Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for August 10th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Baranoski and Erickson take time trial titles at Elite Timed Track Nationals
www.usacycling.org
Carson, Calif. (August 9, 2013) – The 2013 USA Cycling Elite Timed Track National Championships got underway on Friday at the StubHub Center’s VELO Sports Center in Carson, Calif., with finals in the men’s and women’s individual time trials taking center stage. …

…Individual Pursuit Qualification
Friday’s racing began with qualifying heats in the men’s and women’s individual pursuit, with the top four times advancing to the finals on Saturday morning.

Advancing to the men’s final were 2012 Olympian Bobby Lea (Mertztown, Pa.) and Liam Donoghue (Boulder, Colo./National Grocers Cycling Team). Stefan Rothe (Austin, Texas/Tulsa Wheelmen) and…

Bike MS: Valero Alamo Ride to the River
We had riders from all over Texas join us at today’s VIP ride. Does anyone recognize the lady in the orange glasses?!?!?

San Marcos couple bikes 2,000 miles for cancer research
by JADE MINGUS / KVUE News / KVUE.com

SAN MARCOS, Texas — A couple is going the distance to battle breast cancer. The husband and wife are biking 2,000 miles and asking for help along their journey.

It’s a pink frame of mind for Matt and Julie Swallow. They’ll spend the next two months of their lives on a bike in hopes of raising $25,000.

“It’s going to be an adventure for sure,” Julie Swallow said.

They are driving north from Texas to…

Levi’s Bike Shop Tour
Tuesday, August 20
Austin Cycling Association
Levi’s Bike Shop encourages everyone to “get in the saddle” with a specially outfitted trailer mobile FREE bike shop (free basic maintenance/tune-ups and other repairs) followed by an evening concert featuring local artists.  During the show, there will be a FREE bike valet service, with complimentary bike wash for all bikes in the valet.  To see more about the tour, take a look at…

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https://twitter.com/BikeMSValero/status/366265168046473217

Dark Clouds + A Fellow Biker – August 10th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

My original route plan was to ride north and around Lake Houston and down to Huffman. As I was getting ready to get dressed I checked the weather radar because there was a 30 to 40% chance of rain. To the south there were numerous patches of rain on the radar so I decided to ride north to Splendors and then back home with the intent of getting home before the rain moved north of where it was.

I laid out the route In my mind going north to New Caney, through Roman Forest and up to FM2090 east of Splendora. From there I would head west to US59 and then south to Kingwood. Things were going as planned and as I biked up the street beside the railroad tracks before Roman Forest Blvd. I saw another bicyclist crossing the railroad tracks headed into Roman Forest. I sped up and caught up with him on Roman Forest Blvd. His name was David and I asked him where he was headed. David said he had biked this twice before and was on the same route I was planning on through Roman Forest to Tram Road north to FM2090. We rode together and chatted. He was from Conroe and he mentioned a website he kept up with from time to time: Texbiker.net to my surprise. I introduced myself as Texbiker. David said he was unemployed and rides in the mornings to avoid the heat and keep his afternoon free to look for a job. Later I learned he works with Solidworks, a 3 dimensional design software program.

We rode up Tram Road and David said he needed to take a break when we reached a store. There was one at the corner of Tram and FM2090 so we stopped there. When we did I started to notice how dark the sky was getting behind us and to the east. After 10 minutes or so we started up again going west on FM2090. A couple of gusts of wind hit us and I could feel the temperature drop from earlier. The wind caught the rear wheel on David’s Trek which had a four spoke rear rim. The Trek was one of the models like the Softride with a beam from the headset to hold the seat, not a triangle frame like my Motobecane Le Champion CF but still carbon fiber material.

With the help of the wind we made good time to US59 where we parted ways: he stayed on FM2090 to Conroe and I went south on US59. I could see the dark clouds had thinned a little but the wind was strong as I rode into it. Approaching Roman Forest Blvd. I could the rain soaked road from that point going south and figured I would be riding in the rain at some point before I got home. I stopped at the Chevron station at FM1485 & US59 to fill my waterbottle and let the road dry out some. While I waited it started raining again but didn’t last long. About 10 minutes after it stopped I got back on my bike and rode south. The road was wet but it was not raining and it stayed that way until I got to FM1314. After that point the road had patches of wet and dry.

Now that the rain stopped the humidity must have skyrocketed so I was pouring perspiration. I think I would have been drier if it was raining. I know it would have been cooler. I finished the ride going through the streets of Kingwood pulling into the driveway at 12:56. While I was riding I got a text message from CenterPoint Energy alerting me that our electricity was out. While I was stopped in New Caney my wife called to check on me and said it was off so when I got home I had to fix the garage door opener. My wife had gone shopping and had to open the door manually to get out of the garage. As I prepared to clean my bike I noticed I was soaked with perspiration so much it was running down my legs. Inside the house with the electricity now back on I really felt how soaked I was. A towel absorbed large amounts of sweat as I worked to get my computer network back on to write this report.

My ride ended up being 38.83 miles long and the average speed was 16.4 mph. I think the higher average speed came from riding with David at a good pace and maintaining a solid pace going south on the US59 service road from Splendora. The wind did not get in my way surprisingly. August miles moved up to 284.79, the week’s miles are now 177.61 and year to date I am at 4536. These numbers will stand until at least Monday since I have a church meeting on Sunday. Next week’s biking will be interesting since we are starting a remodeling project and I am not sure how that will affect my riding.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for August 9th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Bicyclists end 4,500-mile charity bike trip in Anchorage
by Jerzy Shedlock        www.alaskadispatch.com
After 70 days of bicycling through the United States and Canada, the 2013 LIVESTRONG Texas 4000 team will rest their weary feet Friday in Anchorage, the final destination of the 4,500-mile, annual charity ride. And the race’s organizers are hosting a community barbecue at Kincaid Park, the finish line.

Sixty-nine undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Texas at Austin trained for the journey, which has ended in Alaska’s largest city for its 10 years of existence. The riders began their expedition in Austin on June 1, with a 70-mile jaunt during which more than 700 Texans came out to join the team. Over the next two months, the students pushed their way toward Alaska on three different routes, volunteering at community events on cancer awareness and treatment.
Each day, team members dedicate their daily rides in memory of a cancer victim or in honor of…

Event opens Brownsville streets to fitness alternatives
By MARK REAGAN The Brownsville Herald

Forty-five lucky Brownsville CycloBia enthusiasts will win free bicycles tonight after a few hours of pedaling in a car-free downtown Brownsville.
Brownsville City Commissioner Rose Gowen, along with Health Director Art Rodriguez and Brownsville Police Chief Orlando C. Rodriguez, addressed the media Thursday morning to promote CycloBia Brownsville, an event featuring a car-free environment encouraging people to stay active and…

Early in the a.m. or late in the evening? Debate…
by keithrad            forums.mtbr.com/texas
In these late summer days when do you get out and ride? Why?
I like the mornings when I can. However, the spider webs really wear me out..Your welcome!
Evenings are still hotter than I like, even when the sun is gone. …

Craddock to join Haga at Argos-Shimano?
By: Pat Malach        www.cyclingnews.com

Bontrager’s climbing specialist linked with Dutch team for 2014
One day after US rider Chad Haga told Cyclingnews that he had signed with a WorldTour team for 2014 but would not reveal which team it was, Spanish website Biciciclismo reported that both Haga (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Bontrager’s Lawson Craddock had signed with Dutch WorldTour team Argos-Shimano.
Craddock, 21, would not confirm the news to Cyclingnews on Thursday, but he did say he was “really excited about next year.”
“I’ve had great opportunities with the USA Cycling development program and…

Irving receives $2 million for new hike and bike trail
DEBORAH FLECK / NEWS ASSISTANT         www.dallasnews.com
Irving applied for and was chosen to receive a federal Transportation Enhancement grant for $2,070,000 from the Texas Transportation Commission. The city will contribute an additional $690,000 to the grant with existing park bond funds bringing the project total to $2,760,000.
The city will apply the funding to a new hike and bike trail that will measure 12,500 linear feet of pedestrian and cycling pathway. The trail will run along Rock Island Road from Gilbert Road to Irby Lane. It will serve…

McKinney part of DFW-area transportation enhancements
McKinney Courier-Gazette > News
Bicycle and pedestrian projects spanning 17 DFW-area cities and seven counties have received a $23.2 million boost from the Texas Transportation Commission, according to a North Central Texas Council of Government release.
With local entities contributing more than $11 million toward the projects, more than $34 million is to be spent on transportation enhancements as a result of the funding awards, with an aim to improve bicycle and pedestrian access in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman and…

Federal Highway Administration Explores Separated Bikeways
by Krista Carlson in News & Views        urbanvelo.org
The Federal Highway Administration has expressed a newfound interest in developing separated bikeways, aka cycle tracks. The agency, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has circulated a task order proposal request to several contractors in an effort to launch a collaborative study on the design and safety of cycle tracks within varied settings.
The initiative is further evidence of an increasing acceptance and awareness of cycling as a…

Thursday Ride at Walnut Creek – Beginner/intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Thursday, August 15, 2013        5:30 PM
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX (map)

Back to normal summer hours

This will be a beginner ride and will be doing around 8 -10 miles.

Chris is willing to lead a faster group so we can have an intermediate group.
Please be there and be ready to roll by 5:30 pm. We meet in the parking lot near the pool in the middle of the island.
Any question please call/text…

Kid Trips Event – Powder Horn BSA Scout Leader Training at Camp Tahuaya
Austin Ridge Riders
Sunday September 8, 2013: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Kid Trips will be conducting a ride with BSA Troop Leaders at  Camp Tahuaya on Sunday September 8th.

It’s that time of year again folks!  The Boy Scouts have invited us to train their Troop Leaders in mountain biking skills at their Powder Horn training event.  This is a yearly event where Troop Leaders are exposed to many outdoor recreational activities.  This takes place…

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Last Day in the Heat? – August 9th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Another hot day in store for today. I started a little later than I wanted to but the temperature had not moved up too far as I rolled out at 10:37 it was 87 (64% humidity). The sky only had a few clouds so there was no place to hide when I left the shade. The wind was calm so not much help there keeping cool. When I finished at 1:24 it was 94 (44% humidity) and still no wind.

The route went south to Atascocita before heading through Walden on the to Huffman. I noticed how quiet my bike drive train was compared to what it used to be before I changed the chain, derailleur pulleys and small chainring on the crankset. With over 15,000 miles on my road bike the parts were well worn. Now it purrs as I pedal along. The streets along the route were busy with the lawn care people out doing their things. You don’t realize how many people do that kind of work until you see many of them when biking.

All went smoothly on the ride and I ended up with 33.77 miles and averaged 15.6 mph. This is the first ride in several days where the average speed dropped below 16 mph. August miles now total 245.96 and this week I have biked 138.78 miles so far. Year to date totals 4497 miles. With today’s ride my Motobecane Le Champion CF turned over 16029 miles since I bought in late 2010. That is a lot of miles but the bike still rides like the day I got it. The only major maintenance was replacing the Ultegra STI brake levers that were corroded from all of my perspiration. The new levers do not appear to be suffering the same fate thanks to wearing wrist bands and changing my sunscreen.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to cool down some and there is a slight chance of rain. I welcome the cooler weather even though it will only be about 5 degrees lower.

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