Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for June 13th

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Oak Cliff Film Festival for Cyclists!
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff
The first annual Oak Cliff Film Festival begins this Thursday!

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff has partnered for half-price discount on full-access badges for cyclists who bike to the events (use password f4iend50f0akclifffilmfest to purchase online). This is your pass to all the film screenings and parties throughout the weekend. You can park blocks away and bike up or bike from home, but you make your scouts honor pledge to…

ACA volunteer picnic and bike ride (Velo Vista)
www.austincycling.org
This ride is open to all. The picnic is for ACA volunteers from the past year. Please send an RSVP to Susie at susietruxillo@gmail.com. The picnic will be from 11am – 2pm. Meet at Brushy Creek Lake Park in Cedar Park for the ride start and picnic. The park is located off of Brushy Creek Road just east of Parmer Lane. Please park at the back of the parking lot near the restrooms and water feature. We will be doing a new route for this ride named Velo Vista. The ride will go through…

Reimers’ Ranch Ride & Ice Cream Social
Saturday, June 30, 2012 – 09:00
Austin Ridge Riders
Join Mark Henneke and the new Reimers’ Ranch Trail Steward Brad Sikes for a wonderful ride at Reimer’s Ranch and some post-ride ice cream and watermelon. Nothing hits the spot after a ride like sweet ice cream and cold watermelon. You’ll be thinking about ice cream and watermelon as you are barreling down that sweet downhill at the back end of the trail.

A lot has happened at Reimers Ranch. While this beautiful piece of property suffered from wild fires, there has been all kinds of infrastructure improvement, a new pump track, a return of the wildflowers and, of course, the crazy fun trail that is…

AMBP’s requirements and reimbursement policies
by Il Pirate         Austin Ridge Riders
AMBP Coordinator Carla is off on a fantasitc adventure but emailed the below reminder. Interested in how to get invovled in the Austin Mountain Bike Patrol? Don’t wait….email arrambp@gmail.com. You’ll be glad you did!

…Note that to patrol, you must maintain current certifications in first aid and CPR, as well as memberships in ARR and IMBA NMBP.  It’s your responsibility to keep track of when your certifications lapse, and to renew your certifications before they lapse. ARR will reimburse you for these expenses, provided that you meet all…

Falling Over in Glove Love
by Steve A        Dallas Point-to-Point
I wear gloves most of the time when I cycle. In the past, in this blog, I’ve described many of them, including mittens and heavy winter gloves. Yesterday, I was reminded of why I also appreciate gloves as personal protective equipment.

I was riding home, much like any other weekday. As occasionally happens, I encountered a motorist at a four way stop that tried to be nice and waited for me to go. She didn’t realize that not only did she have the “right of way” by virtue of having stopped at the sign before me (and to my right to boot), but that my intention was to make a left turn and that she’d then…

Austin Bike Culture Calendar Events: 6/14- 6/20/12
by elliott        Austin on Two Wheels
Here’s a quick run down of recommended events for the coming week from our comprehensive calendar of all cycling events. As always, if there is an event you know about that’s not on our calendar contact us, and we’ll add your event on and possibly add it to the weekly round up.

Thursday, June 14
Driveway Crit Series
5 PM, The Driveway, 8400 Delwau Lane
Weekly Thursday night road racing through October that takes place on the closed car-free driving course at the Driveway. Races include Cat 3/4 women’s and juniors race at 5:00, Cat 3/4 Race and Women’s Open at 5:30, Kids Fun Lap at 6:20, Cat 4/5 Race at 6:25, and Pro/Cat 1/2/3 at 6:55. Races registration Weekly: Men $25, Women $10, College Students $10, Juniors $10. 5PM Junior race is free. Additional races $10 each. Season…

CATS Debuts at UTB & UTA
biketexas.org
BikeTexas is delighted to announce that University of Texas at Brownsville and University of Texas at Austin campuses debuted BikeTexas’ new College Active Transportation Safety, CATS program at the first in a series of new student orientations at Texas colleges and universities this summer.

Many thanks to Charles Hart, lecturer at UT Brownsville (UTB) for delivering the very first BikeTexas CATS presentation, and Beth Rosenbarger, graduate student in Architecture for…

Welcome to the temporary Home of DORBA!
www.dorba.org
Our old site is unavalaiable and we are working to put in place a permanent replacement site soon. In the mean time it is important that we stay in touch regarding events, trail work, clinics, races, etc. so we have provisioned space here at Meetup. It’s not ideal but it will allow us to stay in touch.

Please feel free to use the forums to discuss the site transition issues and other topics. You can also check out…

Cycle Cowtown – JPS to roll out North Texas 100-mile bicycle ride in 2013
by WB admin        The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
Billed as a “warm-up to the Hotter’N Hell Hundred,” which attracts 14,000 or so people from all over the country to Wichita Falls each August, the first Cycle Cowtown is planned for June 22, 2013, Robert Earley, CEO of the JPS system, confirmed at the end of May.

With early support from Fort Worth’s bike-loving mayor, the county judge, the Chamber of Commerce, the downtown business district, Sundance Square, county commissioners and Earley, who loves riding his bicycle almost as much as he loves promoting community health, Cycle Cowtown should prove a popular venture.

“Who to better put on a great cycling venture than the JPS Health Network?”  Earley asked. “Our medical team is so committed to health, and cycling is such a healthy sport. A lot of our residents and other physicians and…

 

Another Rider in a Milram Kit – June 13th Bike Ride

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As I planned today’s route I decided on a combination of streets and roads different from what I rode in the past. I wasn’t sure what the distance would be but I figured it would under 40 miles and it totaled 37.56 miles. The long stretches of open road without stops and starts allowed me to get my average speed up to 16.3 mph with only a 20.8 mph max speed and 82.2 RPM average cadence. Many years ago I rode this section of FM1485 but there is a two mile section without shoulders. Back then a lot of logging trucks traveled this road so I stopped riding this route. Today I only saw two logging trucks; one going the other direction with a load and one going my direction and empty. The one going my way passed before the no shoulder section.

Going through The Commons of Lake Houston lessened the traffic concern but I did not remember all of the turns so I got back onto FM1485 before I should have. For a couple of streets in the Commons another rider in a Milram kit followed me. I said hi but he did not respond. Our ways split when I made one of my wrong turns onto Hargrave Road. Later on as I arrived at my usual stop at the Huffman Chevron an incident happened when a motorcyclist drove off without paying for his gas. This set off a string of events resulting in two Harris County deputies arriving after awhile. Not sure what went on between the clerks and the deputies though. They left just before I did.

After our rain yesterday evening the temperature dropped some for my ride to 82 – 92 degrees, humidity 52% at the finish, partly cloudy sky and an almost non-existent 3.5 mph N breeze. The light breezed helped my average speed. Except for the last segment my average speed was great.

Mileage stats: 99.8 miles this week, 365.68 miles in June and 3,156.06 miles YTD. Riding time today: 2:18:05, time stopped 34:44. Link to RideWithGPS.com data and map.

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Great news for Flintridge and more!

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Article category: 
General

Flintridge Expansion
As previously indicated, GHORBA has great news for the Flintridge Trail system.  In conjunction with the Spring Creek Greenway project, Flintridge will be undergoing a large expansion, doubling in size!  The expansion is made possible through a $100,000 Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant sponsored and created by GHORBA and strongly partnered with Montgomery County Precinct 3 through matching funds.  The funds will be utilized to add up to an additional six miles of natural surface trail and to improve the sustainability of an additional six miles of existing natural surface trails.  The end result will be a Flintridge trail system spanning all the way to I-45 on the northern side of Spring Creek.  Construction will not start until a bid process is completed and contracts are in place with contractors, this is estimated to occur by the end of 2012.  GHORBA is very excited for this upcoming project with special recognition to GHORBA Board Member-At-Large Bill Begnaud for being the driving force behind the success of this project.

This Courier Article has additional information on the project.

For more information on past and present GHORBA projects, check out our advocacy page or just ask one of our Board Members when you see them on the trail.

Flintridge STS Race
Let’s celebrate the Flintridge expansion! Rafael, GHORBA’s Race Director, is working on rescheduling the postponed Flintridge STS for the first weekend in July.  Interested in seeing the race happen on this date? Email Raf via our contact form and let him know.

RTP Needs your help again!
The RTP program has been VERY beneficial to Houston area mountain bikers yielding $461,000 for local trails over the past few years to include Carl Barton (City of Conroe sponsoring) $45k, Double Lake $120k, Huntsville State Park $160K, Community grant $36k, and Flintridge $100k.
RTP is arguably the most important government program ever created to benefit trail based recreation, and funds the development and maintenance of thousands of miles of motorized and non-motorized trails.  Please click the Take Action link to weigh in today!
TAKE ACTION!

STS Results
The up to date results of the Short Track Series are available.  Each link below has the results information for each race as well as the series.
Overall (pdf)
Cypresswood (pdf)
Sugar Land (pdf)
Jack Brooks (pdf)

New Flintridge Trail Steward
Help GHORBA welcome our new trail steward for Flintridge, Karl Thompson.  Karl is a local mountain biker and is eager to maintain Flintridge and see the upcoming expansion become a success.  Look for Karl’s work party announcements on our calendar and on the Flintridge email group.  Karl can also be reached utilizing our contact form at this link.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for June 12th

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@BSS_Austin        via Twitter
You know we’re bringing #WomensRideDay back right? Join us Saturday!

Any other downhillers/freeriders in East Texas (around Nacogdoches)?
by PeytonP        forums.mtbr.com
I’m tired of riding alone…

I know one other guy who rides big bikes but he’s gone for the summer. I’m more that willing to show anyone around the trails in Nacogdoches and introduce them to short but sweet downhills we have. They’re getting old for me but have enough features to keep you entertained and your skills up. The SFASU campus is across the street with its stair sets and a few things to session- so is some…

West Texas Cycling Association Next Monthly Meeting
Date: July 9, 2012
Time: 7:00 PM
Host: TBA
Where:     Lubbock, TX

Helotes-Castroville Ride
San Antonio Wheelmen
Date:     06/24/2012
Time:     08:00 AM-11:00 AM
Location:     Helotes, TX
Details:     Helotes-Castroville Ride (NW) [F, H] Routes of 26, 45, and 58 miles. Routes vary from fairly flat to hilly.  Meet at the parking lot across from the John T. Floore Country Store.  Take Hwy 16 to Helotes, turn left onto the Old Bandera Road.

Texas Bicycle Safety Tip: Helmets every time
Texas News Service
AUSTIN – Wear a helmet every time. No exceptions.

That’s the message from the American Academy of Pediatrics this summer. The group confirms that riding without a bike helmet significantly increases the risk of head injuries if a bicyclist crashes, and crashes can be serious even when just riding around the neighborhood.

Emergency room doctor Mike Gittleman, co-coordinator of the Comprehensive Children’s Injury Center at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital Medical Center, says wearing a helmet can reduce head-injury…

Texas 4000: riders with cause
by Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M.  — More than twenty cyclists crossed the New Mexico border just east of Clovis, N.M., in late afternoon on June 7. This year’s Texas 4000 team was in high spirits after their race to the border from Farwell, Texas, into Clovis. One rider simply let out a sigh along with the words, “finally made it to the land of enchantment!”

The Texas 4000 was founded in 2003 and is the longest annual charity bike ride in the world. Traveling more than 4,000 miles by bike, those cyclists are dedicated to the fight against cancer through sharing hope, knowledge and…

Recreation calendar, camps & clinics: June 13
www.mysanantonio.com
Bicycling: Today, 8 a.m., Wheelers Senior Ride, 30 miles, Floore’s Country Store, Helotes. 210-643-0314.
Bicycling: Saturday, 8 a.m., Bullis Park Ride, 21, 34, 48 and 66 miles, Bullis County Park. 210-862-6559. …

@ATXCyclingTeam        via Twitter
MTB – Wednesday Night at the Nut is on! Wheels down, 6:30pm.