Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup for June 18th

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HBC Hempstead Melon Trail Ride
Houston Bicycle Club
23(C), 37(C), 41(C), 50(C) miles
Meandering flat to rolling country roads, some long grades, little traffic but for State Highway 6. Few stores! Produce stands outside Hempstead.

El Paso Bicycle Club Ride
Celebrating 70
Description:     Lower Valley ride (43 miles) to celebrate Jim Weaver’s 70th birthday. Will start & end at Cotton-Eyed Joe’s at Clint exit off I-10. Ride to Fabens and Tornillo, return via San Elizario and Socorro. Randy Limbird, 915-328-4110.

https://twitter.com/BikeMS_DFW/status/214822530484146177

Urban Assault Ride: Austin
by Darryl        lovingthebike.com

I wanted to pass along information on the Urban Assault Ride that is being put together in part by my social media buddy, @jonvick (Adventure Fit) and New Belgium Brewing…you know, the makers of Fat Tire Beer.

The Urban Assault Ride is a ride that most people do just for the fun of it, as it’s not a typical riding event.  Plus, look for the…

CU Beats the Heat by Taking to the Streets at Night
by Ray Garza        Ciclistas Urbanos
It’s June and in the Rio Grande Valley that means soaring temperatures to the upper 90’s and low 100’s. To combat this we ride early in the morning but that also means getting up even earlier. As a change of pace, CU is beating the heat by hitting the streets at night! That’s right, night rides through McAllen and Edinburg area.

The last two rides as attracted large gatherings of 16 and 20 cyclists respectively. It’s fun to see people rush out to get lights or borrow from others to deck out their bikes. Night riding brings out a whole new perspective to the atmosphere while cycling. The weather is cooler, more energy in the air as people are chatting, laughing and…

Video: Denton’s bike culture takes off
by Ashley-Crystal Firstley of North Texas Daily

DENTON — It’s evident in the dozens of cyclists pedaling miles every Tuesday night. It’s in the thousands of city dollars going toward a new bike plan, or the new “share the road” arrows painted on Denton streets, and is apparent every time a mallet strikes a ball in a game of bike polo. Denton is home to an emerging culture of biking, a culture set to change in the near future at both a city-wide and…

New hiking trail opens at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
By – Submitted by Rozanna Pfeiffer, National Park Service
FRITCH — “Take a hike” now has new meaning at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area with the opening of the Harbor Bay East leg of the new South Shore Trail System.

Declining water levels at Lake Meredith have reduced public access to the reservoir, resulting in an overall reduction in the availability of recreational opportunities for visitors. Although water-based opportunities such as fishing and boating are provided, only a minimal amount of trail mileage has…

My Thoughts on Cornering
by Ken        Texas Racing Life
Another week has gone by and another weekday criterium in Houston is in the books. This week, Wally Groda of Bike Barn took the win and gave us all a clinic on how to corner. In his honor, I decided to write about a skill that is surprisingly lacking in a lot of racers.

First off, let me say that I do not pretend to be the best crit racer or cornerer in the land. I get scared and lose my nerve as most people do at one time or another. But I will say that I go around corners faster than most and have some knowledge to share.  There are many many different opinions on cornering that you can find all over…

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for June 17th

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Hotter n’ Hell New Route – No Beer Stop!!?
by Halfast        www.bikeforums.net
HHH has changed the route, and does NOT go through the 98 mile rest stop location!! SAD!!! I wonder if the beer guys will move their famous rest stop? Go to the HHH web site for the new maps. The plus side is that everybody goes through the Air Force Base!

Local church again will host Texas cyclists
By LORETTA SWORD         www.chieftain.com
The public is invited to meet with members of the Texas 4000 while they’re in Pueblo this weekend.

The fundraising bicyclists will stay overnight at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 10 University Circle, as they have for the past four years.

The 22 college students are en route from Austin, Texas, to Anchorage, Alaska, to raise funds for cancer research. …

Tour D’Italia
by Roy and Christine        Pedal Pushers

…We had stayed in Waxahachie as Italy has a grand population of 1993 and few motels. This is just a partial shot of the line up. Over 1,400 riders showed up almost doubling the population of the town. Yes, parking was very interesting. Get there early, or pretend that going from your parking place to the start line is your warm up for the ride. …

Rebecca’s Mirror Ride
San Antonio Wheelmen
Date:     07/01/2012
Time:     08:00 AM-11:00 AM
Location:     Bulverde, TX
Details: Rebecca’s Mirror Ride (N) [R to H] Route of 25, 45, and 75 miles.
A near-mirror image of the popular Rebecca Creek ride with the 75-route taking in a loop of the Kendalia ride. The ride starts at Bulverde Elementary School. Take US 281 North to the FM 1863/Bulverde exit. Turn left and go 2 miles on Bulverde Road to Amman Road. Turn left on Amman and the school is on the right at…

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for June 16th

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June Meeting at Bicycle Sports Shop on Thursday the 21st
Austin Cycling Association
Al Hindon of BSS is going to give us his Bicycle Maintenance Class from 6:00 pm till 7:00pm in the spin room at the 517 S Lamar Bicycle Sports Shop. We will have light refreshment starting about 5:30. Come have fun and learn something, too!

Wheel Brothers
To the lady in the Silver Dodge Pick Up Truck driving up the hill on Oakland Blvd today around 10:30am or so.

My sincere apologies for being the only vehicle/rider on the road on a 4 lane highway. However, I really like to think my life is worth more then you texting and driving. Thank you for swerving in the last minute and not actually…

Texas Mountain Bike Trails Taught Me How To Lube My Bike Chain In Under 4 Minutes
durangotexas.blogspot.com
Thursday evening I biked the Gateway Park mountain bike trail for the first time and blogged about it.

Someone with the very unusual name of  “..” made a comment that led me to ..’s website, Texas Mountain Bike Trails. …

Johnson Peak Trail Mountain Bike Trail
Graford, Texas
www.singletracks.com
Description: This is a wide trail that probably averages 3-4 feet in width. It is very well maintained and marked. There is a loop with an offshoot to the peak. There area number of very good views. The trail involves a lot of climbing. If you proceed West there is another trailhead that passes a road an connects to another system. The next section of trail after the road is a good ride as well. After that (further West) it becomes very sandy and I will not ride that section again. If you proceed East from the Redbird Trailhead there…

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for June 15th

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surprising and impressive that TxDOT cares about cyclists
From: Val Lopez            www.bikeforums.net
Subject: Fwd: TxDOT press release – Maintenance begins on area roadways
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) would like to keep you informed of upcoming seal coat procedures in the area so that your bicycle groups can plan their routes accordingly. Attached is a press release that details seal coat work that will start next week on select frontage roads in Tarrant County. This year’s seal coat program will use a smaller size rock that once embedded will provide a smoother, quieter ride for cyclists using the frontage roads.

Throughout the summer, seal coat operations will be underway in the surrounding counties as well. On these rural roadways where a shoulder is present, the smaller rock will also be placed to assist cyclists. TxDOT will continue to forward you these…

Rough ride..
Austin Ridge Riders
by OuchMyShin
Condition: Dry/Loose
Just did the Hogg to Russel trail morning.  Most of the trail is in good shape, a few downed limbs i had to move.  Very rocky, i would reccomend bringing a spare tube.  I had to walk about 1/4 of the trail as it was hard to rock hop in most spots.  Nice empty trail though- I only came across one couple hiking the trail.  Had to run over a dead fawn in the creek at the bottom of the trail, so be on the lookout.

White Rock Creek Trail Closure – Detour
by dickdavid        Bike Friendly Richardson

With all of the construction happening with LBJ (Interstate 635), the White Rock Creek Trail will be closed for about 2 months. There is a detour with directional signage to help guide cyclist get across the…

Cross country ride
Tandem ride takes bikers from WC to Dallas in 1964
Nancy Kayser – Historian , The Daily Freeman Journal
It was 48 years ago -June 1964 – when 16 Junior Chamber of Commerce teams from Iowa raced 780 miles from Webster City to Dallas, Texas on tandem bicycles.

No one seems to remember exactly where or how the idea came to be, but the names of Webster Citians Clarence Scott Jr. – “Scotty” – and Bub Lester appear quite often in news articles concerning the event.

Scott, a milkman for the Carnation Company based in Webster City, was quoted as saying he had never been to the national Junior Chamber of Commerce convention. Lester, number two man…

San Angelo’s getting healthier, but there’s more to do
By Bill Cullins        www.gosanangelo.com
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Based on the number of cyclists, runners and walkers that you see out exercising every day, you might guess that our region is becoming more fitness- and health-conscious.

The KOA loop is crowded with people exercising every evening, most cycling and running events have more participants than in past years, and the local health clubs are busy.

We’re slowly becoming a more fitness-oriented city — one body at a time. …

Bike Rack City: A look at Denton’s bike culture
by Ashley-Crystal Firstley / Intern        www.ntdaily.com
It’s evident in the dozens of cyclists pedaling miles every Tuesday night. It’s in the thousands of city dollars going toward a new bike plan, or the new “share the road” arrows painted on Denton streets, and is apparent every time a mallet strikes a ball in a game of bike polo. Denton is home to an emerging culture of biking, a culture set to change in the near future at both a city-wide and personal level.

“That’s one think I like about Denton, is that we’re still in that transitioning phase,” said Nathaniel Lightfoot, a treasurer at the non-profit community bike…