With 17 days off the bike I wondered how the legs would do today.
The long time off came about from my wife and I taking a vacation. We traveled by Amtrak from Houston to New York City and then took a cruise on the Norwegian Gem up to Halifax. Once we reached Halifax the cruise moved south stopping at Saint John, New Brunswick, Bar Harbor, MN, Boston, and Newport, RI, before returning to New York City. After a couple of days in New York we boarded the Amtrak Crescent to New Orleans. We spent a night in New Orleans. After that we took the Amtrak Sunset Limited to Houston.
Back to my legs; they did pretty good as long as I wasn’t riding into the wind. Fortunately the wind was not that strong so I managed to average 15.0 mph over the 32.93 mile route through Atascocita, Walden on Lake Houston and Huffman. The terrain around here is flat so no challenge going up any hills either.
The main challenge was the change in the weather since we left on vacation. When we left it was in the low 90’s. Today I waited until 1:03 to give the sun time enough to warm up. It was 73 as I rode out the driveway and 77 when I rode back in. Riding in the shade was cooling and I am glad I decided to wear long sleeve and short sleeve jerseys. One thing of beauty was the clear blue sky. On our trip there were days when the sky feel on us. In Bar Harbor it rained while we took a catamaran out to look for whales. Sadly we did not get to see any.
Being gone this long sometimes means the roads can change with construction or what not. I did not find any on the route but some construction signs were added on FM2100 north of Old Atascocita Road so this might show up in a few days. With the Grand Parkway construction at US59 and Community Drive my route selection can get hemmed in.
My mileage for October also took a hit from the time off. The month’s total is now 224.66. Year to date stands at 5442 miles. It looks like I will not reach last year’s total and I will need to minimize days off to reach 6000 miles for the year. Hopefully the weather cooperates.
Dallas council members bike to City Hall to promote cycling
By Tasha Tsiaperas      thescoopblog.dallasnews.com
Staff writer Caroline Basile reports: Just before 8 a.m. on a brisk Wednesday morning city officials swapped suits for bike shorts in the fourth annual “Bike to City Hall Day.â€
Biking advocates and Dallas City Council members rode together Wednesday morning to promote cycling and bike safety in the city. The trek started at the Main Street Garden Park and ended at City Hall Plaza.
The event was organized by local cycling group Bike Friendly Oak Cliff. The group’s president, Zac Lytle, said Dallas has a long way to go in terms of complete support for biking, but it’s headed in the right direction.
“We have greatly improved as a city for bicyclists,†Lytle said. “And it’s great to see a growing support for bicyclists in city government.â€
The event brings awareness to drivers that bicycling is another way for people to…
2nd Annual CC Cycle Club
HOLIDAY FUND RAISER/SILENT AUCTON
DATE: Sunday, December 8, 2013
TIME: 6PM
PLACE: Texas State Aquarium Dolphin Bay
PRICE: $30/person
We expect a larger venue at this year’s party. Get your tickets for the party today and come and join the fun! Last year’s party was great as there were a lot of items to be auctioned and great deals. Items like a bike, bike frame, wheels, numerous accessories, weekend getaways and many other items will again be auctioned off this year.
We anticipate a much larger party this year and it will be open to all cyclists and non-cyclists that would like to attend. We can’t thank the sponsors and donors enough for their generosity and those that made it so much fun and successful. It’s time to…
Look for group and ask if it’s us! call me, Jeff @ [masked] if you have any questions or are going to be late.
This will be a medium to fast pace ride through the Ant Hills of Hershey Park! Bring WATER, spare tube/tire, snacks, etc…Helmets required. Call if you are going to be late so we can wait for you. Wheels rolling by 6:30! See you there
Some of the more common water crossing areas when mountain biking the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Several of these are typical crossings when the water is either lower or not flowing at all.
2014 MS150 Recommended Rides
Bike Brookshire
ms150 recommended ridesThe 2014 MS 150 is right around the corner. Start training early this year during the great Fall Weather season.
Plenty of rides around the Brookshire-Waller County area to get out of the…
Brownsville Seeking Bike Rack Designs
BikeTexas.org
Attention, artists and designers! Do you want to bring your passion for art together with your passion for bicycling? Have you been looking for a public place to display your art? This could be the opportunity you’re after!
The City of Brownsville is calling for bike rack designs for several public areas around town. Winners will…
New Event Added to the Texbiker.net Calendar
New Event: TEXAS GRAN FONDO – FREDERICKSBURG, TX: When: Sat Apr 5, 2014 8am to 6pm CDTWhere: Maine street 1,F… http://t.co/ueKSwr6SyX
Single Ring Drivetrain Conversion
by John         www.austinbike.com
This one was a long time coming. I rarely ever used my granny gear, but liked to have it around “just in case.” I had plenty of chain drops and had added the Bionicon C-Guide to help eliminate that (it did), but I am generally one for simplicity and the single ring systems with a narrow-wide chainring that doesn’t drop your chain was becoming appealing.
This is the story of how I converted my bike, and it is easy enough that anyone should experiment on…
I have some thoughts about this from my recent collision. It is easy to be lulled into a sense of safety but it only takes one mistake to yank you back to the reality that riding a bicycle in traffic is dangerous.
How Safe Is Cycling? It’s Hard to Say
By GINA KOLATAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â well.blogs.nytimes.com
Until his bike slid out of control while he was going 35 miles an hour downhill around a sharp turn, Dr. Harold Schwartz thought cycling accidents were something that happened to other people. Now, after recovering from a fractured pelvis, Dr. Schwartz, 65, the vice president for behavioral health at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, has changed his mind.
“No one is immune,†he said in an interview. Like many avid cyclists, he is convinced that it is not if you crash. It’s when.
But Rob Coppolillo, 43, who was an elite level amateur bicycle racer for 10 years, led cycling tours in Italy and regularly rides in his…
HBC Hempstead Melon Trail Ride
Houston Bicycle Club
Saturday 11/02/13 Â Â Â 8:00am
Distances: 23(C), 37(C), 41(C), 50(C) miles
Meandering flat to rolling country roads, some long grades, little traffic but for State Highway 6. Few stores! Produce stands outside Hempstead.
Sixth Floor Museum & JFK Ride on October 26th
www.greaterdallasbicyclists.com/
What: Sixth Floor Museum/JFK Ride
When: 9 AM, Saturday October 26, 2013
Where: Meet at Preston and Forest
Ken Wilson will be leading a unique ride to explore the history surrounding the Kennedy assassination 50 years ago.
We’ll ride down to the 6th floor museum and go through it. It costs $16 for admission. We will need to bring bike locks to secure our bikes while we’re in the museum. Our route will go down Main Street to follow the JFK motorcade route.
After the museum, I propose a ride to see the Kennedy sites. Those that do not want to do the Kennedy ride part can go back to the ride start on their own from the museum. The rest will go to the building where Oswald was shot, to Oswalds’ boarding house, to the…
Please Note: This ride will take the place of the Tuesday Evening Lake Ride that normally leaves from Forest and 75.
Here’s the plan: Ride Leader Ken will lead us thru the Park Cities area to take in local decorations. It’s called the Skeleton Ride for a reason: In the past, the club had skeleton costumes (home-made) and make-up.Don’t have a skeleton costume? No worries! Half of the riders don’t have skeleton costumes! Riders are encouraged to decorate their bikes and ride in costume – any costume! Use…
Fox issues voluntary recall on certain 2013 forks
Submitted by AdamNewman         www.dirtragmag.com
Got this note today from Fox about certain 2013 Evolution-series forks. According to the recall notice, some 32 and 34 series forks the damper cylinder / damper assembly can overextend, possibly allowing the wheel to detach from the bike. Not good. Fox says there has been one recorded instance of this happening, and they’re looking to make things right with their customers. The full notice is below. To see if your fork is affected by the recall, visit this website Fox has set up.
Voluntary Recall of Certain Model Year 2013 32 and 34 Evolution Series forks with 120mm – 160mm of travel with an open cartridge damper
FOX has initiated a voluntary recall of certain model year 2013 Evolution Series forks manufactured between March 1, 2012 and November 30, 2012. Consumers should stop using the recalled product immediately unless otherwise instructed. …
Miguel is a beast on the bike. Pure power and he can hammer it down! That power comes at a cost though!
Race Preview – Spooky CX – October 26-27, 2013
joeyTWOwheels      texascx.com
If one were to go looking for zombies, something tells me you’d find them near the Chaos Worldwide headquarters. So it’s fairly apropos that we point our carbon wheelsets to the Big D this upcoming weekend.
We’re back for yet another year of Spooky CX with veteran promoter Zac Lytle, who gives us the top-level input on our return to the…
Foot Down Sunday!
by sooner1Â Â Â Â Â Â Shawnee Trail Cycling Club
Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when we took our Sunday “Recovery†Ride east through McKinney, Fairview and Lucas. Ride everyone’s favorite hills east on Virginia, taking you through old downtown McKinney, around the airport and points south. This route reminds you its not all about how fast you go – but don’t you fret – your legs’ll still feel it at the end…
The last time we did this route, our Sunday ride was larger than usual for the time – only a single group with 18 on that day. How times have changed. We will have…
2013/07/11 Club Meeting
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
TUESDAY
November 12, 2013 6:30pm
Joe’s Crab Shack
4711 North West Loop 410
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78229
Seen at the Nasher Sculpture Center 10 Year Anniversary and Bike Rack Coming Out Party
by Christopher Curnutt         www.bikingindallas.com
Festive and colorful are two words that come to mind when describing the 10 year anniversary shindig at the Nasher Sculpture Center.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen more people wandering about taking photos and I was certainly one of them.
This was also the “coming out†party for the two newly installed bike racks, one set on each end of the building. By the time I got there the bike racks were filling up so I was not able to get a clean shot of the racks alone. They are are an array of of stainless steel circles that you simply lock your bike onto…
Feature Speakers:
Jon Orcutt | New York
Jon is the New York City Department of Transportation Policy Director. He has contributed to transportation policy in New York for nearly twenty years and helped to establish New York’s bike share program.
Roger Geller | Portland
Under Roger’s leadership as the Bicycle Coordinator for the City of Portland, Portland was the first big city in the nation to earn a platinum designation from the League of American Bicyclists.
Nathan Roseberry | Chicago
Nathan is the Senior Bikeway Engineer with the Chicago Department of Transportation. In the past two years, Chicago has installed over 50 miles of buffered bicycle lanes and cycle tracks.
November 12, 2013 | 5:30-8:30 P.M. | Free | Light Refreshments Served
St. David’s Episcopal Church – 301 E. 8th St., Austin
5:30-6:00 Registration, Refreshments, Open House
6:00-7:30 Speaker Presentations and Q&A
7:30-8:30 Interactive Open House on Bicycle Plan
Bike parking available in St. David’s garage. Street parking is available without cost after 6 P.M.
Learn more on the Imagine Austin “Compact and Connected” Speakers Series website or download the event flyer (PDF).
RSVP on Facebook.
New Event Added to the Texbiker.net Calendar
New Event: Palo Duro Canyon Mountain Bike Marathon Race – Canyon, TX: When: Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:30am to 5pm C… http://t.co/GkRiolcz4U
