Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for October 17th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

BIKE MS: SAM’S CLUB 2013
RIDE REGISTRATION KICKS-OFF WITH SPECIAL ONE-DAY PRMOTIONAL RATE OF $18 ON 10/18

Two-Day, 150+ Mile Fundraising Ride Benefiting the National MS Society Marks 26 Years When It Rolls Out May 4-5
WHAT:  Special One-Day Registration Rate: – It’s time once again to gear up for the Metroplex’s largest cycling fundraiser now known as Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride rolling out May 4-5, 2013. Registration for the 26th-annual event, which benefits the National MS Society, opens Oct. 18 with a special one-day promotional rate of $18. Once registered each $25 online donation a participant receives on Oct. 18 — either from a supporter or a self-donation — enters him/her into a drawing for a free Kindle Fire. More than just a ride, this 150+ mile endurance challenge connects cyclists to each other and a great cause as they raise funds, pedal towards a cure and experience the triumph of completing a two-day route that makes a lasso across North Texas from Frisco to Texas Motor Speedway and back. The event has continued to grow in popularity since it first originated in 1987.
WHO:   Anyone (including novice and experienced cyclists) can saddle up and go the distance to achieve a world free of multiple sclerosis. The National MS Society anticipates nearly 3,000 cyclists will register for the event and raise funds to support its mission of creating a world free of MS.
WHEN:  ALL DAY – Thursday, October 18. Special $18 registration rate is valid 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
HOW:   Visit bikeMStexas.org and select the Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-up Ride to register to ride, volunteer or make a donation.
*After Oct. 18 the rate goes up to $25 and will increase incrementally as the ride approaches. See site for details. …

Bike To City Hall Day (tomorrow!) – Safe Passing Ordinance?
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff
Dallas cyclists have some major wins to celebrate this year (first bike lanes and sharrows down, safe passing ordinance draft) and major possible wins coming up on the City Council Agenda!

Council will soon be voting on the 2012 bond, which includes money for more bicycle infrastructure, and next month they’ll vote on a safe-passing ordinance which many bike-friendly cities have enacted. We need to show them that we…

Austin trail conditions status
by swl7            forums.mtbr.com
I know there are many websites bikemojo, ridgeriders, and Twitter @austinMTBtrails that keep up with the trail conditions here in Austin.

However, these updates are very outdated at times (some go back to 2011), and I understand it’s hard to maintain trail conditions across Austin without personally going there.

Any suggestions on how we can achieve the most up-to-date status? I know it rained today, but none of the mentioned websites above have posted trail conditions. …

Cycling in the Hill Country – PR4 loop, 33miles and 2 seconds slower than my personal best for the route
by Don Bynum (from an email I received)
This morning I took my new almost burnt orange Catrike 700 out and ran one of my favorite routes, from my home down RR261 to TX29 then east across Inks Lake to Park Road 4 then south, bearing right just south of the Hoover Valley Store to hit FM1431 across the street from Spykes BBQ, then north on FM1431 through Kingsland, continuing north across TX29 to RR261 then north to home.

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The route has some challenging hills, some gentle climbs and lots of great Texas Hill Country scenery.

I was concerned about how I would get up the really tough hill on PR4 to the overlook at the Devil’s Water Hole since the trike did not get the 25 tooth super-low-geared inner chain ring that I was expecting.  It was tough, but I made it.  I was off the road for nearly three weeks after my Catrike Road’s frame broke irrepairably (thanks to all the horrible cattle guards and bad bridge expansion joints in the area.)  Finally, last Friday, the new machine arrived, with better aerodynamics, a more powerful seating position and a much larger rear wheel (28inch for my fellow Americans and 700mm for my friends who are still hoping to at least become Texans, compared with a 20inch, or 406mm on the dearly departed Catrike Road). The extended time off left me pretty out of shape.

The larger rear wheel provides much higher effective gearing… fun downhill, harder work up hill… and that “harder uphill” aspect has already inflicted some pain when I rode with Gil Jones on Monday. Gil was on his Catrike Expedition which has had the 25 tooth inner chain ring modification and I really suffered on one pretty steep hill we climbed that day, while he came up the hill slower, but without his eyeballs about to be blown out of his head by the effort.

OK, I made it.  It was a bear but I skint the bugger.  I completed the entire 33.09 mile loop in a time only 2 seconds slower than my personal best time for this route, set in early August when I was in much better shape. I made the ride in 2hr 13min 35sec.  My average speed was 14.8mph with an average heart rate of 127bpm and with an average cadence of 84rpm.  My maximum heart rate was 146bpm, experienced on the climb on PR4 up to the Devil’s Water Hole overlook.  My maximum speed was 35mph on the descent on TX29 to the Inks Lake Bridge. I burned about 2,206 calories.  Nothing fell off the trike, but then there were, on this route, none of Llano County Roads Dept’s entries in their competition with Blanco County for who can make the worst damned cattle guards in the region.

A nap sounds really nice right now.

Dallas officials bike to City Hall to show support for making city more bike-friendly
By Matt Peterson            cityhallblog.dallasnews.com

City officials traded four wheels for two Wednesday to ride with bike enthusiasts as part of “Bike to City Hall Day.”

The group met in Oak Cliff and rode to City Hall, where the City Council and Dallas bike coordinator Max Kalhammer held a news conference on how the city will improve its biking infrastructure.

“This is the community and this is the leadership that’s going to put bicycle infrastructure in Dallas,” said District 3 council member Scott Griggs, who occasional. “Cities aren’t born with bike infrastructure, it’s people like you and it’s…

6th Annual Bike Around the Bay passes through Chambers County
www.theanahuacprogress.com

With over 950 registered riders, the Galveston Bay Foundation (“GBF”) is geared up for Bike Around the Bay this weekend! Bike Around the Bay is a fully supported two-day, 180-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay showcasing the natural beauty of Galveston Bay and benefiting GBF. The proceeds benefit projects that preserve wetlands, protect natural habitat, and enhance the water quality of the bay for present users and for posterity.

For the first time in the event’s six-year history, cyclists will make a complete 180-mile loop around Galveston Bay, starting and ending at Barbers Hill Intermediate School in Mont Belvieu, TX. GBF again welcomes Shell as…

FWISD students form bike club
www.star-telegram.com

Students at the Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences, a Fort Worth ISD school that opened last year, have launched a bike club. They meet Tuesdays and Thursdays to ride as a club, but rode with a special guest Wednesday, cyclist and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

https://twitter.com/grandpajerald/status/258777219655163904

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Flying with the Wind Before Getting Slammed by Wind – October 17th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The weather reverted back to summer today. No rain but perspiration made up for it. Yesterday I rode in the rain but today full sunshine with scattered clouds and 90 degrees. This could be the last 90 degree day for the year but I hope there are more. Wind kicked up to 13.8 mph with 21.9 mph gusts all from the southwest which probably explains the 90 degrees. Humidity registered 48% making for a drying wind. My wrist bands absorbed what little perspiration my arms generated.

I chose a northerly route going up US59 to New Caney and then turning back south to home. Riding north I flew hitting my max speed of 22.1 mph with the helping tailwind. Once I got to FM1485 and make the turn underneath US59 I hit the headwind. My speed dropped from 20+ to 13 mph or so as I battled the wind. Some stretches where the tree cover came up closer to the service road I managed a burst of speed. My overall averaged speed was 15.1 mph with 75.9 RPM average cadence. The south service road took me to the Valley Ranch entrance and I got some relief going west and then north for about a mile. Some trees broke the wind until I turned left onto Valley Ranch Parkway. With a slight uphill grade and the wind I slowed way down. Going south on Valley Ranch Parkway was like a wind tunnel with the high trees on each side of the road set back enough to provide a path for the wind come at me.

After crossing over FM1314 I was back amidst the trees close to the road but once I got to the two schools on Briar Tree I was back out in the open struggling against the wind. Leaving the open spaces and back amongst the trees the wind diminished until I got back on the US59 south service road to Kingwood Drive. Another U-turn under US59 and I had a tailwind for about a mile and a half taking me into Kings Manor and more houses and trees to break the wind up. From there on speed drops due to the residential and trails slowing me down. I got home at 4:04, riding 2:02:04 plus 10:20 time stopped. I started rather late at 1:51 for various reasons mostly waiting for the sun to burn off some of the clouds left over from yesterday’s rain front.

The mileage standings after today’s ride: 100.02 for the week, 449.13 for October and 5745.98 YTD. I washed the bike and waxed the chain before I started the ride which also contributed to the later start. Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for October 16th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

More bike lanes in Oak Cliff!
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

Head down to Bishop Boulevard and you’ll see the latest bike lanes installed by the city of Dallas connecting Methodist Hospital to the Bishop Arts District (b/w Colorado and Davis). This was one of the first projects BFOC helped work on with the local neighborhood, and Counilwoman Delia Jasso. Not only does this thin the road, making car speeds slower and safer, but also allows for inset parking. The other advantage is crossing distances for pedestrians have just…

Imports rebound across all categories
by Steve Frothingham            Bicycle Retailer & Industry News
WASHINGTON, DC (BRAIN) — Imports through August are up 29 percent overall, reaching 12,470,453 bikes, 2.8 million more bikes than 2011, which was the lowest year for imports in more than a decade.

Imports so far are 4 percent over the average of the previous five years, 2006 to 2010, though down a million bikes compared with August 2010. The bulk of the gain is in kids’ categories that were up more than 30 percent. Yet the adult categories of road and mountain bikes are up 19 and 18 percent, respectively.

Though unit imports are up 29 percent, the value of those imports rose only 16 percent, and average unit value fell 10 percent to $86. The average value of a road bike was $304 last year and…

BCT Halloween Casual Ride : Wednesday October 31, 2012
by Jorge “Soup” Martinez        Bronc Cycling Team
Join us for the second annual BCT Halloween Social Ride! Please feel free to bring a costume for the ride! This ride is a nice easy casual ride, at about a 10-11 mile per hour pace. All that is required is a helmet! we will be meeting at:

The UTPA “Quad” (the grassy area between the student union, health science buildings, and the COAS building). Time: 5:45 pm (so we can get back before dark!) We hope to see all of you guys there! It’s scary how much fun it’s going to be! …

Willing to trade your car for a bike?
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
Ever considered ditching your car for a bike? Permanently?

The Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling bicycle celebration, is STILL looking for someone willing to give up four wheels for two.

Each year, Tour de Fat hands over a bike (or, as is the case this year, a $2,250 budget at a local bike shop) to someone who vows to live car-free for a year.

Vehicles for Charity will auction the car, with proceeds to benefit local cycling organizations. …

Nullifying the fear of bikes for Denton pedestrians
by Jay Schyler Raadt of North Texas Daily
DENTON — A monstrous, half-metal, half-flesh beast approaches at inhuman speeds while making various clicking and spinning sounds. Immediately, a primal sense of fear is felt in the pedestrian. He or she has no idea what to do, and the reaction is to jump out of the way of this danger.

Jump back five seconds. The cyclist sees an approaching pedestrian on his or her left side, while the cyclist is riding on the right side like they should. In order to avoid a collision – something anyone with common…

Bike-wise Aggies
University police raise bicyle-safety awareness
By Shrikant Chaturvedi            www.thebatt.com
As student enrollment in Texas A&M increases, so does the amount of cyclists. With a higher density of bicycles on the campus, public safety is of greater concern.

Students are not aware of the fact that general traffic rules also apply while riding bicycles. Reckless riding on the bikes could turn these two-wheeled machines into dangerous vehicles and could even result in fines.

Lt. Allan Baron of the University Police Department said he hopes all cyclists obey traffic laws when riding bikes on campus.

The intersections of Joe Routt Boulevard and Throckmorton Street and Ireland Street are the two most common locations where…

PBA Fall Century
by Chris Mathews            Plano Bicycle Association

CHeWing ThE PHat: Riding over logs!
by JaredS        Texas Mountain Bike Trails
Okay, so you’ve been riding a mountain bike awhile now and some trails are just kicking you in the butt.  Some of these Texas Mountain Bike Trails have dips, valleys, roots, rocks, sand, and log crossings.   Can you get over those log crossings with grace and finesse?  Well maybe after reading this you can!

But first here is the disclaimer:  As you know Mountain Biking can be a potentially dangerous activity, up to and including death.  Wear your helmet and be careful riding above your skill level. …

https://twitter.com/MarkandMaryRide/status/258342012993024001

Sunscreen No Shield Against Rain – October 16th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I thought if I put sunscreen on the rain must avoid the area where I rode. Not true! While sunscreen blocks the sun ultraviolet rays it cannot block rain drops but they run off the skin easier. Overcast skies at the start of the ride did not look that threatening. After checking the radar I changed my route from the north to the south to stay away from a band of rain northwest of Conroe and Huntsville, not that I would ride that far. The radar movement showed the rain moving to the northeast.

With the temperature at 78 degrees I set off at 12:43 PM. My departure delay came from grocery shopping. My plan was to wait for the sky to clear up some by the time I got finished at the grocery but the overcast sky remained. The route to Huffman and back is my normal one although I added a different section to the beginning in an attempt to ride 30 miles. That part worked. All went well on the ride. I stopped at the Huffman Chevron for my Diet Pepsi and a trail mix bar. This stop did not take that long since I got a phone call from my wife with disturbing news about her cancer so I wanted to hurry back home.

Back riding again after the brief stop in Huffman I started to feel some rain drops as I approached the east end of the McKay Causeway over Lake Houston on FM1960. Once you are on the causeway there is no place to hide from the rain but it wasn’t raining hard, just sprinkles. By the time I reached the west end of the causeway the rain picked up slightly. I felt the temperature drop but attributed it to the wet jersey. Still not a heavy rain and no lightning or thunder I proceeded to W. Lake Houston Parkway where I turned north. At this point the rain got heavier. I rode along W. Lake Houston Parkway on the trail beside the road to the bridge just north of the YMCA. I took the trail under the bridges and stopped under the south bound bridge for about 10 minutes to see if the rain would move out. It did not so I took off to go home. With the wet streets I reduced my speed to avoid a spill and to not get covered with road grit. I got home at 3:14 and pulled into the garage. Dry felt good. By then the temperature fell to 72 degrees. Thankfully the wind was 4 mph from the WSW.

I did hit my mileage goal, riding 30.24 miles. Surprisingly I managed 15.4 mph average speed even riding slowly the last 3 miles. Max speed was 24.0 mph (SportTracks) with 79.1 RPM average cadence. Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com show lower top speeds (20.5 mph and 19.7 mph respectively). Mileage totals: 69.36 for the week, 418.46 for October and 5715.31 YTD. 1:57:57 riding time plus 33:14 stop time.

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