Route variety avoids boredom so today I changed my northerly route going out of Kingwood by what I call the back way, then north on Loop 494 to New Caney before turning south on the US59 service road. I took my usual route through Valley Ranch, Briar Tree and Oakhurst before going under US59 and back into Kingwood. This route came in at 27.21 miles putting me at 204.16 for January. Now I am only 63 miles away from the 267 goal. No strange encounters during the ride, just the normal road surfaces and traffic. Today marked 6 days in a row of riding. I haven’t done that since September 18 -25, 2012. Today’s route is conducive for my average speed with only 4 traffic lights in the first 10 miles. I did not have to stop for any of them since they were green. The 5th one was green as well. At that point I turned south into the breeze so the extra speed up to that time came in handy.
The start was a little earlier than my recent rides leaving at 1:05 PM and finishing at 2:56 PM. During the ride the temperature was a comfortable 73 to 75 degrees, the clouds varied from scattered to mostly cloudy. I could tell when the cloud cover increased by the coolness in the variable 6 mph breeze. I think I dressed about right with a long sleeve jersey and windbreaker jacket but no leg warmers added to my shorts. The extra few degrees felt good.
The Saturday weather has warmed up for Coldspring but fog is now in the forecast. It looks like I will have to delay my decision on this ride until Friday evening or early Saturday morning. Friday night forecast: Mostly cloudy in the evening, then overcast. Fog overnight. Low of 52F. Winds less than 5 mph. Saturday: Overcast. Fog early. High of 68F. Winds from the South at 5 to 10 mph.
Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions
Derek Whisenhunt. Tall, dark and with the best hair on the team, Derek recently departed Dallas Cowboys Racing to join us here at CCHD. His departure from the Cowboys may have been a prelude to the dismissal of Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator as they both had the same passion for the sport, their own hair and cheese cakes.
Derek is extremely competitive and loves the competitive nature of cycling. He lives by the motto…â€If you’re not first your last†(thank you Ricky Bobby). Friends and family often wonder about his…
The State of Mobility in Denton, 20 years hence.
by bikedenton
Tonight in the upper room of Denton Square Donuts (208 West Oak St), City staff will be on hand to discuss the bike community of Denton and what it is we wish it to evolve into.
The input they receive will help mold the Comprehensive Plan for our fair town for the next 20 years. The Plan itself is a series of guideposts from which Council and staff can refer to develop policy and implementation for the future.
From the DentonPlan2030 website:
The Comprehensive Plan is: …
Dallas Tweed Ride Sunday Feb 17th
by The Announcer Guy      Biking in Dallas
Don your best woolen knickers, press your finest fancy cap, and share the ride with your favorite Tweed Heart at the official Dallas Tweed Ride. Jason Roberts is back, and leading the ride from Klyde Warren Park. We’re cooking up a great afternoon, so be sure to join the event, share the event with your friends and check back regularly for updates.
Date:Â Sunday, February 17th
Meet up time: 1:00 PM
Start time: 1:30 PM
*This event will benefit Jason Roberts’ cancer recovery
2013 El Paso Puzzler
by tonkster         Brazos Valley Mountain Bike Association
The Race was held at Franklin Mountains State Park with a total of 146 confirmed riders as of Wednesday evening pre-registration cutoff time.
The race was cut into 3 pieces to form the 50 mile puzzler. The 1st piece was an 8 mile loop that ran across the lower foothills on the mid north east section of the mountain range and looped back toward the start/finish line to complete the 1st piece of the puzzler.  After nearly 900 ft of climbing my legs and lungs were in for a long day.
Unfortunetly, Mike had 3 pinched flats on the Pipeline Road and had to run the final 2 miles back to the start/finish line. We all know racing and this is one of those things thats just fustrates the heck out of us. Believe me he would recover and recover with a vengeance!!!
The 2nd piece of the puzzle was a 27 mile ride. First we would spin are legs throught the Lazy Cow trail the onto the Old Tin Mine road then we went up and around the southern portion of the Franklin Mts. on Mundy’s Gap trail. I knew It would be a grinder for me and the other five riders I was climbing with. Next thing I hear, in the faint distance “just keep swimming, just keep swimmingâ€. You know it Mitey Mike was…
Day 66: Dequincy, LA to Kountze, TX (66 miles)
www.vaguedirection.com
Finally the storm that the whole of Louisiana has been complaining about is over! It was replaced with light drizzle in the morning, which is nothing compared to the more recent rain, so was a pleasure to ride in. The storm brought with it a cold spell, so it’s the first time it’s felt properly cold on the trip so far. Nothing more layers and gloves don’t solve.
A great ride, the drizzle eventually easing (that phrase sounds like a weather report, don’t you think?). And there it was. Shining, covered in neon lights. Just kidding, it wasn’t shining or covered in neon lights. The Texas state line, at Deweyville, TX. Where the riding gets ‘real’ (i.e. headwinds and hills, apparently). Sorry about the hairy guy in…
Meeting to decide fate of bicycles on toll road
By FAITH HARPERÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â www.tylerpaper.com
A Tyler bicycle club said it has been working on a compromise to keep its members’ rights to ride on Toll 49, but the decision may be decided by a board of directors this afternoon.
Members of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) will consider banning bicycles on the tollway at its meeting at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday at the Baymont Inn, 410 U.S. Highway 79 South, in Henderson.
NET RMA is a governmental agency created to accelerate development projects and implement transportation solutions to enhance the quality of life for East Texans, …
Volunteers Needed
by League Director      Texas High School Cycling League
Volunteers are needed for the Cedar Hill Race Festival February 9-10. (flyer attached)
We need up to 60 volunteers each day for this race to be a success. Please consider volunteering for a 5.5 hour shift or even all day. If you can only volunteer for a shorter shift then please let me know how long and what time of day you can volunteer for.
In short we have three main shifts:
6:30am – 7:45am
7:20M – 12:45pm
12:30pm – 6:10pM
Jobs include:
course set-up
corner marshals (RR, TT, MTB)
traffic control
Pace car drivers
Wheel truck/car drivers
parking control
clean-up
merchandise sales / volunteer check-in / registration
misc. runners
tech help & trouble shooting
First Aid & CPR certified person to staff first aid station
Please let me know ASAP if you can volunteer to help the Texas High School Cycling League with this race. …
Tweet
Check out the updated calendar full of races and events. If you know of another race happening send me an email! http://t.co/nNXX2TNw
The clouds left overnight leaving a blue sky for today’s ride. Temperature just got over the 70 degree mark with 71 when I rolled out at 1:33PM and easing up to 70 when I finished at 3:27PM. A little wind today from the SE at 7 mph. My winter weakened legs and four days of riding could only manage a 14.6 mph average speed. I did hit 20.6 mph for a maximum speed. It might get to 75 tomorrow so I could dress lighter. I wore a long sleeve jersey, shirt sleeve jersey, leg warmers and windbreaker jacket today. The weekend still looks cooler and maybe wet on Friday.
I chose a route to stay west of Lake Houston again by going further west and riding through Atascocita, Eagle Springs and Walden at Lake Houston. Maybe these few warm days will increase the water temperature so the breeze coming off the lake will be warmer. This route totaled 26.38 miles. Two other bicyclists were out enjoying the sun and almost warm weather. January miles now total 176.96 miles, leaving 90 miles to my 267 mile goal for January. This route is mostly on residential streets. I noticed that there are many trees that don’t lose their leaves during winter.
Juniors/High School
Cross Country Permitted
Category – D
University of Texas Road Race Weekend Event is not yet permitted
Please contact event promoter for info
02/16/2013 – 02/17/2013
Austin, TX Online Registration
Time Trial
Road Race
CriteriumPermitted
Category – C
The Wacko Waco MTB Yeah Man Extravaganza!! Event is not yet permitted
Please contact event promoter for info
02/16/2013 – 02/17/2013
Waco, TX Event Website Online Registration
On Feb 2nd, there will be a trek demo day there and I’m going to test ride a Rumblefish and a Fuel EX. We are allowed 30 minutes on each bike.
I’d like to find some technical uphills, fast trails, and rock gardens. Can someone point me out to some of them on this map?
And can you point out the dj/pump track section? If there’s time, I’d like to hit that up too.
Cottonwood creek
by salscott         forums.mtbr.com/texas
As someone just getting into mountain biking and living in Allen, does anyone have experience with cottonwood creek trail in east allen? I understand its a few random trails near each other, but the city has plans to connect their trails in the future. Besides Erwin park, any other places to try nearby?
Here is a story from Matt, one of our Wheelbrothers. Matt is one of the many pieces that make this motely group of ‘brothers’ so special.
Group Ride to the City Council Briefing of the Dallas Bike Plan
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff
As discussed in a recent post of ours, the Dallas City Council will be briefed about the progress of the 2011 Dallas Bike Plan. BFOC is hosting a group ride that morning to city hall from Oak Cliff. We encourage any other Bike Friendly groups to rally their troops and meet up at 8:30 AM at Main St Gardens park to then head over together to attend the meeting.
Once the agenda has been posted to city hall’s website, we’ll update this posting with that information. Here are the group…
Viva Streets! organizational meeting set for Thursday
By Pam LeBlanc         Fit City
When the city closed nearly 3 miles of East Sixth Street to car traffic for one day last year, several thousand people showed up on roller skates, bicycles and skateboards to revel in the car-free zone.
The second annual Viva Streets! is set for May 19 along the same stretch of road, and organizers hope even more people will show up. …
Riding for Red
by WB admin         The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
Imagine Riding 526 Miles Over Just a 6 Day Period? Well That’s the Challenge for Me and 150 Other Riders Who are on a Mission to Help Disaster Victims
Matt
Here is a story from Matt, one of our Wheelbrothers. Matt is one of the many pieces that make this motely group of ‘brothers’ so special.
He is one of those guys that no matter what time you call, he will always be there ‘ready to ride’. Doesn’t matter how cold, how hot, whatever might be going on – Matt simply is there. To me, he is the epitome of what a cyclist is. That ‘man’ will never quit; he has hung in there battling and battling with a never-say-die attitude. He is ALWAYS encouraging others and…
Save these Dates!
by djcurtin            It’s Time To Ride!
Bicycle Sport Shop’s marketing and promotions department has been hard at work planning the 2013 Signature Cycling Series and major partner events. We’ve got the schedule set and want to share the dates for some of your favorite rides–and some brand new ones as well–with you. We’ll have more info on many of these rides in the near future, but mark your calendars and plan on joining us for some two-wheeled fun! …
All Level Ride @ Walnut Creek Fall/Winter hours
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, January 27, 2013Â Â Â Â Â Â 1:30 PM
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.
Cooler weather hours are in effect starting on December 2nd!!
It has been a little bit chilly in the mornings so it is time to change the start time of our ride to 1:30 p.m. Look for a change back to mornings sometime around March 10, 2013.
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. …
Fund Raiser MTB & Cross Race
by TXHSCLÂ Â Â Â Â Â forums.mtbr.com/texas
The 2nd annual Cedar Hill Race Festival Feb. 9-10 now includes a Saturday Cross race and Sunday MTB race.
All to raise money for the Texas H.S. Cycling League and scholastic cycling across Texas.
Saturday: Starlight Custom Apparel Road Race, Knobbies & Slicks Hill Climb TT, & Richardson Bike Mart Cross Race
Sunday: Mountain Bike Race, Road Race
Cross course will be a Bryan Fawley design so you know it’s gonna be good and the men’s 4 and p/1/2/3 cross races will both be under the lights.
Holiday Inn Express in Cedar Hill has a block of rooms for $89 per night. Mention “Cedar Hill Bike Race”
We’ll also have La Antorcha Tacos selling food from 6am to 6pm each day
All to raise money for the development and spread of scholastic cycling across Texas.
Navigate over to the TXBRA website to get more details. Or register via bikereg.
Bluff Creek Ranch MTB Ride
Houston Cycling Club
Sunday, January 27, 2013Â Â Â Â Â Â 9:30 AM
Bluff Creek Ranch
537 Owl Creek Road , Warda, TX (map)
Heading out to Bluff Creek Ranch for some trail riding. There is about 8 miles of sweet single track, you can ride 1 or as many laps as you want. Bluff Creek is about 1 1/2 hour drive in Warda Bring food, snacks, water/drinks, spare tubes, etc. Helmets are required to ride on the ranch. Look for a red Jeep, call me, Jeff, @[masked] if you will be late. There is a $10 land use fee, here is the web site for more info and directions: http://sitekreator.com/BCR/main_page.html
Beginner Road Bike Ride George Bush Park
Houston Cycling Club
Saturday, January 26, 2013Â Â Â Â Â Â 9:00 AM
George Bush Park
Hwy 6 and Briar Forest, Houston, TX (map)
This will be a slow to medium pace ride to Fry road and back about 20-23 miles providing its not flooded out. We will be meeting in the parking lot on Hwy 6 across from Briar Forest, Look for me, Linda, in a white Jeep Liberty my number is [masked]. Please bring water and your helmet
Texas Hell Week – March 9-16, 2013
www.cycletexas.com
We believe this event represents the premiere organized cycling experience in Fredericksburg and the Hill Country. The original Texas Hell Week moved to Fredericksburg in 1994, after we discovered the town and its surrounding area to be ideal for safe cycling. There are over 480 miles of paved roads in Gillespie County, where Fredericksburg is the county seat. The many one-lane farm roads put cyclists in idyllic settings more reminiscent of Europe than Texas.
Hundreds of Cyclists from, well, just about everywhere converge in Fredericksburg during Spring Break. Rides begin every morning with groups of varying capabilities riding routes of various distances. Many routes of well over 100 miles distinguish this event and…
