.  Rides are rolling hills and mainly quiet backroads.  Bring plenty of water and snacks as only the longer rides return thru the town of Weimar for a rest stop with restrooms.  Starter will have ride maps. …

Judson Alternative Secondary School To New Berlin (New Route)

Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club

Sunday April 6,2014 Ride Starts at 8: a.m.
We will start the ride at 8:00am at Judson Alternative Secondary School at 9327 Schaefer Rd, Converse, TX 78109. Park on the Schaeffer Rd side. This is 36.5 miles ride and the pace will be 10-15 mph.  There are no bathrooms where we are starting.  We can stop at the Exxon before we cross 1604. The roads are mostly smooth with some rolling hills thrown in. It being Sunday there shouldn’t be much traffic.  We will stop at New Berlin for a  break. We will be going back a different route (something Pedro showed a few of us last…

2014 Pace Bend Race Report

www.turnincranks.com

After Mellow Johnny’s Classic, I felt that my body was needing a break. So for the next 2 weeks, I pulled back on my training a bit. I suspended intervals, did a couple of ‘fun’ rides, and then did one hard ride the Tuesday before the race. You wouldn’t really think that I’d be encroaching on any sort of overtraining with my training load, but also remember this is the most structured workout/training I’ve done in a long time. Probably since high school, and even then I’m not sure that I was working as hard as I feel that I have been now.
At any rate, the whole first week after MJC my chest remained tight and I told myself that I’d either not ride at all, or at least not do hard rides until that tightness lessened. By the following weekend I was feeling more myself so I allowed myself to…

ARR/RLAG Club Ride @ Reimers Ranch

Austin Ridge Riders

Saturday, May 10, 2014 – 09:00
Austin Ridge Rider & Ride Like A Girl Monthly Club Ride at Reimers Ranch
All mountain bikers are welcome, riders will break into groups based on skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and pace (fast, casual, slow). This is a No Drop ride so no one gets left behind or lost, we will get you back to the trail head for the after party;)
Remember to bring your helmet, plenty of water, and cash for the park entry fee. Everyone is also invited to bring a dish to share after the ride: i.e. cookies, chips, dips, salads, fruit, drinks, etc.
Where to Park:
Park Here
You do NOT have to be an ARR member to attend the club ride but we do ask that you sign a waiver and properly wear a helmet when riding. We will encourage you to join though, it’s only…

RAAM Cycling Challenge Series

More smiling riders enjoying a tasty Sierra Nevada at the finish of The Texas Cycling Challenge! A big thanks goes out to all of our riders, volunteers, sponsors and the great people of our host city Marble Falls!! See you next year!

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Texas Bicycling Digest of News and Blogs March 16th

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Mountain Bike Rowlett Creek Nature Preserve Rescheduled

Dallas Cycling Trail Riders and Weekend Pub Crawlers

Sunday, March 30, 2014    1:30 PM
Rowlett Creek Preserve
2525 Castle Rd
Parking Lot at Castle Drive and Centerville Road
Garland, TX (map)
Rescheduled from March 16. We will ride the trails then go to Houlihan’s at Firewheel Town Center. This trail is not suitable for hybrids or road bikes so mountain bikes only.

City, Vision 2020 to share bike/walk path plan

By Trey Mewes Austin Daily Herald

Austin students may soon have a safer time getting to school after city officials and Vision 2020 organizers share the draft of a Safe Routes to Schools plan at a community meeting Monday.
The plan, which will highlight ways Austin can make walking and biking paths safer for students to use, is part of a collaboration between local volunteers and engineers from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
“The MnDOT team are experts, but only Austin knows Austin in those particular ways,” said Vision 2020 Director of Vision Creation Laura Helle.
Officials will share ways Austin can improve walking and biking for all…

ARR/RLAG Club Ride @ Flat Rock Ranch

The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group

Saturday, April 12, 2014    9:00 AM
Flat Rock Ranch
Flat Rock Creek Road
GPS coordinates: 30.015501,-98.8705
Comfort, TX (map)
Main Parking Area – look for the Austin Ridge Rider Banner
Austin Ridge Rider & Ride Like A Girl Monthly Club Ride at Flat Rock Ranch in Comfort, TX
All mountain bikers are welcome, riders will break into groups based on skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and pace (fast, casual, slow). This is a No Drop ride so no one gets left behind or lost, we will get you back to the trail head for the after party;)
Remember to bring your helmet, plenty of water, and cash for the park entry fee. Everyone is also invited to bring a dish to…

Thinking About Hills

Bike Noob

Anyone who has read Bike Noob knows I’m not much of a hill climber. In fact, if anything, my hill-climbing ability has decreased in the past couple of years — I’m getting older, you know. Yeah, that’s it. (All right — I still haven’t managed to get my weight down to that level where hills are doable — but I think I’ll stick with the age angle.)
But it’s spring, believe it or not (It must be — we’re under our second wind advisory in a week! It was tough out there today!), and as we point toward our nice weather riding (It will come again, I promise), a lot of us will add hills to our training regimens.
Yes, even I climb hills in training. But the hills I climb close to home aren’t anything like the really challenging hills we’ll face on some of…

Texas Cycling

Finally, racing at Texas State’s Ultra Road Race Weekend ended today with the first mass start win for Texas Cycling in Men’s A in several years with Robbie Chrisman’s 1st in the crit! He played the race perfectly and actually won a sprint folks! Further results will be posted later. We’ll try to get some more pictures as well.

Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway – Texas

Rails to Trails Conservancy

Trail end points:     Mineral Wells to Weatherford
Length:     20 miles
Description: The Trailway is 20 miles long and ten feet wide. The two miles of surface from the downtown Mineral Wells trailhead toward the east is asphalt; the remaining 18 miles is finely crushed and screened limestone. Each of the Trailway’s 4 trailheads has paved parking, drinking water, restrooms, trail information and accessible parking. All 16 bridges have been decked and railed for safety. The Trailway’s 500-foot signature bridge, adorned with…

Fort Worth Branch (Trinity River Trails)

Rails to Trails Conservancy

Trail end points:     Buck Sansom Park to Cobb Park
Length:     47.9 miles
Description: The Fort Worth Branch (Trinity Trails) System forms a spider web of multi-use paths throughout the city of Fort Worth, Texas, and its suburbs. The trails form a network of more than 40 miles for non-motorized uses, linking neighborhoods, business districts, shopping and 21 parks. You can…

Upcoming Events

Greater Dallas Bicyclists

3/18/2014
Tuesday Evening Lake Ride
3/18/2014
6:00 TEBR – REI Dallas
3/18/2014
5:30 Mesquite Ride
3/18/2014
6:00 Mesquite Moderate
3/20/2014
5:30 Mesquite Ride
3/20/2014
6:30 Thursday Night Ride
3/22/2014
Best Of The Southwest – Lancaster – Fall/Winter/Spring
3/22/2014
9 AM Distance Builder – Fal/Win
3/22/2014
9:30 AM Plano East Side – Fal/Win…

Ride Calendar

Corinth Cycling

Sat Mar 22 – 8:00am – “B is for Breakfast”
Sat Mar 22 – 8:00am – Harden Dental Team Ride
Sat Mar 22 – 8:00am- Corinth Cycling Group Rides
Sat Mar 22 – 9:00am – Beauty and the Beast
Sun Mar 23 – 8:00am – Sunday Group Ride

Hueco Tanks

El Paso Bicycle Club

Sunday, April 13    10:00AM
Description:     Come for this annual event (pray for better weather than previous years)! Meet at the wash about a mile before the entrance gate into Hueco Tanks park for a bike ride and picnic (leader supplied), along with options to hike and climb to look at pictographs. If you want to enter the park call (915-857-1135 or 1-800-792-1112-Option 3) to reserve an entrance spot. The ride will be about 25 miles at a Moderate pace. Either climb to the Border Patrol checkpoint or enjoy the wide shoulders of Montana. B/IG friendly ride. …

March 22nd and 23rd Rides!

Steiner Ranch Cycling

TRIPLE B’s has been cancelled three weekends in a row due to weather so let’s tempt fate once again.  Since the Triple B beer sacrifice did not work last time lets up the ante by having some at least PR on TRIPLE B.  Brice has generously offered up once again to sponsor a post ride Triple B’s beer social along with some eats.  Maps and details will be handed out pre ride on Saturday before you all roll out from Cups & Cones.
As Thomas mentioned in a prior email, last Saturday the Triple Bs was cancelled due to weather but 11 riders still made it out for a 30+ mile ride.  I was also told that Sunday some hard core riders showed up to ride in the bad weather and 50% of them were women.  Women Power!  Keep it up ladies.
Update on kits is that Brandon O’Keefe has handed the ball (ie kit design) over to Descente Cycling and when I get back to…

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 71: El Paso to Anthony: A Real State to be In
Sunday March 16, 2014, 65 km (40 miles) – Total so far: 4,100 km (2,548 miles)
Well that’s it for Texas! I like the words of Doug McArthur. In case you don’t download the song, he says in part:
Well now you’ve heard my story and I hope it made you grin
Cause the great state of Texas is a real state to be in
It’s big and wild and beautiful and everybody knows
If it was half as big again it would be Ontario!
And the wind comes up as the sun goes down And the Dust of Davy Crockett is blowing all around
And oh, a joke for the computer people out there. Doug says it’s hard to write a computer joke into a song! …

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Texas Bicycling News and Blog Digest March 15th

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Head to Big Bend Ranch State Park for the best mountain biking in Texas

By Pam LeBlanc – American-Statesman Staff

Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest highlights desert riding
TERLINGUA — You haven’t really bicycled Texas until you’ve ridden the West Texas desert, weaving past flat-topped mesas and cactuses that snag your legs just for spite, one eye constantly peeled for a hairy-legged tarantula.
Road riding’s fine, and commuting gets you where you’re going, but biking through Big Bend Ranch State Park feels like visiting the moon. Beyond crunching gravel and clattering stones, you spin through a world that’s eerily quiet, except for the wind. It’s beautiful — thorny plants, jagged rocks and all.
+Head to Big Bend Ranch State Park for the best mountain biking in Texas photo Chris LeBlanc
Heidi Armstrong of Austin heads out on the two-day Epic Loop at Big Bend Ranch State Park during this year’s Chihuahuan … read more
Last month I made my third multi-day mountain biking trek through the park. The adventure coincided with the fourth…

Jack Brooks Park Wednesday Group Ride

GHORBA.org

Event category: Races
Trail: Jack Brooks Park
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 – 6:00pm

Mission Biking Trails

gobeyondblog.com

Mission, Texas
I confess that I have mountain biking fever. Riding my bike after work and on occasional weekends is a great stress reliever. And, riding my bike is much easier than canoeing in the sense that I can do it on the spur of the moment and be on the trails behind my home in only minutes. Since I started riding in late December, I have logged about 360+ off-road miles. As I continue to improve my riding skills I find myself enjoying the trails even more.
Jackhammer
I took a day off this week to drive my Dad home from Katy after his dental appointment. Before leaving I researched mountain biking trails in the Rio Grande Valley. To my surprise I found that my hometown of Mission has some really great…

EP Cyclists

Thank you Candace O’Leary for leading such a wonderful Ride, The Bagel Ride..o7’o and for sharing your pictures…

NORTH TEXAS VINTAGE BIKE SWAP MEET ? (MAY 3, GARLAND)

houston.craigslist.org

Come on out on May 3, 2014 from 10am – 4pm to Don Johle’s Bike World in Garland, TX for the North Texas Vintage Bicycle Swap Meet. Bring all of your old bikes and parts to sell including road bikes, BMX, MTB, cruiser, muscle bikes…if it’s old, bring it!
Vendor spaces $10 each and sold on a first come first serve basis. Bring your own tables and chairs. For more info call Don’s shop at 972-240-7678.
Don Johle’s Bike World
5513 Broadway
Garland, TX 75043

Abilene obstacle course teaches kids about bike safety

By Dora Miller

ABILENE, Texas –
The Abilene State Park teamed up with Safety City for a bike ‘rodeo’ Saturday to teach children how to avoid dangers while bike riding.

“We always tell the kids when they come through Safety City that you never know when you’re gonna have an accident so always be prepared,” Steve Harbison, a Safety City employee, said.
Children from all over the Big Country learned how to inspect their bikes before riding and how to stay safe while…

Midwestern State University Cycling Team

Great hosts, the TX State Cycling team are hosting a post race banquet. Sean and Sam are getting cozy before dinner.

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 70: Fort Hancock to Tornillo to El Paso: Bonk!
Saturday March 15, 2014, 31 km (19 miles) – Total so far: 4,035 km (2,507 miles)
When we made our fairly early stop yesterday, we told ourselves it would allow us to get on the road early today, like maybe 4:30 a.m. However as might be predicted it was all of 7:30 a.m. before we finally straggled up on to I-10. The wind had eased slightly in the night, but now was blowing very briskly. This as we know is what turns cycle touring into a slog on the equivalent of an exercise bike. So we got on our exerecise bikes and just kept cranking away.

Performance Gains

Texas Bike Racing    Blog of Blake Powitzky and amateur competitive cycling.

It’s a rainy day outside right now as I sit here and write this post. That didn’t stop me from riding my bike this morning though. After 70 miles on damp roads in light rain and a double flat, I spent the better part of the afternoon cleaning my bike, kit, and my body! I really don’t mind riding in the rain as long as it’s not cold, but the work that goes into cleaning the bike is enough to deter you from…

Texas A&M SA hosts bike rally to raise money, awareness for ADA

www.ksat.COM

Annual event held on the campus of Texas A&M University- San Anotnio raises awareness and funds for the American Diabetes Association’s Tour De Cure.
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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Digest March 14th

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Cyclists fear El Paso will back-pedal away from becoming bike-friendly

By Cindy Ramirez / El Paso Times

El Paso may be on track to becoming a bike-friendly city, but some cyclists fear it will back-pedal if city leaders don’t fully support the growing national trend.
“Progress to me is not a ballpark. Progress to me is not a shopping mall,” cyclist Sandra Iturrbe said during a recent City Council meeting. “Progress to me is a city that is healthy. I want to ride my bike with my 2-year-old toddler and not feel like we’re going to get hit by a vehicle. I’m asking you to…

Double Lake Trailwork Day

GHORBA.org

Trail: Double Lake Recreation Area
Sunday, March 23, 2014 – 9:00am
Sunday, March 23rd, 9-12. Meet up at the Trailhead Parking Area. Time to get the race course made race ready and time to get those paydirt hours!

Police name League City cyclist killed in hit-and-run

By Craig Hlavaty        www.chron.com

A cyclist killed in a Thursday morning  hit-and-run has been identified as Kevin Ronald Munson, 45, of League City.
Reagan Pena, a spokesperson for the League City Police Department, said officers have also made contact with the female driver seen in surveillance footage shortly after the crash repairing damage to her car.
No charges have been filed in the case at this time, said Pena.
Munson was riding a bicycle around 2:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of E. Marina Bay Drive when he was struck by…

League City police get lead on hit-and-run driver

By Anita Hassan            www.chron.com

Police believe they have discovered the identity of a driver who allegedly struck and killed a 45-year-old bicyclist in League City on Thursday, authorities said.
As of Friday, no charges have yet been filed and the driver’s name is not being released, said League City Police Department spokeswoman officer Reagan Pena. She noted that investigators are still gathering evidence.
The incident occurred in the 1900 block of E. Marina Bay Drive. Kevin Munson of League City, was riding his bicycle on the street about 2:30 a.m. when he was fatally struck by a…

Rouge Roubaix 2014 Women’s Open

bicyclesoutbackracing.net

“Assume any pothole with standing water in it is a gateway to Hell and avoid it.” With a race promoter’s tag line like that, who wouldn’t want to attempt the Rouge Roubaix? The Rouge Roubaix is a 106 mile race across the back roads of southern Louisiana, just east of the Mississippi River and north of Baton Rouge in St. Francisville, LA. The course tackles three gravel sections that have steep grades and lots of obstacles, some paved roads, and some roads that were paved 20 years ago but now resemble a meth addict’s toothless grin. The course for 2014 had to be re-routed due to a recent sink hole, so it was only 102 miles this year.

Michelle Montoya and I had done this race back in 2011, and we wanted another shot to battle against the gravel. Louisiana is a beautiful state, but they have a different view when it comes to roadways. Rumored political corruption with misguided road funds and soft swamp land leads for some band-aid road fixes. We decided to use our back up road bikes…

##  Austin – Bicycle Film Festival

bicyclefilmfestival.com

The Marchesa Hall · 6226 Middle Fiskville Rd Austin, TX … 8:00 PM / PROGRAM 2 URBAN BIKE SHORTS – info TICKETS 10:00 PM / PROGRAM 3 …

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 69: Wild Camp Sierra Blanca to Fort Hancock: 4004 km! and still in West Texas!
Friday March 14, 2014, 59 km (37 miles) – Total so far: 4,004 km (2,488 miles)
Our deputy sheriff from this morning (see the end of yesterday’s report)had opened our eyes to the situation in the strip between the border and I-10. It seemed strange to have a government official concede that they could not control a piece of their own territory. Perhaps there is also a similar situation in some inner city neighbourhoods.The deputy also mentioned two other areas they have given up on, or never tried: Enforcement of the minimal no cell phone use in school zones rules, and enforcement around highway littering.
At one point the deputy thought he saw something move in the trees. He pulled out his foot long police flashlight and shone it around. Thinking to impress him with my knowledge of police flashlights, I said “Is that a Streamlight?”. “No”, he replied “It’s a Maglight. All it’s really good for is hitting people over the head.” This may have been a joke, but I wasn’t going to risk laughing. Instead I showed him how my…

Windy Day on the Bike

Bike Noob

After some beautiful weather earlier this week, a nasty front moved in. The forecast called for a “Wind Advisory,” with winds between 20-30 mph, gusting to 40. That’s some pretty heavy-duty stuff. A lot of folks I see online in our club Yahoo group posted that they were skipping a ride, because of the wind conditions.
But, a few daunting souls decided to give it a go. I shook my head, and gave it a pass.
That is, I did until my wife chimed in, “I want a bike ride today.”
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. She hates riding in…

El Paso City Council member pushes for better bike lane planning

By: Stacey Welsh

EL PASO, Texas — The city could be putting the brakes on plans for new bike lanes, thanks to a new proposal. District 5Rep. Michiel Noe said the city needs to better maintain the current bike lanes before adding more.
“Even the good bike lanes are often not usable because they’re just full of trash, which makes them dangerous,” Noe said.
Belen Barrio-Arriaga is the general manager at Crazy Cat Cycling, and she said customers also complain about trash littering El Paso’s bike lanes.
“We see a lot of flats because there’s so much debris on our bike lanes as it is,” Barrio-Arriaga said.
Noe said the city sweeps each street four times a year right now and…

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