Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for January 9th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Flat Creek Open Ride Day 2/3
by John            AustinBike.com
Flat Creek Crossing will be open for a pre-ride on February 3rd.

There aren’t that many days that are available for riding, so you should really get out there and see the trails yourself.  Mellow Johnny’s are the folks responsible for getting us access, so if you have a chance be sure to thank them.

For more information you can read this:  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/mellow-classic-flat-creek-crossing-pre-ride/

If you haven’t been there, info on the trails and pics are here: Flat Creek Ranch – Johnson City…

Mayor Annise Parker Announces Major Sponsorship for Houston Bike Share Program
pedalhouston.org
Mayor Annise Parker today announced Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) has committed $750,000 to expand Houston B-cycle, sharing the City’s commitment to provide healthy transportation alternatives to residents.

“We are excited and proud of our new partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “Bike Share is a great new transportation program for Houston and with the support of BCBSTX we are able to expand our pilot into a thriving program, providing a real commuter and recreational transportation option…

Beginner Mountain Bike Ride at Hershey Park
Houston Cycling Club
Saturday, January 19, 2013        9:00 AM
Terry Hershey Park
15200 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX (map)

This will be a beginner\ introductory mountain bike ride through the Hershey Park mountain bike trails. We will ride for an hour or two on easy trails and jeep roads. Please make sure your bike is in good working order and bring your helmet! I will be there at 9 AM to answer questions and plan on starting the ride at 9:30. I will bring an air pump for low tires. You should bring water, Gatorade or whatever you want to drink. Look for my red Jeep or call me, Jeff, at…

Tuesday Ride at Walnut Creek – Intermediate ride level
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Tuesday, January 15, 2013        4:30 PM
Walnut Creek Park
12138 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX (map)
Getting dark earlier so starting this at 4:30 pm so we have time to get a full loop in.

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…

OTC Bike& Parts Swap/Garage Sale
Old Tascosa Cycling Club Forums
“OTC will be Hosting a Swap/Sell event Jan. 19th from 10am til 2PM Saturday the cost to set up a table will be $10. It will be held InDoors on 2nd Street just West of Grant Street Building #6, Just North of The Civic Center More Info. to come.So gather up all your goods and come on down.Don’t Miss Out!!!!!

Goodbye Bob Pfarr
By Roland San Miguel        Corinth Cycling Club

Bob Pfarr Jr. – It is with a heavy heart that we continue to remember the memory of Mr. Bob Pfarr. Bob was the latest addition to our race team. Last Saturday night I dropped off his team arm warmers and gloves. He invited my wife and I in for a glass of wine, unfortunately we declined. Monday afternoon, a couple of hours before his bike ride, I took Bob a team race kit. I clearly recall the huge smile on his face as he told me that the size large bibs that I delivered fit perfectly, he normally wore XL. Bob proudly showed…

Leon Creek Greenway Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Sunday, January 13th:  This 23+ mile ride will start from the Valero Trailhead next to the Drury Inn Suites (Frontage road at the intersection of 1604 and IH10) at 10:00 am.  This is an out and back ride suitable for beginners since you can turn around at any time during the ride.   For more information contact ride leaders Debbie…

2013 Launch of My Houston 2040: Brainstorming the City of Houston Inner Loop West Mobility Study
www.bikehouston.com
My Houston 2040 is launching their 2013 series of monthly meetings this Thursday at Rudyard’s British Pub. Jay Crossley will be speaking about the Inner Loop West Study done by Annise Parker, Office of the Mayor | City of Houston. Jay will explain the study and lead a discussion in using the study to develop our future city and also bring up points where we, as citizens, could be asking for more improvements/changes based upon the study’s results.
Co-hosted by Houston Tomorrow, Air Alliance Houston, Social Agency Lab, & Citizens’ Transportation Coalition Thursday, January 10, 2013
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Rudyard’s Upstairs, 2010 Waugh Drive
Free and open to the public.
Food and drinks available at bar.

The Idea
Houston Tomorrow, Air Alliance Houston, and the Citizens’ Transportation Coalition agree that…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/danielcurtin/status/289167439214833665

https://twitter.com/pedalmikester/status/289086304011026432

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for January 8th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A Sober, Data-Based Approach to Bicycle Advocacy
by Sarah Goodyear                www.theatlanticcities.com

In their new book, John Pucher and Ralph Buehler come right out and state their belief in plain English: “Cycling should be made feasible, convenient, and safe for everyone.” The editors of City Cycling, just published by MIT Press, aim to further that cause by gathering together as much data as they could find to support their case that “it is hard to beat cycling when it comes to environmental, economic, and…

Double Lake Trailwork Day
GHORBA
Sunday, January 20, 2013 – 9:00am
Free entry for trail workers! Meet at trailhead-parking area. Bring shovels for dirt work on the “hills” between the first road crossing and the powerline. Bring loppers for opening up an ovegrown section of the Yetti Loop. Three hours of work and then we’ll put the wheels down and ride.

State Cross Race
By Catherine        Bicycles Outback Race Team
Cyclocross is my favorite discipline. I love the atmosphere and how family friendly it is. This year has been very crazy with highs & lows. This weekend I felt both. Coming off of my 3rd bout of bronchitis this weekend I was not on my A game. The first 2 practice laps went smoothly. On the 3rd I dismounted my bike & did something to my left knee. I was unable to pedal without full pedal strength. Every remount was painful & I did not know if I would be able to start. Ian helped me out with some Aleve & I was able to start but mainly because of pure stubbornness. The beginning of the race was fast with Faith Watkins pushing the pace up the road. Christina Gokey-Smith & I were able to get around & hit the grass first but this did not last long. The run up was not my friend today but the crowd was insane. Jenny Park…

2013 TMBRA Race Series
Texas Mountain Bike Racing
Interested in racing the 2013 TMBRA race series?

Here’s a big change to the 2013 TMBRA race series that you need to know.

For 2013 TMBRA has combined the two separate spring and fall series into 1 MEGA-SERIES! It’s like a super race series spanning the entire year. With a break during the deadly summer heat of course.
What does this mean?

Well, it means two things.

First, It means you have a lot more opportunity to pick and choose which races you will participate in. Of the 14 races in the series, only 8 of them will count for points. This means that you get to “drop” 6 of them. So you can choose only to race the closest 8 races and the remaining 6 won’t count against you in the…

Lunchtime Links: Mountain Biking Group Catalogs Nation’s Trails
By Anita Ferrer             associationsnow.com
A mountain biker intends to map out every trail in the country with help of the International Mountain Bicycling Association. Also: Tumblr’s director of outreach shares tips for using the free blogging platform.

Mountain bicycling is not for the faint at heart. It takes energy and strength to bike through some of the harshest trails in the country, not to mention a good sense of direction. That’s no problem for photographer and mapping expert Leslie Kehmeier.

Trailing away: As Leslie Kehmeier bikes across the country to catalog every trail in the nation, she’s accompanied by a crew of members of the International Mountain Bicycling Association. Her passion for mountain biking and mapping translate to…

Emma Long Trail Review and the City of Austin Environmental Board
by Il Pirate            Austin Ridge Riders
Recently, there has been discuss on cycling forum regarding trails located within Emma Long Metropolitan Park. The steep trails of Emma Long Park, originally established for moto-cross motorcycle use, have become a point of much discussion and concern regarding closure.

ARR President Lee Compton and ARR City Park Trail Steward Mike Linden attended the first meeting November 27 and more recently on December 21, Mike participated in a walk-through of the park along with other stakeholders. Mike has posted a summary of what occurred and what to expect in the future. You can learn more about the walk through and follow the discussed on the club website or, for more passionate…

Chain Reaction Ministries and Bicycle World to hold “Bicycle ReCycling” event.
BikeHouston.org
Chain Reaction Ministries has teamed with one of our project partners—Bicycle World—to hold a special “Bicycle ReCycling” event. Bring your unwanted bicycles to the locations listed below, on the date next to them, and receive a coupon for a discount on the purchase of a new bicycle.

• $50 coupon for an operable bike
• $25 coupon for an inoperable bike…

Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental Team Introductions

James Krahula – (The Dirty Kolache). The Kolache has risen, like a Phoenix, from the ashes, to race again for CCHD. James is best known for being our EPIX clothing rep. Epix provide the most awesomest kits in the UNIVERSE!!! With the exception of the shorts…maybe add an inch in length at the thigh, but other than that, they are the most awesomest kits in the UNIVERSE!!! I digress…

Last time we checked in with the Kolache he was being hauled away in an ambulance out near Texarkana. Seems that our yellow…

2013 MS150 Recommended Ride Calendar
Bike Brookshire
The 2013 MS150 Houston to Austin takes place on April 20-21 this year.  The usual recommended rides are back on the calendar for 2013.  Start your training and keep it going all the way upto the event by taking part in these well supported ridesMS150 recommended rides for the 2013 tour denoted as *ms*

Jan 20 – Frost Bike 50 *ms* – starts at Lone Star College – Barker Cypress
Feb 2 – Clay Walker’s Band Against MS *ms*- starts Houston Oaks Club
Feb 4 – Puddle for the Ducks *ms* – starts at Sun & Ski Sports Katy Mills
Feb 9 – Pedaling the Prairie *ms* – starts at Waller County Fairgrounds
Feb 23 – Bulldog Bike Ride *ms* – starts at Waller Junior High School
Feb 24 – Spring Breakaway *ms* – starts at Sun & Ski Katy Mills Mall
Mar 9 – Pedal Thru the Pines *ms* – Bastrop High School
Mar 3 – Continental Airlines Cycling Classic – (United Airlines) Montgomery High School
Mar 17 – Tour De Houston
Mar 23 – Bluebonnet Express *ms* – starts at Waller ISD Stadium
Apr 13– Katy Ram Challenge *ms* – starts at Sun and Ski Sports Katy Mills
Apr 13 – Bessies Creek 24 – race headquarters at La Quinta Brookshire
Apr 20 – MS150 – Houston to Austin – view complete route maps
May 3 – Bike For Mike – Fulshear, Texas – great recovery ride…

Meeting Minutes – 7 January 2012
by msrarkitex            Brazos Valley Mountain Bike Association
The notes are not as pretty as the usual notes. Our Sec. is out sick.  Get better soon!
Attendees:  Mike R, Jonathan L, Justin F, Gina H, John F, Joel R, Boone F, James M, J.P. R, Travis P,

Elections:  Justin F. was elected President, Patrick F. was elected VP, and Jonathan L. was elected Sec/Tres for the 2013 year. Congratulations!

Trail Maintenance is scheduled for this Saturday at 8:00.  Meet at the boat ramp parking lot.  There are several misc. items that need to be worked on including repair of a few bridges, clearing out the “falling” canopy on Last Call, repairing the wash-out in Rat Maze, and repairing the “trenches” on Goat Trail and…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/texasroundup/status/288774665017643008

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/288762130260430848

 

Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup January 7th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Thankful
by Cat            bicyclesoutbackracing.net
My year started by mistake. I had no plans on racing my bike seriously, I was done with it but little did I know the bike was not done with me. if you know me I am an accident waiting to happen. My college running career was marred with injuries. Then cycling came my hobby & so did extremely high heart rates (highest ever 242) which left me with dizzy/fainting spills & in the hospital to many times. So I stopped riding had 2 beautiful, intelligent, & supper sassy daughters. When I thought about a comeback I was hit with some bad news, I had Melanoma! So, I became a hermit, staying away from the sun. Then Xterra came to Waco. I thought I could do that but my old running injuries came back, stress fractures, IT band & hip flexor issues plus, a broken toe from…

Lakeway Trails Ride Pics – 1-6-13
AustinBike.com

It was a bit slick today, but despite that, we managed to get in a great ride at Lakeway. There are clearly places on the trail that, because of the heavy canopy, stay a little wetter than the rest of the trails.  Despite the slide conditions, we hit about 1500+ feet of climbing in the approximately 14 miles of…

All Level Ride @ Walnut Creek Fall/Winter hours
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, January 13, 2013        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…

2013. Roll out.
Pedalhouston.com
Some people head to the gym.  Some people head to the park.  Some people head for the open road.  New year resolutions aren’t cliche, they are our free pass at a fresh start to do something positive with our life.  Riding your bike has a lot of those positives.  It can be social, it’s definitely fitness related and it’s also therapeutic for your mind as well.

In the past couple of years, there has been a great surge of cyclists in the Houston community.  Thank social media for the infectious spread of meetups and bike crawls.  Thank your local bike shops for their weekly ride initiatives.  Last but not least, thank your local cycling advocation groups and city affiliates for making a lot…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/288426921577033729

https://twitter.com/FtWMntBikers/status/288422898803286016

https://twitter.com/BikeMSValero/status/288352590348042240

https://twitter.com/JuliaBikes/status/288297163979620354

 

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for January 6th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I shutter to think that distracted driving is now moving to the bicycle.

iGrip: Slap that phone on your bike handle and email on the go
A German gadget maker is at CES 2013, aiming to land U.S. retail partners to sell holders for phones and tablets. It showed its products at CES Unveiled.
by Paul Sloan            ces.cnet.com

LAS VEGAS — The Consumer Electronics show never has a shortage of accessory companies aiming to serve the growing number of devices we all carry — and CES 2013 looks like it’ll be no exception. Most are easy to ignore. iGrip, made by the German company Herbert Richter, however, stands out, particularly because the mounts are…

Sign Petition to Support Complete Streets
BikeHouston
BikeHouston asks members and friends to support adoption of Complete Streets design by all governments in the Houston area.

The people of the Houston region travel by many different modes for many different purposes, including walking, biking, automobiles, transit, and freight. All streets should be designed with the safety and ease of travel of all users in mind. This has not been done in many cases across the Houston region, but we can no longer suffer deficient infrastructure. All local governments…

8:00am – Cup o Joe
Corinth Cycling Club
by Scott Franklin
When: Sat Jan 26, 2013 8am to 9:30am  CST
Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
Event Description: The Cup o’ Joe is a beginner level ride of around 15 miles. The ride heads south to Hickory Creek and stops for drinks at Starbucks on the way home. The ride leader for this ride is Bob Troyer.

January Club Ride
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Colorado Bend State Park, San Saba, Texas
Saturday – January 12            11:00 a.m.  Start Time
Kid Trips will be hosting an event for the Girl Scout Winter Jamboree at Colorado Bend State Park and this gives us a great excuse to visit the beautiful trails of this lovely park. We’ll be starting the ride later to allow people to make the drive out.  Colorado Bend Sp has a variety of geological features that make this park extremely popular. Throughout the park are sinkholes, caves and springs. Some of the trails have creek crossing and one well known highlight is the large waterfall, Gorman Falls, that is located on the west end of the park.

Please note the later Group Ride Start Time of 11:00 a.m. This will give everyone time to drive out and ride! …

Tweets

https://twitter.com/CharlieZamastil/status/288039448460005377

https://twitter.com/danielcurtin/status/288040399027699713

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/288037118704496641

https://twitter.com/thejurgy/status/287993010036289536

https://twitter.com/InMotionBikes/status/287956515560767488

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/287936403663384576

https://twitter.com/bikenoob/status/287928706729656320