Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for January 11th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Fort Worth Trail Work day – Gateway Park 2/2/2013 – 8:30am
by beechnut            forums.mtbr.com/texas/
We’ll be out on the East side of Gateway again in February to continue work on the Phase 2 trail.

Meet at the gas burn-off turn in. fort worth – Google Maps

Tools, Lunch and drinks provided. Just bring us the bodies!

Recap from the January workday:
Originally Posted by M2RIDER
Finally, at last, seasonable weather returned to Gateway Park. The January Gateway Park Workfest welcomed FWMBA volunteers to a frosty morning. The weather for the first three Workfests of the 2012-2013 trail building season were, quite frankly, hot! So warm in fact that we spent finishing off the December Workfest by building a shady enclave at the FWMBA Rally Point for future respites from the sun.

With a cool, sunny morning to begin the day and mild afternoon ahead on tap FWMBA volunteers continued trail building on the east side trail network at Gateway Park. More volunteer trail hours were added to FWMBA’s contribution towards the upcoming RTP grant dollars ahead for…

Thursday Ride at Walnut Creek – Beginner/intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Thursday, January 17, 2013        4:30 PM
Walnut Creek Park
12138 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX (map)
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 4:30 pm. We meet in the parking lot near the pool in the middle of the island.
Any question please call/text  me at…

Flat Rock Ranch – Short notice
Houston Cycling Club
Sunday, January 13, 2013        10:00 AM
Flat Rock Ranch
Flat Rock Creek Rd Comfort, TX 78013, Comfort, TX (edit map)

This is an intermediate ride in Comfort, TX. Plan on arriving around 10 am and wheels down at 10:30. I have never been but here is their website:
http://www.flatrockranch.net/
Look for my red Jeep or call me @…

Reveille Peak Ranch
by Shawn McAfee                Texas Mountain Bike Trails »

Reveille Peak Ranch is one of the premiere mountain biking trails in the state of Texas. With over 60 miles of combined singletrack and doubletrack riding it has plenty for anyone. Located in Burnet Texas, it is in the heart of the Texas Hill Country off of Lake Buchanan, and only an hour away from the incredibly popular Fredericksburg. It’s location makes for a great opportunity to take your significant other to Fredericksburg for a romantic weekend getaway followed up with a…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/289803778746613760

Double Long Sleeves – January 11th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

By this time of the year the leaves should be off the trees but with our rather warm December they hung around. Because of this when I started today’s ride the 70 degrees felt cooler than that helped by the 8 mph SSE breeze. At first I was going to wear a long sleeve jersey over a short sleeve one but for some reason I changed to two long sleeve jerseys. I am glad I did. Probably a better choice would have been a windbreaker over a long sleeve jersey. No leg warmers today. When I left the house at 12:57 the clouds were broken enough for some sun to shine through for a little warming effect but as the ride progressed the clouds thickened and by the time I got back home at 3:19 the sun was covered by clouds.

Today’s route to Huffman and back was the first road ride of the year. I thought the miles would be less than 30 but it turned out to be 30.08 which brings January miles up to 49.38, still short of the 267.25 from last year but a step in the right direction. Getting on the road Sunday, Monday and Tuesday does not look promising with the high temperature each day in the 40’s, well below my 60 degree cutoff. So I will be looking for riding opportunities starting Wednesday. Getting on the windtrainer may be the best I can do.

As expected riding over Lake Houston on the FM1960 causeway was chilly with the wind blowing cool air off the lake. It seemed extra cool going west because I stopped in Huffman at the Chevron station to make a phone call and cooled down too much. when I got back on the bike the cool wind and no sun made for a chilling ride. I did not warm up from there until I got home.

The only other bicyclists I saw were on W. Lake Houston Parkway while I went north and they rode south on the bike lane.

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com ride data.

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup January 10th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

How Strava Is Changing the Way We Ride
A new social-media app for cycling has more than a million riders racing, cheating, and even dying for virtual supremacy over the world’s roads and trails. A recent convert to the cult explains how Strava is changing the way we ride.
By: Tom Vanderbilt        Outside Magazine, January 2013

A few winters ago 35-year-old Massachusetts cyclist Tim Johnson, one of the country’s top cyclocross pros, was holed up in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, training on the area’s labyrinthine network of canyon roads. He was staying at the house of Ben Bostrom, 38, a champion motorcycle racer and accomplished road cyclist. The training ground was Latigo Canyon Road, a twisting and relentlessly ascending…

Walnut Creek Workday
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
When:  Saturday, January 12, 2013 from 10:00AM til 1:00PM
Meeting location:  Western edge of the pool parking lot (dirt/gravel parking)
What to bring:  gloves, shovels, and rakes.

Description:  With the recent rain, several of the erosion problems have been highlighted.  There are several small fixes that can be done with the soil is moist and the trail is closed to riding.  ARR member Cullen McMorrow will be leading the effort and will have waivers for all to sign.  If there are enough volunteers, the worklist includes:

(1) New layer of dirt on BMX Loop S-berm that we looked at. It has some log protruding. Needs about 12 wheelbarrows of dirt.   Also can address some of the root issues on the climb immediately following…

Cedar Hill to Ovilla and Beyond
Lone Star Cyclists
Pace: Touring (varied pace with frequent stops averaging 12-15 mph)
Date: Saturday, January 26, 2013 – 9:00am
Location: Cedar Hill High School, Hwy 67 and Cooper St, Cedar Hill (East side of Hwy 67)
Distances: 26 and 45 Miles

This route will take us southeast to Ovilla, then the long riders will hit the outskirts of Waxahachie before returning through Midlothian.

Lunch: To be determined

Exact ride details subject to change based on weather, road conditions, etc.
Ride Leader: Determined on-site

Valley Ridge Park to Maypearl
Lone Star Cyclists
Pace: Touring (varied pace with frequent stops averaging 12-15 mph)
Date: Saturday, February 2, 2013 – 9:00am
Location: Valley Ridge Park. From Lake Ridge Parkway west of Hwy 67, turn west on Texas Plume Road. At the stop sign turn right on Sweeping Meadows Lane. Park in the first lot on the right.

Distances: 43 and 62 Miles

On this year’s Groundhog Day we’ll meet up in Cedar Hill again, head south to Midlothian, and then descend to Maypearl for some great vistas and country roads. The Maypearl countryside is hilly, challenging, and well worth the visit. We’ve never seen a groundhog in Maypearl, but there is always a first time for everything!

Lunch: To be determined

Exact ride details subject to change based on weather, road conditions, etc.
Ride Leader: Determined on-site

Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride
www.texasmonthly.com
Dr. Pepper Ballpark 7300 RoughRiders Trail Frisco, TX 75034
visit web site call 469-619-4700

Saddle up for the Metroplex’s largest cycling fundraiser — the two-day, 150+ mile Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride — rolling out May 4-5, 2013. Register as an individual or team participant and help stop multiple sclerosis in its tracks. Connecting both novice and experienced cyclists to each other and the cause, riders will raise funds, go the distance and experience the triumph of finishing this scenic test of endurance. Start at Frisco’s Dr. Pepper Ballpark; enjoy an overnight stop at Texas Motor Speedway in…

Ridden & Reviewed: Road Tubeless
by djcurtin                It’s Time To Ride!
To road tubeless, or not to road tubeless? That is the question.

Ask any of the folks around the shop that ride mountain bikes and they’ll almost all universally tell you that yes, of course they ride tubeless. But ask any of the roadies and the number is bound to be much smaller. Why is that?

For years, since at least the introduction of Universal System for Tubeless (UST) standard in 1999, mountain bike riders have enjoyed the benefits of lower pressures, added traction, the elimination of pinch flats, and when ridden with sealant, the virtual elimination of smaller punctures thanks to tubeless. One reason that it caught on with trail riders is the fact that on a mountain bike where rims are wider, tire volumes are higher, and air pressure is lower it’s easier to set a dedicated UST system up and know that…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/289577639289708544

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/289576239725948929

https://twitter.com/JuliaBikes/status/289419331685728256

Finally Got on the Bike – January 10th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I finally got to ride today for the first time this year. Between sickness, cold weather and rain I did not get to ride. So today I decided to break the ice so to say and rode 19.3 miles on my Motobecane 700HT MT. I figured since my legs probably did not remember how to turn the pedals riding the trails would be the best choice. The weather cooperated with 71 degrees and a nice clear sky. This is the first clear sky in at least 5 days so getting out to ride was even more calling.  It has rained here for the last two days and the trails were wet with many branches and other debris. In two places I went off the trail to ride around fallen branches.

My choice of clothing today included a long sleeve jersey, leg warmers and a windbreaker jacket. The choice kept me comfortable even when I was in the woods and out of the sunlight on some of the trails.

I varied my route today by going to the Northpark Recreation Area on the north end of Woodland Hills Drive. It has been a long time since my last visit. As I reached the edge of one of the parking lots I could see the street in a new subdivision under construction on the far side of the soccer field. I looked at the soccer field to see if it was dry enough to ride across and decided it was. I made it past the field to a drainage ditch overflow barrier and then into the the dirt area beside the new street. It looked wet but I found a somewhat dry route and made it to the street. Surprisingly I did not leave a trail in the dirt and my tires showed only a little of the dirt sticking to them.

After that I stayed on the paved trails and some side streets. The water drained from the trails except for a couple of spots. Starting my ride at 12:44 probably accounted for not many people on the trails today.

Last January I rode 267.25 miles. I will have to get some help from the weather if I am going to match that this year. The weather for tomorrow is supposed to be 72 degrees wit a 20% chance of rain. I plan riding my road bike then since the streets should be dry by then.

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