Texas Bicycling News Digest February 27th

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*** Cancelled – Fort Worth Trail Workday – Gateway Park – 3/1/2014

by beechnut        forums.mtbr.com/texas

Due to the insurance fiasco, the March workday is cancelled. …

Community to ride and run for Marble Falls city manager Ralph Hendricks

DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR

MARBLE FALLS — While Marble Falls city manager Ralph Hendricks loved riding his bike and was a regular participant in the Race Across America Texas Cycling Challenge hosted in Marble Falls, you don’t have to be to show your support for Hendricks.
“The idea was to get the community together to show Ralph that we’re thinking about him,” said Keith Conrad, Hendricks’ friend and fellow cyclist.
Hendricks was injured in a bicycle accident in October of last year and is still recovering from the head injury. On March 8, friends, colleagues and community members are invited to show their…

Bicycle Helmet Safety Is Vital For Children

County Line Magazine

If your child received a bicycle for Christmas, it creates an excellent opportunity to teach the importance of wearing a protective helmet.
According to National Safe Kids, helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injury by up to 88 percent, but only 45 percent of children wear bike helmets. The organization also notes that bicycles are associated with more injuries in children than any other product except automobiles.
Other studies from the organization found that nearly…

Results: Walburg Classic and Pace Bend Road Races

by John Powell        Voodoo Racing


Wind, cold, chip and seal surface, and a road construction detour made for a tough day of racing at the Walburg Classic this year. Despite the less than idea conditions, we had a couple of top 20 finishes. Carson Lange landed 8th in the Cat 2, Nate Sheetz got 16th in the Cat 3, and Alexis Hamilton got 11th in the Women’s Cat 4.
Conditions were far better on Sunday. Sunny skies and warmer temperatures made for a damn nice day of racing. The Cat 3 race had…

#DPDSafeCycle to Help Make Dallas Safer to Cycle!

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

Local Dallas Bike Friendly advocates are organizing and looking for quick wins to help make Dallas a safer place to bicycle.  BFOC recently met with the Chief of the Dallas Police Department and several issues were discussed.  One very important issue that came out of that meeting was how the DPD and Bike Friendly groups can work together to make Dallas a safer city to ride a bicycle.  Chief Brown was very supportive, and wants to help educate his officers and the general public about the safe passing…

Cedar Hill Race Festival RR Day 1 • Feb 8 2014

Road-Results.com

Categories
• Men cat 3/4 Senior Open     • Men cat 4/5 Senior Open
• Men Open Master 40+     • Men Open Master 50+
• Men Open Master 60+     • Men Open Scholastic Open
• Men Pro/Cat 1/2/3 Senior Open     • Women Cat 3/4 Senior Open
• Women Pro/Cat 1/2/3/4 Senior Open…

Cedar Hill Race Festival Hill Climb • Feb 8 2014

Road-Results.com

Categories
• Men cat 3/4 Senior Open     • Men cat 4/5 Senior Open
• Men Open Master 40+     • Men Open Master 50+ / 60+
• Men Open MTB Open     • Men Pro/Cat 1/2/3 Senior Open
• Women cat 3/4 Senior Open     • Women Pro/Cat 1/2/3 Senior Open…

Park & Party for Spokes for Folks

by The Announcer Guy        www.bikingindallas.com


Come out to Barcadia Dallas on Saturday, March 15 from 2-5pm for a big party to support Spokes for Folks. Spokes for Folks is a local non-profit that fixes up donated bikes to give back to local non-profits. Spokes for Folks has monthly “wrench days” where volunteers are…

El Paso Bicycle Swap Meet Presented by The Bicycle Company

By Team El Paso

El Paso, Texas
Join us Saturday, March 1 at The Bicycle Company at 3800 N Mesa for our inaugural bicycle swap meet!
Buy-Trade-Sell
Sellers pay $10
12 noon until 5 pm.
Swap is open to anyone who has a box of old bike goodies that…

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

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Texas Bicycling News Digest for February 26th

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Mountain Biking at Cedar Hill State Park – Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texas Parks and Wildlife

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOjMWAnIB40&feature=player_detailpage
Just minutes away from Dallas, Cedar Hill State Park has a set of trails fit for all levels of mountain bikers. …

Outdoor Pursuits Center to host biking trip

By Jessica Romero    Staff Writer    www.dailytoreador.com

The landscape of West Texas is largely composed of flat plains with little elevation change.
Lubbock’s lack of mountains can make mountain biking locally difficult for Texas Tech students.
Lawrence Ingerly, the marketing manager for the Outdoor Pursuits Center, said the OPC plans various trips outside of Lubbock to give Tech students the chance to mountain bike on different trails.
“The OPC plans trips for students every semester to locations such as Palo Duro and Abilene,” he said. “Abilene is still pretty flat, but it has rocky trails and is only three hours away.”
The OPC is leading a mountain biking trip to Abilene March 1, where the group will ride the 13-mile Buck Creek Mountain Biking Trails, according to the OPC website.
While the trails are more challenging than the ones closer to Lubbock, Ingerly said, the trip is…

Tandem Bike and Booze Race

FastFolks Cyclery

Race with us this Sunday in the Tandem Bike & Booze Race, March 2nd… rain or shine the race must go on!

Bike Austin, Austin Cycling Association unite to promote cycling in Austin

By Pam LeBlanc        www.austin360.com

Two non-profit Austin bicycling organizations are joining forces to take over the world.
OK, maybe not the world exactly, but the Austin Cycling Association and Bike Austin have united to promote cycling in Central Texas. Their goal? To grow Austin into one of the top bike cities in the country – and improve the quality of life of people living here.
Since it was founded in 1975, the Austin Cycling Association has taught people how to safely cycle and has organized weekly recreational rides for…

Pump Track Work Day

Longview Bicycle Club

March 1 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Pump Track Work Day at Hamby
Free Brats and Beer for all workers

Best Bike Path Houston 2013 – Terry Hershey Park

HoustonPress.com

This large park begins at Beltway 8 on the east and rolls along the bayou all the way to Barker Dam on the west. Terese “Terry” Hershey, a former member of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, is the namesake of this expansive park on the west side of the city. She’s credited with leading the campaign to prevent the banks of Buffalo Bayou from being paved with concrete, a fate that could not be avoided for…

Former winners Plaxton and Gould aim for success at Mellow Johnny’s Classic

By: Cycling News

US Cup kicks off in Austin, Texas with star-studded field
Set in the heart of the Texas Hill Country and a just outside the cultural mecca of Austin, Texas, the Mellow Johnny’s Classic is the first stop on the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group. The new four-race series is the richest purse in cross country racing, and all four events will be sanctioned by the UCI as Category HC or Category 1 events.
The contenders
A star-studded pro field will line up on Saturday for the first major cross country race of the North American season. Three-time winner Max Plaxton (Cannondale Factory Racing) and two-time winner Georgia Gould (Luna) top the list of men’s and women’s favorites.
In the elite men’s race, Plaxton will have to watch out for fellow…

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 53: Bastrop to Austin: Thanks, Susan!
Wednesday February 26, 2014, 27 km (17 miles) – Total so far: 3,070 km (1,908 miles)
Yesterday’s forecast, that gave a 90% chance of rain today had been softened by this morning, so that now the chance was only 70%. Balancing that, though, was the change from “rain” to “ice pellets”. Naturally, we put on all our gear, including the warm gloves. So many times now I have buried these gloves at the bottom of the pack, thinking “well that’s the end of freezing on this trip”. Hah.
As soon as we stepped outside we were literally blown over by one factor we had sort of missed in the forecast. Wind. There was a brisk, or really brisk North wind.
Although we know that the car is king in the US, sometimes there are reasonable ways for a cyclist to get through and around a town. But you have to watch out. A US town is prone to suddenly confront you with a maze of elevated roads, on and off ramps, and such like. Bastrop”s trick is to have all kinds of divided highways running side by side, creating a high speed asphalt expanse whose…

Georgetown Cyclopaths Ride Schedule

RIDE SCHEDULE – MARCH 2014 Short Rides Long Rides
Day Date Time Meet at Miles Map Miles Map
Saturday 3/1/2014 9:00 AM Union State Bank in Florence 34 miles F2 43 miles F3
Sunday 3/2/2014 1:30 PM Berry Springs Park 32 miles B39
Saturday 3/8/2014 9:00 AM Dale’s Essenhaus Restaurant in Walburg 28 miles WA5 41 miles WA9
Sunday 3/9/2014 1:30 PM Berry Springs Park 35 miles B45
Saturday 3/15/2014 9:00 AM Catholic Church in Andice 35 miles A3 48 miles A4
Sunday 3/16/2014 1:30 PM Berry Springs Park 34 miles B55
Saturday 3/22/2014 9:00 AM Liberty Hill Elementary School 33 miles L12 39 miles L11
Sunday 3/23/2014 1:30 PM Berry Springs Park 33 miles B46
Saturday 3/29/2014 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 35 miles B24 46 miles B16
Sunday 3/30/2014 1:30 PM Berry Springs Park 34 miles B55

Lead Out Fail | Tour of New Braunfels 2014

Vince Marotte

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAhwR45gEow&feature=player_detailpage
Me in blue with Ben on my wheel shooting video. His cable got in the frame from the early crash.
As I’m trying to talk with Ben the attack goes, I tried to keep the acceleration smooth but Ben couldn’t hold the wheel, probably…

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

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Texas Bicycling News Digest February 25th

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This first article isn’t about Texas bicycling but I like the detective aspect of it.

A San Francisco Bicycle Thief Gets App-Rehended

By Peter Waldman        www.businessweek.com

Suzy Safdie knew the risks that bicyclists take in San Francisco, one of America’s most bike-friendly cities—and one of the friendliest cities to bike thieves. Almost 5,000 cyclists were victimized in 2012, up 70 percent since 2006. That’s one stolen bike for every 15 daily riders, according to Harvey Rose, the city’s budget and legislative analyst.
Safdie had two mountain bikes swiped from her own garage in the city’s Richmond District and never saw them again. Her third heist had a different ending, thanks to another consumer product that distinguishes Northern California. On a drought-dry December day, she and her nephew pedaled down Market Street to visit her…

Helmet cams are the rage but there is a potential danger.

Technical FAQ: Are helmet cams safe?

By Lennard Zinn        velonews.competitor.com


Action cameras are exploding as action sports athletes have widely adopted the technology over the last half-decade. Some folks are attaching these devices, made by brands including GoPro, Contour, and Sony, to their helmets. This phenomenon brought on a reader question this week regarding the safety of mounting an action camera to a helmet. He checked in with two camera makers. We asked for feedback from three helmet makers. Read on to see what they said.
Are helmet cams safe?
Dear Lennard,
Does attaching a GoPro or other camera to a helmet reduce the safety benefits in any way? Does it make a difference if it is glued on or strapped through the vents?
I got some comment from Contour: …

March 1 MTB schedule change

Woodlands Cycling Club

The Inaugural Mountain Bike ride to be held at the George Mitchell Nature Preserve on March 1st, 2014 has been delayed until 11:00 AM same day. At the scheduled time Marathon runners will be running Flintridge causing congestion and lane/road closures. …

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 52: La Grange to Bastrop: Over 3000km now!
Tuesday February 25, 2014, 69 km (43 miles) – Total so far: 3,043 km (1,891 miles)
Having chosen (not accidentally) the closest accommodation in town to Lukas Bakery, we packed and were over there pretty darn promptly. First thing in the morning I am not generally very talkative, but Dodie was able to engage the owner, Larry, with what must be for him the UQs. We (she) learned that he is the son-in-law of the founders. He came to work at the bakery in 1973 and has been managing it since 1978, when his father in law passed away. The recipes are all originals and are not written down, but are in his head. His principle is to make everything fresh and from scratch, including the cooking of the kolatche fillings. Further, the sausages that are in the pig in a blanket are preservative free. This gives them a short life on the counter, compared, he said, to the three day shelf life possible for low quality competitors.
To make sure that we had a good sample (just in the interest of scientific accuracy!) we ordered two apricot and two mohn kolaches, two “honey buns” (which we call sticky buns), two of what we would call cheese danishes, and two pigs in the blanket. Though we ate some at the bakery and put some on the bikes, in short order we had eaten it all. Yes, all.
The fillings were the best part. Flavourful and generous.The sausage in…

Tweets

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Texas Bicycle News Digest February 24th

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Skills Clinic #99: Rolling Over Obstacles

Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association

Saturday, March 15, 2014    9:30 AM
Erwin Park
4300 County Road 1006, McKinney , TX (edit map)
What: Learning how to roll over roots, rocks and logs is an essential mountain biking skill to learn. I will set up an obstacle course that is more difficult than the one I set up at the beginner clinics, and my volunteers and I will teach how to safely and effectively roll over them.
When: Saturday, March 15th,  at 9:30am who: Intermediate riders.
Who: You must be either a DORBA member, or…

La Primavera Bicycle Race returns to Lago Vista March 1-2

By Pam LeBlanc        www.austin360.com

Who needs the Tour de France?
More than 900 cyclists will zip through Lago Vista and the surrounding hills during the 23rd annual La Primavera Bicycle Race on March 1-2.
Athletes from around the world will show off their peloton tactics at the event, billed by organizers as the largest bicycle road race in the region. And that should…

Skills Clinic #100 Big Dips (including No Brakes Dip)

Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association

Saturday, March 15, 2014    12:30 PM
Erwin Park
4300 County Road 1006, McKinney , TX (edit map)
I created the DORBA Skills Clinic series 10 years ago. Skills Clinic #1 was the Dips Clinic at Erwin.  Skills Clinic #100 will also be Dips at Erwin. This will be the last Skills Clinic that I will organize. Sharon and Jerry McNutt will be taking over for me. Please come out and attend my last Skills Clinic to either attend it, or to help me teach it. I need YOUR help.
What: Learning how to ride big dips, successive dips, and…

Expert on bike-friendly cities visits El Paso today

By Aaron Bracamontes / El Paso Times

A national bike friendly community specialist will be El Paso today and meet with representatives of the Velo Paso Bicycle-Pedestrian Coalition.
Steve Clark is the former bike/pedestrian program manager for the City of Boulder, Colo., and past president of the League of American Bicyclists. He is currently visiting 24 cities across the country, including El Paso.
“Steve’s visit is a great opportunity for El Paso to benefit from his extensive experience and…

March 1st and 2nd Rides!

Steiner Ranch Cycling

WEEKEND RECAP
Saturday we had another great turnout and we all rode the challenging Cozy Cove ride.  We had perfect temperatures, great workout and a lot of fun.
Sunday was the Jack & Adams Steakhouse ride and we had a great ride.  Many of us stuck around for some food, music and laughs.
NOTE:  Please look at our event calendar page of this website for a list of upcoming rides organized riding events.
NEW KIT FITTING PARTY
Here is yet another opportunity to mark your calendar for February 26th at The University of Texas Golf Club in Steiner Ranch in the Santa Rita room.  We will be doing…

Pace Bend RR Photos

jahicks.zenfolio.com

J.A. Hicks Photography: Pace Bend RR &emdash;

Harry Moss Trail Love Day

Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association

Sunday, March 9, 2014    10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Harry Moss Park
7610 Greenville Av. , Dallas, TX (map)
Please join Trail Steward Howard Kincaid in showing the Harry Moss trail a little trail work love.
He will be working on picking up trash, grooming the new Red Loop, moving concrete for creek crossing on Red Loop, and…

Walburg Classic 2014 Highlights

Art Gonzalez


Road race sights and scenes

Non-profit to help El Paso become bicycle friendly city

by Cathy Hernandez        www.ktsm.com

EL PASO (KTSM) — This week, a national non-profit organization will come to El Paso to help improve bike infrastructure.
Steve Clark, a specialist with the League of American Bicyclists will visit El Paso on Monday.
Clark will tour the city and meet with…

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 51: Mound Hill to La Grange
Monday February 24, 2014, 70 km (43 miles) – Total so far: 2,974 km (1,848 miles)
We felt so much at home at Weiss’ store last night. It was not only that suddenly we had all the facilities we needed, but it was the infectious good nature and affection for the place and the region that came from Connie and Danney. The night before they had answered our questions about the trees, the building, and the surroundings with a detail that comes from life long knowledge. Some of what they said did not quite sink in right away (to my fuzzy Steve head anyway), but by morning a lot more had penetrated. Not only that, but in the evening and again in the morning I had sat out in front of…

Little signals

An Old Guy On Two Wheels

Another fabulous commute to Yellow Bike on a warm February morning.  One thing about bicycle commuting in Austin is the entertainment value.  On one segment of my route I got to play leap frog with my favorite bus.  On another I kept pace with the poor saps stuck on the MoPac Expressway.  The rest of the trip was filled with the comedic stylings of cagers rushing about in the usual morning frenzy we call rush hour.
Such a hurry.  No time to observe and…

El Paso bike lanes infrastructure reviewed

By Luis Carlos Lopez / El Paso Times

Next time you are driving and see a bicyclist don’t be so quick to honk or resort to road rage.
El Paso is trying to keep pace with other cycling-friendly cities by improving its infrastructure and educating motorists about respecting bike lanes.
To talk about how the city can be more bicycle-friendly, city officials and the Velo Paso Bicycle-Pedestrian Coalition welcomed bicyclist specialist Stephen Clark on Monday to offer an assessment of…

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

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