Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for August 16th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Welcome Bike Friendly Garland to the Family!
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

We’ve got another bike friendly group in the DFW to welcome. Bike Friendly Garland, at bikefriendlygarland.blogspot.com has been launched by Jonathan Guzman, @BicyclePOV. We met at a recent bicycle swap in Garland and I encouraged him to take the initiative and start it up, and he’s done just that. He also is a pretty good mechanic and…

Flats and Lubbock
by silver179951            forums.mtbr.com
And I’m not just talking about the topography.

I went for my first ride at Mae Simmons since I got a mountain bike a few months ago and ended up with a flat rear tire late in the ride. Later when I went to change it, I noticed the front was flat too. I pulled out quite a few small thorns and 2 or 3 bigger thorns from both tires. Do all y’all run tubeless up here, or am I just a thorn magnet? I never had any problems with flats on the trails at home (I’m up here for school), but they also aren’t located in an area with desert vegetation. …

DATES Ride and Event Schedule
Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts
Event Title:     DATES Ride Picnic and Pool Party
When:     Sep 16, 2012 08:00 AM
Where:     House of Tom Hogan – Plano
Category:  DATES ride
Description
This is Tom Hogan. Krista Beadle and I will be hosting a DATES ride on Sunday, September 16th. I’ll have maps for Short (12-15 mi), Medium (24-32 mi) and Long (45-55).  I’ll provide burgers, dogs, sodas, beers.  People should bring…

Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club Rides
August 26, 2012 7:30 am
Bullis County Park to Guadalupe State Park Ride
Bullis County Park

September 1, 2012 8:00 am
Exxon 471 Ride to Castroville
Exxon Station on 471, 15355 FM 471, San Antonio

September 8, 2012
A Memorable Ride in town
McAllistar Park, 13102 Jones Maltsberger Rd, San Antonio

September 9, 2012 7:30 am
Exxon 471 to Castroville
15355 FM 471, San Antonio

September 15, 2012 8:00 am
Rudy’s Ride
Rudy’s BBQ, 10623 Westover Hills Blvd, San Antonio

Three National Bike Advocacy Groups Affirm Shared Goals; Decide to Remain Separate
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
After months of steady dialogue and face-to-face meetings, the leaders of the Alliance, Bikes Belong and League of American Bicyclists have decided not to pursue full unification at this time. The three groups continue to operate independently, in close collaboration, to make bicycling safer and more enjoyable for all Americans.

These unprecedented unification discussions were marked by goodwill and an open exchange of ideas. They helped U.S. bike advocacy leaders agree on a shared vision, goals and strategies that will advance the movement and improve bicycling coast to…

Hot Pick: Wine Ride for the Humane Society
by Beth Rankin            blog.beaumontenterprise.com
Local bike shops Bicycle Sports and Kickstand have teamed up to sponsor a wine tasting and bike ride to benefit the Humane Society of Southeast Texas, which is currently raising money to build a new facility for adorable local animals in…

 

Preferences Made to Break – August 16th Bicycle Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Monday I wrote about my preference to not use the same road and streets to go out and back for rides. Well today that is exactly what I did. I haven’t done this route in awhile so I thought the distance would right for the time I wanted to spend. The heat was moving higher even though when I first started it felt comfortable for a short time. My ride got off to a turn around when I tried to use my usual greenbelt trail to get to started. The trail was blocked by tree workers cutting and removing some big trees that fell victim to last year’s drought and the pine bark beetle. So in the first 1/4 mile I already was back tracking. There was a work around so I took that to get back on track.

With the delay my first 5 mile split shot up to 23:01, not where I wanted it to be to reach my 15.0 mph or higher goal. The next two 5 mile splits’ average speed improved to 17.0 and 18.3 mph, respectively, to make up the time lost. With my average speed above 15.0 mph I worked to keep it there. The overall ride average speed ended up at 15.4 mph, max speed of 22.8 mph and average cadence of 78.1 RPM. The route distance of 33.19 miles came in where I wanted thanks to adding a little jog near the end to get above 32.9 miles.

I did pretty good until the turnaround at SR242 when I started riding into the 4.9 mph south wind. While this doesn’t seem that big of a deal the temperature seemed to have increased so that when I got back to New Caney and FM1485 I felt very hot. So I took a short break at the Chevron station standing in the shade drinking cold water from my CamelBak. This helped a lot so I got back on the road to reach my planned pit stop in Porter at the Star Stop Exxon station. Once I got there I found a spot in the shade, got a 44 oz. Diet Pepsi and enjoyed the nice breeze. My sweat soaked gloves got wrung out and laid out on a bunch of paper towels to dry. By the time I left the gloves dried out nicely. I did too. The total stopped time for the ride: 50:55. I guess the extra time means I did not hurry to leave the shade in Porter. When I got home my weather station showed 99.1 degrees; no wonder I felt hot. There is a chance of rain over the weekend so the heat may let up some. While I was riding I checked the weather in Wichita Falls and it said light rain and 74 degrees. Will this repeat on August 25th?

Other statistics:

8-16-2012 Bike Ride Data and Map
8-16-2012 Cadence-Distance
8-16-2012 Elevation-Distance
8-16-2012 Home Weather Station End
8-16-2012 IAH Weather End
8-16-2012 Speed-Distance
8-16-2012 Splits-Time

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com/activity/211361362 98% 850]

Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup for August 15th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Tapatio spring ride…sat at 5
by pebblehoppertj        forums.mtbr.com
We are doing the Tapatio springs course…..we are meeting at bass pro shop at 415 . The wheels down at 5 pm
Bring
Water
Helmet
Tube….
And a bike in good working condition
This is a self support ride…

North Central Texas
by kjfp            forums.mtbr.com
Where are the best trails (XC) within 1 – 2 hours drive from Witchita Falls? If there is one place you would recommend what would it be? You can PM me if you prefer. I tried Dorba but their site is under renovation. THANK YOU! …

Moving to San Antonio
by 40Acres            forums.mtbr.com
Hey Guys,
I will be moving to San Antonio in the middle of next year, and I need some advice on what part of town to live in.

I am hoping to live within 5-10 minutes of a mountain bike trail, but I will more than likely be working downtown so I don’t want my commute to be too long.

Anybody on here use San Antonio’s public transportation? …

The theft was in Oregon and Washington states but the story could take place in Texas.

Bike Thief Gets Owned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-GVpIaPEGM
A Portland cyclist finds his stolen bike on Seattle’s Craigslist and conducts a DIY sting, gets bike back and thief arrested on a felony charge.

This article goes with the one about bike theft above.

Don’t Mess with Cyclists! (Especially not their bikes)
The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
What would you do if your bike was stolen and a few days later you found it posted for sale on Craigslist? Would you forget about it? Cut your losses? Or would you get it back? Well Simon from Portland, Oregon loved his bike so much that he dared to go where not many people would go and set out on a mission to get it back.

Driving 160 miles from Portland to Seattle, Washington, He contacted the thief under the impression that he wanted to buy the bike. Everything was set up, he had a Seattle phone number and his friends were ready to call the police. How did it all go down, you’re wondering? Well on this particular day was a good day for Simon. A bike chase was involved, the police came and he had enough evidence recorded to bring him down, all the way…

Not sure how this survives sliding across asphalt.

The Invisible Bike Helmet: An Airbag On The Go
by Josh Constine            techcrunch.com

People die trying to look cool. Vanity is the sad reason why people don’t wear bike helmets. So two Swedish women set out to invent “the invisible bicycle helmet”, They’ve succeeded, and the end product isn’t a made of clear plexiglass and there’s no lightbending-stealth technology. In fact…

Next Club Meeting – Lone Star Cyclists
Date: Monday, August 20, 2012 – 7:30pm
As summer comes to an end and schools are starting up again so are our club meetings. I want to encourage each of you to attend the meeting Monday August 20th at 7:30 pm. We will meet at the Bob Duncan Community Center in Vandergriff Park, 2800 S. Center St. Arlington, TX

Our guest speaker will be from…

Complete Streets Policies on the Rise
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
According to a report released today by the National Complete Streets Coalition, over 350 communities across the U.S. now have Complete Streets policies, 150 of which were adopted last year alone. The 2011 Complete Streets Policy Analysis documents the widespread adoption in a variety of communities and reflects the growing sentiment that streets should be so much more than conduits for motor vehicle traffic.

“As residents of communities across the country increasingly desire the ability to walk, bike or take transit to and from jobs, shops and schools, we’re seeing more and more localities understand the importance of…

Minneapolis couple completes 14-month 12,200 mile bicycle trip around U.S.
by: Randy Furst            www.startribune.com

From the tense border towns in west Texas to the boarded-up communities of upstate New York to the homes of hospitable strangers, a Minneapolis couple biked the perimeter of the continental United States over the past 14 months, and have come back with a host of stories and impressions.

Anne and David Winkler-Morey, both 54, returned home last week after a 12,200 mile bicycle trip that took them through 34 states, two Mexican states and two Canadian provinces.

Both are educators. Anne was a college professor at St. Cloud State University where she taught history and race relations until she was laid off in 2010. David is a social worker at Anthony Middle School in Minneapolis. He took a year’s leave. They cashed in an insurance policy, sold their car…

Cycle for Hope to benefit Children’s Miracle Network, UMC Celebrate Today Fund
lubbockonline.com
Cycle for Hope, a seven-mile bike ride on the Texas Tech and University Medical Center campuses will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

The ride starts and finishes at UMC. The event is targeted to the general public, and cycling enthusiasts are encouraged to participate. Riders will have the option…

Mansfield Bicycle Recycler Connects Needy with Transportation
by Doug Magditch        KDAF-TV

MANSFIELD, Texas— “My dad showed me a lot about bikes, too, when I was growing up,” said Jason Toombs, executive director of Pedal Power.

Toombs, an avid mountain biker, has been using two-wheeled transport for decades. Working as a full-time distributing manager, he’s more of your “weekend-warrior” bike enthusiast. …

Father-daughter biking trip adds adventure, understanding
Posted by Kim Hilsenbeck        haysfreepress.com

In less than a week, two bicyclists will ride into Austin and end their 1,700-mile cross-country trek at the state capitol.

Given this is Central Texas, a mecca for serious cyclists, some may consider the feat mundane. But the pair is not your run-of-the-mill bike riders.

Bianca Derka, 12, of Buda, and her father, Pavel Derka, 52, will finish their big bike adventure after more than two months on the open road – blogging about…

Cyclists Feeling Unsafe on Basin Roads, Increased Traffic and Fatal Wrecks to Blame
By Jen Kastner        NewsWest 9
MIDLAND – In almost every direction you turn in West Texas, vehicles are racing along our roads. There are more of them and many of the drivers are distracted. Wrecks are happening daily and too many of them are deadly. It’s one of the darker sides of the booming Basin.

If you’re nervous to ride a car along the roads, imagine being on a bike.

Cyclist, Serge Eberhard, says, “Drivers pass by you and they honk at the last minute when they…

GCCA Masters at State Crit Championships
by GCCA

This year our ?masters team competed in the age-based Texas State Crit Championships in Roundtop, Texas, north of Austin.  Promoted as the Georgetown Grand, Holland Racing coordinated an family-oriented set of activities and a very professional series of races during the weekend of May 19-20.  Three of our team members competed in the 50+ race and one in the 40+.  With three teammates working together in the 45 racer 50+ field, GCCA was able to bring back the breaks and work for the fittest rider on that day.  With eight 90 degree turns and an uphill finish, the course was one that required power out of the corners and a constant effort to avoid gaps…

https://twitter.com/MindfulLearner/status/235141139068510208

Backing Down the Miles Today – August 15th Bicycle Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Today’s ride was shorter than the previous two this week. I need to catch up on some chores so I wanted to go for a ride under 30 miles and today’s ended up at 26.62 miles. The route was one I rode for the first time on August 2nd. Today’s route was slightly modified by continuing down Timber Forest to Eagle Spring Parkway and then turning north back to Will Clayton Parkway. I thought this would add a mile or so to the August 2nd 25.52 mile route which it did. Along the way I saw a couple of other bicyclists. My average speed dropped down to 14.8 mph according to SportTracks. This route has a number of start and stops since it is mostly residential. The wind felt stronger than the 10.4 mph the weather station reported. My legs are probably tired from the long rides on the last two days as well. Tomorrow I will ride in the 30 to 40 miles range so the lighter day to day could help. Think rest day.

Speaking of the weather. The temperature range was not too big today at 86 to 91 degrees. Humidity increased to 55% from yesterday and the sweat rolled off of me. I stopped at 19.1 miles to wring out my gloves. By the time I got home they were soaked again. The sun hid behind mostly cloudy skies which helped. As I write this it is 97 degrees by my home weather station.

The numbers after today’s ride:

  • 1:48:01 riding time, 4:25 time stopped
  • 21.0 mph max speed
  • 76.7 RPM average cadence
  • 107.95 miles this week
  • 355.71 miles for August
  • 4290.67 miles YTD
  • 12 riding days in August
  • Link to RideWithGPS.com data and map
8-15-2012 Bike Ride Data and Map
8-15-2012 Cadence-Distance
8-15-2012 Elevation-Distance
8-15-2012 Home Weather Station End
8-15-2012 IAH Weather End
8-15-2012 Speed-Distance
8-15-2012 Splits-Time

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210927944 98% 850]