Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 11th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Behind The Scenes
Texas Mountain Bike Trails
http://youtu.be/qaySxVJSqRk
I had some extra video clips laying around from the bike nutrition tip video, I thought I would put that together and show you what my process is for making these videos.

I include this next because of the picture. I did not ride today because it was cool and windy. Warmer on Tuesday!

Monday’s weather creates dangerous fire conditions in southwest parts of region
By Erin Mulvaney        Houston Chronicle

…Relative humidity levels are forecast to fall to 17 and 25 percent with north to northwest winds at 15 to 20 miles per hour, the weather service said in a warning. A red flag warning is issued with…

THE RACING POST March 2013 Edition

A monthly magazine dedicated to those who ride bicycles and like to ride them – fast.  Event coverage includes Road racing, Off-road racing, Track racing, Triathlons, Bicycle rallies, and all levels of bicycle training.

Tour de Houston: It’s a ride, not a race
Houston Chronicle

The route offers enough variety to keep the ride interesting, Christian said. […] finding 35 miles of bike-friendly road without bumping into a construction project “is a challenge every year,” she said, and the Metro rail construction – which stretches east to west now through the heart of the Inner Loop -made it harder than ever to find a decent route this year. […] Christian said, they look at the route from the cyclists’ point of view: “What’s going to be pleasant to ride through?” The Tour de Houston, by the way, never goes in a loop; riders always head…

“Heads Down” Display for Bicycles
By Sean Michael Ragan            blog.makezine.com

So far the coolest thing I’ve seen at SXSW has been this clever early-stage prototype from our own Matt Richardson. It’s a “dynamic bike headlight” that projects your speed (and potentially other useful information) onto the road in front of…

Houston can tranform utility easements into greenways
Houston Chronicle
Texas’ legislative session offers Houston a biennial opportunity to change some of Houston’s characteristics that, for whatever reason, are defined by Austin and not City Hall. So if Houston doesn’t get the changes we want now, we’ll have to wait another two years. And two years is too long to wait to open our city’s utility easements to hike and bike trails.

As the city and private donors pour hundreds of millions into rejuvenating and connecting Houston’s bicycle paths, transmission-line easements could serve as the missing north-south piece to criss the bayou greenways that cross Houston east-west, linking them all together in a single network. While opening this land wouldn’t…

The Changing Art of Teaching a Child to Ride a Bike with Pam Cosgrove of Joovy
by Michelle LaRowe            www.enannysource.com
As a mom to a soon to be three-year-old, teaching him to ride a bike is next up on the agenda. But, like with many things in the parenting world, how you teach a child to ride a bike is changing. More and more parents are opting to start their children off on a balance bike instead of a traditional bicycle with training wheels. Being a mom who likes to be in the know, I decided to give the balance bike a try too, so I reached out to my friends at Joovy  to learn more about the growing trend of balance bikes and asked them to send over their…

RIDE OF SILENCE
West Texas Turtles        www.westtexasturtles.com
10th Annual Ride of Silence
Wed. May 15th, 2013
One Day, One Time, Free Worldwide.
Broadway and Buddy Holly Dr.
Downtown Lubbock.
Starts promptly at 7:00 PM,
Please arrive by 6:30.
Helmets are Mandatory.
Lights are recommended.
Pace:
Slow, Distance: 6 Miles
Rideofsilence.org

So what happened to 2012 and how is 2013 going?
by donbynum            Don Bynum’s Blog
After creating posts regularly for two and a half years, I seemed to stall out somehow around mid-year of 2012.  I still cycled, I still sailed and I sure as heck survived so … well it is pretty simple.  I fell into the habit of just posting stuff on Facebook rather than going to the trouble of writing a blog post.

For a variety of reasons, I made no great new rides in 2012, but I rode my favorite routes around the Llano and Burnet County areas adding in adventures into San Saba, Blanco, Gillespie and Kendall Counties.  All of this took place on familiar routes.   After going to Shreveport for the Holiday in Dixie Regatta in early May, most of my sailing was of the much more important variety.  The high point was when our…

Study: Outdoor recreation provides 227,000 Texas jobs
By Neal Morton            www.mysanantonio.com
Outdoor recreation, such as bicycling and hunting, provides nearly 277,000 direct jobs in Texas and generates $1.9 billion in state and local tax revenue each year, according to a new study released Monday.

In its Outdoor Recreation Economy report, the Outdoor Industry Association found consumers spend $28.7 billion on outdoor recreation in Texas, providing…

DFW Results & Next Race March 23-24
by League Director in News
Texas High School Cycling League
Results from the DFW weekend Crit and Road Race are posted on our race series tab.

The next race weekend is at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls on March 23-24.  This race weekend is hosted by the only college or university in the…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/COABikeProgram/status/311222898591416320

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/311195854482579456

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/311189598627835904

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/311097753356869632

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 10th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Hop to the Gap
El Paso Bicycle Club Ride
Sunday, March 31        TBD
Description:     Meet at Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Rd (at Artcraft). Moderate-pace (15-17) ride to Anthony Gap via the Rollers and Upper Valley. 38 miles. Larry Reid, 915-241-xxxx

2013 Volunteer Sign-Up Bicycle Sport Shop Pace Bend Race
Presented by The North Face and the Austin Ridge Riders
Austin, TX
Saturday, April 20, 2013 to Sunday, April 21, 2013
Volunteer benefits (besides a lot of fun and some great riding!):
Complimentary park entry fees for all volunteers.
One night complimentary camping for each day of scheduled volunteer work.
Awesome PBR tshirt.
Sack lunches on the days worked.
Potluck dinner Saturday night.
Examples of volunteer duties include:…

Join BikeHouston on a road trip to the State Capitol.
by Chris Lockwood        BikeHouston
BikeHouston is inviting members of the cycling community to join us on a trip to Austin for BikeTexas Cyclists in Suits – Texas Bike Lobby Day.

A chartered bus will transport attendees, departing early Monday morning and arriving in Austin to join cyclists from all over Texas to take part in this biennial event. Once there, you’ll be briefed on the issues that are currently vital to cyclists’ interests and best practices for meeting with state legislators. Our goal is to help BikeTexas rally cyclists from every legislative district in Texas to remind lawmakers that we’re…

Short clip of mountain bike trails at Canyon Lake Park, Texas
by tx78666

After a series of 6-12″ drops, my camera ended up pointing at the ground. I kind of like the angle

New Berlin Ride
San Antonio Wheelmen
Date:     03/17/2013
Time:     08:00 AM-11:00 AM
Location:     Brietzke Station
9015 FM 775
Seguin, TX 78155
Details: New Berlin Ride (E) [F to R]. Routes of 22, 34, 43, and 70 miles.
This ride is essentially a reverse of the popular Woman Hollering Creek Ride with a few new twists.  The ride begins and ends at Briezke Station in New Berlin.  After the ride, there will be an opportunity to have lunch at…

Reveille Peak Ranch March 9 2013
Austin Ridge Riders (Photo gallery)

The Alligator Ride
Lone Star Cyclists
Pace: Touring with a Fast Pace Option (Touring is a varied pace with frequent stops averaging 12-15 mph)
Date: Saturday, March 16, 2013 – 8:30am
Location: Lowe’s Home Improvement, 4444 N Galloway Ave, Mesquite
Please park as close as possible to Barnes Bridge Road.
Distances: 36 and 59 Miles

Every year the Mesquite Rodeo Ride offers up some great roads to travel, and this weekend we are going to ride on some of them. We have a couple of routes to choose from: 36 and 59 miles. Come enjoy some pretty, rolling countryside in a setting that is a…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/danielcurtin/status/310740468164075521

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/310739687906111489

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 9th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Local cyclists take on statewide challenge
By Bill Cullins            www.gosanangelo.com
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Ten local high school students will be competing this weekend in the first race of the 2013 Texas High School Mountain Bike League series (texasmtb.org). This is the second year that a team from the San Angelo area has competed in the race series.

They’ll be racing against high school cyclists from across the state on the challenging trails of Rocky Hill Ranch near Smithville.

After Smithville, they’ll move on to high school league events at Reveille Peak Ranch near Burnet on…

Friday Night Advanced Beginner/Intermediate – Bull Creek
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Friday, March 15, 2013            5:30 PM
Bull Creek
Old Spicewood Springs Rd, Austin, TX (map)
Look for group on bikes!

Let’s get together and celebrate the first Friday of Daylight Savings Time with a return to Bull Creek!  Ride will be a lap or two of the Bull Creek trail, or as much as we can get in before dark.

We’ll meet at the small paved parking lot ~5:30, ready to roll at…

Get on Board with Biking
www.dart.org

Reaching a trailhead by DART Rail is great, but it’s only a start. DART offers a comprehensive suite of bike-friendly amenities on buses as well as our trains. Between DART and your trusty two-wheeler, you can get just about anywhere – run errands, hit your favorite entertainment spots, spend a day in your favorite destination neighborhood (think Lower Greenville, Bishop Arts) or even get to work by a combo of DART and pedal power.

And by going green, you’ll save some green, too: according to the Texas Transportation Institute of Texas A&M University, Dallas-area…

Learn essential skills for cycling in traffic – online!
Austin Cycling Association
Valuable for experienced cyclists, as well as beginners. “Do I have to ride at the edge of the road, or can I control my lane?” “How can I encourage drivers to give me enough space, and cooperate with me?” “What laws apply to me as a cyclist?”

In this course, you’ll find the answers.

This is over 2 hours and 110 pages of interactive content that you can access on your own schedule–all at once or a bit at a…

8:00am – Ride Ataxia
by Scott Franklin
When: Sat Mar 23, 2013 8am to 10:30am  CDT

Locals find inner strength, sense of adventure on treacherous mountain trails
By EMMA MILLS Herald-Banner Staff

Controlled rock slides, 80-degree downward slopes, frigid temperatures, and grueling physical duress was not enough to stop two local men from testing their limits. They competed in the most challenging aspect of the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest – a 62-mile long bike trail in the mountains of Lajitas, Texas that is considered as one of the most physically challenging bike trails in the world.

Both married and fathers of two, Dan Houpt, 51, of Heath, and Brad Peters, 45, of Rockwall, never thought they would end up in a…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/GarrettOlsen/status/310426848351887360

https://twitter.com/danielcurtin/status/310575816369139712

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 8th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Local Cyclists Share Tips on Safe Biking After Death of a Fellow Rider
By: Meredith Hillgartner        everythinglubbock.com
“A lot of it is finding people to ride with because out in West Texas there aren’t that many,” Morgan- Fleming said.  “I am the only high school cyclist that I know of.”

At 17 years old Alexander Morgan-Fleming is one of the youngest cyclist in West Texas.

Morgan-Fleming is a member of the West Texas cycling association-the same club as Paul Nichols.

“Paul was like not a mentor but he always pushed me,” Morgan-Fleming said.

“We all believed that he knew what he was doing,” Davis said. “It just goes to…

Texans at 2013 National Bike Summit
by Susan Wilcox            BikeTexas

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood speaks at NBS 13.Eighteen Texans, including four BikeTexas staff, were in Washington, D.C. this week for the National Bike Summit. Texas sends a strong delegation every year, and 2013 was no exception! This year’s theme was “Bicycling Means Business,” and many speakers addressed the ways in which cycling benefits businesses and local economies across the nation.

In addition to our delegates being in D.C., Texas bike leaders also spoke at the conference: Jason Roberts of…

OPC ADVENTURE TRIP: BUCK CREEK MNT. BIKING APRIL 20TH
techannounce.ttu.edu
Don’t miss out on joining us for one of west Texas’ best single track mountain biking venues! We’re headed to Abilene, TX to ride the local Buck Creek Mountain Biking Trails. With a 13 mile loop of single track, this will be a fantastic opportunity for experienced beginners to be challenged and advance their skills. For competent riders, this trip will give you an opportunity to test your skills, improve technique and try out a new place!

Registration Specifics
Trip Dates: April 20
Early Signup Deadline:  April 10
Early Trip Cost: $35.00
Late Signup Deadline: April 17
Late Trip Cost: $45.00
Pre-trip Meeting:    April 18 @ 6 PM…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/JDL_ATX/status/310097524990038016