The Wind Is Back, Baby! – March 20th Bike Ride

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The wind is back, baby!! As I set out on my ride today I told my wife it is was going to be interesting when I rode north into the wind. 23 mph from the northeast with 29 mph gusts awaited my ride up US59 to Community Drive. At times I struggled to reach 12 to 13 mph and when a gust came at me I slowed below that range. During the night a front moved through with some rain (we needed it and more) dropping the temperature down into the 50’s. It slowly moved up to 75 when I started at 2:10 and ended up at 79 by the time I got back home at 4:11. Some areas to the west and north of Houston got hail along with the rain. What an entrance for the first day of spring!

When I finally got to Community Drive and turned to the west and south I picked up my speed with the now tailwind but it wasn’t enough to get my average speed up to 15 mph. I did manage to get it up to 14.4 mph over the 27.44 mile route. Wearing long and short sleeve jerseys offset the wind chill my chest felt when I rode north into the wind and in the shade. My back felt the sun but not quite enough to overcome the chill. I think riding south with the wind was not as helpful as my front side being in the sun. Tomorrow’s high is forecast at 73 degrees. My March miles have reached 420.77 so the 581 mile goal is getting closer. Year to date I hit 1102.36 miles. Link to RideWithGPS.com and Garmin Connect maps and stats.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 19th

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Buescher State Park Trail Work Day
by kerryp            forums.mtbr.com/texas
Just a reminder, the next work day at Buescher is this Saturday. Come out and help us add some trail to Bastrop’s Lost Pines. Below is the info. Contact Cullen to obtain additional info or ask questions.
Thanks,
*********
I would like to announce a trail workday coming up on 3/23/13 at Buescher State Park from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The work will be a continuation of blazing new trail in the large scale trail upgrade that is going on at the park to make it a multi-use trail system to include mountain biking. The work is…

Tuesday Night Time Trials
Fort Worth Mountain Bikers’ Association
Details and schedule.
Here is the schedule for the 2013 Spring TNTT Series!!!
March 12
March26
April 9
April 23
May 7
May 21
June 4
June 18
We will alternate locations from Gateway Park to Sansom Park. Event details will be posted here prior to each event.

Women’s Bike Brunch Ride
from Bike Friendly Richardson by jenny rilling

March is Women’s History Month and the beginning of spring, so let’s celebrate by taking a leisurely bike ride and eating some delicious brunch. This is a great opportunity to get to know other women who bike in the Richardson area! …

Bike East Dallas Launches
from Biking In Dallas by Eliot Landrum
The Bike East Dallas discount program is officially launching! Taking inspiration from the Local Discount program by Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, I’m offering free stickers and a website listing to any business that provides a bicycle discount. This is a simple and positive way to encourage folks to choose a bike to visit their local businesses. Our slogan is simple: ride your bike, support local, save money! …

On-Street Bicycle Signs Installed in McKinney
by TownSquareBuzz.com McKinney
Submitted by Anna Clark, City of McKinney
Signs going up in McKinney remind motor vehicle drivers that state laws give bicyclists the right to use a full lane on roads. The aim of the new signs is to help keep the roads safe for both riders and drivers.

The signage is in accordance with the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a document issued by the Texas Department of Transportation to specify the standards by which traffic signs, markings and signals are designed, installed and…

Jefferson Bridge Bike Lane Ribbon Cutting!
Event for Bike Friendly Oak Cliff  By Jason Roberts
Saturday, March 23, 2013
[Time]        2:00pm in CDT
Join us on the foot of the Jefferson Bridge (Oak Cliff side) to celebrate the official ribbon cutting for the first buffered two-way bike lane in Dallas! City councilman…

Fayetteville Stage Race Report-Carnage Road
By Kim            bicyclesoutbackracing.net
Submitted by Sheri Rothe and the ladies of Jubilee Subaru
Stage One: Road Race

The race started with temperatures in the high 50s with light winds that picked up as the day progressed. With all the GC positions up for grabs and everyone starting on equal ground, the women’s open field was hungry to race. Attacks started early with a few short breaks and a couple of promising splits that ultimately came back together. The decisive break of the day began with Michelle Gacki from ThinkFinance rolled off the front followed by Sheri Rothe of Jubilee Subaru, and was quickly joined by Nicole Bevers from Shama Cycles. There didn’t seem to be much hope for this break because the girls in it failed to…

Oak Cliff residents launches Kidical Mass Dallas!
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

Iris and Brennen Bechtol have lived in Oak Cliff for some time now.  They love the neighborhood, how bike friendly it is, and how BFOC always had great group rides for them to participate in.  One thing though, they didn’t always feel comfortable taking their 8 year old daughter with…

Police seek help finding tractor-trailer driver who hit Alice bicyclist
By Erica Quiroz            Corpus Christi Caller
ALICE — A man riding a bicycle was hit by a tractor-trailer Tuesday morning in Alice.

Luis David Wyles, 30, was riding his bicycle eastbound on the shoulder of state highway 44 about 7 a.m. Tuesday. A white Kenworth tractor-trailer towing a tanker pulled out of the Tex Best Travel Center and hit him, according to Texas…

Annual Tour de Braz Bike Race revs up
By Megan Mattingly-Arthur            www.chron.com
The Associated Credit Union of Texas invites the community to join the Tour de Braz Bike Club and the Friends of Alvin Parks Foundation for the annual Tour de Braz Bike Race at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 7, at Alvin Community College, 3110 Mustang Road.

The noncompetitive Tour de Braz bike ride features five scenic routes that wind through Brazoria County. Participants can choose 10-, 30-, 50-, 62- or 100-mile routes, all of which depart from the college. …

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Leaning Into Barbed Wire – March 19th Bike Ride

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A rare event took place while I rode through Huffman: two temperature signs agreed on the temperature of 86 degrees. The signs were about a 1/4 mile apart at Action Sign and Lake Houston Untied Methodist Church. While the temperature dropped a few degrees from yesterday’s record one it still felt warm. Scattered clouds with a southeast 12 mph wind aided the feel. I wore a short sleeve jersey but with the wind I think I could’ve worn a long sleeve one. So sunscreen on the arms was required for the first time this year, I think. The wind could not make up it’s mind since it felt like it came from whatever direction I was riding towards.

No route variation today as I rode a typical route through Atascocita, Walden at Lake Houston and across Lake Houston to Huffman. This took me 32.2 miles at 14.9 mph average speed. Now March miles total 393.33 and year to date moved up to 1074.92 miles. When I was leaving the Huffman Chevron riding west on FM1960 I looked ahead to a pasture along side the road. One cow was leaning heavily into the barbed wire fence trying to that “extra green grass” on the other side. Apparently when a cow leans into barbed wire slowly the barbs don’t get their attention. The cow’s head protruded between two strands of barbed wire, one shiny from a recent installation. If the cow keeps at it the fence will be on the ground.

Links to data and maps at Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com.

Tomorrow the high comes down to 77 degrees with a 20% chance of rain. I plan on riding.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 18th

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Dirty Leprechaun Mountain Biking Rally showcases city’s trails
By Mary Beth Cleavelin Special to the Caller-Times

CORPUS CHRISTI — Robert Smith usually enjoys riding his black mountain bike on the steep hills that blanket central Texas.

Shortly after sunrise Sunday morning, he took his passion for biking to a lesser-known spot in Corpus Christi during…

Spin those bicycle wheels this spring
The River Cities        www.dailytrib.com
Spring is a favorite time of year for bicycling. As the weather warms up, the wildflowers and trees burst forth in an explosion of color, lifting your spirits as you increase your heart rate.
From amateur to professional, cyclists find Highland Lakes roadways to be some of the best bicycling available anywhere, says Greg Barbutti, and he should know.
Barbutti is the route marshall for the Hill Country Ride for AIDS, an annual fundraising event that leads almost 1,000 riders along the back roads of eastern Burnet and western Williamson counties each April.
“The nice thing about the Hill Country is the incredible varied terrain,” Barbutti says. “You can choose your own route, whether it’s hard or easy.”
To plot their routes, cycling enthusiasts often turn to modern technology. From short neighborhood…

Nails Creek or Birch Creek State Park, near Sommerville, TX
by vanjr            forums.mtbr.com/texas
I went camping there this weekend and wanted to mention there is a 13 mile multi-use trail connecting the two. I was able to ride it a couple of days with a cross bike and it was a nice for that. Double track. A few mountain bikes out there. I am pretty newbie, but since I could ride it with a cross bike I would say it is very low on the technical scale, but it was pretty fun. Quiet too. Would recommend it.

This thread on the forums at mtbr.com goes back and forth with some thoughts about trails in Austin. Read them all.

Austin Trip in September
by codwater        forums.mtbr.com/texas
I will arriving in town on the September 11th and leaving on the 18th. I am coming to town for the Ole Miss game with my wife and meeting up with some friends. I am thinking that I may be able to fit in one ride on the morning of the 13th. My inquiry is two fold:

1. Where should I rent a bike from? I sold all my bikes except one mountain bike and one commuting bike when I started grad school. So, I no longer have an extra bikes for my wife if she decides she wants to ride.

2. What single trail should I hit? This trip is not a designated biking trip, so I am counting myself lucky to get to bike at all. This trip is more about having…

By-Laws Update & Officer Election
Fredericksburg Cyclists Club
A committee of officers, and members are currently working on a proposed update of the FCC By-Laws.  When that rewrite is completed we will submit the proposed update to club members for comment.  Based on those comments a final draft of the by-laws will be submitted to the club for approval.

Due to his job requirements Terry Dorn has resigned as president effective March 1st.  When the by-laws rewrite is complete we will initiate a process of nominations and…

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