Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for May 6th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Cyclists to receive bike lanes on Loop 1604 Access Road in San Antonio
BikeTexas.org
During a recent construction project overseen by the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, wide shoulders were removed from the access road of Loop 1604 between US 281 and Blanco Rd in San Antonio. BikeTexas immediately began to hear from cyclists who previously used these shoulders regularly and now had no way of navigating safely in this area.

At public meetings in February and April, BikeTexas helped coordinate public input from dozens of cyclists. The Alamo RMA has agreed to pursue…

Preparing for Big Cedar
by TC        www.turnincranks.com

In the 2 weeks between Pace Bend and Big Cedar, a lot happened. Not so much when it comes to cycling, but life interruptions that threatened to make me miss the Big Cedar race.

I was really wanting to make Big Cedar, because quite frankly, I’m running out of opportunities to get my 8 races in for the State Series. Big Cedar was supposedly a tight course with some punchy climbs so that would be good for my style of riding.

I hoped for a top 5 finish to help my place in the standings in by both either getting me closer to being able to bump Jeff Jordan, or at…

Fort Worth Cycling Association Interview
www.wheelbrothers.com
1. Who founded the club and how did it come to life?
“With more than 600 members the FWBA is one of the largest bicycling clubs in North Texas. The members are people like you who ride bicycles for recreation, fitness, and sport. The club has riders of all shapes, sizes, and skill levels. All Ages too! What do we do? Recreational bike rides in Fort Worth and the surrounding area. Our members ride bicycles: road bikes, hybrids, mountain bikes, tandems, and recumbents. We offer several types of regularly scheduled rides, so you can choose the ride that best…

Presenting The Erwin Park Summer Series
www.texasmountainbiketrails.com
I’ve been building the anticipation about this for the past 2 weeks and I’m super pumped to finally announce it to the world.

2013 will be the beginning of the Erwin Park Summer Series! See the video below!

More info can be found by visiting the Erwin Park Summer Series page on the site.

Saturday Ride Start Location Change
by sooner1            shawneetrailcyclingclub.com
Effective Saturday, May 4th, the Express, CPS and Bridge rides will all start from the Wingspan parking lot.  See the map below for an overview of our assigned area.

The 3 Cities Novice will start from this same location, only when leaving from Frisco.  Start locations in The Colony and Little Elm will remain unchanged.  The company has graciously agreed to let us use this lot, so as we always are – be respectful, no trash…

May is National Bike Month, go out and ride
DAVE GUYER, Guest Columnist            www.wacotrib.com
May is National Bike Month. As an avid cyclist, I invite you to help promote bicycling in our community.

In 1956, the Cycle Trade Association of America announced the first bike month to promote bicycle sales. Today, however, Bicycle Month, Bike Week (May 13 to 17) and Bike to Work Day (May 17) have a much broader focus. These events encourage safe bicycling practices and promote cycling as…

Join in on the annual Real Ale Ride
www.hillcountrycurrent.com

The annual Real Ale Ride, one of Bicycle Sport Shop’s most popular events, rolls through the scenic hills of Blanco on Saturday, May 18, 2013. It’s a ride for cyclists of all levels, with distances of 15, 30, 50, 65 and 85 miles. Routes are fully supported with rest stops that provide water and nutritional snacks for participants along the way, as well as “SAG” vehicles to help cyclists with mechanical issues or those who need help getting back to…

Austin’s Freewheeling Bicycles to close
www.bicycleretailer.com
AUSTIN, TX (BRAIN) — After 42 years serving Austin-area cyclists, retailer Freewheeling Bicycles will close its doors at the end of May.

Freewheeling was founded in a garage apartment in 1971 by Frank B. Cook, who passed away in 1999. The shop quickly outgrew the garage space and moved next door to a former pharmacy where it served the racing community and witnessed the introduction of the mountain bike in the 1980s.

In 1992, Freewheeling expanded again, moving to its current location at 2401 San Gabriel Street in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood, adjacent to the University of Texas. Rents in West Campus have…

Bicycle tour honors fallen police officers
Nick Delgado | Herald correspondent        kdhnews.com
Harker Heights police officer Clyde Hicks spends most of his work time riding his police motorcycle around the city.

But Hicks spent the last few months riding another kind of bike – a bicycle – to prepare for the Police Unity Tour May 9 to 12 in Washington, D.C.

“The Police Unity Tour is a 250-mile bike ride over a three day period,” Hicks said. “It started in 1997 to bring awareness for the fallen officers that lost their lives in the line of duty.”

The ride also kicks off…

The Matrix Challenge Criterium – Dallas, TX – Bike Race
by BackPack            photography-on-the.net
http://www.caseyleeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/matrix-criterium_010.jpg
Figure I’d throw these up here. First race I’ve shot, definitely a good time, and pretty damn challenging grabbing photos of an object coming through a corner at 25+ mph just over a meter away from you with a 50 f/1.2. Most of these guys are racing in the Pro/1/2 categories, probably some of the best active cyclists in Texas.

Anyhow, here are the images (C&C always welcome): …

NCC: Kline rising after Dana Point win; Allar stretching her lead
www.usacycling.org
The USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar (NCC) enjoyed its first multi-event weekend of the season. Riders competed at the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling in California on Sunday as well as USA CRITS Speed Week “B” in Georgia and South Carolina from May 3-5.

…Women’s Standings
1. Erica Allar (Tucson, Ariz./CARE4CYCLING powered by Solomon Corp) — 544
2. Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers) — 318
3. Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Fearless Femme p/b Pure Energy) — 265
4. Jennifer Purcell (Austin, Texas/Colavita-Fine Cooking) — 206
5. Christina Gokey-Smith (Denton, Texas/Rouse-Oogie Racing) — 193…

Two Dallas hike-and-bike trails could get multi-million dollar boost this week
By Tom Benning        transportationblog.dallasnews.com

Two Dallas trails — one in north Oak Cliff and the other near White Rock Lake — are among a handful of hike-and-bike projects that could receive major cash infusions this week from the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

The group’s Regional Transportation Council will vote Thursday on a plan to use more than $13 million to boost nearly a dozen biking and pedestrian improvement efforts in North Texas.

The two biggest potential winners are the Coombs Creek Trail Extension and the…

DART hosting Bike to Work ‘Energizer Stations’
By Mark Ball        yourplano.dallasnews.com
May weather is made for cycling in our region and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is celebrating cycling and National Bike to Work Day with four Bike Energizer Stations on Friday, May 17.

Cycling enthusiasts and interested persons are invited to join DART, BikeDFW and the cities of Plano, Richardson, Garland and Dallas from 7 to 9:30 a.m. at DART’s Downtown Garland, Akard or Arapaho rail stations, and at the Bluebonnet and Chisholm Trail intersection in Plano, near the Jack Carter Dog Park. The Bike Energizer Stations will have…

Huntsville State Park hosted the High School State Mountain Bike Championship
by James Webster, Texbiker.net Correspondent
Dateline: 05/05/2013 Huntsville, Texas
The Huntsville State Park hosted the High School State Mountain Bike Championship today. The weather and the location was excellent for the event.

The race included a girls division and a boys division. Each with there own starting times 10:am for the girls and 11:30 for the boys Each division had three separate classes Varsity, Junior Varsity and freshman. Each class had there own starting times 5 minutes apart. The girls varsity did two laps and the jv and the freshmen did one lap. The varsity boys did 3 laps.

The event was open to high school students in Texas. A student could register as an independent if your school did not have a team. Student were ranked bases on previous races and how they finished in those races.

Number 204 had the sub 40 minute ride. She is in the slide show.
I road the course the previous day. Although little technical terrain was present roots and sand made for an interesting ride. Most of the 8 plus mile course followed the Chinquapin hacking biking trail and was shared with hikers, horses snakes, ( I saw one on my ride) and, as the race starter said, alligators.

Rules specific insisted no passing on the bridges for real and imminent dander if you go into the swamp.

Some of the bridges were long over 100 feet and they looked new. As myself being new to mountain biking they were intimidating so for the kids I believe the long bridges would offer a challenge.

Race results One girl did a single lap (jv) in under 40 minutes the guys were doing laps in the 32 minute range. The varsity boys were doing 32 minute laps.

It was a great event worthy of effort of all the volunteers and race organizers to to get a standing ovation. I hope to see other high school riders be informed about this opportunity to get exercise, learn about history ( they were near the statue along I-45) and the environment. While having fun and connecting on a different social level than the internet.

Bike To Work Day – Bike Commuter Energizer Stations – MAY 17
by Richard Wezensky            BikeDFW

Austin Bike Buddy
BikeTexas.org
A new website is available to help Austin cyclists get around, but this one doesn’t include the usual bike routes or repair station icons. Instead, Austin Bike Buddy is all about connecting new riders with experienced riders, to make the transition to bike commuting easier.

The website is easy to use, allowing anyone to sign up as a new or experienced bicycle commuter in just a couple of minutes. With an interactive map, users will be able to visually see where other cyclists are starting and ending their trips. The website also makes it easy to…

Open Streets and Bike Share in Texas
Biketexas.org
San Antonio SicloviaTexas is always packed full of exciting events for the whole family to enjoy getting outdoors. In the past few of months, a handful of Texas cities have worked extra-hard to make sure their residents have a chance to get outside and be active!

Open Streets
Brownsville’s CycloBia, Lubbock’s Let’s Play! LBK, San Antonio’s Síclovía, and Fort Worth’s Open Streets have closed off city streets to traffic for a few hours so people could get out…

The Fossil 50!
By Bryan        www.bryanfawley.com

Texas ranks 22nd on list of bike-friendly states
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
Texas ranks an underwhelming – but not surprising – 22nd in the League of American Bicyclists’ 2013 list of bicycle friendly states.

That’s an improvement over last year’s 27th place, but still a pretty miserable showing.

At the top of the heap? Washington. North Dakota pulls up the rear.

The League annually ranks all 50 states for bicycle friendliness, based on a questionnaire answered by each state’s bicycle coordinator and verified by…

Mountain Bike Rides and Trails in Austin, Texas
www.mtbproject.com
Flat Creek Crossing Race Loop
Fantastic hill country trail, home to UCI Series race, Mellow Johnny’s Classic near Johnson City, TX…

PBA SPRING CENTURY RIDES ARE CANCELLED!
Plano Bcycle Association
The PBA Spring Century Rides which were scheduled for Saturday, May 11th have been cancelled. The regular Saturday PBA rides will leave from Spring Creek & Coit  so plan on joining one of these rides this Saturday.

Big Cedar Race Report
by TC        www.turnincranks.com
Big Cedar is the 9th race in the TMBRA State Series. There is only 1 Spring race left, and then 4 more in the Fall.

I really needed to make Big Cedar, as up to this point I have only made 5 races and need to get 8 quality races for my placement in the state series. Currently I’m sitting in 9th place, but I am still 2 races short for point totals. Even when I do get the number of races I need, it’s still going to be tough, if not impossible, to break into the top 6 in the series.

Big Cedar is known for tight and twisty singletrack, with some of the most climbing in the TMBRA series. It had been reported that the…

TMBRA 2013 Big Cedar Start
by TC        www.turnincranks.com

Tweets

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/331597816633901057

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for May 5th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The daily news update is back! I had some medical issues but they are off the back now.

Grand Opening for Second Location for Gotta Ride Bikes
You probably already know about our grand opening of the new store, but I wanted to send you this email to inform you that it will be May 11th. If you could get the word out for us I would really appreciate it.
David Forsberg
Gotta Ride Bikes
20475 Hwy 46 West Suite #210
Spring Branch, TX 78070
830.438.1299
david@gottaridebikes.com

National Bike Month: A message from PeopleForBikes
www.bikehouston.org
Dear Houston,
As National Bike Month begins, we’d like to ask you to make a promise.
A promise that applies no matter if you are a bicyclist, a driver, or both. A promise that could transform our streets. A promise that can turn every trip into a better one. A promise that will help us see our fellow travelers as the people we all are—whether we are behind the steering wheel or the handlebars.
A promise to travel with compassion.
Watch our National Bike Month video, and then join us in promising to Roll Together at…

May is National Bike Month
www.bikewtca.org
National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. Whether you bike to work or school; to save money or time; to preserve your health or the environment; to explore your community or get to your destination, get involved in Bike Month in your city or state — and help get more people in your community out riding too!

* National Bike to School Day:  05/08/2012

* National Bike to Work Week:  05/13/2012 – 05/17/2012

* National Bike to Work Day:  05/17/2012

* WTCA Bicycle Awareness Day at South Plains Mall. NEED VOLUNTEERS. Contact
Susan Alger (2cavers@gmail.com):  05/11/2013

Beginner and Intermediate Group (BI/G)
El Paso Bicycle Club
If you are just getting into cycling, want to learn more about the sport, or would like to meet new friends to ride with then the Beginner and Intermediate Group (B/IG) is for you.  B/IG rides are designed to be both educational and fun.  Each week before the ride a different cycling related topic is presented.  Topics range from riding in a group (pace line) to bicycle maintenance and repair.  Riding skills are discussed and practiced while out on the…

Northeast Texas Trail Calling all Bicyclists on May 18th
by bergerandfries            www.bikeforums.net
“MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE”
A PRESS RELEASE FOR THE NORTHEAST TEXAS TRAIL (NETT)
The organizers of the new Northeast Texas Trail (NETT) have scheduled its inaugural event to introduce the multi-use trail to potential users. On Saturday, May 18, 2013, at 7 am, teams of cyclists and equestrians will begin separate relays from trailheads in New Boston and Farmersville. The meeting point will be Love Civic Center in Paris, (2025 S. Collegiate Dr.) Estimated time of arrival is 12 noon. Golden spikes will be driven into the ground at various points along the route which was originally a railroad corridor.
The NETT runs from Farmersville on the West to New Boston on the East covering 130 miles intersecting with 19 different towns. When completed the NETT will be the 5th longest in the United States.
Traveling West from New Boston, a team will ride through…

Anybody ride Colorado Bend State park?
by keithrad            forums.mtbr.com/texas
Met some folks from the Waco bike club(?) while riding at Cameron Park last Tuesday. Didn’t get the guy’s name I was talking to, but he said they have done a good bit of work out there. Seems like he said there is around 20 miles of singletrack. Just wanting some feedback from anybody that might have ridden out there lately.

Austin Trails Similar to These Dallas Area Trails…
by ElbowScabs            forums.mtbr.com/texas
Looking to find out from someone familiar with both the trails in Dallas and Austin. Currently in Dallas, might be moving to Austin…so want to consider and an area in Austin close to the trails I’d be most likely to ride.

I work from home, so I don’t have to worry about living close to work. Besides, trails are more important than work anyway.

The three trails I ride the most in the Dallas area are: …

May Newsletter Published
www.doubledates.com
The May edition of the DATES-Line Newsletter is published and available for download from the newsletters page. This month’s edition includes the following: …

May 11 Club Ride @ Reimers Ranch
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Saturday, May 11, 2013        10:00 AM
Reimers Ranch Park
23610 Hamilton Pool Road, Dripping Springs, TX (map)
Look for the ARR Banner near the mountain biking parking lot

Come ride with the Austin Ridge Riders at wonderful Reimers Ranch.

Riders will break into groups based on skill level, length of ride and whether one wants to rips up the trails or ride at a social pace and smell the flowers.  “No Drop” policy in effect so no one gets left behind or lost. Bring plenty of water and don’t forget your helmet!!

ARR will host a post ride lunch.ARR will be providing the main lunch fixings and beverages (adult and unleaded) but all are encouraged to…

Tweets

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for April 30th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Fort Worth Trail Workday – Gateway Park 5/4/2013 – 8:30am
by Beechnut        forums.mtbr.com/texas
Meeting location TBD. It will either be at the regular riding trailhead or at the gas burnoff. I’ll post up where on Friday night. If you don’t see a post up, there will be signs pointing the way to meeting location.

We have a lot on the to-do list for FWFTF’13 prep. We are still debating the task list for Saturday.

Pulled pork tacos are on the menu. We’ll make it worth your while!

Memorial Park Work Party
GHORBA.org
Trail: Memorial Park
Sunday, May 5, 2013 – 1:00pm
Memorial Park work party rescheduled for Sunday, May 5th at 1 PM.

We will meet at the Rugby Field parking lot, GHORBA will provide some of the tools but you can bring your own. Tasks will be removing some of the fallen trees from this past weekend, trimming and some deberming. We’ll probably work for about 2-3 hours and may break out into…

Free breakfast, free Tshirts and more bike month fun!
By Pam LeBlanc             Fit City

Bike Month is upon us, people. Time to haul your two-wheeler out of the shed, pump up the tires and get ready to ride.

Because the most important thing is safety, a hats off to the Austin Police Department, which launches a Safe Bike Initiative this week. Law enforcement officials say they want to decrease the number of vehicle-bicycle crashes, increase motorists’ understanding of bicycle issues and…

What Will it Take for Austin to Become a Bicycling Capital?
By Joy Diaz, KUT News

Austin is steadily pedaling its way to becoming one of the bike-friendliest cities in the country.

With more than two percent overall of Austinites biking to work – and in some parts more than eight percent – the city has surpassed commuter goals set in its bike master plan. (The plan’s linked here.)

That success is due in part to the steady flow of money the city has allocated for bike projects. Still, bike advocates hope the $11.5 million voters approved in bond money last November will propel the city even…

May 11 – TPWD Trail Workday
by Il Pirate        Austin Ridge Riders
Saturday, May 11 8:30 am to 2:00 pm – Buescher State Park, Smithville
The Texas Parks and WIldlife Department have an exciting new trail expansion project underway in beautiful Buescher State Park. The project is fortunate to have a Texas Conservation Crew at the park for the past 10 days focusing on trail work.  Due to their efforts, approximately 75 % of the new trail construction has been completed!  They completed a huge portion of this project and we are much closer to having the trail renovation project completed.

That being said, there are still a few short areas of new trail construction, along with 3 bridges and some maintenance on current trails that needs to be done to complete the project and open the trail for multi-use recreation, including mountain biking.  Park officials would like to announce a trail workday coming up on 5/11/13 at Buescher State Park from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm.  The work will be a continuation of blazing new trail.  The area has already been cleared of fallen trees and the…

Climb the Mountain, One Stroke at a Time
www.wheelbrothers.com

Editors Note: This article is from one of our very own Wheelbrothers, who has a fascinating story of determination and goal setting to tell… Ron was actually introduced to the Wheelbrothers group through fellow cyclist, Eugene. We warmly welcomed him, but at the same time, we always joked around with Ron due to him being one of the few people who did NOT have a cell phone (crazy, huh?). And we always wondered why he’d always want to eat at CiCi’s before races vs. somewhere like Olive Garden. Well Ron has since made a profound statement to us and his story is worth sharing.

Ron is now RETIRED and makes fun of us for actually having ‘jobs’!

He rides in all kinds of cycling events around the country and is a CAT racer.

Since he is a ‘Wheelbrother’ we figured it might be cool to hear a little about his journey and his book.

Take it away Ron…

Texas Law Enforcement Organization Honors Fallen Brazos County Constable
www.kbtx.com
video
A ceremony was held Tuesday night for Brian Bachmann, the Brazos County Constable killed last summer in the line of duty, at the College Station park that now bears his name.

It was part of the 2013 State Memorial Trek Across Texas. …

Lone Star Cyclists Club Picnic
Date: Saturday, May 18, 2013 – 8:00am
Our club picnic will once again be held at Valley Ridge Park, 2850 Park Ridge Dr, in Cedar Hill.

From Lake Ridge Parkway west of Hwy 67, turn west on Texas Plume Road. At the stop sign turn right on Sweeping Meadows Lane. Park in the first lot on the right. (Google 32.555106, -97.006745)

We will have three rides and three start times so that everyone will have the opportunity to return by noon.
40 Miles Starting at 8:00 AM
28 Miles Starting at 9:00 AM
12 Miles Starting at 10:30 AM…

Trail Work @ Walnut Creek
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Wednesday, May 8, 2013        5:30 PM
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX (map)
In front of the City of Austin Maintenance building

All:
We will have a Walnut Wednesday Workday on May 8th from 5:30PM to 8:00PM.

We will meet in the gravel parking lot in front of the City of Austin Maintenance building on the west side of the park.

Please bring fluids, and any trail tools including loppers and hedge trimmers. We will either be doing some heavy trimming (and as time gets closer I will post the map and grid location where we will be…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/JuliaBikes/status/329250701068877824

https://twitter.com/amandalichang/status/329109359231635456

Love Bugs and Squirrels – April 30th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The spring weather brings out some interesting ride companions. I saw one other bicyclist as I rode past the Kings River Pool. He was loading up his bike and we exchanged waves.

Links to RideWithGPS.com and Garmin Connect data including route maps.

[wppa type=”slideonlyf” album=”142″ size=”auto”][/wppa]