I began today’s ride at 9:46, earlier than my typical time. The wind speed at 9 mph meant the ride should not be battle but the higher humidity (78%) offset some of that benefit. This did drop down to 62% by the time I finished at 11:53 AM. Mostly cloudy skies kept the sun hidden most of the time and the temperature at 84 degrees at the end. The forecast said rain not likely today but at the 15 mile mark I rode into some rain drops but I think my perspiration produced more water than what fell from the sky. Within 2/10ths of mile I escaped the rain drops for the rest of the ride. The clouds did thin out some at that point as well.
With the high humidity I sweated so much that my biking gloves were soaked as well as my jersey. At one point I stopped at the Chevron station at FM1485 and US59 to wipe away the water on my brow to keep it from running down onto my glasses. I also refilled my waterbottle with ice and water while there. At this point I turned back to the south and into the wind which by the time I got home increased to 12.7 mph from the southeast. By 1:45 the wind picked up to 20 mph so my early ride avoided that.
Today’s ride (30.18 miles) wraps up my April biking with a total of 716.31 miles. This exceeds my April average of 505.06 miles by 211. My year to date miles stand at 1935.67. Thanks to my retirement these miles put me further than ever for this time of the year. Work no longer gets in the way of biking. Yard work can though but asking my wife for a flexible schedule enabled me to fit the two together. According to my Garmin Edge I biked 22.54 miles at 17.3 mph which helped my average speed.
Today’s average speed moved back up to 15.4 mph, 26.1 mph max speed improved as well and my average cadence moved up to 80.8 RPM. I covered the route today in 1:57:34 time with 9:38 spent stopped (mostly at the New Caney Chevron station). For more information about my bike ride data go to RideWithGPS.com and the Garmin Connect information below. Both of these are interactive if you want to move things around.
Alkek Velodrome
Thanks to all the racers for making The Keirin a great success! 70 riders, $1200 in payouts and a gazillion keirin heats! Special shouts out to Mike Gladu and Mark Bing for officiating, Carl Jones for riding the perfect motor all night long, and Dale Rasche for keeping us on schedule!
The Outspoken Cyclist
04/28/2012 Podcast
As cyclists, we can sometimes get so focused on goals, equipment, advocacy, and events, that we forget how much fun is at the core of riding a bicycle. This week’s show presses the reset button, and turns the Fun Dial up to 11, with two great interviews that speak to the joy of cycling. …
CyclingATX (@CyclingATX)Â Â Â Â Â Â via Twitter
Latest from Joe Martin via Elbowz Racing Elite Cycling Team:
Hammerfest Sunday Canceled
by HOLLAND RACING on 4/28/2012
It’s with a heavy heart that I make the announcement that Sunday’s 3rd stage of Hammerfest is canceled.
After dinner, Matt, Raymond and I went to collect all the equipment used along the courses today. Out past the observatory, we had the radio tuned to Marfa Public Radio where we heard one of the HAM radio operators who had volunteered to help with our race communication issuing evacuation statements for the Davis Mountain Resort community.
As we neared the north end of the course we could see huge plumes of flames coming up over Mt. Livermore and where racers were just hours before, ash was falling. Standing there in the silence on the side of the road we watched as flames come up over the mountain, the smoke, and knowing that people on the other side of the mountain were being evacuated was quite a moment, one I won’t…
Honking Desperately
by Steve AÂ Â Â Â Â Â Dallas Point-to-Point
I’ve heard it expressed that motorists honk out of irritation or aggression. I can assure y’all that they honk for other reasons as well. What’s more, Friday’s episode illustrates a reason for cyclists to favor less trafficked routes in order to connect better with our motoring friends.
On Friday, I was riding to work. Lately, I have been taking my “fog route,” which is AT LEAST a full minute slower than my usual route. Or it would be if there weren’t construction slowing down my usual route in order to build more freeway lanes so my motorists can drive on them. While I’m not wild about my share of taxes to pay for…
You’ve bought a new bike, new helmet, shoes, shorts(with padding), fancy cycling jersey with empty pockets, bike bag, pedals —-Â Â whew!
Maybe you want to be like Lance, or be a little greener and not drive your car so much or you just want to lose some weight and improve your health. …
Colorado River Bikefest
by Roy and Christine      Pedal Pushers
Ballinger, Texas April 28, 2012
The Colorado River Bikefest is another good ride close to San Angelo. As such, we had a respectable turn out from San Angelo.
Rick and Velma Ogan. Velma place 2nd in the women’s 60K. Rick rode with us thereby eliminating all chances of his placing in the 100K. …
Today’s ride was not planned but the opportunity came so out on the road I went. Scattered clouds and 85 degrees were the pleasant sides of the the weather. The wind made the ride tough at 20 mph from the southeast and 25 mph gusts. The legs turned over slowly when one of the 25 mph gusts landed in my path but I kept turning the crank and got back some speed.
The route started off into the wind and did not turn away from it until about the 16.7 mile point at the left turn onto FM2100 from Old Atascocita Road. I was ready after grinding out some small inclines into the wind. There were times I stood on the pedals to try to get my speed up after a gust hit me. With a total of 29.88 miles today only about 13 miles were with some kind of a tailwind. This did not leave much distance to get my average speed up to 15 mph or more but I did get to a 14.9 mph average speed. With all of the wind my 21.4 mph max speed was not surprising as was my 78.0 RPM average cadence.
Some ride data:
2:00:19 riding time
21:11 time stopped (at the Huffman Chevron resting before the final 11 miles)
Cyclist dies in accident on Hwy 360
www.kvue.com
by ASHLEY GOUDEAU / KVUE News and Photojournalist JUSTIN TERRY
AUSTIN — A cyclist is dead after a deadly crash in Westlake, near the Capitol of Texas Highway and Westbank Drive. The Department of Public Safety is now identifying the victim as 55 year old Verter Ginestra of Austin.
Emergency officials cleared the scene just before 6 p.m., but there are still very few details about what actually happened.
Verter Ginestra and car were traveling northbound. They collided just before 2:30 p.m. EMS crews tried to save the Ginestra, but the 55-year-old…
@BSS_Austin         via Twitter
Super Squadra’s Phil Wikoff for the WIN in the Ft. Davis stage 2 road race! Great job Phil and the team’s young guns!
CyclingATX (@CyclingATX)Â Â Â Â Â Â via Twitter
Elbowz Racing Elite Cycling Team’s Joe Schmalz “Best Young Rider” news inverview at Joe Martin: fb.me/1jIojryYn
Bicycle Sport Shop (@BSS_Austin)Â Â Â Â Â Â via Twitter
Nearly 100 women @ our April Women’s Ride Day! Post-ride mimosas & talk of a monthly event! cc: @specializedwmn
2nd Annual Fort Worth Fat Tire Festival
M2RIDER Â Â Â Â Â Â Austin Ridge Riders
What’s up! I’m sending you all of the info regarding the Fat Tire Festival. Hope to see you all there! The 2nd Annual Fort Worth Fat Tire Festival benefitting the Fort Worth Mountain Bikers’ Association!
Sunday, May 13, 2012 (Mother’s Day!) 10:00am till 4:00pm at Gateway Park in Ft Worth.
Last year, the Fort Worth Mountain Bikers’ Association hosted a huge fundraiser that brought in funding for the construction of a new off-road trail at Gateway Park, in Ft. Worth. This year is going to be even bigger now that we have several miles of new trail to ride! …
Bp ms150
by Underground         www.bikeforums.net
Here are a few pics of me…
I have experienced situation 1 and the traffic behind the stopped car don’t know what is going on.
Danger Ahead
by Steve AÂ Â Â Â Â Â Dallas Point-to-Point
Not all is cheery goodness on my daily commute. On Thursday, I encountered two dangerous motorist behaviors – within a two block distance. In the first case, I would have been a mere witness to a fiery crash my existence caused. In the second case, it could have gotten a little more personal, had I not been able to take matters in hand.
Situation 1: Cyclist (yours truly) is stopped on the side street, signaling his intent to make a right onto an arterial when traffic permits. This occurs pretty much every day for just about any cyclist. However, this time, the oncoming eastbound motorist on the arterial STOPS. Clearly, this motorist has encountered enough scofflaws on…
George W. Bush has a new spokes-man
By CHRIS VAUGHN – McClatchy Newspapers
FORT WORTH, Texas – Retired Marine rifleman and Iraq veteran Eric Elrod had never met a president until this week.
When he shook hands with former President George W. Bush on Thursday, the two took off on a three-day, 100-kilometer mountain bike ride through Palo Duro Canyon State Park outside Amarillo on the Warrior 100K.
“To meet any commander in chief is a big deal, but especially cool to meet your commander…
When he shook hands with former President George W. Bush on Thursday, the two took off on a three-day, 100-kilometer mountain bike ride through Palo Duro Canyon State Park outside Amarillo on the Warrior 100K.
“To meet any commander in chief is a big deal, but especially cool to meet your commander in chief who was in office at the time you served,” Elrod said.
Elrod, 29, who lives in far north Fort Worth, is one of 20 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan selected for Bush’s second annual mountain bike ride, which concludes…
Joe Martin Road Race #1 2012
by Ken         Texas Racing Life
110 miles! The distance seemed almost insurmountable. But Bill and I saddled up, hoping to move him up in GC. The course was a giant loop to the south of Fayetteville, with a headwind going out, and a stiff tailwind going in.
The first 50 miles went by really fast, and I was suprised when I looked a my computer to see that we were getting close to halfway done. This sounds pretty silly, as 50 miles is a pretty good ride in itself! The second half would be much harder though. As soon as we hit the southern-most part of the course, we had a right-left crosswind, and a full peloton ready to make selections. The race split up a lot, and people that couldn’t find a…
Bike MS: Sam’s Club Ride in Dallas, TX
by WB admin         The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
The Bike MS: Sam’s Club Ride benefiting people living with MS invites you to join their ride happening on May 5-6, 2012, 2012 at Union Station* (Downtown Dallas) 400 S. Houston St. Dallas, TX 75202
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Frank Timmons of Bike MS: Sam’s Club Ride to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.
Why join the this year’s Bike MS: Sam’s Club Ride?
Best supported ride in North Texas. Family friendly. Raises money to fight MS.
