April 23rd Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Reimers Ranch 100k route preride.
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, April 28, 2013        9:00 AM
Reimers Ranch Park
23610 Hamilton Pool Road, Dripping Springs, TX (map)
Meet at the main mtn bike trail parking area.

This is a ride call for Reimers Ranch for the 100k route.
Wheels down at 9am!!

Gary Crowell, one of the ATX100k organizers will be leading this ride.
As usual, bring a mtn bike that is in good working order along with what you need to keep it so.  Bring water for the ride. A helmet is as…

100K of Pace Bend – ATX100K Six-Pack Series #4
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Saturday, July 13, 2013        7:00 AM
Pace Bend Park
2011 Pace Bend Rd N, Spicewood, TX (map)

Once through the main gate, head counter-clockwise around the loop and look for the parking area on the left. Its right near the trail-head.

The ATX100K endurance series continues with venue number four, 100K of Pace Bend!!
www.ATX100K.com

Yes, it will be on a Saturday. And yes, IT’S FREE to enter!
This will be a six-lap, 10.4 miles per lap, event to include some of the jewels of Pace bend including the Rock Garden of the Gods.  The route is mostly easy intermediate with some solidly advance skill sections (walk them…

100K of Barton Creek Greenbelt – ATX100K Six-Pack Series #5
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, September 8, 2013        7:00 AM
Barton Creek Greenbelt – 360 Access (beside brick office building)
3755-B Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin, TX (map)
We will be in the area of the Park Gate.

The ATX100K endurance series continues with venue number five, 100K of The Barton Creek Greenbelt!!
www.ATX100K.com

IT’S FREE to enter!
This will be a multiple lap (21-31 miles per) event to include the best, most harrowing trails Barton Creek has to offer. The route will be more than half solid intermediate with several miles of white-knuckle “O’ My God I’m Gonna Die” gnar per lap.  Did I mention…

Waco: 300-Mile Bike Ride Works To End Hunger
www.kwtx.com
WACO (April 23, 2013)–Bicyclists from across the state will work to end hunger by spreading awareness and biking about 300 miles from The Woodlands to Waxahachie, stopping through Cameron and Waco on the way.

The “Bike Out Hunger” ride will take about six days and will include a Friday morning breakfast with Mission Waco and about 100 homeless people.

Riders will arrive in Cameron and Waco Thursday and will continue on to Waxahachie after…

Memorial Bike Ride to honor Waxahachie Police Officer Josh Williams
ANDREW BRANCA Daily Light Staff Writer        www.waxahachietx.com

A group of San Antonio Police Officers will be biking to Ellis County to honor the life of Waxahachie Police Officer Josh Williams who was killed in the line of duty on July 28, 2012. These officers are honoring Williams and others killed in the line of duty as a part of the 2013 State Memorial Trek across Texas.

Waxahachie Police Department Community Relations Officer Wess Winn said these cyclists travel across the state each year to the cities, towns and counties where an officer was killed in the line of duty to honor their memory and sacrifice. The ride…

Mayor & Council Survey – Scott Dunn
Bike Friendly Richardson
A Blog Promoting Two Wheel Love in Richardson
Scott Dunn is running unopposed for re-election to City Council Place 3. He is also a member of the Bike Friendly Richardson Facebook group and comments there from time to time. Mr. Dunn pointed out that although we did not ask about an east-west bicycle & pedestrian connection across 75 in the southern part of Richardson, he will continue to look for possible solutions.

1: Do you (and your family) ride a bicycle on Richardson roads or trails? For what purposes do you ride?

Scott Dunn: Occasionally my wife, son, daughters and I ride bicycles on Richardson bike lanes.  It is purely for recreational purposes.

2: The City of Richardson has supported quality of life facilities such as a park and trail system, recreation centers, swimming pools and…

2013 TMBRA Big Cedar Race: Prayer Mountain Pedal
by Shawn        www.texasmountainbiketrails.com
Race #9 of the TMBRA Race Series is his weekend with my personal favorite of the series the Prayer Mountain Pedal. My favorite pretty much only because it’s the only one close enough for me to make… Definitely check out my first hand thoughts on this course following the race information.

The 2013 TMRBA Big Cedar race will be held on May 4th at Big Cedar Wilderness Trails in Cedar Hill Texas.
To register for this event, click below.

https://www.bikereg.com/Net/18904

The Big Cedar Prayer Mountain Pedal race course will cover 8.3 miles with roughly 975 feet of climbing according to my Garmin GPS. That’s 117 feet of climbing for each mile, not too shabby at all! Race course data listed below from my Strava profile. …

Howl at the Moon III, April 25, 2013
by sooner1            Shawnee Trail Cycling Club

Just a couple of days away to our next Howl at the Moon ride. For those of you that are regulars on the Thursday Night Rider, you’ll be doing our normal routes and pace groups – but making some new friends. For those that come up to visit us for the ride, you’ll get to see what all the buzz is about.  Check out our FIVE pace groups and pick the one that suits you best.  Oh yeah, don’t forget your lights!

Great routes, great groups, lots of friends – with food, drink and live music afterwards at…

Somerset / Poteet Two-Step Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Sunday, May 5th:  Ride will start at 8:00 a.m.  Meet at the Park and Ride across from Bill Millers at Hwy. 16 South and 1604.  This is a scenic ride with travel on roads with wide shoulders in a 35 mile circle to Poteet and back to Somerset. There are some rolling hills. Anticipating that wildflowers will be in bloom. Lunch to be decided after the ride.  For more information contact ride leaders Debbie Hayes…

Harden Dental Team Ride
Corinth Cycling Club
Sat, May 4, 7:30am – 10:30am
Weekly on Saturday
Where    Ronny Crownover Middle School
Description
This is the weekly training ride for the Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental race team. This is a 62 mile loop on an established route. Expect a fast pace and be prepared to fix your own mechanicals. There are no stops on this ride.

Tweets

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/326794343006490626

https://twitter.com/adamschopper/status/326683755274194944

A 2 Hour Window – April 23rd Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The sky was overcast and some of the clouds tried to look threatening but the radar did not show any rain in the area. So off I went to Walden at Lake Houston and then Huffman. I only had a 2 hour window to ride so no stops today except for traffic lights and stop signs. I almost got stopped by a train in Huffman but I made it across the tracks before the crossing guard signals started and the arms came down. The train was moving slowly and I knew it was coming from when I crossed the tracks on Old Atascocita Road. I thought the train would be beat me to the FM2100 crossing but I was quicker; Ha! Ha!.

After riding 40 miles yesterday I thought my legs would be slower but I managed to keep my speed up. No rest stop did not mean I had to warm up again so that may have helped me keep a good pace.

Today I wore the short and sleeve jersey combination because the temperature was 78 and the wind was light at 10.4 mph. Tonight the mid-week cool front is supposed to pass through, a day earlier than last week. Wednesday could be too cool to ride if it is not wet with the forecast to be 63.

I rode 30.19 miles at a 15.3 mph average speed. I did not quite finish in the 2 hour limit but it was close enough. April mileage increased to 539.44 and year to date stands at 1854.08 miles. I am under 200 miles to reach my April mileage goal of 720.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”135″ size=”auto”][/wppa]

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/302349877 465px 548px]

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1261994/embed” 95% 600px]

April 22nd Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup

Texbiker.net Posted on by

SINGLETRACK: COMING TO A HIGH SCHOOL NEAR YOU
Two filmmakers aim to bring mountain biking to kids—and theaters—across the country
by Aaron Gulley www.outsideonline.com/

High school sports have long revolved around football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. If it’s up to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), an organization pushing for cycling in high schools, you might soon be as likely to be clanging cowbells at the finish line of your kid’s race as climbing into the football bleachers. Founded in 2009 with just the Norcal High School League, NICA has expanded to eight states with nine leagues and almost 2,000 participants, and they aim to bring their programs nationwide by…

Northwest Cycling Club Rides

Houston

Saturday, April 27
7:30am   Ride Starter-Mona Lincoln
Sunday, April 28
10:00am   NWCC Annual Picnic
Wednesday, May 1
5:30pm   Bear Creek Crits
Saturday, May 4
7:30am   Ride Starter-Celeste Fritsche
Tuesday, May 7
7:30pm   Club Meeting
Wednesday, May 8
5:30pm   Bear Creek Crits
Saturday, May 11
7:30am   Ride Starter-Karen Bradley
Wednesday, May 15
5:30pm   Bear Creek Crits
Friday, May 17
 NWCC Spring Campout Huntsville State Park
Saturday, May 18
 NWCC Spring Campout Huntsville State Park
7:30am   Ride Starter-Kim King

Rescued Houston man ‘died’ 5 miles from BP MS-150 finish line
By Erin Mulvaney www.chron.com
A 68-year-old man made it 145 miles through the BP MS-150 ride from Houston to Austin over the weekend before collapsing off his bicycle during a cardiac arrest, officials said.

On the route, the Houston man, who has not been identified, suffered the heart condition five miles from the finish line of the ride at…

Runtastic branches out with two new biking apps
By Andrew Martonik             www.androidcentral.com

Runtastic, best known for its high-quality running, fitness and health apps, is branching out to include biking fitness apps to its catalog on Google Play. The two new apps, Runtastic Road Bike and Runtastic Mountain Bike, provide all of the great tracking and fitness features you come to expect from Runtastic, tailored to those…

All Level Ride @ Walnut Creek Spring/Summer hours
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, April 28, 2013            9:30 AM
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX (map)
We set up under the trees in the parking lot near the swimming pool. Look for the ARR Banner.

New Spring/Summer hours to help when the weather gets hotter.  Starting 3/31 we go to 9:30 am.

We know that this time change doesn’t work for everyone so we hope you considering hosting a ride for yourself and those who might want to ride at a different time or on a different day.

You do NOT have to be a ARR member to attend most club riders. You will need to sign a waiver and wear a helmets when riding.

This is for all levels of riders, which will break into groups according to ability. Beginners are welcome, and there will be no drops. Meet in the…

Pace Bend Race Report
by TC            Turnin’ Cranks
Well, I made it! The little guy that I was at the mercy of hasn’t made his appearance yet so I was able to get out to race Pace Bend this weekend.

And I am so glad that I did! You can’t ask for a more perfect race day. Everything went right leading up to the day. We got some passing showers and a cool front on Thursday that not only cooled things off, but wet the trail just enough to have perfect, ‘hero dirt’ conditions the day of the race.

I made sure to eat well, hydrate well, and get plenty of sleep in the days leading up to the race. This is my A race for the year, on my home turf. This is where I better put my best…

Group Riding Clinic
Plano Bicycle Association
League of American Bicyclists instructors will be leading a group riding clinic on Sunday, April 28 starting at 1 pm.

Location: Mexigo’s Restaurant and back parking lot (NW corner of Spring Creek and Coit, Plano)
Who: All cyclists are welcome.  Must bring a bike in good working order, a helmet to wear, and a full water bottle
Duration: About 2 hours including presentation/discussion, parking lot skills practice, and a…

UCI Rule 1.2.019, The USAC and YOU!
Texas Mountain Bike Trails
If anyone has been paying attention to the mountain bike racing scene the past 2 weeks you surely have heard all about the UCI beginning to enforce uci rule 1.2.019 and the incredible backlash that the United States racing community has raised.

Thankfully, the UCI has postponed enforcement of this rule, but this does not mean that the problem is solved. Far from it. This remains a huge problem for United States mountain biking and this issue will be revisited as we draw closer to 2014.

So you may be saying, that these are mostly pro level racers, does it really matter for you the Cat 2 or 3 mountain bike racer or…

Team Results: Bicycle Sport Shop’s Pace Bend Challenge
By myles            cycleprogression.com
Another great weekend for the team!  This time out at Bicycle sport shop’s Pace bend Challenge.

Here are the results:
Josh de Boisblanc – 6th Place – Cat 1/Pro
Justin Duncan – 8th Place – Cat 1 30-39
Cat 1 Men 40 – 49 results were looking good! :
Mason O’neal – 1st Place
Johnathan Pattie – …

Lee M. Kleinman for City Council District 11
by Christopher Curnutt        Biking In Dallas

Due to redistricting I now live in District 11 which has been represented by Linda Koop for several years now.  Koop is well known to cycling advocates for her work in transportation and support for a better cycling infrastructure.  Note that District 11 is home to the Preston  Ridge trail, Cottonwood Creek trail, White Rock Creek trail, and Northaven trail.  Hike and bike trails matter and District 11 is a shining example of what can happen when a community works together in…

Mudguards in Texas
by Bandera            www.bikeforums.net
All,
I recently built a new road bike up w/ clearance for 28mm tires and fenders, not so very odd elsewhere but it does not rain here anymore and might not ever again. Today I found a good reason to mount the mudguards: TXDOT is dumping massive piles of gravel adjacent to my favorite roads in the Hill Country in preparation for the TXDOT Chip Seal Festival when millions of gallons of petro-goop are dumped on perfectly well paved roads and ceremoniously covered with a layer ball bearing like pea gravel, debris and grit. Should keep the Plastic-$$$-Wunder bikes, Harleys and Ferraris in the garage until it…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/UrLoveJess/status/326054590149709828

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/326486908991578112

https://twitter.com/JuliaBikes/status/326310016330129409

Exploring Back Roads – April 22nd Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Sometimes I like to tailor a ride to explore areas, streets and construction activity. Today I went a route I don’t ride very often to see if there has been any work done on a new master planned community near Roman Forest. I started the route on familiar roads out of Kingwood, north on US59 and then over to Loop 494. When I reached FM1485 east of Loop 494 is where I turned to check out the new community. I ride FM1485 east once in awhile but I don’t think I have so far in 2013. Generally the roads east of US59 are not as wide or maintained as the ones west of US59. FM1485 east has a shoulder of about 3 feet or so with wider sections around approaches to bridges. Traffic is not real heavy but there is a steady flow with breaks. 18 wheelers use this road to get to Crosby without going through all of the traffic in Humble or Beltway 8.

After about 4 1/2 miles riding east on FM1485 I turned onto Willaby Road. This takes me through Casey Ridge and the back entrance into Roman Forest. The area I was interested in was west of Galaxy Blvd. Since I last rode this direction several lots have been cleared by individuals along Galaxy Blvd but I did not see any construction on the new community from where I rode. It might be too early. It was worth the ride though to see what might change in the future.

Exploring did not stop once I biked through Roman Forest out to US59 to head south and back home. I changed from exploring to watching once I made it to FM1314 and the Star Stop Exxon for a rest stop. Watching all of the cars and trucks streaming by on FM1314 and US59 reminded me of all people and stuff traveling to destinations unknown. Our logistics system is complex delivering goods to stores and other places. I was thinking of how other countries are not as efficient as we are. A lot of diesel fuel and gasoline gets consumed moving these vehicles around.

The sky was mostly cloudy when I rolled out at 1:10. I tried a different wardrobe this time with a short sleeve jersey under my windbreaker jacket. The thought was to counter the cool wind but not overdress. The temperature stood at 74 and this combination worked great. As the ride progressed the clouds thinned and the temperature increased to 82 when I got home at 4:39. I sweated some and I noticed dried salt on my jacket when I was at the Star Stop in Porter. The wind was not a problem generally but there were times when it seemed to be stronger than what wunderground.com showed when I got home.

This exploring route was 40.42 miles at a 15.0 mph average speed. I moved the April mileage needle up to 509.25 and the year to date now totals 1823.89 miles.  For alternate views of the data and maps go to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”134″ size=”auto”][/wppa]