Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 21st

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Today’s news contains several video clips. Without the tweets it would be light news day.

Illuminate Yourself and Your Way with DIY LED Bike Handlebars
By Matt Richardson,            blog.makezine.com

Inspired by Mitchell Silva’s Globars, our friend Becky at Adafruit created a DIY version of his illuminated bicycle handlebars. To make your own, you’ll need about two meters of LED strips, a waterproof DC power cable set, 8 x AA battery holder with batteries, clear handlebar tape and some other…

Cyclists Ride To Benefit M.S. Research 07/21/12
CBS 7 News Video
Robert Guaderrama
MIDLAND, TX – Hundreds of west texas cyclists geared up to ride all for a good cause. The 2012 Bike MS: Cactus and Crude Ride kicked off today hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Apache Corporation.

The annual two-day event raises funds to support MS research as well as programs and services that directly impact individuals living with the disease. The cyclists rode from Midland to Big Spring today, tomorrow they will ride to the finish line in Post.

Texans choose cooled trailers for RAGBRAI adventure
By Jacob Peklo, Multimedia Journalist        www.ktiv.com
KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (KTIV) – Some choose to travel with a little more luxury.  Michael and Cindy Young of Dallas, Texas, are participating in their first RAGBRAI. Their overnight shelters are air-conditioned trailers towed by…

Texas Mountain Biking
by Comstockatthegym

This video was filmed in a Hunting Area in Del Rio, Texas next to Lake Amistad. The video is so short for the reason that the chain broke.

Katy Flatland Century in Katx, TX
by WB admin            The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
The 25th Annual Katy Flatland Century, a  general fund-raiser for the Northwest Cycling Club invites you to join their ride on July 22nd, 2012 starting at Rhodes Stadium, Katy Fort Bend Road, Katy, TX

We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Lynda Polk to ask some questions about their upcoming ride

Why join this year’s Katy Flatland Century?

It’s the premier ride in Southeast Texas, during what is usually an “off” season for riding. As it’s name states, there’s very little elevation change, making it a great ride for beginners too. With 7 routes to choose from, there’s something for everyone.

How long has the event been around? …

A Day Off and Now Back – July 21st Bike Ride

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I took yesterday off for a couple of reasons: my right hip and lower back pain needed time off to recover and I biked 6 days in a row. My hip and lower back improved some so I figured biking today would be okay. When I first got on the bike and started turning the pedals I began to think otherwise but after a few minutes my hip and back loosened and the pain went away mostly. Now when I stopped and put my right foot down I could tell the soreness was still there but not near the level it was yesterday. So biking today I think actually helped the situation some. As I sit and type this there are some occasional twinges but nothing near the worst.

While I was off the weather heated up around here. The temperature range for today’s ride was 85 going to 95 at the end. While the temperature went up the humidity went down from 67% to 47%, the first time it has been this low in several days. The dryness means the moisture from the rain is getting evaporated. A light 6.9 north breeze helped keep me cool in the shade. Perspiration was not so heavy today with the air absorbing a lot of it before it ran down my arms and face. Scattered clouds meant the sun was out most of the time. Riding into the shade made a difference.

No other riders spotted today. I started at 9:56 AM so the others probably were finished by then.

I rearranged my route some today going on a street through Montgomery Pines apartments from Loop 494 to US59 northbound service road. I wondered how this road went so today I decided to find out. My route totaled 33.10 miles at an average speed of 15.0 mph and a max speed of 20.0 mph. Average cadence was 77 RPM. With my soreness I thought my speed would fall below 15 mph but I felt good enough to keep up a good pace. Riding time totaled 2:13:05 plus 47:31 time stopped. I took a longer break because of a phone call. Miles for this week total 158.62, July miles now are at 324.79 and YTD is 3638.20. For some reason the SportTracks program calculated my average speed without subtracting the time I stopped so the Garmin Connect is the correct information. The RideWithGPS.com data mirrors the Garmin data.

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com/activity/201581959 98% 825]

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 20th

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Cycling Austin
Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a tragedy for us cyclists to realize how unsafe some of the roads we ride on can be. After the tragic loss of Verter Ginestra, the Lake Travis Cycling Club began to actively look for a way to make Bee Cave Parkway safer. It’s a route ridden on hundreds of times a week by area cyclists and has no shoulders. There have been accidents between cars and cyclists and many close calls with angry drivers who don’t know the rules of the road. These drivers don’t…

Tips from a pro mechanic #4 – Bike maintenance schedule
People for Bikes Blog
Whether you are new to bicycling or an experienced rider, it can never hurt to brush up on tips to help you take care of your bike. That’s why we’ve asked pro bike mechanic, local bike shop owner, and friend of PeopleForBikes.org Daimeon Shanks to help us with a four-part series on bike mechanics and maintenance. In this final post of the series, Daimeon lays out an ideal bike maintenance schedule.

(Excerpted from Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair by Daimeon Shanks (June 2012) with permission from Human Kinetics Publishers.) …

City of Pharr Adopts Safe Passing Law
BikeTexas.org

Last month, the City of Pharr became the 12th Texas city to adopt a Safe Passing Ordinance! This new legislation requires motorists to give at least three feet space when passing cyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities, and other non-motorized road users. KRGV reports that “vehicles other than cars or light trucks” must give six feet when passing. …

Cycle & See with Geared Up Bikestation
BikeTexas.org

Geared Up Bikestation in Houston is a community bike shop and advocacy organization. Their mission is “to bring forth innovative programs that will educate residents of the health and environmental benefits of bicycling, advocate the integration of bike-and-pedestrian friendly roads and trails, and provide bikes to those in need.”

At least twice a month, the group puts on a Cycle & See, a bike ride plus scavenger hunt that is designed “to build community awareness, cultivate a subculture of cyclists, and enhance participants’ overall health and quality of life.” The next Cycle & See is scheduled for July 28 in Acres Homes, and…

Bike Clinic at Bywaters Park
inparistexas.com

The 2012 Tour de Paris Bicycle Rally is going to be an epic gathering of bicycle enthusiasts from all over the area. Gearing up for the main event happening Saturday July 21st, many bikers came together for the clinic held at Bywaters Park in Paris Texas. Among the many stations set up at…

Grapevine Bike Center
by John D. Harden        impactnews.com
Former firefighter keeps residents rolling

About 22 years ago in Grapevine, the only bicycle center was just 800 square feet and it was owned by 33-year-old Gary Scott, a full-time Grapevine firefighter. Scott opened the Grapevine Bike Center after he realized there was a need for it in the city and felt like doing more in the city he grew up in.

Today, Scott, now 55, still owns the bike center. But it is now housed in a 2,400-square-foot location on…

Pegasus Favorite Five: Bike trails, parks, and paths in Dallas
by Shawn McAfee of I Live in Dallas        www.pegasusnews.com
White Rock Lake and L.B. Houston Nature Preserve make the list.

Looking for a great way to spend an afternoon? Why not knock the dust off that old bicycle and explore the town. Dallas isn’t known for its bicycling, but there’s plenty of great hotspots to visit. Get ready for some fresh air and exercise as you explore these five great Dallas bike trails, parks and paths. …

Victim of bike-semi crash identified
Driver tried to avoid bicyclisT
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – San Marcos police have identified the victim who died in a collision early Monday with a tractor-trailer truck.

Jeffery David Stevenson, 40, of  Big Spring, Texas died at the scene at about 2 a.m. in the 5600 block of the southbound access road of Interstate Highway 35, just south of Posey Road.

The truck driver stayed on the scene and called police just after it happened. The road was unlit…

Cascade Cycling Classic
www.bendbulletin.com
Men’s prologue winner out of race

Less than two days after winning Tuesday night’s prologue of the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic, Chad Haga was out of the pro men’s race and back at his parents’ home in Texas.

Haga, who rides for the Optum team, was part of a multiple-rider crash during the early portion of Wednesday’s 74-mile McKenzie Pass Road Race. Badly injured, Haga managed to finish the stage by riding the last 70 miles with broken bones in…

Texas 4000 rolls through town
By Alistair McInnis – Prince George Free Press

The Texas 4000 is a cycling trek of roughly 7500 kilometres from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska that raises awareness about cancer. Participants are split into one of two groups, traveling either through the Rockies are along the coast. Hunt is on …

Cyclist overcomes injury to stay in competition
Staff Writer Weatherford Democrat
WEATHERFORD — Gary Gottlieb woke up in an ambulance. Bicycling when the tanker truck ahead of him spilled diesel across the road, he was been knocked unconscious from the fall when his bicycle skidded unexpectedly on the liquid.  But he didn’t let his unexpected bad fortune get him down, or even keep him in the hospital.

Instead, he managed to persuade the hospital staff he was fine, and was back on his bike in just a few hours.

It wasn’t that Gottlieb hated hospitals, but at that particular moment, he had a race to win.

Gottlieb is a world-class unsupported ultra-distance biker, and it was in the middle of one of the 2011 Tejas 500, a 500 mile race based out of Glenrose, Texas, that he was knocked…

How to Lose Weight Mountain Biking
by Shawn McAfee        Texas Mountain Bike Trails
Lose weight mountain biking? Yes, it is very possible.

For anyone that has been following along for a while, you might remember waaaay back in January when I set an ambitious goal to lose a bunch of weight through mountain biking.

How ambitious, 40 pounds.

By when, October 8th.

And since that time I haven’t really provided a lot of updates on how I’ve been doing with this goal, nor about how my strategy for getting it done has worked out. There has been a lot of success and also some…

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 19th

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Tour de Longneques
July 28th
Tour de Longneques will depart Castell, TX for a ride to the courthouse square in Llano and return to Castell.  The distance is 36 miles plus a few hundred yards. Meet-up at The Castell General Store.   Wheels rolling at 0800.  This is a militantly not (as opposed to dis) organized ride.  There will be at least one SAG vehicle and bottled water and “facilities” are available at several capitalistic enterprises operating around the square.

As usual, there will be a post-ride ceremonial soak in the healing rapids of the Llano River in Castell, The Castell General Store will be serving BBQ and Lone Star Longnecks will be available at low event prices.  Various furriner beers are also usually available but at less attractive prices (besides, a Lone Star Longneck is de riguer after the completing The Tour.  Don’t forget to come prepared for the soak in the Llano River!

In past TdL happenings the SAG vehicles were available to get…

Chaparral Trail/NorthEast Texas Trail – RIDE OPPORTUNITY!!!! – AUGUST 10TH!
by jlynnbob            www.bikeforums.net
Folks, you may have seen my post recently about my adventure exploring the Chaparral Trail between Farmersville and Paris. If not, but you have heard about the Chaparral Trail and have thought… maybe someday I’ll go out there and check it out… Well, SOMEDAY HAS COME! Take a look at the…

Goodbye Cycle Thursday Evening Ride
rain or shine @ 6pm.
We ride a 25 to 30 mile loop at a pretty quick pace but we do not leave anyone behind. Typically we have two groups, a faster group and a slower group. It’s a great way to connect with local cyclists. One of the reasons we do it on thursday is so people can find riding partners for bigger rides during the weekend.

New Law — Now What?
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
New Realities, Challenges and Opportunities of the Federal Transportation Law

There is a lot of bad news for biking and walking advocates in MAP-21. Coordinating closely with many and diverse partners, we worked very hard to maintain the already disproportionately low funding dedicated for biking and walking and get some key policy reforms. The conference negotiation process resulted in a transportation law that is several steps back rather than forward.

Looking back over all our efforts the past four years, it is easy to ask “What if … ?” but MAP-21 passed because it was so craftily packaged that even…

No Country for Old Men Ultra Bicycle Race
by Darryl            lovingthebike.com

Dex Tooke is one wild man ultra endurance cyclist, and now he’s putting on his own challenge to bring out other ultra cycling maniacs to join him.  You might remember Dex from a post we did that featured him a while back.  He has taken on the Race Across America (RAAM) a few times now and last year he became the sixth rider over 60 years of age to complete the event.  Dex is also the rider featured in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful cycling photos in the world.  Have a look a…

Owens Trail Closure July 23 to July 27
by bergerandfries        Bike Friendly Richardson
FYI, Owens Trail will be closed July 23 to July 27 for repairs. The gate across the creek bridge will be closed and locked. Dan Baker at the city says, “We are anticipating the repairs to take 5 days leaving that section of the trail closed Monday – Friday of next week (July 23 – 27). There is an issue with the concrete panel that abuts…

Bike Ride in Texas 7.15.12 Nutria & Road Upkeep in the sticks.
by sbegot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDvj6YGj1Hc
On today’s bike ride in addition to the hundreds of deer I always see but can never seem to get on video….I saw nutria in a pond and show off the newly re-surfaced road and views of Texas after the rains that fell today. It was cool…

Walking The Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail Finding Tasty California Peaches
by Durango Texas
For my mid-day doctor prescribed daily constitutional today I went to Gateway Park to walk, not bike, the Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail.

When you walk a trail that you’ve previously biked, it looks way different on two feet than two wheels, because when you are on two wheels you have…