Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for May 18th

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Walnut Creek Austin TX Mountain Biking (GoPro HERO3) 2013
Justin and I mountain biking Walnut Creek with the new GoPro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUZ6obxRI0U

Texas Bike Clubs
wheelbrothers        pinterest.com

 

Letter of the Day: Bicycling is good for health, community
Lubbock Avalanache-Journal
May is National Bike Month — a perfect time for our community to recognize and celebrate all the benefits of bicycling.

As a lifelong resident of West Texas and bike commuter for the last two years, I feel the city of Lubbock should embrace the opportunity to encourage residents to bicycle to work, grocery stores and other errands.

Lubbock is very compatible with bicycling for utility because we have a good network of streets so people can avoid the major roads — also because of…

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup May 17th

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Does the Gender Disparity in Engineering Harm Cycling in the U.S.?
by Angie Schmitt        dc.streetsblog.org

A study published in this month’s American Journal of Public Health finds that highly influential transportation engineers relied on shoddy research to defend policies that discourage the development of protected bike lanes in the U.S. In their paper, the researchers point out that male-dominated engineering panels have repeatedly torpedoed street designs that have greater appeal to female cyclists.

The research team, led by Harvard public health researcher Anne Lusk, examines four engineering guides published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials between 1974 and 1999. All of these guides, treated like gospel by engineers across the country, either…

This Austin Community’s ‘Bike Train’ Means Safety in Numbers
By Kate McGee, KUT News

When you drive around Austin, it’s hard not to notice the growing number of cyclists next to your car.

May is National Bike Month, which has only increased the number of commuters on two-wheels. As part of National Bike Month, Friday is Bike to Work Day and it’s also Texas Bike to School Day. National Walk and Bike to School day was last week.

Cycling enthusiasts encourage people to ride bikes to work and school. They talk about bike safety and hand out bike lights and helmets.  But for…

Biking To Work: Healthful Until You Hit A Pothole
By Nancy Shute        tpr.org
There’s a lot to love about biking to work: the exercise, the fresh air, the cost savings and the benefits for the environment.

But does it make you healthier?

That’s a question that’s not as easy to answer as you might think. But since today is Bike to Work Day, we’ll give it a try.

A large study of 30,000 people in Copenhagen over 14 years found that those who biked to work lowered their risk of death by 40 percent compared to sedentary people. And in the short term, another study of 100 people in…

Tour de Hill Country
by CBRsteve            forums.mtbr.com/texas
Hey guys, I’m going to be a bachelor from May 30th – June 4th as my wife and kiddo are heading out of town to her parents. I’m planning on driving out to the hill country (from Houston) on Thursday night (5/30) and doing my own mini Tour de Hill Country. My goal is to ride all day Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday before heading home Sunday evening. I’m hoping you guys can give me some suggestions as where to ride. In regards to hill country trails, I’ve really only ridden Comfort and Camp Eagle. Comfort is definitely on my list of places to ride, but Camp Eagle is probably a little too far out of my way. I plan on riding 20-40 miles at each locale and then moving on to the…

National Trails Day- Celebrate at 100-Acre Wood Preserve
GHORBA
Saturday, June 1, 2013 – 8:00am
Celebrate with Bayou Land Conservancy and GHORBA at the new 100-Acre Wood Preserve
When:
Saturday, June 1st
9 am-11:30 am

Where:
100-Acre Wood Preserve
in NW Harris Co. across the creek from the HP Campus

What to wear/bring:…

Thursday Ride at Walnut Creek – Beginner/intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Thursday, May 23, 2013        5:30 PM
Walnut Creek Park
12138 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX (map)
Back to normal summer hours

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

If someone is willing to lead a faster group then we can have an intermediate group also.

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  me at 512 968 xxxx

Beginner level ride with no drop.
Things to bring: …

Race Results for Richardson Bike Mart DORBA Prayer Mountain Pedal
Dallas, TX
Cross Country on 05/04/2013

Men – SS Open
Place  Points  Name City, State Time USAC # Bib Team
1 398.09 Shannon Orr Tucson, AZ 02:06:47.000 202322 193 Team Colleen
2 409.64 Jason Betz Baton Rouge, LA 02:06:49.000 263143 168 (W)reck.less Racing
3 421.19 Peter Butt Shreveport, LA 02:08:04.000 345952 166 Tile Roofs of Texas/Bike Barn
4 432.74 Robert McGuire Austin, TX 02:10:48.000 133554 164 Bicycle Sport Shop
5 444.29 Richard Hellberg Dallas, TX 02:15:44.000 366128 160 Dallas Bike Works
6 455.84 Ryan Scott Fort Worth, TX 02:16:07.000 275643 165 Colonel’s Show-Air
7 467.39 Matthew Davis Fort Worth 02:20:21.000 157395 170 Colonel’s/Sho-Air
8 Steven Thompson 02:25:44.000 162 Dallas Bike Works
9 490.49 Grant Mills Mc Kinney, TX 02:28:04.000 330116 169 MVC
10 502.04 Fred Willemsen Round Rock, TX 02:29:57.000 243606 167 Team Bicycle Sport Shop
11 Victor Dean 02:36:01.000 163 Big Pig Racing
12 Steven Hall 02:38:50.000 161
13 536.69 William Lamb Crawford, TX 03:25:22.000 364869 171 Bicycles Outback p/b Jubilee Mitsubishi

more results at the link above.

 

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22 mph Gusts – May 17th Bike Ride

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Today my wife and I did some yard work before I rode and my start was not until 2:22. By then the temperature warmed up to a nice 90 degrees, I think for the first time for a ride this year. The sky had a haze tint to it probably from the heat and supposedly light wind. When I checked wunderground.com before leaving the wind was barely measurable at 2 or 3 mph. Out on the bike I think it was substantially stronger. When I stopped at the Huffman Chevron I checked weather.com on my phone and the wind was 15 mph from the SSE. This would explain the difficulty I had biking to the south and east. I could tell a big difference in my effort when I rode with the wind going north on FM2100 and west on FM1960 from Huffman. The wind at the big airport shows 14 mph from the south with 22 mph gusts, even more than I suspected.

Around the 20 mile point I was about 2 minutes behind the time I needed to average 15 mph. From that point to home I was able to make up that time and more to get my average speed up to 15.1 mph over the 32.72 mile ride. To add some variety to my ride I went on some streets and greenbelt trail sections that I don’t normally use going to Atascocita – Walden -Huffman. The intent was to add some distance to the usual 30 or 31 mile route so I can build up May’s mileage. May now totals 243.92 miles and year to date I rode 2337 miles.

Being Friday afternoon the traffic probably was a little heavier than normal but I might have finished just ahead of the bigger rush of traffic that builds up after 5:00. Also the clean shoulder on the FM1960 causeway over Lake Houston has almost disappeared with fresh debris now in most places. This is the place where the Gatorskin tires are most welcomed and needed. Over the years most of my flats took place on the causeway. One time I flatted in the middle of the causeway and a Houston Police Department officer gave me a lift to the west side. That was my first time to ride in the back of a police car; thankfully not arrested. It was a tight squeeze with the bike in the back seat and one tire in the trunk. It is impossible to patch a tube on the causeway because of the traffic noise. I usually walk to the closest end to make repairs.

I probably will not bike tomorrow because we are going to Galveston for a Houston Jeep People meetup. Put the bikini top on the Wrangler and head to the Seawall.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for May 16th

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San Antonio Trails? I-10, 410, 1604, 281 area
by sinfony78        forums.mtbr.com/texas
I am visiting and staying right in the center of those 4 highways, don’t know what that area is called. Can someone recommend a trail I can hit up for an hour or two around those parts? GMaps shows Orsinger and Phil Hardberger parks are nearby. I think I can sneak away for a short while with the HT. Thanks.

by XRaptor
Salado Creek out of Hardberger is going to be right by you. Its a very fun technical trail and is not too hard to follow for the first few miles as the paved walk way runs along it. Once you pass the Huebner rd overpass I would recommend meeting up with someone to show you around as it can…

The Texas Bicycle Racing Association
May Events

18 Sat Texas Cup Cross the Basin Road Race (r)
18 Sat Texas Cup Cross the Basin Time Trial (r) Odessa
18 Sat Texas Cup Matrix Track Cup (v) Frisco (Superdrome)
18 Sat Race Du Lac (r) Lake Charles, LA
19 Sun Texas Cup Matrix Track Cup (v) Frisco (Superdrome)
19 Sun Texas Cup One SFI Criterium @ One De Zavala Center (r) San Antonio
19 Sun Race Du Lac (r) Lake Charles, LA
21 Tue Tuesday Night Crit (r) McKinney
22 Wed Valley View Criterium Series (r) Dallas
22 Wed TBi/TRP Wednesday Night Crits (r) Fort Worth
22 Wed Bear Creek Crit Series (r) Houston
23 Thu KingRacingGroup Thursday Night Crits (r) Dallas
23 Thu PURE Driveway Series One (r) Austin
24 Fri Texas Cup Bike the Bricks IV (r) McKinney
24 Fri ATRA Friday Night Omnium Series (v) Katy (Alkek)
25 Sat Texas Cup Texas State Criterium-Age-Based (Gary Glickman) (r) Dallas
26 Sun Texas A&M San Antonio Circuit Series (r) San Antonio
26 Sun Texas Cup GS Tenzing Criterium (r) Plano
27 Mon Texas Cup Texas State Criterium – Skill-Based (r) Plano
28 Tue Tuesday Night Crit (r) McKinney
29 Wed Valley View Criterium Series (r) Dallas
29 Wed TBi/TRP Wednesday Night Crits (r) Fort Worth
29 Wed Bear Creek Crit Series (r) Houston
30 Thu KingRacingGroup Thursday Night Crits (r) Dallas
30 Thu PURE Driveway Series One (r) Austin
31 Fri Superdrome Keirin Series (v) Frisco (Superdrome)

Smurf Boy Summer Endurance Series
2013 Smurf Boy RCP    Jun 15, 2013
2013 Smurf Boy OCNP    Jun 29, 2013
2013 Smurf Boy River Legacy     Jul 13, 2013
2013 Smurf Boy Cedar Hill    Jul 27, 2013

 

WCCRT TTR
Woodlands Cycling Club
Thursday, May 23, 2013, 06:15pm
by Kevin Franklin
Start location: Stonebridge Church, The Woodlands
Ride Route: Red Oak/’Mt. Vernon’ subdivision
Team Rides are hosted by a group of club members involved in all disciplines of competitive cycling (WCCRT). Ride pace and distance are geared toward the competitive cyclist. The Tue/Thur Team rides are…

Cycle for Hope, Lubbock UMC August 3rd, 2013
Cycle for hope is a 7 mile bicycle ride at the Texas Tech University and UMC campuses that starts and finishes at UMC. The event will be held on August 3, 2013 and we are expecting a large turnout from the community.

The event is a fun ride that is targeted for the general public, although cycling enthusiasts are encouraged to attend as well. There will be rest stops available throughout the course. Registration fees are $25. All registrants who register by July 5, 2013 will be guaranteed an event t-shirt.

Awards will be given for: …

Bike Lanes and Equity
by Jay Walljasper            www.peopleforbikes.org

City leaders from six U.S. cities are convening yesterday and today in Austin, Texas for an unprecedented two-day leadership summit to discuss green lanes and equity. The focus of the Austin Bike Lanes and Equity Summit is on building support for modern, next-generation green lanes, also called protected bike lanes or cycletracks, and related street safety improvements in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. The Austin Bike Lanes and Equity gathering is part of a series of best practices workshops hosted by…

Irving Bike Fest drew lots of cycling fans
By DEBORAH FLECK / NEWS ASSISTANT        www.dallasnews.com

Perfect weather helped to draw a good crowd to Irving Bicycle Fest Saturday at Lively Pointe Youth Center. Bicycling fans of all ages watched BMX stunt shows, learned about bicycle safety, visited with vendors and even made smoothies using pedal power.

Organized by the Bike Lane Task Force, the event included a group ride, where bicyclists were escorted by Irving Police and a…

Police: Driver struck bicyclist, spat on officer
By Julie Chang        American-Statesman Staff
A man was arrested Friday after police say he hit a bicyclist and then spit on an officer, according to an arrest affidavit.

Landon Blayne Hutchins, 34, has been charged with failure to stop and render aid and harassment of a public servant.

A bicyclist told police, who responded at 12:39 p.m., that he was stopped at a stop sign at 45th Street and Shoal Creek Boulevard when he was hit from behind, causing him to be thrown off his bicycle, the affidavit said. He said that he saw a…

Ride of Silence
blogs.ridemetro.org

Members of the METRO Cycling Club biked from the Downtown Transit Center to Memorial Park yesterday where they joined BikeHouston and Houston City Council Member Ed Gonzalez for the Tenth Annual Ride of Silence to City Hall.

The gathered cyclists took to the roads in a silent procession, honoring cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways.  Cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, but sharing the road requires education for both the motoring public and cyclists.  BikeHouston, a cycling…

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