Pink Bike with Pink Socks – October 10th Bike Ride

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Back to a morning start although late morning at 11:06 AM. The cooler weather moved out and now we will enjoy warmer days until at least early next week. Temperatures ranged from 81 (start) to 88 (finish). Mostly cloudy skies helped to not raise the heat level above my comfort zone. I still soaked my wrist bands and headband with perspiration. Wringing out the wrist bands in Huffman at the Chevron station produced a puddle about 10″ in diameter.

The route for today went through Atascocita, Walden at Lake Houston and then on to Huffman. The distance came to 32.73 miles for the longest ride this week. The 15.5 mph average speed, 20.9 mph max speed and 79.1 RPM average cadence fall into my normal range for this long of a ride. I did not see any serious bicyclists today but there was a young woman riding a pink bike with pink socks on FM1960 in Huffman. All of the pink caught my attention. Riding back home from Huffman I enjoyed a nice 9.6 mph tailwind which sped me across Lake Houston. Riding time totaled 2:06:38 and 35:06 time stopped.

As of today’s ride: 92.16 miles this week, 291.05 miles in October, 5587.90 miles YTD.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for October 9th

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Six reasons to give cyclocross a try
People for Bikes Blog
Cyclocross is something of a bicycling niche in the U.S. In cyclocross, riders use modified road bicycles to race around grass and dirt courses for 30 minutes to an hour. Its roots are in European winters, when road-racing pros needed a way to stay competitively fit during the cold months. At first glance it seems odd—grown men and women dismounting their bikes and bounding over wooden planks like show horses—but it’s on the way to becoming one of the most visible and valuable types of bike racing.

While cyclocross is less famous in the U.S. than its road and mountain bicycling siblings, it is seeing a rapid growth thanks to these six characteristics:

1) It’s family friendly. You often see entire families at the race. With amenities like kick-bike races and bouncy castles for little kids, it’s easy to keep the brood entertained while mom and dad race (usually at separate times, …

Council Set to Pass Safe Passing Ordinance
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

The video above was posted to the Dallas Morning News city hall blog, and shows the head cam and audio of a bicyclist riding and describing how to ride in the new shared bicycle lanes in downtown.

Furthermore, Dallas is set to pass its first ever safe passing ordinance at tomorrow’s city council meeting.  It means that motor vehicles must “vacate the lane occupied by a vulnerable road user when passing, and reenter the lane occupied by the vulnerable road user only after passing at a safe distance” …

Review: Stan’s Raven 700 x 35 cyclocross tubeless tire
by Lars                    Texas Cyclist
2012 is my second season of cyclocross racing. I first discovered cyclocross just last fall, when I borrowed a low end Specialized cx bike, finished in the back third of the pack, and loved every minute of it. Within a few weeks, I went out and bought an Orbea cyclocross bike, reviewed here.

That bike came with stock Vittoria cx clincher tires. I promptly blew out a sidewall on the front Vittoria in a race when I hit a root, riding through a muddy ditch. I replaced it with a Grifo Challenge clincher in the front, which is a…

Mamma Jamma fund-raising bike ride set for Oct. 27
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
Hundreds of cyclists will chug up and down hills and past fields of late-blooming flowers later this month, when the fourth annual Mamma Jamma Ride gets under way.

The ride, a fund-raiser to support services for Central Texans fighting breast cancer, started in 2009. Since then it’s raised more than $1.4 million for 10 local non-profit agencies. This year’s goal is to add another $500,000.

After all, one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. …

Cyclist finds beauty, camaraderie in Far West Texas ride
by Ed Todd            www.mywesttexas.com
FORT DAVIS — The truism ascribed to Albert Einstein, the revered physicist-thinker and bicyclist, applies to cyclists who show up for the seasonal Fort Davis Cyclefest.

“Life is like riding a bicycle,” the scientist attested. “To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

Margaret O’Kelley, a phenomenal West Texas bicyclist and mentor, became a stellar cyclist by happenstance and progression beginning at age 45 seven years ago in El Paso, her hometown.

Much of her life is dedicated to…

UTSA Students Riding Bikes For 24 Hours
www.foxsanantonio.com        Video
Would you be able to ride a bicycle for 24 hours straight? Some UTSA students are doing that by partaking in a 24 hour bike-a-thon. Fox News First’s Sylvia Rincon was on the campus Tuesday morning where a fundraiser to help people with disabilities was being held.

Ransom Canyon Bike/Run to Raise Money for Burn Patients
By: John Pekowski            kfyo.com
Texas Tech wants you to get in shape and contribute to a worthy cause. It’s not too late to sign up for a 5K run or bike ride (25 miles or 50 miles) scheduled for 8am at Ranson Canyon on Saturday, Oct. 13th.

The event, called the PT (physical therapy) Classic, occurs annually, and coincides with National Physical Therapy Month. Proceeds go to the UMC Hamar Burn Center to assist in the funding of burn compression garments.

Those who register early online will receive a $5 discount. Students receive $5 off registration with a student ID. On-site registration will be available from…

Cycling The Globe: Austin Texas
by Rudy Pospisil        blogs.theprovince.com
I have not written in a few days. That because I am currently crossing western Texas and for hundreds of miles between towns there is absolutely nothing. I met a cyclist yesterday coming the other way and he looked like he had just finished a tour of duty in Vietnam. He said he had been in a hurricane, extreme thunderstorms and told me I ain’t seen nothin yet! I’m real glad I met him so inspirational. I mean out here there is NOTHING. No ranches , no houses, no trailers,no campsites, no water, no bike…

Spooky Bike Party in Fort Worth
by Chris Mathews        Plano Bicycle Association
All are invited to join the mayor of Ft. Worth for a bike party on October 26.  For details contact Andrew Hoodwin or MaryAnn Means.

New Team
by Ken            Texas Racing Life
The time has flown by since I moved from Austin to Houston about 2.5 years ago. I still remember my first couple of Memorial Park Crits in the summer of 2010. I met a great group of people that wore a strange name on their butts: Shama Cycles. I remember going to the Tour of Austin that year, loving meeting and hanging out with the team. Phil was always a great friend and mentor as I worked my way up. The team was always small, but Shama Cycles supported the racers.

Shama Cycles remains the only bike shop I frequent, the best shop in Houston. I enjoy watching so many beautiful masterpieces (the bikes, just to be clear ) coming and going through the doors. The people have been…

Outlaw Trail Cycling Tour
by WB admin            The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
Date: Saturday, October 13, 2012
Event: Outlaw Trail Cycling Tour 2012
Route Distances: 10 mile, 25 mile, 40 mile, 50 mile, 63 mile, and 100 mile

About the Ride: Each year, the Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department hosts the Outlaw Trail 100 bike tour featuring 10 mile, 25 mile, 40 mile, 50 mile, 63 mile, and 100 mile loop courses on county roads through historic Williamson County.

Outlaw Trail isn’t competitive; it is an opportunity to join cyclists from across Texas for a ride across Williamson County. There are rest stops set up along the trail for cyclists to grab some snacks or a drink. Riders can ride at…

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Afternoon Warmth – October 9th Bicycle Ride

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Another mid-afternoon start (1:44 PM) for today’s ride. The weather warmed up some from yesterday but some work delayed my start. The south 6.9 mph breeze pushed clouds into the area blocking the sun but not the heat. My home weather station reported 80 at the start of the ride and 83 when I finished. Not much change so I did not sweat a whole lot but enough to soak my wrist bands. For some reason I got distracted when I got dressed for the ride and forgot to put sunscreen on my face. Even with cloud cover I still need the sunscreen. I will concentrate on this better tomorrow.

My original route plan did not include riding through Forest Cove but the ride went so smoothly that I added that portion of the ride as I left Oakhurst in Kingwood around the 20 mile point. While the official wind said 6.9 mph there were times when I was riding to the southeast and some gusts would slow me down. This modified route ended up being 29.89 miles long. With those wind gusts the average speed dropped below my usual pace to 15.4 mph although the top speed was 22.1 mph with 78.6 RPM average cadence. The 1:57:44 riding time and 8:52 stop time were slightly lower than my typical 30 mile ride. No stopping for a Diet Pepsi with the later start time. Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com data and maps.

I hope to start earlier tomorrow. No front wheel buzzing on today’s ride.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for October 8th

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Time Trials
Waco Bicycle Club
Where:   Eastland Lakes Ln, Waco
When:   Monday 06:00 PM
What:  Road/race
Contact: Spencer Jewell.    Phone: 254-644-3803
Distance: 10.6        2nd Monday of every month.

Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin
October 19–21, 2012
Rider registration is $50.
Can’t attend, but still want to show your support?
Virtual Challenge registration is always free.

As our organization celebrates its 15th anniversary, the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge takes great pride in our history of cycling events. What started as a small ride called the Race for the Roses that Lance Armstrong began in 1997 has blossomed into a premiere fundraising event for LIVESTRONG.

We hope you’ll join us as we aim to make this year’s event a monumental cycling experience for LIVESTRONG. Leaving from the north side of Palmer Events Center on Riverside Drive in downtown Austin, our goal is to have over 4,000 cyclists raise…

Pics From Last Week’s Traffic Skills 101 Class In Richardson
by dickdavid            Bike Friendly Richardson

A , we had our first – in quite some time – Bike League Traffic Skill 101 class in Richardson, Texas. The class was lead by League Cycling Instructors Mike Freiberger, Warren Casteel and Renee Jordan.

They had a great group of students with a broad range of riding experience. Their bicycles ranged from super light road bikes to incredibly long and heavy utility bikes.

Since it was a really wet weekend, the parking lot drills were held in a parking garage. I was really impressed…

Anhills Moving Forward
by bobdole            GHORBA

It has been roughly two years since GHORBA folks started work on the Anthills mountain bike trails. The Anthills natural surface trails are located on the south side of Buffalo Bayou between the Eldridge and Wilcrest cross streets.

The first order of business was to get the major bridges repaired or replaced. Through a generous grant from REI to pay for tools and materials and lots of elbow grease by GHORBA trail work volunteers, eight bridges have been replaced or redecked. Of special note is the “Long Bridge” as it now provides a high water crossing when…

North Texas Bicycle Rally benefits children’s charities
By Susan McFarland            Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH – Ride Hard and Live Long is the motto for this year’s North Texas Bicycle Rally, set to begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 13 at 4800 Henrietta Creek Road in far north Fort Worth.

Routes include 5, 15, 30, 50 and 62 miles of rolling hills and off-the beaten path roads in north Texas.

The bicycle rally benefits North Texas Children’s Charities, a volunteer organization that…

Bee Cave to decide on adding bike lanes
Cycling groups to do awareness rides and benefits
by Ignacio Garcia             www.kxan.com
BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) – It’s a unique point of view, videotaping traffic while riding a bicycle. Tim Diven of the Lake Travis cycling club wanted to capture how dangerous cycling is on Bee Cave Parkway. He said the video made a big impact last August.

Bee Cave City Council decided to add bicycle signs on that busy roadway. On Tuesday, they’ll consider modifying the road to accommodate full bike lanes.

Diven said he hopes adding bike lanes will actually encourage more cyclists to ride and therefore…

Plano Pacesetters at the Texas Gran Fondo
Plano Bicycle Association

The Plano Pacesetters pose before the second day’s ride of the first Texas Gran Fondo, held October 6-7. This 2-day event traveled from Austin to Dallas being well represented by the PBA.  Way to go guys and gal!

Feature: McKinney Velo Club
by WB admin            The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas

1. Who founded the McKinney Velo Club and how did it come to life?
The club was founded by 6 guys, Steve Weber, Paul Harrison, Jeff Steinman, Mitch Blackwell, Patrick Burke and Tony Nevotti, who were all neighbors. They were racing for one club and wanted to branch out and form a team and race the way they wanted to race. They also wanted to get back to the community and do things differently.

2. What is your cycling clubs mission?
McKinney Velo is a competitive cycling organization whose members share a passion for racing and a strong commitment to making a difference in the local community. Our members compete across multiple disciplines including; Road, Triathlons, Mountain Bike, Velodrome, Duathlons and Cyclocross.

In our Community the team is focused on cultivating a cycling culture in the Greater McKinney area through…

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