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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Star Stop Exxon – March 18th Bike Ride

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In my continuing quest for route variety I reversed one of my usual routes and rode it backwards, not the bike but the route. This gives me the opportunity to keep focused on the streets to turn onto rather than just mindlessly riding a route and not noticing what passes in front of my eyes. When I reversed today’s route I wasn’t able to go the same exact route because of the one way service roads I ride in the other direction but it was close. I ended up with 28.34 miles at a 15.1 mph average speed. I rode through Oakhurst and then Valley Ranch coming out on the southbound US 59 service road. I am chipping away on my March goal of 581 miles reaching 361.13 miles after today’s ride. Year to date increased to 1042.71 miles. Links to RideWithGPS.com and Garmin Connect maps and stats.

When I reached Porter I stopped at the Star Stop Exxon to get a Diet Pepsi ($.99 for large fountain drink). I was drinking while leaning against one of the pumps when a small foreign gray pickup pulled up not too far from me. Tom, the driver, called out telling me to ride for him. He said his back and limbs don’t allow him to ride now but he had rode the MS150 17 times and hoped to try one more if he could. He also told me he and his sons used to build up bicycles from low to high end ones and that even won a bicycle once from KPRC channel 2 in Houston. When he went to the studio to pick it up he told the people he wanted the ladies in the front and the men in the back.

Before and after Tom stopped I was having a flashback to the 1950’s when I used to sit on Grandmother’s front porch in a glider overlooking US40 west of Zanesville, Oh, and watch the cars and trucks drive by. Sometimes my cousins and I would make some game about what we saw. Today the traffic on US59 buzzing by brought back the same memories.

Then when I was just about finished at Star Stop I got a phone call from a customer I’ve been working with for months telling me they were going to email a purchase order to me by the end of the business day. So it was an interesting stop in Porter.

The weather was beautiful today with partly cloudy skies, a light 5.8 mph west wind and 89.8 degrees on my home weather station when I finished. I again wore a long sleeve jersey for sun protection but I think the leg warmers might be done until the fall. Tomorrow might hit 81 degrees and still no rain. There is a 40% chance on Friday though.

I delayed my ride because I watched stage 1 of Volta Ciclista a Catalunya ESP where it was much warmer than yesterday’s Milan-San Remo race in Italy. EuroSport coverage continues tomorrow.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 17th

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Cyclist dies during Tour de Houston
By Erin Mulvaney        www.chron.com
A man died while riding in the Tour de Houston, as about 5,000 cyclists winded through the city Sunday on the annual ride.

Riders at the event reported a crash early in the ride and several emergency vehicles at the scene for the bike ride that started at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

Susan Christian, director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and producer of the ride, said there were four emergency transports total, which is lower than usual for rides. She said the fatality on the ride was a first for the race.

An incident was called into the ride’s dispatch system during the eighth Tour de Houston, and emergency services were called. Christian could not give specifics about how the man died, but she said it was not the result…

To any riders in the Carrollton area.
By Joe Bicycle        www.bikeforums.net
I am looking for routes for road riding in the Carrollton, TX area. I am preparing to move out there in May/June and I saw road signs in the neighborhood where we are looking for a house that were Bike route designations and “Share The Road”. Any help is appreciated. TIA.

HBC Urban Challenge Ride Ride
Houston Bicycle Club
Sunday 03/24/13        9:00AM
Distance: 40 – 45 miles
The Urban Challenge Rides are in-town group rides, faster and longer than the EZ Rides, each time taking you to different parts of the city. You should be able to maintain a pace of 15 mph for a distance of 40 to 45 miles, usually with one rest stop. …

300-plus mountain bikers pedal at Bent Wheel Bash in Abilene
By John Mangalonzo        Abilene ReporterNews

This is the first year Shane Booth’s been back on the mountain biking circuit and, for the 46-year-old, it’s just like, well, riding a bike.

“I’m relearning the ropes and trying to get back in shape,” Booth, who originally is from New Zealand, said during the 2013 Bent Wheel Bash on Sunday. It’s been eight years since he’s…

Seen at the 2013 Dallas St Patrick’s Parade
by Christopher Curnutt        Biking in Dallas

The weather was perfect for a parade and even better for riding bikes.  I got there too late to join the cyclists who rode in the parade but I made it in plenty of time to take lots of photos and enjoy myself.  Each year this parade attracts over 15,000 people and it was so crowded I had to walk my bike during most of the event.  Afterwards, however, having a bike paid off as I was able…

Meet with Amanda Lipsey, Adventure Cycling Association
Old Tascosa Cycling Club
LRDitto writes “Ms. Lipsey, Development Director for Adventure Cycling Association will meet with persons who are interested in bicycle touring, camping and development of bicycle routes across the USA.

We will meet at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant on Wednesday, March 20, at 9:00 AM. …

Learn to Mountain Bike and Camp Like a Pro
www.tpwd.state.tx.us
Stephen F. Austin State Park Hosting Biking Weekend as Part of Texas Outdoor Family Program
SAN FELIPE—Staff at Texas State Parks began the Texas Outdoor Family (TOF) program a few years ago to encourage more people to get outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Texas Outdoors—teaching entire groups of people the basics of camping and outdoor safety.

And the program has been so successful, that now it’s grown to also include themed camping weekends for topics such as learning to mountain bike, which is being featured Sat. and Sun., March 23-24 at Stephen F. Austin State Park just west of the…

Big Ring Challenge 2013
Houston Cycling Club
Saturday, March 23, 2013 10:00 AM
to Sunday, March 24, 2013, 5:00 PM
Double Lake Recreation Area
Coldspring, TX
The Big Ring Challenge is a weekend mountain bike festival highlighted by a USA Cycling Mountain Bike Race on Sunday March 24, 2013. Sunday will feature the Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association (TMBRA) race with 45 classes between the Category 1, 2, and 3 races. Within the categories (which are delineated by ability) racers will be…

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Wind Not Letting Up – March 17th Bike Ride

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The wind was still kicking up today so March is working on the lion thing. When I left at 1:15 the wind was from the south at 13 mph with 17 mph gusts. Not satisfied with that when I got back home at 3:36 the increased to 13 mph with 21 mph gusts. The sun was in and out of the clouds so the 82 degrees was not quite as warm as you would think. Fortunately I wore a long sleeve jersey for sun protection but I also liked the warmth it provided when the gusts hit. Tomorrow the high could reach 91, unusual for March. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday return to the 70’s. All of this will be great bicycling weather. Some of the clouds looked dark when I started today but no rain showed on the radar and none fell on me. I don’t want to get wet while biking but we need some rain.

In an attempt to mix things up on my route I rode the reverse direction on most of the streets on my to Huffman and added a couple of branches to run some errands. I thought I might ride about 25 miles but I actually rode 29.38. My average speed suffered from the wind and taking it easy and dropped to 14.4 mph. I think my route affected this some as well. You notice different things when you ride from the opposite direction and today was no exception. With many flowers blooming and trees budding there is a plethora of color. Bradford Pear trees are white with tiny green leaves. Azaleas are red, pink and white. Some of the azaleas are very large. My sinus continues to react to all of the pollen and my voice does not last long before I can only whisper but I feel fine all the same. One of the errands was going to Walgreens to pick up a prescription and the lady at the drive in window could just barely hear me but I managed to get my information through the microphone to her.

March miles continue t build hitting 332.79 after today’s ride. I have 248 miles to go for March. Year to date miles crossed over the 1,000 mark totaling 1014.38. Here are the links to RideWithGPS.com and Garmin Connect maps and statistics.

On a sad note, when I got have after my ride I saw a news bulletin from the Houston Chronicle that a bicyclist in today’s Tour de Houston died from medical causes, not a collision. This is the first death for the Tour de Houston. My prayers go out to his family and friends.

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