Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for June 15th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

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…

Overtrained? Some Time Off – June 15th Bicycle Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The legs did not respond great today so the ride came in at a rather slow 15.0 mph average speed over the 31.96 mile route. I suspect I might be suffering from over training so I will take the next 10 days off and see if I can improve when I return. I skipped the Tour of Switzerland individual time trial live today in order to start earlier at 9:43 AM. The heat at the start was 84 degrees and rose to 93 when I finished at 12:26 PM. Partly cloudy skies and a light 7 mph south breeze completed the weather picture.

I changed my starting route slightly but overall the route was my normal one through Atascocita, Walden at Lake Houston and then onto Huffman. Nothing really out the normal took place during the ride. At the Huffman Chevron (FM2100 at FM1960) I enjoyed the majority of the 33:27 time stopped drinking a Diet Pepsi and eating a Kashi Trail Mix bar. The light breeze under the fuel island canopy felt relaxing. People watching can make the time pass quickly so I got back on the bicycle for the last 11 miles. I did pass a woman bicyclist on Old Atascocita Road going the opposite direction as I rode to FM2100. Total riding time was 2:09:30 with my max speed at 21.4 mph and average cadence of 76.1 RPM. The low cadence reflects my legs’ tiredness.

Mileage marks: 162.29 this week, 428.18 for June and 3218.56 YTD. Link to RideWithGPS.com data and map.

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup for June 14th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

10 Clever Ways to Teach Your Child How to Ride a Bike
www.nanny.net
Learning to ride a bike is one of the quintessential moments in life.  It’s a milestone that leaves every child feeling accomplished and empowered, and one of those memories that you look back on fondly years after the fact.  Funny thing is that more and more kids aren’t learning how to ride a bike.  If you’re considering teaching your child to ride a bike, consider these strategies:

–Hold the bike while she rides:  The “holding the bike” strategy is a tried and true method for teaching a child how to ride.  Kids have trouble with balancing in the beginning stages of learning to ride, so you can run alongside them and help them balance while they…

Kings Highway Conservation District Makes Donation for Bicycle Infrastructure on Kings Highway
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff
We just received word from the president of Kings Highway Conservation District, Jonathan Braddick, also a BFOC Board Member.  Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

OAK CLIFF – On Tuesday, June 12th 2012 Kings Highway Conservation District residents approved donating $3,000 of privately raised funds to the City of Dallas for installing bicycle infrastructure on Kings Highway from N. Polk St to Mary Cliff Dr.  In addition, Bike Friendly Oak Cliff kicked in an additional $250 toward the effort, and Councilman…

What Makes a Bike Friendly City?
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

In the latest Bicycling Magazine issue, Dallas came out on top.  That’s the top of the Worst Bicycle Friendly city in the country.  We all know there’s great bicycle culture here.  It’s been here for years going back to 1973 when the Greater Dallas Bicyclists first organized.  We also have claim to…

Some Closing Thoughts from Bikin’ Mike
www.collinclassic.org
Wow! What a great note to end our 12 years of Classic rides. We had our best turn out since we took over the ride in 2001 and from the comments we heard, people had a great time at our Last Ride.

First, I have some items to cover. We lost our MC at 3pm Friday, so I was called on to fill in. With everything that we had going on, I never looked at the script and tried to wing it. Not my best idea of the day, as I failed to remember several people and organizations. So, here is a lot of what I should have said on Saturday morning:

First, we would like to thank our sponsors who have been so supportive. Rick Gurney of Plano Cycling & Fitness was the first person to approach us and support our efforts with the Collin Classic. We never would have attempted the endeavor without his support.

Second, a BIG thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Rudy Andrea, of the Andrea-Mennen Family Foundation for his support of…

Kid Trips Event – McKinney Falls State Park
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 – 08:00 – 10:00 Austin Ridge Riders
Kid Trips will be conducting a ride with Jr Rangers at McKinney Falls State Park on Tuesday 6/26/12.

We’ll meet at the McKinney Falls State Park at 7:30 a.m. Volunteers will be reimbursed for any entrance fees.  The ride starts at 8:00 a.m.  Adult volunteers are welcome; just bring your mountain bike and helmet.  Please note the starting time and that it is a…

NTC: Juggled standings after Fixed Gear Classic
www.usacycling.org
The USA Cycling National Track Calendar (NTC) continued with its second event, the Fixed Gear Classic at the NSC Velodrome in Blaine, Minn. Plenty of NTC standings points were up for grabs as riders contested three sprint events (match sprint, team sprint and keirin) as well as three endurance contests (points race, scratch race and Madison).

ENDURANCE
The NTC men’s endurance standings leader remains Zack Carlson (Plano, Texas/Matrix-Richardson Bike Mart) with 40 points. Only three points behind him is Franco Marvulli (SUI), who posted three top-three finishes, including teaming with Zachary Kovalcik (Portland, Ore./Sizzle Pie Cycling p/b Veloforma) to win the Madison. Jean-Michel…

Texas Moves Up in Bicycle Friendly Rankings
www.biketexas.org
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Report Card for Texas marks the Lone Star State as #27 in the nation for bicycle-friendliness, a five-place improvement over a #32 ranking last year.

The May 2012 Report Card gives Texas plenty of room for improvement in safety, infrastructure, and planning for cyclists and pedestrians. However, the report card does have bright spots, including a score of four out of…

PCC has a social on the first Friday of every month.
Pearland Cycling Club
Meet up with your cycling buddies and join the fun!
When: 6:30pm, First Friday Social
Where: Big Horn BBQ
2300 Smith Ranch Road
Pearland, TX
PCC has regular group rides every weekend in the Pearland and surrounding areas. Our ride start is conveniently located near FM 518 and Highway 288 only 20 minutes south of Downtown Houston.

We ride on rural roads with light traffic, few traffic lights, and just a handful of stop signs. We have access to some of the best cycling roads in…

Tonight I Heartily Biked The Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail
durangotexas.blogspot.com

Gateway Park Trail Above Trinity River Cliff
Tonight I went on my first mountain bike trail ride in a long long time. Yesterday I saw the Gateway Park mountain bike trail and thought it looked…

A Shogun Bicycle – June 14th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

During today’s ride while I stopped at the Texaco station before entering Valley Ranch for a water refill one of the men unloading a Grocery Supply Company truck told me he is restoring a Shogun bicycle and that the parts are hard to find. If you do not recognize the Shogun brand I remember it from the 1980’s. Back then a lot of bicycles were made in Japan before they moved to Taiwan and then China. This link will take you a website where people are selling Shogun bikes. He asked if I went on many organized rides and I said the last one was the LBJ100 in Johnson City. He said he has ridden the Hotter’n Hell 100 two or three times. I left him one of my Texbiker.net business cards inviting him to check out all of the Texas biking news and events.

After yesterday’s 37 mile ride I decided to shorten today’s and go on my familiar route to New Caney and then back through the Valley Ranch housing development. This route came to 30.54 miles. I rode at an easier pace than yesterday as well with a 15.1 mph average speed, 20.8 mph max speed and 77.9 RPM average cadence. Riding time totaled 2:01:37 plus 14:36 time stopped. My start time was a little earlier at 10:33AM. I am watching the Tour of Switzerland and the stage did not finish until a few minutes past 10. Tomorrow’s stage is the individual time trial so I will not watch it live but on NBCSports via Dish satellite in the afternoon.

With this starting time the weather did not get to full strength yet. Temperature range during the ride: 87 to 93. Humidity: 63% to 48%. Partly cloudy with a south 8.1 mph breeze.

Mileage standings: 130.33 this week, 396.22 for June, 3,186.60 YTD. Link to data and map at RideWithGPS.com.

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