Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 24th

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2013 Bent Wheel Bash – Buck Creek Trails – Abilene, Texas
by Cooper Sellers

March 17, 2013 – Bent Wheel Bash is held at Buck Creek Trails, just north of Abilene, Texas.

The 2013 route was changed dramatically from the Fall 2012 route, with much less elevation change, much less technical features, and more of a wide open hammerfest. …

Mellow Johnny’s Classic – 2013
by Cooper Sellers

March 2, 2013 – Mellow Johnny’s Classic is held at Flat Creek Crossing Ranch, a great trail and race venue near Johnson City, Texas. The course has some technical aspects, a couple of good (for Texas) climbs and some great riding.

My first MTB race was on this course 1 year ago. Through a lot of riding and training, I’ve come a long way from finishing 32nd of 52 last year. …

Madrone Trail
from Turnin’ Cranks

Due to circumstances surrounding kiddos, dance conventions and babysitting, I found myself in the position of being in San Marcos, Texas with a couple of hours to get away from it all. After hunting around and asking for tips, I settled on heading out to the Madrone Trail at Canyon Lake Park.
The day was cloudy and cool. Temps were around 51F. I met up with a fellow Bike Mojo rider and we hit up the trail for a…

Walnut Wednesday Workday
from Austin Ridge Riders – Keep Austin Knobby by Il Pirate
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 – 17:30
We will be conducting a Walnut Wednesday Workday on Wednesday April 10th from 5:30PM til dark.
If you cannot meet us on the western edge of the parking lot, we will be working at the bottom of the Powerline Hill repairing erosion and improving sight lines at the bottom of the trail.
If you would like to help, please bring gloves, shovels, and loppers.
We will have electronic waivers for all to sign and check in.

Big Bend second thoughts
from Bike Forums by raybo
It is less than a month before I leave on my next bike tour and I am having second thoughts about the destination I’ve chosen.

At present, I am planning on flying into Midland, TX, busing over to Alpine and then ride a loop down to Big Bend National Park and then back to Alpine (bus, plane back home) via the Rio Grande, Presidio, and Marfa. Since I will be riding in late April, I assume the temperatures will be in the 80s or higher and there could be some vicious wind. I look everyday at the Alpine forecast and there is always wind, usually 20+ MPH. Usually it is from the SW, where Big Bend is relative to Alpine. Though, since it is a loop, one direction’s headwind is another’s tailwind.

I’ve been thinking that this is a ride to do earlier in the year and wondering if a ride from, say, Austin to New Orleans would be any better. Or, for that matter, from Midland to…

FIRST FRIDAY RIDE
from Austin Cycling Association by onefiftyfour
FIRST FRIDAY RIDE
April 5, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Capitol Building
(End of the Walkway near 11th Street – Look for Group of Cyclists)

This month’s FIRST FRIDAY ride is on April 5, 2013 and will begin at the Capitol Building at 6:30pm for a no drop easy 9 mile bike ride that will end at East Side Pedal Pushers. The First Friday ride is intended for…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/thejurgy/status/315942181359734784

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/315927597471125505

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/315922489832267776

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 23rd

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Texas Head-Reset
Food Cycles Bicycle Tour

In front of Half Price Books in Austin, Texas is not the place for a breakdown to occur, but the day had slowly worn away at my sense of security and there was simply no holding it in any longer.
First off, Cynthia was in the shop – again. The mysterious “tink-tink” noise coming from her front end had turned out to be bad bearings in the headset, a small part of the bike between the front fork and the handlebars about the size of my wrist and serving a similar function. It translates movement from my arm, through the handlebars, to Cynthia’s front wheel. Just a handful of bearings in a ring, but when…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/bikenoob/status/315648348629630977

https://twitter.com/m_vince/status/315493109775601664

Two Bikers Tackle a Route – March 23rd Bike Ride

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When I went out side to get the newspaper this morning I felt a light rain mist which prompted me to think that the Houston Cycling Club ride I was leading today would not happen. I checked about 8:15 to see if the mist was still in the air and it was but lighter so I decided to drive up to the meeting point in front of Sears Hardware to see what the weather was like there. I put my road bike in the back of my Jeep Wrangler and went. No mist was falling at the meeting spot so I waited for the RSVP bicyclists to arrive. About 5 minutes before 9:00 Ron pulled up but the other two did not.

After an introduction I explained the route we would take mentioning that I know some places we can duck into if the rain comes down. I punched the timer start on my Garmin Edge 500 at 9:07 and the two of us rolled out on the ride. Ron followed me since he had not ridden this route before. We rode north on the US59 service road to SR242 into a light breeze under the overcast sky. Turning left on SR242 the breeze no longer came straight at us and we kept a nice pace until I needed to stop at FM1485. In front of us in the distance was another biker, probably from The Woodlands. Getting back on our bikes we continued on SR242 to FM1314. On this stretch another biker was riding in the opposite direction and we exchanged waves. Reaching FM1314 we waited in the left turn lane for the signal to change and the ride to Porter. We were still keeping a good pace and made it to Porter in good time. The final leg was on the southbound US59 service road to Kingwood Drive and then back to our start point. This route totaled 36.40 miles at a 16.1 mph average speed. Ron said he had not ridden that fast before and felt good at the end.

With today’s ride my March mileage now totals 516.87 leaving 64 miles to hit the 581 mile goal. I have 8 days left so I should reach my goal but the weather for the next two or three days will be cooler than I prefer. Year to date I rode 1198.45 miles. During March I rode 17 days out of 23. Other looks at today’s ride at Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com websites.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 22nd

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Thursday Ride at Walnut Creek – Beginner/intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Thursday, March 28, 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…

Rosedale Ride rolls on Saturday
from Fit City By Pam LeBlanc
A bike ride to benefit the Austin school district’s only school for children with multiple disabilities rolls through the farm country northeast of the city on Saturday.

The 19th Annual Rosedale Ride, presented by The Rosedale Foundation and Samsung Austin Semiconductor, starts at 8:30 a.m. at Samsung, 12100 Samsung Boulevard.

Cyclists can choose from routes of 26, 42 and 62 miles. A 2-mile ride for children is also planned.

Last year’s ride raised approximately $50,000 for the Rosedale School, located at 2117 W. 49th Street. Money raised helps fund facilities and programs, including a pilot program to…

Cycles TX comes to The Woodlands Town Center
woodlandsonline.com
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — The Woodlands Development Company (TWDC) a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Howard Hughes Corporation today announced that Cycles TX will open its first bicycle and accessories store in Texas in The Waterway Square District in The Woodlands Town Center. Construction of Cycles TX, to be located at 1501 Lake Robbins Drive in The Waterway Square parking garage, will begin in one to three weeks with completion expected within two to three months.

“We are pleased that Cycles TX is coming to The Woodlands. Cycles TX is a perfect partnership for our community,” said Alex Sutton, Co-President of TWDC. “The Woodlands is home to nearly 200 miles of hike…

North Texas Mountain Biking GoPro HD Hero2
mymountainbike.org

Ron Swift Talks About His Texas Cycling Challenge 200 Overall Win
By John Foote        www.ultraracenews.com

My name is Ron Swift and I’m a cyclist from a small town, Lorena, in central Texas.   I have enjoyed riding bikes since I was very young and managed to race BMX in the 80’s and mountain bikes some during the 90’s.  About five years ago, after suffering a lower back nerve injury, I was forced to sell my bicycle and quit cycling completely.  Fast forward to about 1 ½ year ago, when we bought my wife, Jackie a recumbent trike.  I ended up buying a trike to ride with her, and it didn’t seem to hurt my back or leg.  Within a couple of months we were both riding recumbent bikes and about a year ago, I got the bike I am…

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