Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for December 13th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Bike program prods kids to improve at school
By Robert Stanton            Houston Chronicle
The North Pole may be thousands of miles away, but that hasn’t stopped scores of Santa’s elves from working their tunics off to put together bicycles for Houston-area students.

This year, the nonprofit Elves & More organization is on track to deliver 10,000 new bicycles and helmets to economically challenged students who signed pledges in August to improve their reading grades and maintain a satisfactory or above on their conduct grade.

The 4,000 volunteers – many of them doctors, engineers and lawyers who are donating their vacation time to the project – have been working since Dec. 8 to construct the…

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The First Annual Austin Mountain Biking Video Contest
by John                AustinBike.com
Do you bike?  Do you take videos?  Are you a shameless atention whore?  If you answered yes to at least two of these, you need to read on.  If you answered yes to all three, then you are either Woody, or someone about to become famous in Austin for the first annual Austin Mountain Biking Video contest.

Here’s how the videos will be viewed/judged:
go to youtube.
log in as bikemojoatx@gmail.com
password: bikemojo69.

Once there, upload your video, share it. We’ll watch all the videos at the event.  Be sure to load the videos on to YouTube before the event.

We’ll judge there, live, and there will be some prizes for the winner(s).

A couple of things to remember: …

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Grumpier Commute
by Steve A            DFW Point-to-Point
Some weeks are pleasant. Some are like, well, like this one. It started with the weather. The weather has been below freezing in the morning and 60 or even above on the ride home. Those comfy thermal, waterproof Salomon boots are simply sweaty on the ride home.

It got grumpier on Tuesday. Not that I EVER wear earphones, but if I HAD (apologies to OJ Simpson’s book), I’d have heard a local talk radio host WHINING and MOANING about bikes ON THE ROAD in Dallas. This guy, talking from a radio station that boasts “Intelligent” as part of its moniker, blathered on about “bike lanes” in Dallas (actually sharrows) and then dropped down to jokes about “squishing” cyclists…

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Tweets

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Slight Break in the Cold – December 13th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A break in the cold temperature came today with 65 degrees when I started down the driveway at 1:40 PM under a clear sky and no wind to speak of. Cabin fever held at bay with this ride. I did have to dress warm though with a long sleeve jersey over a short sleeve jersey and then a windbreaker jacket. I added leg warmers but no full finger gloves although there were times when I thought I needed them. Not wanting to get too far from home I rode my mountain bike on the Kingwood trails. No one else ventured out with me though. It was delightful to finally get some saddle and pedal time this week.

The route I rode totaled 17.47 miles at a 12.4 mph average speed, 19.0 mph top speed and 77.4 RPM average cadence. More details are in the second slide down below the videos. since this the first ride of the week th weekly total is the same as the ride. December miles total 186.85 and 6464.0 miles YTD. I hope to get into the 200 mile level by the end of the month if the weather will cooperate.

Before I started the ride I shot a short video of my Motobecane 700HT mountain bike.

This video shows some clips as I rode on the trails in Kingwood. To be different I will let the video recount some of the ride.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”66″ size=”auto”][/wppa]

 

 

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for December 12th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

‘Green lanes’ double in U.S. in 2012
by Steve Frothingham                Bicycle Retailer & Industry News
BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — The number of protected bike lanes, also called “green lanes,” in the U.S. has doubled in 2012 and is on track to double again next year, according to Bikes Belong.

Green lanes have a physical separation, such as a curb, parked cars or plastic posts, between moving cars and bikes.

“Increasingly, U.S. cities want to make riding a bike a practical and comfortable way to get around for short trips,” said Martha Roskowski, director of the Green Lane Project. “The growing popularity of urban living, the decline in driving by young people and a desire for more attractive public places are inspiring cash-strapped…

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Tuesday: Intermediate/Advanced Mountain Bike Ride at the Ant Hills
Houston Cycling Club
Tuesday, December 18, 2012        6:15 PM
15200 Memorial Dr
Houston, Tex (map)
Look for group and ask if it’s us! call me, Jeff @ [masked] if you have any questions or are going to be late.

This will be a medium to fast pace ride through the Ant Hills of Hershey Park! Bring WATER, spare tube/tire, snacks, etc…Helmets required. Call if you are going to be late so we can wait for you. Wheels rolling by 6:30! See you there

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Chainring in 2013 Ride
http://www.corinthcycling.com/ccblueoval.jpg
On Sunday December 16th Corinth Cycling and the Harden Dental Team will be doing a 100 mile ride departing Crownover Middle School at 10:00am. This ride will follow the route linked below and will have sag support thanks to Darrell Hull who will provide his pick-up and driver. You can bring your wheels, bottles, food etc. We will provide a cooler for some drink and food storage.

The ride will be a “base mileage ride”. Speed you ask? It will be conversational pace, no hard efforts. Everyone is welcome for the whole ride or portion there of…

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The Pedal Pusher – December 2012
Northwest Cycling Club, Houston
Northwest Cycling

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Forty Degree Spread
by Steve A                DFW Point-to-Point
Big Temperature Swings Mean You Lug More Around – No, I Didn’t Take Off the Cotton Socks!
Absent things like lightning, “postal mix,” and other precipitation events, the toughest weather facing a bicycle commuter is, IMO, really large temperature spreads. A thirty degree spread usually means a big rise through the day. We had two days this week with bigger temperature swings than that. Thirty degree swings often occur in North Texas. 49 in the morning and 80 on the way home.

Still more challenging are those unusual days with a forty degree spread. These bigger swings are less common, but occasionally occur in the winter when a warm front sweeps through shortly after dawn. We’re talking 30 degrees on the way to work and 70 on the…

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Trainer Rides
by Ken                Texas Racing Life
Houston usually has beautiful weather for winter training. The weather is very mild through the winter months, and there are not many super rainy days. Because of this I have never bought clothing for extreme conditions below 40 degrees. This is my weather cutoff, and buying clothing for colder conditions is just not worth it. For times when it is colder,  I have the trainer.

The last two days have been around 30 in the morning, so it was too cold for me to commute to work. Plus, I have lost one of my winter gloves (I suspect my dog). By the time I get home from work, it’s dark and cold again. This is always the most depressing time of year, when I spend the…

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Race Preview – Outback Cyclocross Race Weekend – Dec. 15-16, 2012  
texascx.com
Can you believe this crap? We’re almost done.

The first of the remaining three weekends (or No. 10 for those battling in TX Cup) is finally upon us. So c’mon out – here’s our chance to make some news in sleepy Waco.

Bicycles Outback team stars, Ian and Cat Moore are working with the ultra fast Bryan Fawley to promote a stellar new event. Here’s all you need to know:

New course in TXCX. Is there any other venue on the calendar that you can compare it to?
Yes, After I meet with Ian and Cat as they showed me the area…my mind was running wild. This course will have a few features that will remind you of  Tough Cross and…

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Tweets

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for December 11th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

These lights fit right in with the western living in Texas.

Problem Solvers Brake Stud Light Mount Review
urbanvelo.org

Mounting your light down low has certain advantages — better depth perception, less chance of blinding oncoming drivers/riders with high powered lights, and free space on the bars. In my case bar space on my city commuter is not only in short supply due to my front cargo rack, but handlebar mounted lights can interfere with and are blocked by my typical cargo loads. In Urban Velo #33 we wrote up a…

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What’s Behind the Rise in Cyclist and Pedestrian Deaths?
by Angie Schmitt                streetsblog.net
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is out with traffic fatality data for 2011, and the news is not good for cyclists, pedestrians or, for that matter, anyone who uses U.S. roadways.

Last year, 677 cyclists were killed in the United States — an 8.7 percent increase over 2010. Photo: Bike Portland

While motor vehicle deaths declined to a still mind-numbing 32,000, cycling deaths were up 8.7 percent, and 3 percent more pedestrians were killed. The increase represented a break with recent trends, and folks all over the…

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Looking for places to ride on new years trip to Austin/San Antonio
by seancs14                    forums.mtbr.com
Thinking about spending the new years weekend on a quick trip from DFW (home) to Austin/San Antonio/hill country. We want to ride each day, but aren’t very familiar with trails outside of DFW. I’m already sure I want to go to Reveille Peak Ranch, but what are other good rides in the DFW to San Antonio corridor. We’re totally open other than we want to be in San Antonio for new year’s eve.

What are everyone’s suggestions on where to go? …(several replies)

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South Llano State Park this weekend…
by In-Yo-Grill                    forums.mtbr.com
Took the family to South Llano State Park for my son’s 17th birthday. We had a blast riding the trails and saw lots of wildlife. This place is known for it’s turkey population and it didn’t disappoint us. We saw/heard turkeys the whole time we were there. For anyone interested in some good trails to train in these are the ones. This park has 25 miles of single and double track with challenging climbs.

We also took a ride from the park into town and it was worth the 20 mile round trip. The city park has lots to do. Multiple basketball courts, volleyball, disc golf and of course fishing the Llano river.

It’s definitely on my list to go back during the summer so I can take advantage of the river. …

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Lindsey Four Endurance Race – January 5th, 10AM
by PinkFloyd                    forums.mtbr.com
The Tyler Bicycle Club is hosting a four hour endurance mountain bike race, The Lindsey Four, at Lindsey Park on Saturday, January 5th at 10:00 am. You can compete individually or as a team. We will have music and food throughout the race.

Tim McCellon is the race director for the Lindsey Four and you may contact him through email at…

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Ride East From the Oasis
Lone Star Cyclists
Pace: Touring (varied pace with frequent stops averaging 12-15 mph)
Date: Saturday, December 15, 2012 – 8:30am
Location: The Oasis / Lynn Creek Marina, Joe Pool Lake, 5700 Lake Ridge Parkway, Grand Prairie

Join us for a ride through Duncanville, Lancaster (almost), DeSoto, Glenn Heights, Cedar Hill, and Midlothian (if you do the long route) finishing in time to get home and spruce-up for the Holiday Party.

Let’s have lunch after the ride at the Oasis or On The Border (SE corner of Hwy 360 and Camp Wisdom Road).
Distances: 44 and 60 Miles

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2012 Holiday Boutique Ride – This Weekend
by UrbanPedal                Dallas Cycle Chic
Bike Friendly South Dallas, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff & Dallas Cycle Style present

If you haven’t been to Deep Ellum or Exposition Park in the daylight lately you’re in for a pleasant surprise. There are some real niche boutiques, owned by Dallas locals, nestled between all the great bars and restaurants. We have 8 on our list, including the…

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Kohl’s donates bike helmets
By Mollie Bryant        Amarillo Globe-News

Kohl’s donated $29,290 to Northwest Texas Healthcare System on Thursday to go toward 5,000 bicycle helmets for Amarillo Independent School District students who attend Windsor, Bivins, Ridgecrest, Belmar, Sunrise, Western Plateau, Glenwood and Olson elementary schools.

“The generosity they show and their effort to keep kids safe is amazing,” said Debbie…

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Hill Country Bicycling Touring Club Rides
December 16, 2012 9:00 am
Lone Oak Cafe
12237 Hwy 87 eastAdkins, TX78101

January 5, 2013 9:00 am
Castroville-Lytle Ride
Sammy’s Restaurant
202 US Hwy 90 East, Castroville, TX, 78009

January 6, 2013 9:00 am
Good Time River and Town Tour
Lions Field Senior Center
2809 Broadway, San Antonio, TX, 78209

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PBA NEW YEAR’S DAY RIDE
Date:  January 1, 2013
Time: 10 am
Start/finish location: TBD (probably NW corner of Coit and Spring Creek, Plano)
Distances:  TBD (probably 3 distances, say 30, 40 and 50 miles)
Pace packs: TBD (probably more than 1)
Ride leaders: TBD
Maps: Maybe
After ride food provided by Andrew Hoodwin: TBD (BBQ would be good)

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Advanced ride Gruene, TX 30 or 55 miles river road and more
Austin Cycling Meetup
Sunday, December 16, 2012        9:00 AM
Gruene Hall
1601 Hunter Rd, New Braunfels, TX (map)
large parking lot across form gruene hall

This is a great ride at an 17+ pace.  Must be able to keep up as this is a Drop ride. We will regroup, but route is designed for quick stops and pedaling the miles.

2 x 2 Paceline and designed as a winter training team ride.
Any questions please ask.
Please wear helmet, bring 2 full water bottles, snacks, and a bank card for…

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Tweets

https://twitter.com/BikePaulie/status/278678541959315456

As if you needed to read this one!

I had to post this one!!!

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