Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for November 8th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Chip seal
by Cyclebum                    www.bikeforums.net
You know. The rough aggregate with high rolling resistance that is pervasive on seal coated highways in Texas. It’s the bane of cyclist and motorist alike. Noisy, tire chewing, gas guzzling stuff.

My question is: When traveling by bike or car in other states, do you recall encountering much of the type of rough seal coat used in Texas? I don’t, raising the question of why is TDOT so enamored of the stuff? If it’s so great, why don’t we see it used extensively in all states? Are they just not as savvy as TDOT?

I am trying to gather as much info as possible before firing off a letter to Austin officialdom. My research so far does not seem to support their argument that it is ‘safer.’ The argument that it is ‘cheap’ doesn’t jive with fact that it is rarely used on city streets. …

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New Tyler Trail – Lindsey Park
by PinkFloyd                forums.mtbr.com
About 9 miles, much of it fast and flowing with several good hills. Well marked. Very smooth compared to Tyler State Park. It’s becoming the favorite area trail for many Tyler area riders.

Lindsey Park is a City of Tyler park located on Spur 364 on the west side of town. Park at the lower softball fields. The trail entrance sign is right across the park road.

A 4-hour endurance race is scheduled there for January 5 at 10AM.

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The Aftermath: Post Season Interview with Ian Moore
By Kim                bicyclesoutbackracing.net
Ian Moore, owner of Bicycles Outback and the elite women’s road racing team Bicycles Outback p/b Jubilee Mitsubishi, shares his thoughts after a very successful season with his first year team.

What was your biggest fear starting your own women’s road racing team?
“That everybody would fight, not get along and kill each other on road trips. My worst memories of working as a mechanic with the Bontrager Pro Women’s Mountain Bike Team was a trip we took from a World Cup in Canada to Vermont–all the women hated each other and fought the entire time in the car. It was the most miserable 6 hours EVER in my life. When we got to Vermont, our team manager silently got out of the car, walked away and…

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The 2012 Dallas Tweed Ride has been postponed
by Christopher Curnutt            Biking in Dallas
Since the inaugural 2009 event, the Dallas Tweed Ride has become the do-not-miss group bicycle ride in Dallas.  We’ve had a couple hundred participants at some of them and I’m convinced we can compete with any other tweed ride in North America.

Jason Roberts, of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, has lead these rides each year only this year he’s facing some challenges that make it impossible for him to join us.  A Dallas Tweed Ride without Jason Roberts would be like a 6th floor window without a conspiracy theory, it’s just not right.  So the BFOC board decided that instead of having the ride without him, they would instead delay it until Jason is back in the saddle, probably a Brooks or…

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Dallas Zombie Ride – Friday Nov 9th
by The Announcer Guy            Biking in Dallas
Okay, people, here it is!
Come out this Friday for the Dallas Zombie Ride! Sure, Halloween was last week but we want to give you one last chance to dress up and be crazy.

We are going to meet at Pizza Lounge at 7:30 and ride at 8. The route will be from Pizza Lounge to Lee Harvey’s then from there to City Tavern in the heart of Downtown Dallas.

Easy, short, sweet.

So start moaning, get the make up on (or come as you are and be a ‘victim’!) and get ready for an awesome time on bikes!
We will have a box at Pizza Lounge to collect any canned food items. Be sire to think of Thanksgiving coming…

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Switching Gears Grander Opening Party – Saturday Nov 10th
by The Announcer Guy            Biking in Dallas

If you missed last year’s grand opening blowout party at Switching Gears Cyclery, you’re getting a second chance at Switching Gears “GRANDER OPENING”. This Saturday from 1-5pm at our new, better and bigger location: 3615 Parry at Exposition. More bicycles and accessories! Plenty of beer provided by DEEP ELLUM BREWERY, wine, soft drinks, and party food. Live music from SEALION, MISSING SIBLING, and LIP SERVICE. Take the dare by…

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Meeting Minutes – November
by salsaTopp            Brazos Valley Mountain Bike Association
Mikey was a grump-cicle to start off with at this week’s meeting. It happens. 😉
Winter Time Trials
Winter Time Trials will begin this week!
Start times will land somewhere between 6:30 and 7 p.m.
There will not be a Time Trial held on Thanksgiving, Christmas or February 14.
Weekly Group Ride

Moves to 6:30 on Tuesdays since it will be dark regardless and this gives more people more time to get out to the lake.
Club Officer Nominations

We will be nominating club officers at the next meeting (Dec. 3). We recommend showing up to the meeting if you would like to be nominated. It is also of note that …you do have to accept the position, we will not force you.
The positions include: …

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Austin cyclists take to the streets to remember cyclist killed by suspected drunk driver
by SHELTON GREEN / KVUE News

AUSTIN — There are countless social cycling groups in Austin, however, Wednesday night members shed their club names and met as one at the Emma Long Center for a Memorial Ride with meaning.

“This is to honor Cody and this is a ride he typically went on,” said Leslie Luciano, a co-worker and friend of Cody Johnson, a cyclist killed last weekend by a suspected drunk driver.

“Cody was doing everything right. He was wearing a helmet, he was being safe and he just got hit by…

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Tweets

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Clear Sky but Drenched – November 8th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Looking at my home weather station as I prepared to start today’s ride I thought I might be slightly over dressed with both a long and short sleeve jersey. The weather station temperature moved from 54 degrees at 7 AM to 79 degrees at 12:09 at the start of my ride. Because I wanted to get going I left the long jersey on. As I rode away the sun felt nice and warm but in the shade the strong ESE 15 mph wind reminded me that fall arrived. Later on I would be glad I wore the long sleeve jersey. The clear blue sky and fairly low humidity (40%) greeted me as I rode along heading south to Eagle Springs, Walden and then over Lake Houston to Huffman before returning home.

Since I missed two days of biking (last ride on Monday) I wanted a longer route to try and hit 100 miles for the week. Saturday will be an off day but I plan on biking Friday and Sunday. The wind supplied plenty of resistance on the south and east portions of the route but the north and west enjoyed a helping hand from the wind. I stopped in Huffman at my usual Chevron station, went inside to fill my water bottle with ice and buy the required Diet Pepsi. I always get a Greensheet newspaper to sit on outside which I did today. Once I got outside I set positioned the Greensheet in the sun and set the Diet Pepsi on top to hold it in place from the wind while I went over to my bike and put my water bottle in the cage and my change holder in the seat bag. A burst of wind passed under the gas canopy and blew my Diet Pepsi off of the Greensheet which in turn blew across the parking spaces. I ran after the flying sheets and caught most of them and one of the station clerks chased down the rest. I tried to reassemble the Greensheet to sit on but the strong wind tried to thwart my efforts. I ended up stepping around the corner out of the wind and succeeded. With the wind I sat in the sun to enjoy the warmth and offset the wind.

This route ended up with 34.54 miles. The Garmin Edge 500 is back to normal after the software crash at the end of Monday’s ride. So I have the usual data and map. Even with the wind I averaged 15.9 mph today and a top speed of 25.3 mph (SportTracks) but I think a more accurate top speed comes from Garmin Connect (22.0 mph) and RideWithGPS.com (21.4 mph). Cadence averaged 81.6 RPM. With today’s mileage I move further into the 6000 territory with 6065.19 miles YTD and 124.96 miles for November. The week to date totals 65.94, not too far from the 100 miles I want for this week. Riding time came in at 2:10:25 plus 24:49 time stopped.

The ride back home from Huffman moved right along with the help of the ESE wind. I felt just right temperature wise. I made great time. Now comes the point that I mentioned earlier about glad I wore the long sleeve jersey. My route took me on the west sidewalk along W. Lake Houston in front of the Bank of America building, Evidently this area ran the water irrigation system enough to fill the street gutter with water. As I rode between the two driveways a SUV drive through the water sending a sheet of water towards me. This happened so sudden that I could not move out of the way so I got drenched. Thankfully my jerseys absorbed the water but my sunglasses were covered with water, my legs and the bike dripped. I made it home and wiped off the bike, glasses and myself. Next time I better stop if the water stands in the gutter.

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup November 7th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Flat Creek Open to Ride – 11/18
by John         AustinBike.com
Flat Creek is going to be open for riding again.  According to a post on MTBR:
Fun Ride @ Flat Creek Crossing Ranch
Date: Sunday, Nov. 18th 2012
Time: 9AM-2PM (ranch closes at 2, demos must be back by 1;30)
Cost: $7/rider
…Our GM, Will Black, who can ride an mtb just a little has offered to do a easy paced skill building lap at 10am. A chance to learn from a one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

You can take a look at the Flat Creek trail info and ride pictures on the site for more information about what the trail is like and see the actual terrain.

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Houston Night Riding—–
by xcracer450                forums.mtbr.com
Hey Guys,
I have a question for Houstonians,

New to the area and come to you seeking some advice. With daylight retracting earlier than we all would like, the possibility of the sun going down during the middle of a ride (assuming you get off around 5) becomes real. With that being said, which trail system do most people prefer to ride during the night, Memorial or Anthills? Being new to the area, I like seeing others on the trail and not feeling “alone” while I am in the woods in pitch black. Therefore, which is more heavily populated with night riders? Also, is one trail system preferred when it comes to ease of ride (smooth, flowing trails without roots and rocks)?

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Bikes Across Borders wants your old bike parts
by Il Pirate                www.austinridgeriders.com
Do you have any spare bicycle parts sitting around getting dusty? Frames? Tires? Wheels? Seats? Racks? Panniers? Entire bicycles? Anything else?
Want to donate them to a good cause? Great! Bikes Across Borders is now accepting donations for our 2013 bicycle migration to Mexico that’s coming up in just two months!

Bikes Across Borders is a non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas that has been working to promote bicycles as a viable mode of transportation both here and in Mexico. We have been in operation since 2001 and since then we have delivered hundreds of bicycles to maquiladora workers, who otherwise spend a disproportionate amount of their income on transportation. We try to intercept many of these bicycles and bicycle parts from the vast waste stream, either by…

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Traffic Skills 101 Clinic
Northwest Cycling Club
Sunday, November 11, 2012 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Zube Park, 17400 Roberts Road, Hockley, TX 77447

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Parks department seeking new hike/bike trails
BY LYXAN TOLEDANES            www.oaoa.com
The City of Odessa Parks and Recreation staff met with residents Wednesday evening to discuss the possibilities of building hike and bike trails in east and south Odessa.

Parks and Recreation Director Steve Patton addressed a group of around 14 people at Mission Fitness about possible TxDOT grant that will fund the creation of two hike and bike trails.

The first hike and bike trail would be built near the intersection of Parks Legado Road and San Machell Drive and extend through the future residential area…

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Recovered from bike wreck, play-by-play man Mark Followill returns
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com
Mavericks play-by-play man Mark Followill is back in the saddle, ready to play hurt after missing the last two games due to injuries suffered in a bicycle accident.

Followill was riding his bike at White Rock Lake on Saturday morning when his tire hit an uneven part of the pavement, sending him flying over the handlebars.

“The first thing that hit the pavement was my face,” said Followill, who feels fortunate that he was wearing a helmet.

Followill spent six hours in the emergency room Saturday and two and a half hours in a dentist’s chair Tuesday. He had one chipped tooth fixed and needed a root canal and…

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Houston Hardcourt presents Texas Bike Polo League Championship
by aleko            leagueofbikepolo.com

Friday, November 9, 2012 – Saturday, November 10, 2012
Host club: Houston Hardcourt
Contact info: apkinalidis@gmail.com
Court size: 2 courts, side by side tennis courts
Hey everybody! This weekend we’re hosting the Texas League of Bike Polo’s first championship!

This is the second tourney that Houston has hosted, and it’s gonna be awesome!

Registration party at my house at 2440 Charleston on the 9th. We got a keg from Southern Star, pretty much the best beer outta Texas.

Polo begins at 9 oclock on Saturday MORNING at Emancipation Park (3018 Dowling).

We’re going to be using the same teams that have been played with throughout all the different Texas League tournaments, so make sure your…

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Results and Updated Series Standings
by League Director                Texas High School Cycling League
Check out all our results by clicking your way over to our Race Series page and checking out the results for each of the races in our South and North scholastic mountain bike series.  Be sure to also check out the overall series standings for each of the two series as they stand prior to the joint series finale & state championships November 11th at the Tyler Speedwaves.

Texas High School Cycling League
2012 Scholastic Mountain Bike Series

South Series Overall Standings Here
North Series Overall Standings Here
DORBA RCP Results Here
TMBRA Waco Results Here

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Tweets

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/266277228990566400

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for November 6th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

CrossHouston2012
www.youtube.com

Videography of the 2012 Cross Houston cyclocross race.

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lOOKING FOR A WARM, SCENIC AREA FOR A FEW WEEKS IN DEC/JAN
by cymro            www.bikeforums.net
We’re thinking of escaping the cold here in Ontario for a while this winter and traveling south with our trailer. The Rio Grande valley is an area that we are looking at. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions. We like hiking and biking in scenic areas.

Any help will be appreciated!

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Austin Cycling Quarterly Newsletter
From the President
Some personal reflections on the changing of the guard by Gilbert D. Martinez, ACA President As I complete my third year as ACA president in December, I find myself reliving a range of emotions. I thought I would be ready to ride away from the responsibility of president with barely a glance in my ACA-branded helmet mirror. I couldn’t wait for the day when I didn’t feel the weight of the organization on my shoulders. I remember feeling angry at times. I’ve been angry about the senseless loss of cyclists’ lives on our roadways. I’ve been angry that some motorists haven’t been charged criminally, even though the facts appear to suggest otherwise. I’ve been angry when cycling facilities and support get short shrift from local journalists and…

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West Texas Cycling Association
Tour Das Hugel
Date: November 10, 2012
Location: Austin, TX
Contact: info@tourdashugel.com
Details: 108 Miles of Austin’s most painful hills… including more than 13,000 feet of climbing. Tour Das Hugel is an annual gathering of scores of riders who brave the steep climbs west of Austin.
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West Texas Championship Series MTB Race 6 of 7
Date: November 11, 2012
Location: Caprock Canyon State Park, TX
Contact: Team Kordestani
Details: West Texas Championship Series Race 6: Quitique Quest
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West Texas Championship Series MTB Race 7 of 7
Date: November 17, 2012
Location: Palo Duro Canyon, TX
Contact: Team Kordestani
Details: West Texas Championship Series Race 7: Palo Duro Marathon
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Cyclocross Cup Race 2 of 5 – Mae Simmons Park
Date: November 25, 2012
Location: Lubbock, TX
Contact: Sun adventure Sports806-351-2453
Details: $20 entry fee with cash payouts. Any bike can race. Best 4 of 5 races count for the series.
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Cyclocross Cup Race 3 of 5 – SE Park
Date: December 2, 2012
Location: Amarillo, TX
Contact: Sun adventure Sports806-351-2453
Details: $20 entry fee with cash payouts. Any bike can race. Best 4 of 5 races count for the series.

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Corinth Cycling Club

Mary completes her 73 mile ride (actually 74) on her 73rd birthday. Just plain awesome. Congrats Mary!

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LMRA Bike Club Morning Ride:
Walnut Creek Baptist Church, Reno – 9:00AM
All Day Event: Nov 09, 2012
Be a Positive Ambassador:
STOP – LOOK – and be SEEN
STOP at all traffic lights and signs.
LOOK before continuing to ensure its clear.
Be SEEN obeying the law while cycling safely.
… be safe and an ambassador for all other cyclists.

Helmets are required for club rides. Smiles encouraged. 😀
Scheduled rides are a go, unless wet or below 40 degrees.
Starting time is 9AM on Winter schedules.

Map to LMRA Bicycle Club ride start locations
This week’s ride start is from Walnut Creek Baptist Church in Reno, TX
220 West Reno Road, Reno, TX

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24 Hrs of Rocky Hill / Camp Eagle Trip 2012
by tonkster                Brazos Valley Mountain Bike Association
Joel’s Recap:
24 Hrs of Rocky Hill
Another successful race for the BVMBA.  Although some of our riders had a few bumps, bruises and sore spots we all left in ONE piece!!!

James and Mark Munnerlyn got the short end of the stick when there 4 man squad was cut in half.  None the less they both put in speedy times and finish with a total of 7 laps.

I finished each lap well within my designated goal time. I only crashed 4 times during my time on the trails with a major wreck on lap 6.  Felt really erie watching the rocks coming straight at me.  I was able to do 9 laps  putting me in10th place for my 2nd attempt at the 24 Hr race.

But the highlight of the 24 Hr wknd was the Dream Team (Mike, JP, Kim and Ali).  They competed in the 3-4 person…

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Bayou Parkland bike bridge honors conservancy founder
By Megan Mattingly-Arthur        www.chron.com
The Hermann Park Conservancy will host a dedication ceremony for the Bill Coats Memorial Bike Bridge at 4 p.m. Nov. 16 at Bayou Parkland on Almeda between South MacGregor and Holcombe.

The dedication, which will take place on the Almeda side of the bridge, will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a procession across the bridge and down to a meadow recently added near the new MacGregor pedestrian underpass.

The bridge honors conservancy and Trees for Houston founder Bill Coats, who died in 2010. It will span nearly 300 feet across Brays Bayou, connecting Hermann Park’s bike trails to the soon-to-be-completed 35-mile Project Brays trail system. …

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Taylor County Commissioners support Abilene federal bike route application
The Taylor County Commissioners’ Court approved a resolution Tuesday to support Abilene officials in an application for federal money that would fund a proposed bike route and sidewalk project along S. 11th Street.

County Judge Downing Bolls said its rare for Abilene to even ask for the county’s blessings, which doesn’t include any monetary support. “The county normally isn’t a part to these kinds of projects,” he said before the Tuesday meeting.

Abilene City Council voted for the application submittal for the Transportation Enhancement program at its Thursday meeting. The program is through…

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Austin, Texas Mountain Biking\Fun Suggestions
by slowwrx                 www.sorba.org/forum
So I’m headed to Austin next week for the F1 race. I’m scheduled to be there for a full week and I’ve already rented a bike.

I’m planning on hitting up Walnut Creek and the Barton Creek Green Belt trail.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for either Mountain Biking, Food, Or Dive Bars. …

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CHeWing ThE PHat: The Perfect Bike
by JaredS            Texas Mountain Bike Trails
I’m asked all the time what’s the perfect bike to ride.  I don’t know why my friends and co-workers ask me that question.  It’s probably because I ride thirty-three miles into work pulling my B.O.B. trailer.  Or because I ride a century on the weekends and return to the fire station with no muscle aches or joint pain.  Or maybe it’s because I can fix my own stuff since my first job was working in a bike shop way back in 1989 in upstate NY where I fell in love with cycling both on and off the road.  None of these things make me any kind of expert but…

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Feature: Southern Elite Cycling Race Team
by WB admin                The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas

1. Who founded the club and how did it come to life?
The Southern Elite Cycling Race Team was originally founded by Bill Edwards around 1986 and was formed mainly to help mentor and coach junior riders to prepare them to compete. The team has great success with numerous national champions and world champions coming from the club.

2. What is your cycling clubs mission?
Formally our mission (as seen on website) is:
“Southern Elite is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a serious long term commitment to maintaining a youth cycling race team. The purpose of the team is to provide financial, mentoring and coaching support to deserving young athletes in the development of their racing careers and in pursuit of the Olympic dream. Each year athletes who meet pre-established qualifying time standards will receive financial support for a…

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Tweets

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