Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 30th

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Corinth Cycling Club
Big Steamer Ride
When: Tue Apr 9, 2013 6:20pm to Tue Apr 9, 2013 7:20pm  CDT
Where: 133 Garza Lane – Shady Shores, TX
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Training Ride – Expect attacks and tight pacelines. 21+mph Experienced riders only…

Allen Lane
Pedal Pushers

Saturday, March 30, 2013
Six riders from San Angelo decided to tackle Allen Lane near Christoval Saturday morning. Allen Lane is one of the three popular roads for those wishing to practice hill climbs.
From left, Christine Jones, Liz Rappe, Wilbur Thomas, Loyd Evans, and Brian Backlund. As one may recall, on the previous weekend, Christine, Loyd, and Brian all placed in their categories at…

Angry Gang of Young Cyclists Takes over Northbound Lamar
bicycleaustin.info

On my way to Natural Grocers (via car), I was surprised to see in my rear view mirror a group of maybe 25-30 young people (late teens/early 20s) on bikes taking up all of the northbound lanes, swerving, giving motorists the finger, riding in the turn lane, and otherwise acting in a very confrontational way.

I was stopped at the light ahead of them, and they reached the intersection, and thank goodness stopped at the red light. They all crowded around my car (super close) and gave me “dirty looks”. This whole thing really made me nervous for my own safety and for theirs, because they were riding erratically…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/318166819393392641

https://twitter.com/jackmott42/status/318143380158828544

https://twitter.com/BCNA/status/318071864897437698

https://twitter.com/bikenoob/status/318058864413130752

Taking Advantage of Some Wind – March 30th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Last Saturday I drove to the Houston Cycling Club Kingwood/Humble ride start point but today I rode my bike. When I got to the glass gazebo in front of Sears Hardware two bicyclists were waiting. David and Ron had their bikes out of their vehicles getting ready to ride. The temperature at my house was 66 degrees when I left so I donned my 60 degree riding wardrobe of a short sleeve jersey, long sleeve jersey, leg warmers, shorts (of course) and windbreaker jacket. The forecast called for mid 70’s but our ride was starting at 9 AM so it did not have enough time to warm up much. We talked about how I would probably be sweating a whole lot during the ride. Ron was dressed similar to me but without the jacket and David skipped the leg warmers and jacket but added arm warmers. They were right because I was warmed up by the time I got to the glass gazebo but I decided to keep everything on and ride.

Our route repeated last Saturday’s, going north on US59 with a nice tailwind. We did get about 20 to 30 raindrops around Community Drive but they went away quickly. On SR242 the wind still was a help most of the time. I think a few raindrops fell as we passed Firetower Road but again not much happened which is good because there was no place to get out of the rain. We stopped at SR242 and FM1485 for a few minutes. Ron said we were 8 minutes faster than last week’s time. From there we headed to SR242 and FM1314 to turn into the wind and back to the starting point. I wondered why my legs were complaining so much about riding SE on FM1314. At home I checked the weather to find the SSE wind at 13 mph and 21 mph gusts. A good reason to ride slower.

Another stop at the Valero station on FM1314 gave us some recovery time for the final 6 or 7 miles. About there the road swings away from the SE to the east and the wind seemed to let up a small bit but when we reached the southbound US59 service road it was back to the full headwind until we got to Kingwood Drive where a u-turn  to the northbound service brought the tailwind back to the finish point. Up to this point I rode about 40.4 miles. Riding home from there my total miles were 45.34. At the finish I asked Ron how our total stacked up to last week and he said we were about 3 minutes faster. So the wind took a toll of about 5 minutes from the last checkpoint. The temperature made it to 76 when I got home and my clothes were soaked with sweat. Overall I averaged 15.5 mph including my slow riding the last 5 miles to home.

My March goal is well in hand with 633.05 miles for the month. Year to date I rode 1314.64 miles. For alternate views of the ride stats and map look at Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com.

The wildflowers are starting bloom along side the road. I need to stop and take some pictures on my next ride.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 29th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

15,000 bikes on METRO a month? Surprising survey says Houston is dying to become a bike city
BY WHITNEY RADLEY        houston.culturemap.com

An update has been released on the commuter survey conducted over the past month by METRO and the Houston-Galveston Area Council, and the findings might surprise you.

According to KUHF, between 10,000 and 15,000 passengers bring their bikes aboard METRO every month, and initial survey results indicate that “many more riders would like to bring their bike on a bus or train, but they don’t know how transit fits into their travel choices.”

This survey is part of a larger campaign by the joint agencies to “define a prioritized set of high-quality links between the bicycle and transit linked…

On the Lege: March Activities
www.biketexas.org
After a successful Cyclists in Suits Bike Lobby Day on Monday, March 25, BikeTexas legislative staff members look to take the next steps on the two primary bills on the BikeTexas agenda, Complete Streets (HB 1102 / SB 565) and Safe Passing (HB 2225 / SB 1515). Each bill has been referred to the appropriate committee: House Transportation Committee and the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committees. We await committee hearing dates on each bill.

The Safe Passing Bill was filed on March 8, 2013. Senator Rodney Ellis filed the Senate version of the bill. The House bill is authored by Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio); Armando Martinez (D-Weslaco); Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving); and Jim Keffer (R-Eastland).

We last pursued a Safe Passing Bill in the 2009 session, but that bill was vetoed by the governor despite strong bipartisan support. The 2013 bill uses much of the same language as the 2009 bill and the thirteen local ordinances in…

Teen seriously injured after falling from bike near Katy
by KHOU.com staff

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Life Flight was called to far west Harris County early Monday after an 18-year-old man fell off his bicycle.

The accident happened on Morton Road near Sunset Landing Drive shortly after 2 a.m. It was…

The Texas BBQ Posse: geniuses or rat finks?
By GARY JACOBSON, Staff Writer        www.dallasnews.com
A father and son told us about their wonderful barbecue tour by bicycle — six days and 276 miles through the Central Texas barbecue heartland.

A Longview reader estimated that he had eaten at least 1,000 Louie Mueller Barbecue sausage links over more than 60 years as a customer at the Taylor establishment. He remembered when they cost just a dime, compared to $3 now.

And a frustrated patron said that after reading our March 10 story rating the Texas BBQ Posse’s favorite Texas places, she waited an hour and…

College student poses challenge to life-threatening disease
By Conner Hammett        www.planostar.com

Twenty-year-old Murphy resident Emily Penn knows firsthand how a disease like Friedreich’s ataxia can slow a person down.

At age 15, while taking a track class at Murphy Middle School, Emily began experiencing tendonitis in her knee. During treatment, however, an orthopedic surgeon honed in on Emily’s scoliosis, a condition her pediatrician was already monitoring.

The surgeon suggested Emily be taken to Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital for a closer look at her spine. Emily underwent a series of tests, including…

Cycleast Introduces New High-End Bicycle Product Line to the US Market with Festka Partnership
www.sacbee.com
AUSTIN, Texas and PRAGUE, March 29, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ — Cycleast, of Austin, Texas, is importing and distributing a new product line from young, progressive Czech custom bike manufacturer Festka.  They are particularly excited to be presenting the brand new carbon road frame Festka ZERO.   The ZERO is built from EM Tubes, developed together with Compotech and designed specifically for cycling applications. The Festka workshop hand manufactures each carbon lug, so the entire production process is under their control. This quality control allows each…

Gator Ride
baytownsun.com

This Sleek Bike Helmet Makes Sure That Hit And Run Drivers Get Caught
www.fastcoexist.com

John Poindexter, a designer at the Austin, Texas-based mobile studio Chaotic Moon, was riding his bike on the city’s streets when car hit him and drove away. Like many cyclists involved in hit and runs, Poindexter was too dazed in the aftermath of the accident to remember any identifying details of the vehicle–in fact, he landed in the hospital and had no recollection of what happened at all. Chaotic Moon’s solution: Create a helmet that can tell cyclists’ stories for them. It’s called, appropriately…

Young Woman With Rare Disease Cycles through Denton
20-year old Emily Penn has Friedreich’s Ataxia
By Andres Gutierrez        www.nbcdfw.com

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

As a 20-year-old, Murphy resident Emily Penn is coming to terms with a harsh reality… she’s losing the ability to walk.

Penn has Friedreich’s Ataxia also known as F.A.  According to the National Institutes of Health, the disease affects one in 50,000 Americans. In the short term, a person with F.A. has difficulty walking. In the long term, a person can develop diabetes, heart disease and a shorter life expectancy. There are…

 Waco OMNI Re-Cap
By Kim Jennings            bicyclesoutbackracing.net
Waco is known for its challenging and beautiful mountain biking trails in Cameron Park, but it is not really on the radar for road races; until NOW! Last summer’s inaugural Bicycles Outback Twilight Criterium in downtown Waco set the standard for the Waco OMNI in 2013. This first-year event was fun, fast, and furious for racers across Texas.

Race promoter Bryan Fawley was drawn to Waco because of its central location, proximity to Cameron Park, and friendly community. “There are always a ton of races in the Austin and Dallas areas, but we don’t have one that’s in the middle for everyone. I lived in Waco for a while, and I wanted to share some of my favorite…

Corpus Christi Cycle Club
The Tony Balboa Memorial Ride

Board Meetings scheduled for April 1st and April 14th, see Event
+    Calendar for more details.
+    April 20th is the Tour de Cure! See the following maps!
+    10 mile route
+    20 mile route
+    40 mile route
+    60 mile route
+    April 20th is our General Club Meeting at the PEDAL after Tour de
+    Cure from 1-4pm. Join us for our SWAP MEET.

Thursday Ride at Walnut Creek – Beginner/intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Thursday, April 4, 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: …

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/317667715303227392

I Made It! – March 29th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Good Friday weather was pretty good for a bike ride. When I left home at 12:25 the wind was kicking up 18 mph gust from the SSE with a mostly cloudy sky and 76 degrees. I wanted to go on a route I haven’t rode for a while so I decided to go north to New Caney through Roman Forest and up to Splendora before riding south into the wind. This was a good plan until I got to Splendora. As I got on the US59 southbound service road I checked my average speed and found 16.8 mph but I figured by the time I got to Kingwood Drive this would drop below 16 mph. However as I made the U-turn under US59 at Kingwood Drive my average speed was 16.2 mph. Riding about 14 miles into the wind did not eat up the all of the speed I built up riding north. The temperature at the end of the ride was 80 degrees. Spring might taking hold.

This route came up to 38.32 miles at an overall 16.0 mph average speed. Adding today’s ride brings the March miles to 587.72, almost 7 miles past my goal of 581. Year to date miles now total 1269.30. I made my goal!!!! I plan on riding tomorrow with two other bicyclists so I should go into the 600 mile mark for the month.

Riding the southbound service road I stopped in Porter at the Star Stop Exxon for some rest (29 mile point), a Diet Pepsi and a Kashi trail mix bar. While I was sitting in the sun eating I saw a pickup truck going through the intersection pulling a trailer with what looked like a large dinosaur with part of the tail missing. I suspect they removed the tail to fit on the trailer. Not every day you see dinosaurs. There have been attempts to open a dinosaur park in New Caney, maybe this one escaped?

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com maps and stats.

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