Smog, Ozone and Heat – June 28th Bicycle Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

My pronouncement about my fitness eroding yesterday from not riding for 12 days may have been only partially true. Today before my ride I aired up my tires to 102 PSI and pedaling effort eased up from yesterday. Over today’s 32.06 mile route my average speed improved to 15.2 mph and my max speed jumped to 22.5 mph. One thing that did not let up though was the temperature: 86 at the start and 97 when I finished. Humidity of 42% when I finished helped to lessen the full heat blast but not by much since the wind could only muster 4 mph from the SSW.

The start time today was a little later than I planned (9:49 AM) but I still got back home at 12:28 before the heat started to build. Smog and ozone has been a problem for our area which is no surprise given the temperature and high pressure system holding us in its grip. With the heat I use my CamelBak for my water supply. Our automatic ice maker is having trouble keeping up with my CamelBak fillings.

Along today’s route I encountered two other bicyclists going the opposite direction after a train crossed Old Atascocita Road. Seeing others during a weekday morning ride is unusual. They may have been trying to beat the heat. As I write this my home weather station has hit 100 degrees or more again. I want to get an earlier start on tomorrow’s ride.

Ride information: 2:06:23 riding time, 32:43 time stopped, 78.0 RPM average cadence. Mileage marks: 62.51 this week, 490.68 for June, 3281.06 YTD. Alternate data view and map at RideWithGPS.com. I should get over the 500 mile mark for the month of June tomorrow.

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com/activity/193734650 98% 775]

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for June 27th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Ideas of bike value
by jsharr        www.bikeforums.net
Howdy Ya’ll. Have a friend that is wanting to sell his 2007 Trek 1600. Another of those, bought it for a ride I was doing and then never rode it again stories. I have seen pictures and it appears to be VERY clean. Original MSRP was $1200. What would be a fair value for this bike, as I am trying to play middle man between two friends, neither of whom know the other? I am thinking…

Catbike recalls about 170 recumbents
WASHINGTON, DC (BRAIN) Wednesday June 27 2012 9:39 AM MT—Big Cat Human Powered Vehicles is working with the Consumer Products Safety Commission to recall about 170 Catbike recumbent bikes.

The company has discovered that the bikes’ frames can break, although no consumer incidents have been reported.

The recall involved model year 2010 bikes, sold by Catbike authorized dealers nationwide from February 2010 through December 2010 for about $2,350. “Musashi” is printed on the frame and “Catbike” is printed on the seat, frame and…

Feds taking on fakes: more to come?
DENVER, CO (BRAIN) Wednesday June 27 2012 — Andrew Love hopes the feds’ recent bust of a counterfeit cycling gear scheme in Denver is a sign of things to come.

As head of brand security for Specialized, Love spends his days stalking counterfeiters online and shutting down illegal eBay auctions. The Denver case—which netted four arrests and fake jerseys, wheels and handlebars valued at $285,000—is the first time Love has had backing from government agents, as well as the largest one-time seizure he’s seen.

The 18-month investigation was handled through the government’s National Intellectual Property Rights Center after Love presented investigators with…

Route 66
Old Tascosa Cycling Club
Route 66 becomes a part of the National Bicycle Route System next year. This will greatly increase the number of bicycle travelers coming through Amarillo. We will have an opportunity to capture many tourist dollars as well as getting the chance to interact with these travelers. I’m sure there’s a great opportunity for our club to participate and make these travelers welcome. See…

Frisco Mountain Bike Trail Update Jun 26, 2012
by sooner1            Shawnee Trail Cycling Club
Remember our posting earlier in the year about the impending implementation of a mountain bike course here in Frisco?  The city’s cycling clubs invested in training for our members to be prepared for the actual construction of the trail.  As usual, the conceptualization and training for projects like this often outpace the legal requirements and processes.

No, we haven’t forgotten and, no it hasn’t been cancelled – the Mountain Bike Trail we’ve all been talking about for months is about to come to fruition.  On Thursday, June 20th, the group of cyclists from Shawnee Trail Cycling Club and Crest/RBM Cycling appeared before the…

Back on Flat Land – June 27th Bicycle Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I finally am back riding again after a 12 day break. We went on vacation to Branson, MO, where the land is far from flat. While we were there I only saw a pickup truck carrying two mountain bikes in the back. I did not see any serious riders. With all of the ups and downs I would need to become a mountain goat and develop some serious climbing legs.

Back at the flatland in Houston the temperature was moving up to 100 degrees or more. My goal today was to get out before the temperature had an opportunity to get that high so I started my ride at 9:08 AM with 84 degrees. When I finished it had moved up to 94 degrees. Fortunately the humidity was a low 40% so my perspiration dried quickly. Being off of the bike definitely affected my conditioning. My average speed was a slow 14.6 mph and my max speed was 19.2 mph. I suspect it will take several days to recover some of my fitness.

The 30.44 mile route was one of my regular ones going north to New Caney and then back south. Riding time was 2:04:59 with 5:33 time stopped. In order to get back home and avoid the heat I took my CamelBak. No stops to refill my waterbottle. After the break the mileage for June will take a hit. Mileage stats: 458.62 for June, 3249.0 miles YTD. Tomorrow I hope to start just as early.

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com/activity/193391342 98% 750]

Link to RideWithGPS.com data and map.

GHORBA Update 6/27

Texbiker.net Posted on by
Article category: 
General

Memorial Park Work Party
Hello trail workers, a reminder that we’ll be holding the monthly memorial park work party on July 3rd at 6 PM.  A few different things to note this time.  First, our scope of work will be building a re-route on Green to bypass the “washout” section that is current closing the Green Trail.  That said, we will be parking on Crestwood, north of Memorial Drive.  Use the google maps link below to see the parking spot/get directions.  We’ve got a lot of work to do on Green as it’s been closed for awhile, so there will be something for everyone, from trimming back overgrowing vegetation to helping cut the re-route.  We probably won’t get it all done in one night so we’ll have a few more throughout the month to continue our work on Green.  Please bring water, gloves, and some bug spray for yourself.  Since we’ve got a lot of work to do, I would appreciate it if you would email directly to me and confirm your attendance.  Thanks.

https://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=29.763739,-95.427349&hl=en&sll=29.763…

Anthills Work Party
The little bridge just east of Kirkwood in the S-turns continues to fall apart.  This is the bridge made of a hodge podge of materials and has a slight dip in the middle of it.  I would like to replace this bridge and then call a halt to bridge building for the summer….it’s getting too hot.   Please email Eric the Trail Steward at This Link if you can participate.  Happy Trails!

Buffalo Bayou Trail Update
As you know, the trails on Buffalo Bayou have been under construction by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) these last few months. In just a few weeks, construction on the $55 million Buffalo Bayou Park – Shepherd to Sabine project will also get underway.  

What this means for you and your members as trail users is that there will be a temporary inconvenience of closures. TxDOT, City of Houston, and Buffalo Bayou Partnership will all be working on the south side of the bayou at Taft and Allen Parkway and eastward to Sabine Street. Therefore, for safety reasons, the trail on the south side of Buffalo Bayou at Montrose (on the west) and Sabine (on the east) will be closed from July 5, 2012 and last about three months.

In addition, the Harris County Flood Control District will start work to realign the north side of the bayou and create a large flood bench near the Police Memorial (on the Memorial Drive side).  The intention is to remove silt and sediment and re-grade the slopes of the bayou to reduce the risk of erosion. There will be temporary windows of time – perhaps one hour or one day – when the trails in this area will be closed due to trucks loading in and out. Overall, trail users should not be heavily impacted by these closures.

It is very important to Buffalo Bayou Partnership that we inform you in advance about these closures as your members use these trails frequently.

This temporary inconvenience is part of the overall park improvements planned for Buffalo Bayou that we are confident you will enjoy once they are complete in mid-2015.   You can learn more about the upcoming work during our community meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 27 at 6-8 pm at United Way.

Also, we encourage you to share with your members the details of the trail closures, stay informed through our Buffalo Bayou Park – Shepherd to Sabine In the Works bi-monthly e-newsletter.

If you have any questions, please visit buffalobayou.org or contact Trudi Smith at tsmith@buffalobayou.org or 713.752.0314 ext. 3.

Posted in Uncategorized