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.
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…
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, 2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 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 TCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 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…
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…
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. Â For alternate views of the data and maps go to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com.
Cycling club competes throughout region
by William A. Darnell / Staff Writer      wordpress1.cws.unt.edu
Pre-English senior Matt Iserman’s legs ache, the hundreds of ounces of water he’s consumed pour from his body, he’s already burned thousands of calories and yet he keeps riding for 50, 60, 70, 80 miles.
“Your legs are screaming at you, but you have to push through it,†Iserman said. “Surprisingly you can, and your legs recover. You’re gasping for air, trying to catch your breath, your heart rate is maxing out, you’re physically out and you realize your output is going down even though you’re giving it everything you have.â€
Iserman is the president of the UNT cycling club, which races against universities from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana in the South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference. Iserman rides 70 to…
Texas 4000 for Cancer!!!!
by iOSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â www.bikeforums.net/
Hey everybody!
I’m a long time lurker and have only posted a few times. This is my current commuter (No thanks to hours of research on this site), but not the one I’ll be using for this awesome charity ride:
Anyways, a little about Texas 4000:
Texas 4000 is a group of about ninety University of Texas at Austin undergraduate and graduate students with a passion for finding a cure and spreading hope for a future without cancer. In the summer of 2014, LIVESTRONG Texas 4000 riders will embark on our annual 4,500-mile journey across North America in hopes of inspiring communities across the country to join us in the battle against cancer. Starting in June 2014, we will ride our bikes from the University of Texas at…
MS-150 rider puts heart to the test
By Ryan Rockett         www.chron.com
The hilly stretch from Bastrop to Austin is a difficult endurance test for all BP MS150 riders, but 57-year-old Peter Dodd faced it Sunday with an extra challenge: he received a heart transplant just 17 months earlier.
“The hills were a nightmare,” the Katy resident said. “I wondered, ‘Did I bite off more than I can chew?'”
A former maintenance mechanic who loved to exercise, Dodd was diagnosed with genetic heart disease 16 years ago. His health continued to deteriorate until…
Bicycling team set to ride for fallen officers
www.theeagle.com
A San Antonio law enforcement bicycle team will honor officers who died in the line of duty as part of the 2013 State Memorial Trek Across Texas.
Every year, the Memorial Trek riders visit the cities of officers who died the previous year. At the ceremony, the widow receives a handmade fallen officer flag designed by…
