Premium Article As George W. Bush rides with wounded warriors, ex-president begins more robust effort to help veterans
By TOM BENNING, Staff Writer     www.dallasnews.com

CRAWFORD — Former President George W. Bush needed little help to blaze a trail Friday for 14 veterans mountain biking with him through open prairies, slick ravines and steep canyons.

That’s because he brought the third annual Warrior 100K Ride — a three-day mountain biking trek to honor service members injured in Afghanistan and Iraq — to the well-worn paths at his Prairie Chapel Ranch outside of Waco.

But even as Bush welcomed the wounded warriors to his home to thank them for their service, he made…

Meet Magura’s eLECT, an electronic suspension fork for tech-savvy cyclists
By Melissa Grey            www.engadget.com

If you’re looking to trick out your bike, Magura’s eLECT might be the electronic suspension system you crave — if you’re willing to sacrifice optimal reaction time. Using a 3D accelerometer, the eLECT analyzes terrain with a 0.2 second window to adjust to how bumpy or smooth your ride is. At first glance, 0.2 seconds seems impressive, but it equates to a distance of 3.6 feet when traveling at 12.4MPH. Indeed, on challenging trails, a lot can happen in 3.6 feet, and eLect’s reaction time might…

Bush Hosts Wounded Warrior Ride At Central Texas Ranch
www.kwtx.com (video)
CRAWFORD (May 24, 2013)–Former President George W. Bush is hosting a 100-kilometer mountain bike ride this weekend at his Central Texas ranch for troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The second day of the ride was Friday.

This is the third year Bush has hosted the Warrior 100K.

Last year, the ride was held at Palo Duro Canyon State Park, and the first year’s ride was in the Big Bend region of West Texas.

“It’s a ride to herald people who were dealt a severe blow and said, ‘I’m not going to let it tear me down,’” Bush says.

Fifteen wounded veterans of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are participating in the ride, which is part of the George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative.

The institute is part of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

This Year’s Riders…

Tom Zirbel wins time-trial title
espn.go.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Tom Zirbel won a national time-trial title Saturday at the USA Cycling Pro Championships, edging Brent Bookwalter by 17 seconds.

Zirbel, from Boulder, Colo., covered the 19-mile course in Chattanooga in 38 minutes, 16 seconds. Bookwalter, from Asheville, N.C., followed in 38:33.

Nathan Brown of Covington, Tenn., was third in 38:57.15, just ahead of Lawson Craddock of Austin, Texas, in 38:57.92. …

2013 Real Ale Ride and other stuff
Don Bynum’s Blog
Last Saturday (May 18 2013) about 1,500 of my closest friends and no tellin’  who else joined me for The Annual Blanco Festival of Manly Suffering, AKA The Real Ale Ride.  Three of the group I normally ride with were to participate this year.  Doug Miller – age 71, John Chalmers – age 69 and myself also age 69 met up at the Real Ale Brewery as the sun was rising.  A few minutes after we had “commenced to be fixin’ to git ready” to go abuse ourselves in public, Doug introduced one of his neighbors who has been riding with him some (Sally, but I have forgotten her last name).  Doug was gonna ride the 80 mile route, Sally was doing the 30 mile route and…

Desert Sports’ Season Winds Down
www.desertsportstx.com
Season Notes:
October 2012 through April 2013 has been a very fine season for Desert Sports. Yes, we would like to have more water in the river, but the mountain biking has taken an upward swing. We are thrilled to be a Specialized dealer, and Desert Sports has been putting locals on new bikes…the mountain AND the road variety. We’ve even added a few Specialized bikes to our rental fleet!

The Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest was a success! Save space for next year’s dates: FEBRUARY 13-15, 2014. Make it a love ride!!! For the 2013 event, over 400 riders joined us on fun rides in Big Bend National Park, on  the Lajitas Trail System, and at Big…

2,500 miles on a Trek Soho
Bike Geek

Since December 2010 my bicycle for commuting has been a Trek Soho.  I’ve racked up just over 2,500 miles on my Soho and thought I’d give a quick update on how this bicycle is doing…

-Shimano Nexus 8 : I’m still very much enjoying the Nexus, an internal gearing system on the bicycle.  It is not as quiet as it once was and tends to make a little noise on hot afternoons but the shifting is still tight – no slipping gears or major issues
-Brooks B67 Saddle : This saddle didn’t come with the bike but I’m sure glad I made this upgrade. The saddle is comfortable and continues to gently break in.
-Gates Carbon Drive : Not a single issue with this technological marvel.  It’s survived brutal 115 degree heat indexes and lots of strain as I power up some of the hills on my route.  No mess, no…

Hale on Wheels Cycling Club
Plainview, TX
Next meeting: Date: Tuesday, June 25
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Broadway Brew

Tweets

What would make memorial day even better? How about an open session at 9am! BYO Bike!

— Alkek Velodrome (@AlkekVelodrome) May 26, 2013

Monday Memorial Day group bike ride- 8:30am start at El Chilito, Manor & Cherrywood. 50-ish miles, 3-3.5 hours.

— Violet Crown (@VioletCrownATX) May 26, 2013

Memorial day Britton's shop said BYO picnic at boerne lake Monday,ride the Texas Hills(great hill training)go for a run,I'll do the ride

— jerald roll (@grandpajerald) May 26, 2013

Beginner Mountain Bike Ride at Hershey Park
Houston Cycling Club
Saturday, May 25, 2013        2:15 PM
Terry Hershey Park
15200 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX (edit map)

Saturday afternoon beginner MTB ride. Been awhile since we got together, I am working in the morning but am going to ride after that. I plan on being at the park around 2 and will start the ride at 2:30. It is warming up so be sure to bring plenty of water. Bring snacks also. Look for my red Jeep. Call if lost: Jeff…

What to do about unfair fines for biking in Houston
WheelsByTheBay            www.bikeforums.net
Two Latino men who don’t understand English well were riding their bikes on a road in Houston when they were stopped by police, each given a $200 ticket, and told by the police that they should ride on the sidewalk, not in the road. This seems to be a case of discrimination and misinformation, since as far as we know the law here makes road biking legal and sidewalk biking illegal. We’re looking for suggestions about who to contact and what to do in order to get these tickets reviewed and hopefully cancelled, and in order to change the attitude and knowledge of police officers in Houston.

So far people have suggested we contact bike-friendly elected officials (Rodney Ellis and Carol Alvarado) and the organization Bike Houston. Who else could we contact? Do you know of other similar cases?

thanks for your attention. … (replies)

May 23rd Erwin Park Summer Series Race Cancelled
by Shawn        www.texasmountainbiketrails.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UH9KGGXbPME
Unfortunately the rain from Tuesday kept the Erwin Park trail just slightly too wet to race on tonight so it’s cancelled for this week.

For anyone that pre-registered, I have already credited your entry to this weeks race to next week. You will just show up next week, give us your name and we will hand you a race bib. …

mountain bike quarry trail texas
by beavermx85

Marcus football coach Bryan Erwin tackles MS charity bike ride
by Steve Gamel            allenpub.com

When Bryan Erwin showed up to take part in a charity bicycle ride to benefit multiple sclerosis research earlier this month, he was admittedly apprehensive.

The longtime Marcus football coach rode with the Insperity Express team in the 2013 Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round up Ride on May 4-5 in Frisco and with his teammates covered 150 miles over the 2-day event. Erwin raised $3,200 of his team’s $10,000 donation.

“I had trained off and on and borrowed a bike from a friend, but I had only gone on two rides with it before the event and my longest was 12 miles,” Erwin said. “I had also…

Mid Main First Thursday June 6 benefits BikeHouston!
www.bikehouston.org
EAT • SHOP • ROCK along Houston’s coolest blocks with FREE live music, art shows, Deep Eddy cocktails, FREE Bar Bites, Bike Market and GOLD SPRINTS!

The Continental Club, Shoeshine Charlie’s Big Top, Tacos A Go-Go, Sig’s Lagoon, My Flaming Heart, The Tinderbox, Double Trouble and Natachee’s are all donating 5% of their sales that evening to make Houston a better place for all types of cyclists! Come by the Art Garden to learn more about BikeHouston, test drive a B-cycle, compete in Gold Sprints, check out awesome vendors in the bike market AND…