Started off the week riding to the north to New Caney and on to Roman Forest Blvd. At that point I turned south on the US59 service road heading to Valley Ranch. Riding through Valley Ranch took me to the Strips station at FM1314. Stopping there to rest, eat a snack and enjoy some sun was pleasant. While I was there a Jeep Wrangler 4 door pulled up in front of me with Maine license plates. This reminded me of our cruise last October when we stopped at Bar Harbor, Maine, to watch the whales.
The sky was partly cloudy when I started at 1:20 but as the ride progressed the clouds moved in. After leaving the Stripes station the clouds blocked out the sun from there to home. I finished at 4:16. The temperature was 69 when I left home. At first I put on leg warmers but after walking out to the garage to get my bike I decided it was warm enough to take them off. I kept the windbreaker jacket over short and long sleeve jerseys. This was a little more than necessary but when the cloud cover blocked out the sun for the last 11 miles home I was glad I had the jacket on.
Riding 33.62 miles today improved March to 164.61 miles. This leaves 340.39 miles to reach the 505 mile goal I have. I am at 869 miles year to date. Average speed today was 15.5 mph.
On my north routes I usually do not see other bicyclists and today that was the case.
Tomorrow’s weather looks favorable after the forecast changed a few times. The overnight rain disappeared from the forecast. It might get up to 76 degrees. If this holds up I will be biking. One possible hangup is my new bike is schedule for delivery tomorrow and it requires a signature. My wife will be away so that means I am on duty.
Click on the image to enlarge it. The Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS maps are interactive.
Men’s P/1/2
1    662    Wenger    David    Super Squadra Pb Austinbikes
2    656    Sheehan    Michael    Boneshaker D1 Racing
3    636    Henry    Scott    Cycle Progression
4    621    Aldape    Alec    Super Squadra P/B Austin Bikes
5    681    Smith    Brandon    ATC Racing
6    629    Fish    Kevin    Super Squadra P/B Austinbikes
7    657    Speed    Brant    Trek Driveway Series Racing | K
8    624    Brookshire    Grayson    Volharden
9    644    Lutz    Christopher    Bicycle Heaven / Pva
10    641    Koontz    Grant    Super Squadra P/B Austin Bikes
11    678    Lange    Carson    Voodoo U23
12    666    Buntz    Andy    Credit? Velo – Trek
13    682    Seitz    Andrew    Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV
14    670    Sides    Mitchell    Jack & Ad…
Jerry Najera, Multimedia Journalist      www.kvia.com (with video)
EL PASO, Texas – A city council member is expected to place an item on the agenda that’s already getting some pushback.
City Rep District 5 Michiel Noe says city-made bike lanes could be a waste of money because they’re not being used by bike riders on the roads.
He also acknowledges that with many El Paso residents wanting the city to be a bicycle-safe community, the request to stop funding for new bike lanes is already getting attention.
“Apparently there might be some problems with…
By Rodney Ellis and Michael Payne      www.chron.com
Houston’s future mobility plans should accommodate more than just cars and trucks
The Houston Chronicle’s recent articles on cycling fatalities highlight the heartbreaking fact that immediate work is needed to enable safe road access for all users. Houston has the unfortunate distinction of being among the cities with the highest cyclist and pedestrian fatality rates in the country.
As avid cyclists, we have certainly had our fair number of close calls, whether from drivers failing to yield to being forced to ride in dangerous streets without sidewalks or bicycle lanes to provide a safe passing distance. We’ve also had friends and colleagues killed and injured. So make no mistake: This is extremely personal to us. As we mourn the loss of these lives, we must work harder on engineering, policy and education at both the…
Twenty-three bicycle riders struck down on the streets of Houston during the past five years are, of course, more than statistics to friends, family members and loved ones. They ought to be more than that to their fellow Houstonians, as well. The photos below are meant to serve as a reminder to those of us who drive on our city’s streets that a microsecond of inattention behind the wheel or the briefest moment of impatience or thoughtlessness can snuff out a life.
Look at the faces – of 17-year-old Miguel Marcial Bautista, an immigrant dishwasher hit from behind on a dark stretch of Richmond Avenue last summer; of Chelsea Norman, 24, struck down on a December night in the…
Raven’s Revenge was a great time this morning. Lots of hills, which was tiring and my legs are sore but was a very nice change of pace from just flat riding here in the city. I miss the up and down of hills like when I was in Knoxville!
I did the 41 mile route, and despite suicide grey skies, some on and off drizzle, and some chilly wind as the morning went on, it was great. I’m happy to have completed my first ride! …
Braving the elements today because diabetes doesn’t take a day off DFW Tour De Cure training ride, fast group. — with Lew Alexander, Dave Hennesey, Jeff Kilarski, Brent Roby, Glenn de Veyra and Don Muchow in Coppell, TX.
The weather here in Texas was unpredictable as usual for this year’s Driveway Spring Classic. Despite the cold and rain, Voodoo Racing showed up in force to…
Date    Title    Location    Type
Mar 19, 2014
06:00 PM    DATES Round and Round the Lake Ride    Dallas Bike Works    DATES ride
Mar 30, 2014
09:00 AM    DATES McKinney and Blue Ridge Ride    Intersection of Tennessee and Davis Street    DATES ride
Sunday, March 30Â Â Â 8:30AM
Meet at Madeline Park in Kern Place for climbing ride that will go over Scenic then head to Transmountain Road. Climb to top and return via same route. 30-35 miles. Moderate-to-intermediate pace “No-Drop” Group, Larry Reid, …
A GHORBA trail team was out early Saturday morning to begin work in a new section of trail at River Bend. A trail network built on land managed in partnership with the Boy Scouts, GHORBA, and the City of Sugar Land Parks Department.
Dead wood was cleared, fallen trees…
Pace: Touring with a Fast Pace Option (Touring is a varied pace with frequent stops averaging 12-15 mph)
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2014 – 9:00am
Location: Lowe’s Home Improvement, 4444 N Galloway Ave, Mesquite
Please park as close as possible to Barnes Bridge Road.
Distances: 36 and 59 Miles
Every year the Mesquite Rodeo Ride offers up some great roads to travel, and this weekend we are going to ride on some of them. We have a couple of routes to choose from: 36 and 59 miles. Come enjoy some pretty, rolling countryside in a setting that is a change of pace for us.
Why the funny name? Somewhere on the long route a sign once warned of alligators. You will stand a much…
Two friends from Texas Christian University will be passing through northeastern Louisiana Sunday on an 850-mile bicycle trip from Terrell, Texas, to Atlanta, Ga.
Graham McMillan and Joshua Simpson are making the trek to raise money for villagers in Kasambya, Uganda, Africa, to build a permanent church.
There was a mud and brick structure that served as a church, but it collapsed last…
A group of older cyclists can be found most Friday mornings at Austin’s Veloway, the three-mile track reserved for bikes and inline skaters. They are mostly in their 60s and 70s, but some are quite fast. They sometimes pedal easily around the track, and sometimes put the hammer down.
While some of these riders use Strava, others take a different approach to gauging their rides. You see, an acquaintance of mine — Tricia — likes to ride the Veloway on Friday mornings, too. She’s not in their…
Arkansas has some beautiful country. The Men’s A team took 1-5 in this morning’s road race, w/ the women wrapping up first place in their A race also. Up next, Team Time Trial
In honor of March 2nd,Texas Independence Day we look at Bicycling in Texas.
“Texas: It’s Like a Whole Other Country”
One of the coolest bike rides in Texas is the one led by President Bush. 2014 W100K
Each spring, approximately 20 servicemen and women wounded in the global war on terror join President George W. Bush for a 100-kilometer mountain bike ride. The W100K highlights the bravery and sacrifice of warriors and recognizes organizations that support America’s heroes. This year is on May 1-3, 2014.
Veterans and Service members need to apply by March 14, 2014.
“I’ll be riding across the deserts of Texas with wounded warriors to show the unbelievable character of our men and women in uniform…it’s a ride to herald people who were dealt a…
Great Saturday morning ride and huge turnout!! Thank you Alex V, Rick M and Angel H, Luis B and all other strong riders that help out leading the ride… Intro riders you all did great no complaints even with the strong head wind… Hope…
Day 63: Wild camp to Sanderson
Saturday March 8, 2014, 46 km (29 miles) – Total so far: 3,732 km (2,319 miles)
A wind flapping your tent, maybe to pieces, is not the best lullaby. But 12 hours of cycling helps you fall asleep nonetheless. The thing that did penetrate our consciousness though, was the arrival beside our spot of two eighteen wheelers, stopping for the night.
W;hile illegal in Canada, the common practice is to idle these things all night. This provides ventilation, heating or cooling, radio, TV, or whatever else is going on inside. For us, it was a constant loud noise just a few feet away.
Our alarm woke us at 5, so we must have been asleep then, anyway. The wind had dies completely in the night, which would help in taking down the tent.
The first trucker was also awake, and checking his load. Dodie wandered over and casually asked “Say, why do truckers idle their engines all night?”. From there we found out the…
Nothing fancy about today’s ride to Huffman via Atascocita and Walden. I saw three other “serious” bicyclists: one in Walden and two in Kingwood. I was hoping the sun would come out but it was in hiding. The wind wasn’t in hiding from the SSE at 12 mph. The 66 to 68 degree temperature enhanced the chilliness from the wind. I should selected a different jacket because the one wore was too well ventilated and I felt chilly a lot of the time until I had a tailwind which was only riding west on FM1960 it seemed. I was too optimistic about the weather wearing short and long sleeve jerseys under the jacket; I should’ve had two long sleeve jerseys. The leg warmers did their job along with the Voler shorts.
I rode 32.81 miles at a 15.3 mph average speed. The average speed did not get to that level until the ride back from Huffman when the wind was favorable. March miles increased to 130.99 (leaving 374 miles to reach 505 miles for March). For the week I rode 63.07 miles. A cold front is supposed to move through tonight so Sunday is very doubtful as far as biking is concerned. 803 miles so far this year. Monday looks like the next possible riding day.
Click on an image below to see a larger view. The Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS maps are interactive.
