Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup December 1st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Texas Cross State Challenge
Dex Tooke
11-13-13.  The Crossing is completed.  Unoffcially, 873.5 miles.  64 hours, 33 mins.  13.54 avg. mph.
I want to thank my crew for their sacrifice, relentless support and hard work.  I want to thank everyone that supported me and helped push me across this vast state.

You can read the complete ride report HERE.

I owe this record to Kalleen Whitford, Leah Folsom, Kevin Jones, Daniel Sanchez, Douglas Hoffman and Joni Tooke.

Some people may find it hard to believe that the Texas Cross State distance is longer than RAW ( 857 miles). Believe me.  I have done both and Texas is longer.

At 5:00 am on a cold, misty morning which most people consider a stay in bed and snuggle under the covers type of day, 4 crew members, 2 UMCA officials and myself departed the Oklahoma/Texas state line 7 miles north of Perryton, Texas. Our destination was Mexico, 873 miles away.
My ride is a November Wheelhouse carbon fiber frame, Di2 Ultegra 10 speed, clip on aero bars with bar end electronic shifting and 38 mm carbon clincher wheels with Chris King hubs. Months of preparatory labor was now going to be put to the test.  The gathering of crew, coordination of crew travel arrangements,  UMCA record attempt application fees (2), record attempt application checklist, rider waiver, crew waivers, certification of
officials, clothing checklists, cold weather clothing checklist, bicycle accessory checklists, first aide checklist, officials road log sheets, nutrition/hydration checklists, electrical checklists, follow vehicle set up, chargers, inverters, auxiliary vehicle set up, roof racks, nutrition data sheets, spare bike, crew supply checklist, north­south route book, south­north route book, hour chart, rider menu, website updates, budget….

Winter Cycling in Texas
Bike Noob

My friend Rick had a great idea for a Sunday club ride.
“After two challenging days in the saddle, my aging legs are looking for a recovery spin at a long slow distance pace,” he posted. As a bonus, he suggested a starting time of 9 a.m. — much more civilized than the 8:15 a.m. start we traditionally have.
I and one other person posted that we would be there. When I got to our Starbucks starting place, however, a total of 10 riders had showed up. Two other club rides were going south at a fast pace, and to a very hilly route west of the city.
“I think posting that this would be at a conversational pace is what…

San Antonio Wheelmen

Upcoming Rides and Events
Saturday, 12/7:       Freiheite Ride
Saturday, 12/7:       Annual Holiday Party
Sunday, 12/8:         Rebecca’s Mirror Ride

 

Dallas Tweed ride Sunday Dec 8th
www.bikingindallas.com

The Dallas Tweed ride is happening Sunday, December 8th.  We’re meeting, once again, at the Grassy Knoll at 3.30.  From the Facebook event page:

Pip pip, jolly good show, and a ‘ello guvnor to you all! It’s time to break out the monocles and knickers and prepare for the 2013 Dallas Tweed Ride! There will be classic riveting action like cucumber sandwich tosses, Mary Poppins kissing booths, umbrellas jousting, and a…

Black Friday Ride #5 Recap and Pics
Bike Friendly Richardson
Last Friday, Bike Friendly Richardson, hosted our 5th annual Black Friday Bike Ride. The event isn’t a race, a charity ride or even an advocacy statement. The Black Friday Ride is just a nice, alternative way to spend the country’s busiest shopping day by riding a bike, instead of dealing with mad rush of crowds fighting over flat screen TVs. Unlike shopping, the ride is a relaxed, low paced, no-drop cruise around town.

This year’s group was amazing as always. On bikes ranging from mountain to road, a little over a dozen riders gathered at the new Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson. As a group ride leader, this is a good amount. Fewer is…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BikePaulie/status/407300335472898049

https://twitter.com/bikenoob/status/407266757104381952

https://twitter.com/DCRUZ547/status/40713032647796736

Gravel Grinder Shoulder

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The last time I went biking was November 21st. My time off the bike was not of my choosing though. In those days some chilly weather visited Houston, Thanksgiving happened and yesterday we started putting up our Christmas decorations. Of those days yesterday was the only one with decent biking weather. Today it was supposed to reach 70 degrees but it is good I did not wait for that to happen. I did wait until 12:17 and rolled out the driveway under overcast skies and 63 degrees.

To combat this cool weather I probably over dressed. Full finger gloves kept my fingers nice and toasty, short and long sleeve jerseys under my windbreaker jacket helped as well. Leg warmers kept my legs from chilling out too much. When I stopped in Huffman the temperature at Action sign varied from 70 to 71 and I did feel overdressed. After a 10 minute break getting back on the bike brought a chill until I regained the heat I gave up. By the time I got home at 2:52 my bandana was wet, both jersey were wet and the gloves were damp inside.

While I was not biking the construction crews chewed off the asphalt on FM2100 between the sawmill and FM1960. The resurfaced portion was nice but the rough surface kinda reminded me of a gravel grinder ride but not a full fledged one. I didn’t have much of a problem riding on the shoulder in this area except when an 18 wheeler drove by and kicked up a cloud of dust. With the old surface gone maybe it won’t take too long to get the new one down. No rain is in the forecast until Thursday.

With today’s 32.79 miles I moved up to 6018 miles for the year. If the weather is cooperative I could get 200 or 300 more miles before the end of the year. Tomorrow’s forecast shows 77 degrees under a partly cloudy sky. My average speed today showed what happens when I take so many days off: only 14.9 mph. Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com were not so generous reporting 14.6 mph. It took 4 or 5 miles to get warmed up and the first 5 miles took over 22 minutes. This did not get the speed off to a good start. The rest of the 5 mile sections I attempted to recover but not enough.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”266″ size=”auto”][/wppa]

Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup November 30th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Year of the bike
Cycling fans had much to celebrate over the past year, we’re hoping for more.
www.chron.com

We’re not at the end yet, but it looks like 2013 was Houston’s year of the bicycle. Cyclists, alternative transit lovers and health advocates have had a lot of celebrate, and even more to anticipate for 2014.
The B-Cycle bicycle rental system expanded from three stations to 27, with a network that stretches out of downtown and into surrounding neighborhoods. The ridership numbers show that stations in parks have become a regular weekend destination, and the stations near mixed-use apartment complexes get high ridership during weekday commutes.
The city should follow this success in the next rollout, with stations at parks, college campuses and…

Reveille Peak Ranch X-treme Biking
Reveille Peak Ranch

Our 12-yr-old visitor from Austin made this recap video of his ride with his 8-yr-old brother on the pump track, the flow track and the League Loop, our newest trail. Approximately 4 miles long and 6 feet wide, this casual ride/race loop is ideal for…

Sunday Road Ride – December 29, 2013 08:00 AM
Urban Bicycle Gallery
Starting at 8am. The routes are around 20-25miles average 16-18 mph. Sunday rides vary from one week to the next. You should call shop for details. Road rides of varying lengths. Helmets are always required. Rides will be cancelled if the weather conditions are rainy, or icy (when in doubt call the store).

When: December 29, 2013 08:00 AM
Where: 4814 Nett St. Houston, TX 77007

8:00am – Harden Dental Team Ride — Corinth Cycling Club
When: Sat Dec 14, 2013 8am to 11am  CST

Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: This is the weekly training ride for the Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental race team. This is a 62 mile loop on an established route. Expect a fast pace and be prepared to fix your own mechanicals. There are no stops on this ride. -7:30am- http://ridewithgps.com/routes/337788

Austin Bike Explorers
Chrisopher Stanton
Ghisallo Foundation
Video Here

Project Description
The goal of the Austin Bike Explorers project is to begin to develop youths into well-rounded lifestyle and recreational cyclists. Our aim is to create cyclists who have the skills and ability to not only use their bicycle for fun and recreation but to develop the qualities needed to use it safely for transportation and to teach others to do so as well. Active transportation can also help fight obesity by making the exercise part of an activity which can rather than just exercising which can feel like a chore. Encouraging bicycle transportation also has a beneficial impact on the environment in that it reduces carbon emissions produced by motor vehicles, resulting in improved air quality and reduced resource utilization.

The program is built on top of Cycle Academy material which is a structured educational program geared toward youth cyclists concentrating on bicycle riding, safety, and maintenance skills. It focuses on learning by doing, self-sufficiency, developing a healthy lifestyle by integrating bicycling into daily activities, and community service. The curriculum is split into…

Dallas Wants to Build a $20-Million Trail From White Rock to I-20 (Video)
By Eric Nicholson        bicycleaustin.info
Video Here

Right now, Dallas has right around 100 miles of hike and bike trails and counting. That’s impressive. Less so is their arrangement. They are, with a few notable exceptions, disconnected, less a cohesive network than a collection of self-contained pathways from nowhere to nowhere.
The city of Dallas and the Trinity Trust want to change that, and they want to do it in a big way. On Monday, the City Council’s transportation committee will be briefed on the Trinity Forest Spine Trail, a massive, $20-million effort stretching 17.5 miles from White Rock Lake to Interstate 20 and…

Tweets

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup November 29th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Austin Texas Mountain Biking. GoPro HD
Added by George Donnell            www.extremelysport.com

Just some footage I edited together of me and a buddy mtn biking our favorite spots in the Austin area. This video includes Reimers Ranch, Barton Creek and Z…

Huntsville State Park Mountain Biking
by Xrdman D

Saturday Urban Ride – December 28, 2013 08:00 AM
Urban Cycling Club – Houston
Saturday Rides are also Urban Road Rides from Urban Bicycle Gallery. The routes are around 20-25miles average 16-20 mph. Speed may vary depending on who shows. This route goes through many of the inner city neighborhoods: The Heights, Garden Oaks, and Oak Forest. Helmet required. Rides will be cancelled if the weather conditions are rainy, or icy (when in doubt call the store).
When: December 28, 2013 08:00 AM
Where: 4814 Nett St. Houston, TX 77007

Beautiful, tragic Fall
www.turnincranks.com
Other than my RPR100k race report, I’ve been fairly quiet about posting new entries. Things have been pretty busy, but I’ve been capitalizing on all the beautiful weather we’ve been having. Fall in Austin is typically pretty short, with only a few wonderful weeks between the final heat of summer and the oncoming cold of winter.

I did all I could to take advantage of every possible moment on the trails. …

OTC Christmas Light Ride
Old Tascosa Cycling
December 5th, 7:00pm meeting at Roasters on Soncy. Bring a Toy to donate to Toys for Tots. Helmet, and lights are REQUIRED. See you there! Share this status/photo for a chance to win a cool prize!

OTC Chirstmas Party and Movie Rising From The Ashes
Old Tascosa Cycling
We will be having the Old Tascosa Cycling Christmas party and Movie night (Rising From Ashes) on December the 14th at 6:00pm. Ian Margrave had graciously agreed to host the event, 10200 Ashton Rd. We are asking for donations to the Amarillo Composite High School Mountain Bike Team, (Recommended donation is…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/LA_Underhill/status/406574812040290304