Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup November 14th

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Biggest Bicycle Swap Meet in Texas
November 16th 2013 at the Frisco TX Superdrome. Hosted by the Midwestern State University Cycling Team and 2Quik Carbon Technology
Description
Biggest Bike Swap meet in Texas November 17th Pre Black Friday Weekend.
Hosted by the Midwestern State Cycling Team
We invite you to join us as a vendor and guest at the Fall 2012 Swap Meet at the Superdrome in Frisco Texas. The Superdrome Swap Meet is going to be potentially the largest bicycle swap meet in Texas. As a vendor, we offer you a low entrance fee for an opportunity to join us at this sure to be popular event. This is an excellent chance to liquidate the past season’s unsold and dated gear to make room for what you bring in for 2012. Potential Commercial Vendors to…

Students get pumped for Houston bike tour
When in motion, police advise bikers to focus on safety on the sidewalks or streets. But while the bikes aren’t in use, students should secure their bikes to designated areas. | Bethel Glumac/The Daily Cougar

UH students and professors will participate in the Tour de Houston, a 35-mile bike ride that tours the scenic routes of the city.
The Campus Recreation and Wellness Center will put on a 35-mile long bike tour that will take students down some of Houston’s scenic routes and around landmarks from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The Tour de Houston bike trip, organized by the CRWC Outdoor Adventure, will lead students through areas like the Brays Bayou Trail, Hermann Park and Discovery Green for fun and fresh air. Erin Daniels, graduate assistant for the Outdoor Adventure Program, is one of the people in charge of…

Walnut Creek Trail Work Day and…….
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Wednesday, November 20, 2013        5:30 PM
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX (map)

Meet in pool parking lot

Due to damage from heavy rains, trail work days are being held every Wednesday in November. More details about what areas will be addressed on this date will be posted as this event approaches.

Bring shovels, gloves, etc. Plan on getting your feet wet. If you get to the truck late, grab a tool and bucket and meet us at the Root Drop. Bring your lights. With several head lamps and…

Texas Tech Named Bicycle Friendly University
This is the first time the school has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists.
Written by Callie Jones            today.ttu.edu
Texas Tech now has racks to park about 8,000 bicycles.

Bicycling is on the rise, especially among young people who are turning away from car ownership in large numbers. More and more people are getting on bikes instead, and colleges like Texas Tech University are leading the way in making riding safer and more convenient on campus.

Today, the League of American Bicyclists announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Universities (BFU), and Texas Tech has been named a Bronze BFU. Texas Tech is one of only two universities in the state to be named a BFU.

Transportation and Parking Services, the Outdoor Pursuits Center’s bicycle program, and David Polcari, a senior petroleum engineering major from…

Letter of the Day: The ‘bicycle lady’ will be missed
lubbockonline.com
Many residents in our little neighborhood in the Rush area felt more than a twinge of sadness on Oct. 29 when we went to pick up our morning newspapers. Our faithful servant, Joyce Combs, who “porched” our papers for so many years, has moved back to Illinois.

Joyce rode her bicycle literally all over town with her orange and yellow vest on for safety. We were always incredulous when we saw her either peddling or pushing…

Warriors on Wheels welcomed by Windthorst faculty and students
www.archercountynews.com
The Windthorst ISD faculty and students welcomed the WOW Cycling Club as they passed through the town on their third annual “Ride Texas 2013”. This group of bicycle riders travels from Wichita Falls to Corpus Christie on an eight day trip in effort to raise money and awareness for non-profit organizations that benefit the military and their families. This year’s ride was dedicated to the Trinity Oaks and “Wish for Our Heros”.    WISH for OUR HEROES is a national 501(c)(3), dedicated to assisting the men and women of the United States active-duty military.  WISH for OUR HEROES launched in November of 2009, in honor of 1SG Thomas G. Wells, who was a career Marine.  The founders of WISH for OUR HEROES served on…

What Racing Taught Me About Tires
by Shawn McAfee            www.texasmountainbiketrails.com
Tires?

I used to never think much about them until I needed them. I mean, my first car, a 1976 VW Sirocco, had retreads. The same retreads that decided to untread one evening while taking home a date. We got home safely on bald tires, but I learned that driving… and dating… could be a lot more enjoyable with good tires.

I can’t remember what tires my first mountain bike had, but I am sure they weren’t designed for the hard-pack and shale found on the trails in Provo Canyon where I was living at the time. It was a surface that made those tires perform like skis, but with a lot less control and a lot more pain when I bit it. Since I was a poor college student, I couldn’t afford to wrap them out, so I dealt with it by riding slower to gain a bit of traction. Unfortunately, I became accustomed to…

Ridden and Reviewed: A Saddle Shoot Out
by djcurtin            bicyclesportshop.wordpress.com
“Have a seat.”

That’s what I heard as I walked past the shop’s General Manager’s office some time ago.  So I dutifully walked in and started to sit down as he tossed a Bontrager Paradigm XXX Carbon saddle in my lap.  “Ride this and let me know what you think.  I’ve got some calls to make.”
OK.  You mean, literally, have seat.  Not come in and visit with you.  Gotcha.

So while the visit was short I was happy to walk out of the office with a fancy high-end saddle to test.  But I had some reservations as well:

– I already had a fancy high-end saddle that I felt had served me well for a number of months; …

Another great turnout for Walnut Wednesday on November 13, 2013
Austin Ridge Riders
Twelve adult volunteers and 2 kids. Got in 28 hours of time and a very big repair to the root drop done. Next Wednesday is the big night! We are installing the bike work stand as a part of the APF grant, and then having Bicycle Sport Shop come out at 7:00PM for a light discussion/demo.

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup November 13th

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SoPac Trail Phase 3 Meeting | Biking In Dallas
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff
Be sure to try and attend a meeting this Thursday, November 14, at 6:30pm at Ridgewood Recreation Center on 6818 Fisher Rd (map), read more here  SoPac Trail Phase 3 Meeting | Biking In Dallas.
Here’s a map of the proposed SOPAC Trail: …

Texas Cup Action – Gerogetown Cyclocross Festival
TXBRA.org

Race Director of the Georgetown Cyclocross Festival and Founder of Cyclocross Project 2015 kids cyclocross program, Rolando Roman, gets the U10 racers ready!

Next VC Club Meeting, Monday, December 2
The Violet Crown Sports Association
The December meeting will be at Mellow Johnny’s. It will be the Monday after Thanksgiving — December 2. The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. as opposed to the usual 6:30 p.m. – the store doesn’t close until then.

What’s up: Kristian House will be there — hope to get him to say a few words to let us know what he’s been up to. …

BikeTexas Strategic Plan: 2013-2019
BikeTexas.org
We’re excited to present you with our new 2014-2019 strategy, created with the input of over 1400 BikeTexas members, supporters, sponsors, and even potential supporters and partners. “This strategy will help the staff and board ensure the organization is taking action to increase cycling throughout Texas. The fact that our strategy is strong and was created by the community lets us know that what we’re doing is going to succeed with the support of all people who bike across the state,” says Annie Melton, BikeTexas Board Chair.

Here’s how we developed the strategy:

BikeTexas formed a strategy committee of 14 leaders representing staff, board, and other key stakeholder groups for the organization. The goal: to transparently create a new strategy for the organization that is owned by the diverse stakeholders we serve. The strategy committee sought an outside faciliator, Jeremy Grandstaff, for guidance and a fresh perspective in working through a strategy-building process.

A draft strategy was developed early in the process and the overarching themes were presented for survey…

Post-Flood Shoal Creek Trail Repair Workday
Austin Ridge Riders
Friday, November 15, 2013 – 14:00
The Shoal Creek Conservancy is leading a Trail Repair Workday at Shoal Creek and volunteers are needed.

The trail suffered significant damage from the October 30th flood and the City Parks Department has asked for our help with cleanup and repairs. We are seeking 20 volunteers to help shovel gravel and sand off the trail, remove debris, pick up trash, and paint over or remove graffiti. We will gather at 2 pm at Duncan Park (900 West 9th Street) and work on the trail from just south of…

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup November 12th

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It may not be over 100 when the Hotter’N Hell 100 takes place next August but it could be much drier.

Facing Drought, Wichita Falls Bans Outdoor Watering
by Edgar Walters        The Texas Tribune
These days, residents of Wichita Falls aren’t just witnessing the effects of drought — some say they can actually taste it. As local reservoirs dip to about 30 percent of their capacity, water quality has degraded with a rising concentration of dissolved solids.
Now city officials are poised to tighten existing water use regulations even further as they await a water reuse system they say could reduce demand for lake water by about a third.
On Saturday, the city will enter an unprecedented stage 4 of emergency drought response, which includes a total ban on outdoor watering and an internal audit of water consumption by local businesses. Under the current level, stage 3, residents may water their lawns just once per week.
“It’s a vital resource now,” said Barry Levy, the city’s public information officer. The lakes’ combined capacity has dropped by 25 percent since February. …

Jester King Brewery Ride II
steinerranchcycling.com
We would like to invite you and your club to join us for the JESTER KING BREWERY RIDE II.   Please mark your calendar for November 16th for the second JESTER KING BREWERY RIDE.  This JESTER KING BREWERY RIDE is a FREE ride that originally started as fun ride between Steiner Ranch Cycling Club (www.steinerranchcycling.com) and TRG (www.theridegroup.com).  We ended up inviting some other clubs to join us and what we thought was going to be 20 riders ended up being 145 riders.

The ride is 55 miles and starts and finishes at the Jester King Brewery.  We will have SAG Support.  The ride will begin at 8:30am and it will be an out and back from Jester King Brewery on Fitzhugh Road to Johnson City and back.  There are no turns so there is…

Austin officials host bike path open house
by ASHLEY GOUDEAU / KVUE News and Photojournalist DATHAN HULL


AUSTIN — By day and night Austin streets are full of cyclists.

“I’ve been here about three days. Austin has great bike paths. I’ve lived in Madison, Milwaukee, Northfield, Minnesota, Baltimore and by far [they’re] the best I’ve seen,” said bicyclist John Sharpe.

But there’s one thing stopping more people from trading in their four wheels for two.

“A lot of people would like to be biking out on the streets but just don’t feel…

So You Like Suffering?
by Shawn McAfee        www.texasmountainbiketrails.com

For those fellow nerds out there you may remember the Klingon mantra from Star Trek “Today is a good day to die”. November 23rd, will be an excellent day to suffer.

We have not one, but 2 excruciating 100k mountain bike races happening that day. One at the gorgeous and scenic Reveille Peak Ranch and the other at the ominous Sansom Park. These are both extremely difficult trails with lots of climbing and plenty of rocks. 66 miles on either one is a nearly super human feat.
The Reveille Peak 100k

The Reveille Peak 100k Mountain Bike Race will be held Nov. 23, 2013 at Reveille Peak Ranch near Burnet (one hour from Austin). This 4-lap race can be done solo, or on a relay team of 2 people where each rider takes turns completing a lap. Each lap is…

Race Preview – Cedar Hill ‘Cross – Nov 16, 2013
joeyTWOwheels        texascx.co

Could it really be that the #TXCX season is nearly half over? Say it isn’t so…

Weekend number six of eleven finds us staring at a new course by some familiar faces. Many of you in the Big D know the Texas Cross Syndicate, and still many more of us have raced their courses all over the state.

Jeff Lucido, promoter, gives us his take on the first race at Joe Pool Lake.
All the details for Saturday’s race.

All the details for Saturday’s race.

What a great name for a lake. Tell us about this location and why you chose it:

The credit goes to Andrew Armstrong who runs the Texas High School Cycling League. He promotes an annual race extravaganza at the park in mid-February as a fundraiser for the league. This past year he included a nightime ‘cross race as part of the…

2013 VeloTexas Bicycle Safety Intersection Design Wed, Thur Nov 20, 21
bicycleaustin.info
Welcome to the 2013 VeloTexas Bicycle Safety Intersection Design Workshop
http://velotexas.com/index.htm

Wed, Nov 20th
London’s Public Transit and Cycle Superhighway
6:00-8:00 pm
St. David’s Church; 301 E 8th St

Thurs, Nov 21st
2013 VeloTexas Bicycle Safety Intersection Design Workshop
9am-4pm
Thompson Conference Center
UT Campus
2405 Robert Deadman Dr

The 2013 VeloTexas should be an exciting hands-on design experience about bicycle safety through intersections.

The City of Austin has identified the intersections to be included in the design workshop and we will have guests from the Transport of London cycling program assisting us developing design alternatives for…

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup November 11th

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Seen at the Dallas Contemporary Street Art Bike Tour
by Christopher Curnutt        www.bikingindallas.com

As a part of Dallas Contemporary’s 35th year celebration, Autumn Hill, DC’s Learning Manager, reached out to the cycling community to see if we’d be interested in a group ride to see some of the recent murals installed at and near the gallery.  It didn’t take long for Amanda Popken from Dallas Cycle Style to offer to lead the effort.  The format was simple:  we met at Dallas Contemporary and then rode to each mural where DC Associate Exhibitions Director, Erin Cluley, would meet us and then tell…

We Rode the NETT with Spinistry and LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!
www.wheelbrothers.com
You may be asking yourself, “Just what is the NETT and why would I ride such a thing.” Good question. Let me shed a little light for you. The Northeast Texas Trail (NETT) is a rail-to-trail program that is working to develop a trail system through 19 cities from Farmersville to New Boston. This 130 mile stretch of abandoned railroad tracks is slowly but surely being converted in to a trail system where the potential for eco-tourism is tremendous. Cyclists, hikers and equestrians are taking to the trail and enjoying all it has to offer. This trail has been under development for over 10 years and the status of the trail is in various stages from; concrete, to asphalt, to granite, to rail bed, to completely overgrown. Some sections are currently impassable due to…

Wounded Warriors Cycle Across Texas, Riding Into Corpus Christi
www.kiiitv.com
KiiiTV3.com South Texas, Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend
Today a group of Wounded Warriors will be cycling into the Coastal Bend. The group is ending their 501 mile ride across Texas here in Corpus Christi. 19-cyclists arrived in Beeville Sunday. They…

Mansfield City Council – Bicycling Infrastructure
Lone Star Cyclists
The Mansfield City Council is beginning to research and consider additional infrastructure in their city for bicyclists. Please join us tonight and make an appearance at Mansfield City Hall, 1200 East Broad Street, at 7:00 PM.

Background: The city of Mansfield has hired a company to work with cyclists on bicycle inclusion in the city of Mansfield. They have held two forums and made one presentation to the Mansfield city council. They will be holding additional forums for cyclists’ input and to show cyclists their plans. James Fish is the person in charge at the city of Mansfield. You can email him at…

Race Preview – Colonel’s / Sho-Air ‘Cross – Nov 17, 2013
joeyTWOwheels            texascx.com
Another big weekend ahead – this time we’re in Cowtown for Colonel’s / Sho-Air ‘Cross. Going back to 2010 this was called the Think Finance race.

Best flyer info ever – Contact info: Art Exum home (817) 732-‐3902, cell (817) 475-‐5474. Do NOT call promoter’s home number on race day. He will not be home—he will be at the event working. (Yes, this seems obvious, but apparently not to everyone.)

How old is this race, Art?

This is the 11th year for me to promote this race.  It has been through a few names, depending on the name/sponsor of our team at the time.  I think it started as Cowtown Cyclocross Weekend (when we co-promoted with Lone Star Racing Club), then, Moritz Cowtown ‘Cross, Think Cash Cowtown ‘Cross, Think Finance Cowtown ‘Cross…and now Colonel’s/Sho-Air ‘Cross.

You’ve got a classic course that you described last year as “enough twists and turns just enough give it a roller-coaster…

Traffic Safety 101
Plano Bicycle Association
Dates: November 24, 2013 and December 8, 2013
Time: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location: Allen Community Outreach, 801 E. Main Street, Allen, TX 75002

Cost: $20.00 payable at the door

Reservations: Jerry Hubbard, jhubbard@hcgtelecom.com , 214-356-1363

Weather:  rain will cause us to re-schedule the skills and riding portion

Traffic Skills 101 (TS101) is a fast-paced class that will give you the confidence to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. You will learn how to conduct bicycle safety checks, fix a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques. We recommended this class for adults and minors above age fourteen.

Students will complete the classroom portion of the course online at…

Continued Anthills Threat
GHRBA.org
Article category: Advocacy

From our friends at Save Our Forest:

SAVE OUR FOREST
A VERY URGENT REQUEST
FOR YOUR HELP

The Harris County Flood Control District (the “HCFCD”) has been relatively quiet for almost two years but the threat of destruction of The Forest along Buffalo Bayou in Terry Hershey Park remains very real. Now, however, just this Friday (November 8th) we learned that the HCFCD is nonetheless moving ahead, planning for excavating large detention basins in forested areas along Buffalo Bayou despite known strong neighborhood and community opposition.

Your voice matters. Your strong opposition in February 2012 to the HCFCD’s Charting Buffalo Study which threatened our forest was extremely important. Thank you. Without your expression of…

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