Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for October 11th

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Rick Vosper: Where will we get the next generation of affordable bikes?
by Steve Frothingham                    www.bicycleretailer.com
Here’s an interesting question, especially coming so close to that national monument to the benefits of ruthless colonialism known as Columbus Day. It goes something like this: The nascent Chinese recession notwithstanding, the cost of manufacturing bicycles in China will only continue to rise over time. So where will America’s next generation of affordable bikes come from?

As I say, it’s an interesting question. And an increasingly timely one, for three reasons:
–The first is that every bike company I’m aware of is already asking it, at least internally…but not one of them is discussing the answers publically.
–The second reason is, that may…

Injured cyclist still able to tune up for ride
By Jessica Belasco            www.mysanantonio.com

Laid up after shoulder surgery last summer, 17-year-old Ian Kramer knew he needed a project to occupy his time.

So Kramer, who seems to have more hobbies than most teenage boys have video games, decided to combine two of his interests: music and raising money for Bike MS, an annual bike ride benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He has participated in the ride since 2008.

To meet the $300 fundraising minimum, Kramer began selling CDs of his piano performances recorded by his piano teacher, Tim Wilborn. So far, he has sold…

Cycling The Globe: Austin To Houston
by Rudy Pospisil            blogs.theprovince.com

The terrain has changed dramatically past Austin. The dry endless moonscape desert-type land to the west has turned lush and green. Ranches with horses, cows, sheep, goats line the road. Wildlife has appeared within the endless thick tree-lined road and the dry streams are now carrying running water like arteries bringing the land to life. The hills are still endless but not as high. Up and down all along the road the lumpy terrain goes on forever. My altimeter says I have climbed 75,000 vertical feet (25,000 metres) My odometer reads 1,523 (2,500 km) since I started. By…

Burnaby fire captain riding across United States
By Alfie Lau, Burnaby Now
Burnaby fire captain Rudy Pospisil is about halfway through his latest ride.

Pospisil contacted the Burnaby NOW from just outside of Austin, Texas, where he’s relaxing midway through his seven-week bicycle ride across the United States.

“I started in San Diego on Sept. 20 and when I finish on Nov. 6, election day, I’ll be in…

Kentucky man rides through Jacksonville on quest to raise awareness of childhood obesity
by Amy Brocato Pearson Jacksonville Daily Progress

JACKSONVILLE — When Steve Stewart hopped on his black bike two weeks ago in Frankfort, Kentucky, he had two simple goals in mind: to raise awareness of childhood obesity and to get school systems nationwide to take a look at the program he developed to help combat sedentary lifestyles and boost learning.

Stewart, 41, is bicycling through the 10 states with the highest childhood obesity rates – all of which are located in the South, Texas among them – and plans to end up in…

2012 DORBA Fall Series Race At Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP)
by Shawn McAfee            Texas Mountain Bike Trails
A huge thank you to my friend and Cadence Cyclery teammate Justyn Wilder. I’ve been in Arkansas on my anniversary this week with scarce access to the internet. Justin volunteered to help out and put together a spot on preview!
2012 DORBA Fall Series Race at Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP)

The final round of the DORBA Fall series lands at Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP).  With many of the overall points races coming down to the final round. The racing should be close, intense, and racers will be going all out for the win.

The entrance to RCP is located off of Centerville Road just north of HWY 66.  It has a great concrete parking lot but there isn’t a lot of room. Click this link for a map on the DORBA website that helps to lay out more…

No Limp Flags Today – October 11th Bike Ride

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The 16 mph southeast wind pushed the flags straight out. The route I chose started to the north and continued that general direction until the 10 mile point. Then I rode west to US59 and turned into the wind going south on the service road. I guess I forgot the gear combination I used while I went north but I noticed the pedaling into the wind required a big effort. When I stopped at the Texaco station at the entrance into Valley I looked at the rear cassette and realized I needed to go up one gear. The effort dropped significantly but I still maintained the same speed. When I got to FM1314 and Valley Ranch I checked the Garmin for my averaged speed and found 16.3 mph but it dropped to 16.2 mph just as I looked at it. The average speed ended up at 15.7 mph by the time I got back home.

The route to New Caney and then Valley Ranch totaled 27.45 miles. I covered that distance in 1:45:09 plus 3:46 time stopped. So after today’s ride my mileage stands at 119.6 miles this week, 318.50 miles for October and 5615..35 miles YTD. Another 35 miles and I will equal my total miles for last year, the most miles I ever rode in one year. Other data and map links: Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com.

When I got home I realized that my wrist bands were not soaked with perspiration. The temperature during my ride was 85 to 90 so the wrist bands should have been soaked. The only difference is the sun screen I used today. I think that is the reason. In the past I used Banana Boat Sport 50 but the bottle is almost empty so I used the WalMart Equate Sport 50 spray on sun screen. I will continue to monitor this.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for October 10th

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SCCCC: Baylor Race Weekend – by Jon Huey
www.usacycling.org

Baylor played host to an exhilarating and varied weekend of racing at Cameron Park in Waco.  The short track course was quite short at approximately three quarters of a mile, with a fast-paced rocky descent leading immediately into switchback climbs.  This course was wild, testing the technical skill of all riders.  Rachel Cook of the University of North Texas finished in first for the women’s A category.

The team relay course was a mix of quick turns and varied elevation.  The second and third riders for each team had to do army crawls and cartwheels to their…

Texas Cup Action — Cyclcocross
www.txbra.org

And so it begins… Riders take off for the start of the Pro/1/2 race on Sunday at the Bicycle Sports Shop Six Shooter Cyclcocross. Bryan Fawley, Dallas Bike Works, worked his magic and went 2 for 2 during the weekend. Photo courtesy of Corvin Alstot.

DFW trails for 9 yr old?
by cowtownsooner            forums.mtbr.com
What are the best DFW trails for a 9 yr old? Is there anything at Sansom? Heard that it is pretty hairy there. Thanks.

Looking for one epic ride near Austin
reply by DXchulo 10/9/2012            www.bikeforums.net
I did the Tour das Hugel route last week and I was pleased with it. The cue sheets served me well. I didn’t feel like I was put in any dangerous traffic situations and it seemed like a good mix of difficult hills and good scenery.The one downside is that the route is a little repetitive and you end up seeing some of the same things more than once. One big loop would be nice instead of two small ones, but…

Making the Valley View area more livable, bikeable, and walkable
Bike Freindly Oak Cliff

Just saw the report from Robert Wilonsky at the Dallas Morning News regarding the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s hopes to develop a land use plan for the Vallew View Mall area which suffers from massive auto infrastructure, and low livability. They’re planning to spend $250K to reveal the area’s greatest potential. My fear is that the plan will inevitably lead to: Step 1, tear down everything; Step 2, develop small grid road system; Step 3, create bond package to incentivize development; Step 4, watch land speculators hold property in-perpetuity while they use the carrot of TIF dollars to try and cajole land developers…show public…

Cyclist May Use Full Lane…But Should We?
by Darryl            lovingthebike.com

The “bicycle may use full lane” signs have started emerging all over, and one just recently popped up on a road that leads to several of my training routes.  But I’m not so sure about them.

The history of these signs (also known as R4-11) dates back to their origin in 2009, but have definitely become more popular over the past year.  They were introduced to be used for the following purpose:

BIKES MAY USE FULL LANE (R4-11) signs are intended for use where travel lanes are too narrow for bicyclists and motor vehicles to operate side by side in the same lane.  However, the presence of a sign is not necessary for cyclists to use the full lane.  Rather, the sign serves as a reminder of the law in locations…

Cyclocross Racing Now In Dallas
by The Announcer Guy        Biking in Dallas

The race is located near Downtown Dallas, right off of the Katy Trail, near American Airlines Center in Reverchon Park. Were going to have the races 10/ 14, 10/ 21, and 11/ 4. It is open to all people interested in the sport. This is probably going to…

Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS partners with Irving
By Deborah Fleck / News Assistant        irvingblog.dallasnews.com
Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS 12th annual cycling event begins Saturday with an opening ceremony from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Irving Convention Center. The 175-mile bicycling route provides a two-day tour through Dallas and Tarrant Counties, presenting the opportunity for riders and crew to make new friends, while helping North Texans impacted by HIV/AIDS.

More than 400 bicyclists and supporting crew are expected to participate in the ride. The event will raise funds for three…

Cyclists participate in 20th Annual Pineywoods Purgatory
By Francesca Washington            www.kltv.com

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) – Cyclists from across the Lone Star State spent their Saturday morning navigating the Pineywoods in the Pineywoods Purgatory.

The Lufkin Host Lions Club organized the four course bike ride. It has been a staple in Angelina County for 20 years. The ride benefits the Stubblefield Learning Center.

“It brings so many people into Angelina County from out of town , we’ve got people from Dallas, Austin and Houston,” said Ben Moore, Co-Chair.

The mission of the learning center is to prepare at risk students for…

Dallas Applies The Brakes On New Bike Lane Rules
By KERA STAFF            keranews.org
Updated: Five stories that have North Texas talking: cyclists finding their place on Dallas roads, UT and affirmative action, the true stories of regular people.

Our intrepid BJ Austin summoned all her courage yesterday and rode down the middle of Main Street. On her bike. She qualifies as a “vulnerable road user” in Dallas’ new shared-bike-lane strategy, and that sounds about right given North Texans’ love of…

North Series MTB Racing Begins Sunday
by League Director            Texas High School Cycling League
Our ”Scholastic Mountain Bike Race North Series” kicks off THIS weekend at the DORBA race at Rowlett Creek Preserve in Garland.

Come on out and race for your school. Pay just one entry fee, race once, and have it count for both DORBA and the High School Series standings.  From what we hear there are a ton of schools and kids planning on being out there this weekend. Be sure to be part of the action.

We’ll offer up boy’s A & B categories as well as girl’s A & B. The series leader for the boy’s A and…

Springtown Spin Ride in Springtown, TX
by WB admin            The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
The Springtown Spin Ride invites you to join their ride on October 20, 2012 starting at Springtown High School 915 Highway 199 Springtown, TX
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Tacia Torres, Executive Director of the Tarrant County Youth Collaboration and the founder of the Springtown Spin Bike Rally to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.

Why join the Springtown Spin Ride?
This is a great opportunity to get a final ride of the season in such a beautiful place for a beautiful cause, non profit programming for the children and…

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2012 DORBA Fall Series Race At Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP)

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2012 DORBA Fall Series Race At Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP)

Justyn WilderA huge thank you to my friend and Cadence Cyclery teammate Justyn Wilder. I’ve been in Arkansas on my anniversary this week with scarce access to the internet. Justin volunteered to help out and put together a spot on preview!

2012 DORBA Fall Series Race at Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP)

The final round of the DORBA Fall series lands at Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP).  With many of the overall points races coming down to the final round. The racing should be close, intense, and racers will be going all out for the win.

The entrance to RCP is located off of Centerville Road just north of HWY 66.  It has a great concrete parking lot but there isn’t a lot of room. Click this link for a map on the DORBA websitethat helps to lay out more parking.

Upon riding the trail at RCP for the first time I realized that this course is going to be fast and riders who can stay off of the brakes will do well.  RCP has several twisty turns.  Some fast some slower.  Keeping your weight on the outside foot and your fingers off the brakes will bode well for those who want to go fast.

The start is fairly long but not nearly as hard as the previous start at the Erwin Park race.  It’s a straight shot to the entrance of the trail which is a hard left turn.  The trail then parallels the start strait and then runs along the creek.  A fair warning the creek is in play.  You don’t want to fall in.  There are few log cross overs.  Use caution here because I encountered that they did not have logs on the back side meaning you can easily bash your chainring if you don’t properly hop them.

There aren’t too many climbs.  I believe loop 7 is the only section where there are any challenging elevation changes.  There are numerous places to pass but don’t let that effect your decision on how to approach the start.  There are several open straights to make a pass, gap yourself, or on the down side get passed.  The home stretch is a deal breaker.  If you are in the lead you can pretty much control your fate.  There is a little left hander that slows you down then its power to the pedals.  If you are battling for a position strategy can work to your benefit.

Race Start Times & Distances

Cat 3 – 8:30am – 8 miles Cat 2 – 10:00am – 16 miles Cat 1 – 11:45am– 24 miles (Mileage and start times per DORBA.  My Garmin said the course is close to ten.  The race course is everything minus loops 6,13, and 14.)

Analysis & What To Expect

The race loop is going to be fast.  You may even be able to draft off a competitor.  There’s nothing really hard about this course other then the fact that you will need to pedal fast a lot.  With the moisture that is on the course it will be tacky and your tires should hold pretty well.  If you have the time to take a slow lap around the course before the race, do it. The course isn’t hard but familiarizing yourself with where you will be racing goes a long way.  DORBA has been doing a great job marking the courses but it would definitely be easy to make a wrong turn here.

As for winning times; I have no idea.  The fastest time on STRAVA is 36:52 and that was recorded July 2011.  On 9/25/2012 a time of 37:49 was recorded. It will be fast.

Race Course Map & Altitude Profile

Total distance: 10.47 mi
Total climbing: 220 ft

 

Notes from Shawn

Justyn did a terrific job of laying the scene for this race, huge round of applause!

The race at Rowlett Creek Preserve will be a sprint from beginning to end. It may end up being closer to a time trial than a mountain bike race depending on where you start off. If you are an overall points contender or want to place top 5 at this race, then you had better start out in the lead.

With this course, there are large portions that you may even want to lock out your front fork on so that you get the best power transfer through your bike. Those open field sections will allow you to conserve some extra energy with a locked out fork, energy that will be badly needed come the sprint at the finish line.

If you ride a full suspension bike, stop by your shop and have them put a little extra air in your rear shock. Personally, I will be running about 240 psi in my rear suspension for this race. This nearly makes my bike a hardtail, again helping to conserve energy in open straits and improve the power transfer to the wheels.

Good luck at Rowlett Creek Preserve (RCP) and have a great, fast, and safe race!

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