Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for August 19th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Please Meet: Retired Army Maj. J.D. Greer
By Corey Dickstein        savannahnow.com

J.D. Greer doesn’t let his amputated right arm slow him down.
The retired Army Special Forces officer, who in 2006 lost his dominant arm from the elbow down to an explosive projectile while working contracted security for the U.S. State Department in Iraq, spends nearly every day either on a specially designed mountain bike or in a pool.
In recent months he’s competed in the Coastal Empire Cycle Fest Criterium on Tybee Island, participated in the four-day…

Women Bike
www.bikeleague.org

In 2009, women accounted for just 24 percent of bicycle trips in the U.S. It’s time for that to change. That’s why the League launched Women Bike — the first national advocacy initiative to encourage, engage and elevate more women bicyclists in the United States.
click here to read our *new* Report: Women on a Roll »

The popularity of bicycling is skyrocketing nationwide and interest among women is rising, too. More than 80 percent of American women have a positive view of bicyclists and two-thirds think their community would be a better place to live if riding a bike were safer and more comfortable (Princeton Survey Research Associates national poll, September 2012). Still, women are…

Corinth Cycling

Congrats to Tyler Chidster (Ty-Chi) for taking 1st place in the 19-29 Cat 2 division and for being the fastest Cat 2 over all in the LBH DORBA Series race.

Burleson improving bike, pedestrians paths with TTC grant
By Tammye Nash        www.cleburnetimesreview.com
The city of Burleson received a grant of more than $1 million from the Texas Transportation Commission to use to build new pedestrian and bicycle paths along the Summercrest Boulevard corridor.
The city will receive $1,022.634 from the commission, a five-member board that, along with an executive director, governs the Texas Department of Transportation. Burleson is contributing another $255,659 — 20 percent of the grant — in matching funds to bring the project’s total budget to $1,278,293.
“The city of Burleson is very honored to have been given this opportunity,” said Laura Melton, the city’s director of engineering services. “We are looking forward to…

Bicycle Advisory Council meeting 8/20/13 6pm
bicycleaustin.info
The Bicycle Advisory Council will meet tomorrow evening (August 20th) beginning at 6PM at City Hall in the Staff Bull Pen.  The BAC is open to the public.  We know better projects are built with more input.  The BAC meets monthly and is a great opportunity to hear directly from the bicycle community and to work towards the creation of a better bicycling network for Austin.  We hope you can attend, and/or consider following the discussion via live tweet (@COABikeProgram, #atxbac).  The agenda is posted on their website:  <<austintexas.gov/department/bicycle-advisory-council>>

For your convenience below are the items on the agenda and the staff person/BAC representative responsible for presenting: …

Future Denton Streets: No Bike Lanes?
bikedenton.wordpress.com
Hey y’all. Remember all of the meetings and work we did on the Bike Plan back in 2011? The city held meetings and discussions and got input on where we wanted bike lanes, sharrows, paths, and trails, and it turned out that we want them in every neighborhood and connecting all parts of Denton. The plan that we came up with will let people get from almost anywhere to almost anywhere in town. Unfortunately, our older…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/bjdnewmedia/status/369465462561583104

Late Start – August 19th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Started biking at 2:02 with 96 degrees (32% humidity) under partly cloudy skies. I went south to Atascocita, Walden and then east to Huffman. With the late start I needed to hurry to take care of an errand this evening and to watch the USA Pro Challenge (thanks to the DVR). After two days of somewhat mild weather the 96 degrees was not what I was expecting but it did not feel so hot like last week’s temperatures.

I returned home at 4:27 and the temperature dropped to 94, wow I feel cooler now! The 33% humidity dried out my jersey rather quickly and I did not drip so much perspiration. I biked 31.15 miles at a 16.1 mph average speed. August miles crossed into 500 and totals 510.11.

Remodeling continues and will probably delay tomorrow’s ride too.

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com maps and metrics.

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What’s Turning the Spokes on the Net August 18th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Buescher State Park – Smithville
www.AustinBike.com
http://www.austinbike.com/images/trails/buescher/trailpics/IMG_8037.JPG
The newest addition to the Central Texas biking landscape is Buescher State Park in Smithville.  Anyone who has ridden at Rocky Hill Ranch has probably passed by and wondered “do they let bikes in there?”  Well, the answer is now yes.
This trail is the work of many volunteers who have given their time to help expand our trail options, so be sure to thank those that have been on the working end of those heavy tools. …

Oak Cliff Bicycle Company

Great day at the Races for Oak Cliff! Leslee Daugherty took 1st place Cat 1, Annette Jensen took 2nd in Cat 3, and Naughty Toddy Brashear took 3rd in Cat 2, PODIUM or BUST!!! — with Todd Brashear and Leslee Daugherty.

Fit City Success: Bike accident doesn’t stop man’s fitness
Tyler Morning Telegraph        (subscription required)
It’s been almost 10 years since a bike ride changed an East Texas man’s life forever. Terry Howlett was hit by a truck while he was riding on Texas Highway 64 …

Cross-country cyclist visits Rangers Ballpark on quest to benefit hearing impaired
www.kvue.com

ARLINGTON, Texas — Visiting all 30 Major League ballparks sounds like a dream to baseball fans, but it’s a mission for one man.

Jacob Landis rode into Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Saturday, the 24th stop on his journey that started in…

Austin Visitor Rescued from Makawao Mountain Bike Trail
By Wendy Osher        mauinow.com
A 25-year-old visitor from Austin, Texas, was rescued by Maui firefighters after he apparently fell and injured his back on a popular off road path in Makawao, fire officials said.

The incident was reported at 4:50 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013, on the Kahakapao Loop Trail in Makawao. …

Sprockets Bicycles and More continues to flourish as a family-run business
By JENNIFER SUMMER        www.yourhoustonnews.com

As a longtime bicycle racer, Matthew Morrison knows what a well-built bicycle can do.

He continued to ride and compete with BMX bikes, even wanting to get his children into the mix when he decided to turn those passions toward opening their own bike shop.

Matthew and Lisa Morrison first opened Sprockets located on Ford Road in Porter eight years ago as a place where kids from around the…

First ride on the newly opened Buescher State Park trails
Austin Ridge Riders

~10 miles of swoopy, sandy, piney single track. Seven of us showed up for John’s (AustinBike.com) ride call this morning… More pics coming when John posts up his shots. — with Michael Wisbauer, John Fruehe,Lloyd Gauthier and Michael Adams. …

Pantego to Lillian
Lone Star Cyclists
Pace: Touring with a Fast Pace Option (Touring is a varied pace with frequent stops averaging 12-15 mph)
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2013 – 7:30am
Location: Pantego Christian Academy, 2201 W Park Row Dr, Arlington (between Bowen and Fielder)

Distances: 20 and 58 Miles
This ride will take you from an urban setting out to the country. Both routes skirt the western shore of Lake Arlington going out and include the scenic Indian Trail on the way back. Lillian is the destination, so if you’re hungry enough you can enjoy a bite at the Lillian convenience store, which is…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/369139663308468224

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/369137991895117824

A Change in the Land – August 18th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I thought I needed to verify today’s date with the uncharacteristic temperature when I got up this morning. 69 degrees at this date in August comes as a surprise. Earlier this week I rode in the upper 90’s to almost 100. I cannot complain though. When I rolled out the driveway at 11:49 it felt like fall with 87 degrees (51% humidity) with a lower heat intensity. Riding in the shade brought memories of a fall day. By the time I returned home the temperature inched up to 91 (41% humidity).

After yesterday’s high tempo ride I wondered how my legs would feel. The first few miles brought some complaints from them but as I loosened up it got better. The route went north along US59 to Community Drive. I cannot remember the last time I rode the overpass there so when I came over the top the change in the view caught my eye. Where all you could see were trees now was dirt. This picture looks west from top of the overpass. To the left behind the trees is Valley Ranch.

8-18-2013 Community Drive West

At some point the Grand Parkway construction will probably alter my biking routes. I can go north on Loop 494 and that may get me around the work area until they move east.

I rode through Valley Ranch stopping at the Stripes station for the required Diet Pepsi. While I wasn’t that tired I enjoyed the break to let my legs recover some. After the break it was on through Briar Tree, Oakhurst and around Lone Star College. The loop around Lone Star College is different in that I turned east on Kingwood Drive and then north on Kingwood Place to get back to US59.

Overall I rode 28.53 miles at 15.4 mph average speed. The lower speed probably reflects the tired legs. For the week I biked 194.16 miles. August miles total 478.96 (goal is 721) and year to date I biked 4730.

Tomorrow’s weather warms up slightly to 95. I am getting confused about the weather in Wichita Falls. One forecast said 88 for Saturday but now another one says 99. Maybe this will get straight by then.

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com.

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