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]

Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup for April 29th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

NRC: New men’s leader; women closer after Joe Martin Stage Race
www.usacycling.org
…Alison Powers (Pinecliffe, Colo./NOW and Novartis for MS) remains in the top spot of the NRC women’s standings with 520 points after placing second overall in the Joe Martin Stage Race. Her closest competition, Claudia Haeusler (GER/Team TIBCO/ To the Top), topped the final results in Arkansas and has racked up 360 points to move into second place, 160 points behind Powers. Joelle Numainville (CAN/Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) has moved into third place with 334 points, 120 points ahead of Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas/FCS-Cycling: p/b Zngine + Mr. Restore), who is in fourth place with…

Kristin Butcher’s guide to introducing people to bike riding (without ruining their day)
by Kristin Butcher        People for Bikes Blog

If you’re reading this, chances are you already love biking. You have fond memories of weaving through trees, finding serenity in the blur of asphalt passing beneath your wheels, and enjoying a soundtrack made up entirely of your own heartbeat and the hum of rotating tires. And there’s probably someone out there who you wish felt just like you do about riding bikes.

Go ahead and make a convert out of them. But before you do, read this quick and dirty list of do’s and don’ts for sharing the cycling love: …

Bike The Woodlands to host get-together May 17
www.chron.com
Bike The Woodlands will host an informal Bike The Woodlands Day get-together from 7-9 a.m. Friday, May 17, at Starbucks in The Woodlands.

According to a press release from the group, the gathering is scheduled as part of National Bike Month. It is also hosted by The Woodlands GREEN, The Woodlands Township, the Woodlands Cycling Club, the Houston Advanced Research Center and the…

Reveille Peak Ride Pics – 4-28-13
www.austinbike.com

This was a great weekend to get out there before the heat of summer really starts up. We pulled in a 12+ mile ride with plenty of rocky features and some interesting paths.  Mike had a bit of a challenge at the “crack” and ended up down the side of the hill.  All I…

Zube Park Ride
Houston Bicycle Club
Saturday May 11 8:00AM
Distances: 33(B), 40(C), 49(C) miles
Flat county roads in Harris, Waller, and Montgomery Counties. Pay attention to the map – there are a lot of turns. Only one store on the route. …

May RIDE SCHEDULE
Georgetown Cyclopaths

RIDE SCHEDULE – May 2013 Short Rides Long Rides
Day Date Time Meet at Miles Map Miles Map
Saturday 5/4/2013 8:00 AM Dale’s Essenhaus Restaurant in Walburg 28 miles WA5 41 miles WA9
Sunday 5/5/2013 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 32 miles B39
Saturday 5/11/2013 8:00 AM Catholic Church in Andice 35 miles A13 48 miles A15
Sunday 5/12/2013 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 35 miles B45
Saturday 5/18/2013 8:00 AM Liberty Hill Elementary School 33 miles L12 39 miles L11
Sunday 5/19/2013 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 35 miles B23
Saturday 5/25/2013 8:00 AM Union State Bank in Florence 29 miles F5 43 miles F3
Sunday 5/26/2013 9:00 AM Berry Springs Park 34 miles B48

Club Picnic and Ride at McAllister Park
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Saturday, May 18th:  The 18 mile ride along the Salado Creek Greenway starts at 9:00 am from McAllister Park at Pavilion 1.  Picnic will begin after the ride at about 11:15.  The club will provide the sandwiches, chips and water  Club members are encouraged to bring salads, fruit, desserts and anything they want to drink besides water.  For more information contact Ann Caldwell…

Biking to work not for faint of heart
By Ben Wear            www.statesman.com
I was, of course, woefully unprepared to bike to work.

Austin City Council Member Chris Riley, looking to publicize Bike Month and Bike-to-Eat Week, both of which start Wednesday, had suggested a group ride involving the transportation reporter. Always on the hunt for a column, and maybe some exercise, I said yes. Friday was the appointed day.

But there’s a reason I don’t currently bike to work. OK, there are several reasons.

Start with where I live, off MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) just south of Barton Creek. Which means I would have had to brave the MoPac bridge over the creek, where the northbound lanes don’t…

2013 National Bike Challenge
by jril            www.bikeforums.net
Who’s in?

BikeDFW is the local advocacy host for much of North Texas – so far we have 160 riders, 17 teams, and 30 cities represented. We’re also featuring local photography on our landing page – a different photo each month of the challenge.

Here’s some info on the Challenge from the League of American Bicyclists:

“Last year, the National Bike Challenge brought 30,000 riders together to ride an incredible 12 million miles. This year we’re going bigger and farther: 50,000 riders and 20 million miles.
To get there, we need your help!

The 2013 Challenge begins on May 1. It is an opportunity to challenge yourself — and your friends, family, and colleagues — to ride more often.

Participation is…

Bike Out Hunger hits Waxahachie
ANDREW BRANCA Daily Light Staff Writer        www.waxahachietx.com

Cyclists left Waxahachie Saturday morning to complete the remaining 46 miles to Arlington as a part of the “Bike Out Hunger” ride that started six-days ago in the Woodlands.

The Bike Out Hunger ride goal is to raise awareness and funds for hunger issues in Texas, across the country and around the world.

“We help turn people into cyclists and cyclists into hunger advocates through Bike Out Hunger. People who come to ride in Bike Out Hunger learn to incorporate helping the hungry into their daily, weekly and monthly routines,” Baptist General Convention of Texas Director of Communications…

HSI seizes 10 domain names selling counterfeit cycling products
by IVN            www.yumanewsnow.com
Houston, Texas – Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on Friday seized 10 Internet domain names that were illegally selling counterfeit cycling equipment and apparel globally.

The 10 seized domain names are a continuation of “Operation In Our Sites” (IOS), an HSI sustained law enforcement initiative that began in 2010. These seized domain names are now in the custody of the U.S. government. Visitors typing those domain names into their web browsers will now find a banner that notifies them of the seizure and educates them about the federal crime of trafficking in…

Tweets