Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup May 22nd

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Smart bike handlebars have turn signals, GPS, speedometer
Helios Bars are sleek handlebar replacements that come with built-in LED lights and smartphone connectivity.
by Amanda Kooser        news.cnet.com

In general, bicycles haven’t adopted the same high-tech features as many cars. Turn signals are done by hand, and GPS equates to using good old-fashioned brain power or the information you have on your phone. Helios Bars, a Kickstarter project, can turn a regular bike into a smart bike.

The feature list is a fun read. There are left- and right-turn signals, a headlight, GPS tracking in case someone nabs your ride, proximity lighting that senses your presence, and a visual…

Transit Bicycle Co. relocates to Lower Greenville
by Tiney Ricciardi            www.pegasusnews.com

DALLAS — Cycling season is upon North Texas! As you grease your chain and ready your wheels for a trek down the Santa Fe or Katy Trails, it’s worth noting that one of the city’s well-known bike shops has found a new home.

Local retailer Transit Bicycle Co. recently moved to Lower Greenville Avenue from West Village, where the store spent four and a half years. It now resides among several other new…

Contract approved to turn Continental Avenue Bridge into pedestrian- and bike-friendly route
By Jeff Mosier        cityhallblog.dallasnews.com
The City Council approved a contract Wednesday to transform the Continental Avenue Bridge into a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly route.

The city envisions the walkable, bikeable bridge as a gateway between new developments in West Dallas on one side of the Trinity River and the esign District on the other side. About $5 million of the $8.3 million project is privately funded by the Trinity Trust. That organization also paid for…

Can you help a fellow traveller?
Bike Denton
This gal and her decked-out touring ’84 Raleigh Super Course, dubbed “Ferdinand”, just caught my attention while walking around the Square.

Her name is Hillary-Anne Crosby and she’s writing a book called Babes and their Bikes with a design friend, Lauren. Their plan was to make a trek from Austin to Chicago, and document all the rad spoke’d gals they came across in their journey. They’ve made an effort to hit as many local bike shops as possible, most recently…

Austin Mountain Bike Patrol AMBP
The Austin Mountain Bike Patrol (AMBP) is a program of the local mountain bike club, the Austin Ridge Riders (ARR). The AMBP is a group of mountain bikers who ride the Austin-area trails with the purpose of performing the following tasks:

-Helping other people.
-Being involved in the management of local trails.
-Learning and sharpening such skills as outdoor first aid, trailside bike repair, off-road riding, and communication.

The AMBP is affiliated with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP).
Austin Mountain Bike Patrol ~ Walnut Creek
Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 09:30

Patrol and Training.
Austin Mountain Bike Patrol ~ Walnut Creek
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 – 18:30

Patrol
Austin Mountain Bike Patrol ~ Muleshoe
Saturday, June 8, 2013 – 09:00

Patrol and Support ARR Club Ride. …

Universities bait bike thieves, with mixed results
Katey Psencik, USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent
“Bait bikes,” rigged with GPS-tracking technology, are popping up on college campuses across the nation in an effort to reduce bike theft, though the results have been mixed.

The FBI estimates that bicycle thefts total $350 million in the USA each year, at an average cost of $250 per bike. For college students pinching pennies, that’s a lot of money to lose — and the National Bike Registry and campus police say bicycle theft is the No. 1 type of property theft on college campuses.

To reduce this problem, university officials across the USA are placing bicycles around campus to attract bike thieves. Similar to bait-car programs, the “bait bikes,” rigged with…

Tuesday Ride at BCGB – Intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Tuesday, May 28, 2013    5:30 PM
Barton Creek Greenbelt – 360 Access (beside brick office building)
3755-B Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin, TX (map)

Back to normal summer hours.
Please be there and be ready to roll by 5:30 pm.  We will meet in the parking lot of the office building.
Any question please call/text  me at…

The Racing Post: May Issue

CLICK HERE for the May Issue of The Racing Post.

100km of Reimer’s Ranch – ATX100K Six-Pack Series endurance race #3
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, May 26, 2013    7:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Milton Reimer’s Ranch Park
23610 Hamilton Pool Road, Dripping Springs, TX (map)
Meet at the trailhead parking area.

The pain continues in the ATX100K Six-Pack Series.  This will be a 100km+ ride all in a single day on one of the great local trail venues, Reimer’s Ranch.  The TMBRA Spring season is over and its time to get some fun miles in!

The Six-Pack Series is a grassroots effort bringing organized long-distance/endurance mountain-biking to any riders who wish to participate and on any bicycle they deem fit.  It is free to enter, and is an unsupported ride where participants are pit against themselves…

Tweets

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for May 21

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2nd Annual Hurricane 100
Corpus Christi Cycle Club
WHEN: 6:30 am, Saturday, June 1st, 2013
WHERE: Meet at Lamar Parking Lot

This ride will be a fully supported sag ride with 2 sag stops for the 65 mile group and an additional 2 sag stops for the 100 mile group. Sag points are designated to stop at the Ferry, Aquarium, River and Rann Morgan Rd. Remember to bring your lights for the early weekend start time.

All riders will start at Lamar and travel around the bay (counter clockwise) and travel over the Kennedy causeway bridge to Port Aransas. We will get on the Ferry at Port Aransas and continue traveling through Aransas Pass, Ingelside, Gregory, Portland to the Texas State Aquarium/Harbor Bridge. At this point, the course will split and one group (65 milers) will take the water Taxi across the…

NTC: Calendar starts strong with great racing in Frisco
www.usacycling.org
The USA Cycling National Track Calendar (NTC) began its 2013 edition at The Superdrome in Frisco, Texas, at the Matrix Cup p/b Richardson Bike Mart. Endurance riders competed in the points race, scratch race and individual pursuit while sprinters vied for points in the match sprint and time trial. After the weekend of racing, several familiar names surfaced atop the standings.

Zachary Carlson (Plano, Texas/Matrix-RBM) won the points race, placed second in the individual pursuit and fourth in the scratch race to amass 35 points and lead the season’s first NTC men’s endurance standings. Liam Donoghue (Boulder, Colo./Natural Grocers Cycling Team) is only one point behind after winning the individual pursuit and scratch race and placing seventh in the points race. Chris Carlson (Plano. Texas/Matrix-RBM) is in third place with 24 points, only two points ahead of Augusto Sanchez (Fort Lee, N.J./Park Place Dealerships-Sun & Ski), who is in fourth place with…

Warda Mountain Bike Race – 2013 TMBRA
www.turnincranks.com

2013 The Warda Race at Bluff Creek Ranch
May 18, 2013 Men’s Cat 3 40-49
This is the 10th race in the TMBRA State Series

Shot 100% on GoPro Hero2 HD

Bluff Creek Ranch is a staple of the Texas Mountain Biking Racing Association state series. This course has a lot of wide open and is what I would call a hammerfest. You’re on, pedaling hard almost the entire race. Not only that, but there are lots of flat, open, and straight sections around meadows and fields.

Because of the above, the course is very roadie friendly. And several road oriented riders show up to…

Recycled Bike Part Chandeliers Under a Texas Overpass
www.thisiscolossal.com

Ballroom Luminoso is a series of six chandeliers designed by artists Joe O’Connell and Blessing Hancock currently installed in San Antonio, Texas. Made from custom made structural steel, custom LEDs and recycled bicycle parts, the lights project colorful silhouettes of sprockets and other pieces onto the otherwise drab cement underpass. From the artist’s statement about the project: …

Bicycle & Pedestrian Maps & Trails
City of San Antonio
Downtown Bike Maps & Trails
Bike Rides
All Bike Rides PDF icon
Alamo Hemisfair – 1.7 miles
Brackenridge – 6.9 miles
Pearl Brewery – 3.2 miles
King William – 3.6 miles
Mission Trail – about 20 miles
East Side – 1.7 miles

 

Biking with Xina Jones
by Eliot Landrum        www.bikingindallas.com

Xina Jones is a quiet legend. She has been a bicycle messenger in Dallas since 1999, lives car-free, and she currently helps lead the weekly Time In The Saddle rides from Whole Foods in Lakewood on Tuesdays. I met her a couple years ago at a get together at The Gingerman and recently reconnected with her on a few social rides. She’s always willing to help new cyclists, and loves exploring Dallas city streets. I enjoy picking her brain about Dallas roads, buildings, and…

DART – Ride the Link – June 1
by Richard Wezensky        www.bikedfw.org
Our friends at DART are hosting an event for cyclists called Ride the Link. Here is the information from their site:
DAY: SATURDAY, JUNE 1
TIME: 11 A.M. – 2 P.M.
PLACE: MAIN STREET GARDEN (1900 MAIN ST. IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS)

A healthier commute starts here!

Now is a great time to be a cyclist in Dallas.

The city boasts a growing community of cyclists and initiatives such as the…

Austin opens its newest green lane
www.peopleforbikes.org

One year into its work to catalyze the creation of world-class bicycling facilities in the U.S., our Green Lane Project announced the opening of a major new protected bike lane in Austin, Texas on Friday.

The City of Austin Bicycle Program worked to create the protected bike lane at Barton Springs Road as part of their commitment to the Green Lane Project. Barton Springs Road previously lacked bicycle facilities, making it an unfriendly route for those on bikes. The arterial road now boasts a westbound protected bike lane, or green lane, and an eastbound widened buffered bicycle lane. The improvements…

Tweets

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for May 20th

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Friday Night Beginner Ride – Brushy Creek Multi Use Trails
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Friday, May 24, 2013        5:30 PM
Brushy Creek Sports Park
2310 Brushy Creek Road, Cedar Park, TX (map)
Black Truck and Mountain Bike – look for the group of Mountain Bikers

I haven’t hosted one yet this year because I broke my leg in January.  Now that I’m sortof back on the bike, I’m looking forward to getting out for more rides.  Feel free to hit me up with questions, but most of your questions will be answered in the FAQ section.

We will be riding paved, semi paved and crushed gravel trails only.  I am limited in my leg strength, so this will be a true beginner ride. This…

Corsicana Stage Race
By Sheri        bicyclesoutbackracing.net

Though the field was not huge this year at Corsicana, the talent was stacked deep with several time trial specialists. The TT was won by Michelle Hayner, followed by Louis Smyth in 2nd and Allison Atkinson in 3rd.    The girls of Jubilee got off to a dismal start finishing 7th, 10th, and 12th.  Starting from so far behind, team Jubilee had to plot their upward movement.   Stage 2 was a challenging 8 corner course on bumpy bricks.  Jubilee had a harried start when Kathleen Hattaway flatted a little more than a mile away from the start line and had to get a wheel brought out to her.  She made it with a mere 30 seconds to spare.  The Crit started out fast with…

Summer Bash Coming Up on June 2nd
The Greater Dallas Bicyclists
Sunday, June 2, 2013        9:00 AM
Sunnyvale Town Center
356 Tripp Road, Sunnyvale, TX

GDB Members – mark your calendar and join us for this year’s Annual Summer Bash.

We will have 2 routes available for riders:
A slower paced shorter distance ride at the usual Sunday Roll pace and a longer distance moderately paced ride. Both routes will include a few hills and are “No Drop” rides.

Please note: there will be NO SUNDAY ROLL RIDE at the usual Preston/Royal location on this day.

Both rides will start at 9am and finish at 11:30 am. Lunch will be served at noon with a barbeque catered lunch which will…

NCC: New men’s leader as women’s standings tighten
www.usacycling.org
…The NCC women’s standings are unchanged after the Wilmington Grand Prix. Erica Allar’s (Tucson, Ariz./CARE4CYCLING p/b Solomon Corp) lead has grown by six points to 313 over second-place Laura van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers). With 375 points, Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Fearless Femme p/b Pure Energy) has moved within 10 points of second place and 113 points clear of fourth-place Kimberley Wells (AUS/Fearless Femme p/b Pure Energy). Jennifer Purcell (Austin, Texas/Colavita-Fine Cooking) sits in fifth place with 219 points, 43 points behind Wells. …

Warda Race Report
by TC            www.turnincranks.com
Bluff Creek Ranch in Warda, Texas is one of those trail destinations I just hasn’t made it out to yet. From what I knew about it from hearsay and a couple of videos, the trail wasn’t really my style. Pretty flat, exposed, un-technical, and wide open.

My assumptions were confirmed when I made it out to pre-ride the course with Kirby on the Thursday before the race. The course was an all out hammerfest and I’m not quite sure how anyone would say it isn’t. I’d like to know what exactly a hammerfest is, if it isn’t Warda!

Early in the season, I had expected to skip Warda for this very reason. But with still needing to get more races to get my 8 races for the series, and not…

Citychurch prepares for bicycle lunch delivery
by Andrea Flores        www.connectamarillo.com

AMARILLO, TEXAS — Citychurch in downtown Amarillo is making it their mission to feed needy kids around the city, and they’re doing it one bike ride at a time.

Citychurch Director Donnie Lane said volunteers will spend their summer days packing up to 2,400 lunch sacks to kids, mothers, and grandmothers. Each bag is filled with a fresh piece of fruit, popcorn, crackers, and cookies. They also include one hot food item, such as a taco, corn dog, or burrito. Lane said it costs $1.50 to fill a bag to feed a child. …

On the Lege: HB 200 Signed Into Law
BikeTexas.org

A Centerpoint Energy power corridor ripe for trails near Memorial Park in Houston.Building recreational trails along Harris County electrical power line easements became easier last Thursday as Governor Perry signed into law HB 200 by Representative Jim Murphy (R-Houston). The bill, applying only to Harris County, better clarifies liabilities for utility companies so that they are more comfortable permitting trails in their easements. This bill will provide connectivity between the north-south utility corridors and the predominantly east-west bayou trail system, creating a more comprehensive grid of trails in…

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for May 19th

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San Antonio Cycling Club
This Week’s Rides For the weekend ending May 26th, 2013
Saturday, May 25th,
Blue Star to Elmendorf
8:00 AM
Meet us in the Blue Star Arts Complex for this extended ride (37 miles) from Blue Star to Elmendorf, via the Mission Reach Trails and Old Corpus Christi Road. Return to Blue Star, then lunch nearby. Ride leader, Ray, 210-394-0854,  rmarques@satx.rr.com. Maps will be available. Guests welcome.
Where: Meet in the back parking lot of Blue Star, 1414 S. Alamo St.

Sunday, May 26th
Devine – Bigfoot Ride
8:00 AM
Meet at Triple C Steakhouse in Devine for a 30 mile flat to rolling hills ride. Map # W5 Lunch will be at Triple C Steakhouse. Great place to eat. Ride Leader: Vern, 210-275-5637,  vjeys@satx.rr.com.
Directions: Take IH-35 South of San Antonio towards Laredo. Take exit 122 at Devine (Hwy 173).  Right on 173 to Triple C on the left (about 200 feet).

San Antonio Wheelmen Upcoming Rides and Events
Saturday, 5/25:      Big Joshua Creek Ride
Saturday, 5/26:      New Berlin Ride

Ride Like A Girl – Walnut Creek
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Monday, June 3, 2013        6:00 PM
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX (map)

We will start and finish at the main covered pavilion just across from the dirt parking lot. Please arrive by 5:45. Wheels down at 6pm.

All riders must bring a trail-worthy bike, closed-toe shoes, water and a helmet to each ride.  If you have questions regarding equipment or clothing or anything else that comes to mind, please feel free to leave a message below or on the…

Ride Like A Girl – Slaughter Creek Trail
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Monday, June 10, 2013        6:00 PM
Slaughter Creek Trail
9901 RM 1826
GPS: 30.209349,-97.904060
Austin, TX (map)

Please arrive by 5:45. Wheels down at 6pm.

All riders must bring a trail-worthy bike, closed-toe shoes, water and a helmet to each ride.  If you have questions regarding equipment or clothing or anything else that comes to mind, please feel free to leave a message below or on the…

Leon Creek
by jbarr999                forums.mtbr.com/texas
It’s been about a month and a half since I last road OP Schnabel. Dropped in first thing sat morning and looks like machinery is clearing more paths. Does the park need more walkways? Really, why dont you clear the whole fricking area and drop in a Walmart. Really unhappy with this move, as you can tell.
Folks, chime in please. …

Cross the Basin
Pedal Pushers
Odessa, Texas
May 18, 2013
This was the first time this particular event was organized and it was a very good ride. I am forward to the 2nd annual Cross the Basin. The “basin” refers to the Permian Basin where Midland and Odessa are located–site of an ancient inland ocean where oil and natural gas have been produced since the 1930’s.

Christine and I had a slightly late start so we hurried to try to catch up to the main group. It was such an effort just to try to keep up with Christine that my heart rate went all the way up to 126 beats per…

Mountain Biking In Gateway Park Thinking About Rockin’ The Green Trinity River With Fuji Apples
durangotexas.blogspot.com
I took my handlebars to Gateway Park, this next to last Saturday of May, to pedal my wheels on the mountain bike trail.

I had already had myself a good bout of endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, early this morning, via swimming.

At the morning swim point in time the air in the outer world, at my…

Pics and Recap From National Bike To Work Day – Bike Commuter Energizer Stations
by Richard Wezensky            www.BikeDFW.org

Last Friday was National Bike To Work Day. Based on last years success in Richardson, BikeDFW and Dallas Area Rapid Transit hosted 5 Bike Commuter Energizer Station in the Dallas area: Plano, Garland, Richardson, Downtown Dallas, and Oak Cliff. Joined by local cities of Plano, Garland and Dallas along with local bike groups, Bike Friendly Richardson, Bike Friendly Garland and Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, we were able to provide these…

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