Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 27th

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An Infrastructure for Cruisers, Racers, Mountain Bikers, Commuters, and BMX Tricksters: Peter Muessig’s veloCity
Architecture, Infrastructure
by Sara C. Rolater            offcite.org

Anyone who’s stalled in Houston’s early evening sea of brake lights might not be inclined to think we have room for an entirely new transportation infrastructure. But Peter Muessig has envisioned a provocative future between the lines of Houston’s urban grid. His graduate thesis for the Rice School of Architecture, “veloCity: Mapping Houston on the Diagonal,” reconceives the Space City and oil capital via the bicycle, which Muessig uses as a “versatile tool…

BikeTexas Releases State-Specific Benchmarking Report
By Mary Lauran Hall            www.peoplepoweredmovement.org

A new BikeTexas report modeled after the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s national Benchmarking report sets baselines for walking and biking policies, infrastructure and programs in the Lone Star State’s largest cities.

While the Alliance report examines biking and walking in the 51 most populous cities in the United States, the Texas study examines the…

Nobody Beats The Wiz
Corinth Cycling

After a great weekend of racing in Waco at the OMNI Omnium Stage Race, the Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental team is now sitting in 2nd place overall in the 40+ Texas Cup Competition.

Derek Whisenhunt won the time trial and placed second in both the crit race on Saturday and the circuit race on Sunday to capture the overall…

Texas Cup Action — Waco OMNI Omnium
txbra.org

Attack and counter-attack by Elbowz Racing paid off at the Waco OMNI Omnium as they finished 1, 2, 3, 4 in the Pro/1/2 race. Photo courtesy of Lee McDaniel.

Tuesday Ride at Walnut Creek – Intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Tuesday, April 2, 2013        5:30 PM
Walnut Creek Park
12138 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX (map)
Back to normal summer hours.

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 2079
Intermediate level ride with no drop.

Tuesday: Intermediate/Advanced Mountain Bike Ride at the Ant Hills
The Houston Mountain Bikes Meetup Group
Tuesday, April 2, 2013        6:15 PM
Terry Hershey Park
15200 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX (map)
Look for my red Jeep with bike rack on back. Or call me, Jeff @ 713-459-4622

This will be a medium/fast pace ride through the Ant Hills of Hershey Park! Bring WATER, spare tube/tire, snacks, etc…Helmets required. Call if you are going to be late so we can wait for you. …

Big Ring Challenge
By myles        Cycle Progression
Like every other TMBRA race this season The Big Ring Challenge out in Houston this past weekend seemed to be no different.  Although our group was small this time around we were strong, here are some results:

Matt Gordon- 2nd Place PRO/Cat 1 men
Mason O’neal- 2nd Place Cat 1 40-49 with a bloody face!!
Jonathan Pattie- 3rd Place Cat 1 40-49
Tim Gray- 5th Place Cat 1 40-49
Conrad Steitz- 10th Place Cat 2 SS
Thanks to all who continue to push themselves and our shop in the team challenge!

East Texas road board votes to limit — but not ban — bikes
BY ADAM RUSSELL            tylerpaper.com
The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority board voted Tuesday to limit bicycle access to Toll 49.

After an hour of discussion and two motions that failed by a vote and lack of a second, members voted 7-2 to allow bicycle access on Segments 1, 2 and 5, a 10-mile stretch connecting Texas Highway 155 near Noonday to Texas Highway 110 near Whitehouse.

Bicycles are prohibited on Segments 3A and 3B, from Texas Highway 155 to…

SCCCC: MSU Vuelta del Viento  – by Caden Burross
www.usacycling.org

Rebranded as the Vuelta del Viento, this year’s Midwestern State University race weekend definitely lived up to its name. Saturday morning began with a team time trial that was delayed by half an hour due to thunder, lightning, and inevitable rain. Once the storm had passed, the wind remained and the teams were off. MSU swept most categories, relinquishing wins only to the University of Oklahoma, in the Men’s C, and Abilene Christian, in the Men’s D.

The weekend’s road race followed shortly after the TTTs wrapped up and was something new for most racers. This year’s loop was freshly paved with 3/4 inch Chip-n-Seal, and for those unfamiliar with road construction, it basically resembles…

Transforming Houston With Bayou Greenways
Opportunity Urbanist
This week we have a guest post by Jen Powis, Advocacy Director for the Houston Parks Board.
—–
Houston is a sprawling, cosmopolitan city of over 650 square miles and 2.3 million people.  But thanks to the $166 million Parks Bond citizens passed last November, by 2020 Houston will also have over 150 miles of connected biking and walking paths along nearly 1,500 acres of new connected parkland, completely separated from cars.

The bond dollars will go toward completing a system of connected parks throughout Houston — a project known as Bayou Greenways 2020.  In general, Bayou Greenways are linear public parks along the major bayous flowing towards the Gulf of Mexico that connect many of Houston’s signature parks like Hermann Park or Eleanor Tinsley Park.  Much of the land along our bayous are either in the floodway or the floodplain, and thus…

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Back on the Bike in the Wind – March 27th Bike Ride

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After 3 days off due to some crazy March weather I got back on the bike today and rode through Walden at Lake Houston and Huffman. The crazy March weather those three days include wind up to 35 mph and temperatures down in the 30’s at night slowly crawling up to the low 60’s by the late afternoon. Today the wind still was a problem at 15 mph from the southeast and 22 mph gusts. My legs did not appreciate putting them into the wind so the average speed was 14.9 mph and it was lower than that until I started riding back home from Huffman with somewhat of a tailwind. The sky was a nice bright blue and the sun helped offset the wind chill. When I took a break in Huffman I sat in the sun but the wind chill kept the warmth at bay.

I rode 32.53 miles today. This moves my March miles up to 549.4 leaving 32 miles to reach my goal. Year to date miles now total 1230.98. I saw one other rider on Fairlake Drive. With at least two more riding days I should reach my March goal. Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com links offer other views of the ride.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 26th

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Waco OMNI Stage Race
by Mat Stephens        cyclingillustrated.com

I woke up early Saturday morning to drive down with Michael Wert from GS Tenzing for the weekend’s racing down in Waco.

Saturday:
EARLY wake up. I stayed at my mother’s house to make it easier to meet up with Michael in the morning and so had a great breakfast and coffee before the drive. Thanks, Mom! We got there and went through the whole hassle with all the TT gear that was allowed–skinsuit that I needed help getting into, shoe covers, trainer warm-up, pulling out all the stops to get those fractions of a…

Thinking of a Bike Tour Vacation
RGV Cycling
I was chowing down some food with a friend of mine and she brought up an interesting topic, bike touring. You know, one of those three to four-day trip on bike where everything is planned for you.  The route, food, lodging and support are all provided and all you have to do is show up and pedal. We talked about it further and who could go with us and as a result, I have a hankering for a guided road bike tour somewhere in the US of A.

A bike tour is something that I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid. I rarely take a vacation and I’m due for one. My buddy asked me to go with her and drag her…

METRO Bike & Ride Public Meeting
Attention Bicyclists and Transit Users
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is working with METRO on the METRO Bike and Ride Sub-Regional Planning Study, an effort to better connect bike and transit trips. Please join us on April 4th to provide your input.

Thursday April 4, 2013
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
H-GAC Conference Room A
3555 Timmons Lane
Houston, TX 77027
Bike: Bicycle parking is available on the first floor Visitor Area of the parking garage.
Bus: Bus routes to the H-GAC office include the 25, 53, 73 and 78.
Car: The parking garage will be open and free to the public for all visitors.

Update to Deep Ellum Hit and Run
by Eliot Landrum    Biking in Dallas
Earlier this month, Melanie Jarrett and Sean Clancy were hit by a red-light running motorist while they were cycling in Deep Ellum. The original story was covered by Robert Wilonsky on the Dallas Morning News Crime Blog: “Cycling advocates out for a ride are victims of hit and run near Deep Ellum after truck runs red light”.

After the story was published, many of us in the cycling community were concerned that this would become “yet another” crash that simply ignored and left behind. Personally, I believe that strict Enforcement of the laws that we have right now (such as not running red lights) would go a…

Bicyclists use of Toll 49 restricted, but not denied
By Melanie Torre
Posted by Stephanie Frazier        www.kltv.com
KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News
TYLER, TX (KLTV) – On Tuesday, North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority board members voted 7-2 to allow bicyclists to use Toll 49 from State Highway 110 South to Highway 155 South. Bicyclists will be prohibited from riding on any other section of the toll road, effective immediately.

NET RMA is also asking the bicycling community to provide up to $60,000 in funding that is needed to implement striping and signage to make the toll road…

Houston (Sugarland) area – River Bend new trail
by dirkdaddy        forums.mtbr.com/texas
A newish trail (new additions to recently) is down by the Brazos & 59 South, just past hwy 6. Its not super technical but has good for the area dips and nice flow. I just rode it, some old trees that were rotted fell recently and some vines need ducking, but otherwise in fine shape. Please be good sport about being nice to folks (access is through neighborhood street parking) and…

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup March 25th

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Team McAllen Cycling
3rd ITT results
Results from today’s 3rd round of the ITT

Steam N Wheels
from Pedal Pushers by Roy and Christine

I knew I had better run around and take as many pictures of San Angelo riders as I could, because just as soon as the ride started, I knew I wouldn’t see them again until the finish line. …
…Start time. Two hundred twenty five of us lined up for various distances. Those who chose to enter the race were to go 48 miles. Some of us who just were there for a good time rode the 32 miles. They had a twelve miler for beginners and families.? …

All Level Ride @ Walnut Creek Spring/Summer hours
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, March 31, 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…

Dallas across the Trinity
from Bike Forums by tcs
So they built the ?signature? Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge with no pedestrian or cycle utilization features or access. You?d think they could throw down some sharrows and a couple of ?May Use Full Lane? signs on the crumbing Continental Viaduct that runs along beside the MHH.

The current approved design for the planned Margaret McDermott Bridge (I30) calls for a pretty standard TxDOT simple beam bridge flanked and disguised with Calatrava arches carrying the pedestrian and cycle lanes. As a stand alone component, this might be the most expensive cycle bridge in the USA, which would be kinda cool except (as I understand the public discussion, drawings and models) this is a recreational facility rather than an all-weather transportation bridge for cyclists. The cycle/pedestrian portion will only run from the…

DeWitt cyclist plans bike trip to Texas
Money raised will go for services to the deaf-blind community
www.lansingstatejournal.com

DEWITT — DeWitt resident Janna Rowan, 40, will combine two of her favorite activities next September when she sets out on a 1,200-mile road trip to Fort Worth, Texas: bicycling and assisting people in the deaf-blind community.

The journey will take place on Rowan’s trusty Giant 24-speed, unless she’s fortunate enough to snag donations for a new light weight carbon fiber bike.

Money pledged during the trip will go to Self Help for Independence in Michigan Equalizing the DeafBlind (SHI-M=DB), an organization…

Waco Omni Stage Race
from NEWS-GCCA by Michael Ereli

3-2-1-Go!  Hill starts the Time Trial.

I didn’t have very high expectations for this 3-stage omnium. Because of spring break and a business trip, I went into this race weekend over-rested.  For the power geeks, my TSB (Training Stress  Balance) had gone from -28 to +20 in 14 days.  Hill and I drove up to Waco on Friday night, but took advantage of his local connections to have his daughter pick up our race packets, and his mom to give us a place to stay and have breakfast ready.  What a treat!

Hill did the 35+ and I opted for the 50+, which raced together with the 40+ guys. The theme of the weekend was short, fast and intense. The TT was just under 3 miles, with…

25 Miles Of Erwin Park
from Texas Mountain Bike Trails by Shawn McAfee

Happy Monday!
Today I want to let everyone know about the 25 Miles Of Erwin Park event we are doing on April 20th.

Yes, I already disclosed the 50 Miles of Erwin Park on May 25th, and this isn’t anything up to that caliber. This is not a race, this is just a nice relaxed training session for the bigger and tougher event in May, should you make a gentlemen’s wager with your fellow riding partner, that is between you and them.

Here’s the details you need to know.
25 Miles of Erwin Park
What: Challenge yourself to ride 25 Miles at Erwin Park
When: Saturday April 20th at 8am…

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