Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for April 22nd

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Today I listened to the The Outspoken Cyclist podcast. One of the segments the host interviewed Jock Boyer, the first American to ride in the Tour de France. Jock spends a lot of his time helping Team Rowanda. He talks about the difficulties of a bicycle team coming together in a country that suffered a huge crisis. This is worth listening to. The next time you want to complain about biking in the US think about Rowanda.

Updated! Gallery: Austin Rattler 100
singletrack.competitor.com (75 photos)

Mountain bikers from throughout the United States raced Saturday for a chance to compete in the 2012 Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. The Austin Rattler in Austin, Texas, was the first event of the six-race Leadville Qualifying Series. Photo: James Cassimus

Seen at the Dallas Cycle Style Census Shoot
by Christopher Curnutt        Biking in Dallas

These are some of the images we saw on Saturday when we were shooting photos from Main Street Garden.  None of the images you see her are the ones submitted to the project, those will be up for viewing soon at Dallas Cycle Style. Once again a big thanks to Susan Reeves for spending much…

Cross-State Bike Ride Supports Injured Veterans
by Sharrie Williams            dfw.cbslocal.com
Arlington (CBSDFW.COM) – Smiles could be seen on the faces of more than 200 cyclists as they rode into Arlington today.

It marks the end of a week long journey that could make a lifetime difference for Unites States veterans.

Hundreds took part in a cross-state cycling event called Ride 2 Recovery.

The seven day Texas Challenge task began at Brooke Army Medical Center’s Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio with a route that carried the cyclists through central Texas with overnight stops in San Marcos, Austin, Ft. Hood, Waco and Cleburne and concluded in…

Specialized Womens Ride
APRIL 28, 2012
Richardson BikeMart
Richardson Location Ride -  RBM Richardson Location ride will leave at 9:30 am. The ride will depart from the shop and head to Custer Park and back, totaling about 9 miles in all. This ride will be mostly on the paved bicycle path and some roads. There are no fees associated with this ride, just show up with your bike and helmet and enjoy the ride. If you have no bicycle or have questions please email Anne at ablankenship@bikemart.com.

Dallas Location Ride -  RBM Dallas Location ride will leave at 9:30 am. The ride will depart from the shop and head to White Rock Lake for one lap around the lake, totaling about 10 miles in all. This ride will be on the paved bicycle path around White Rock Lake and…

Calendar for Monday, April 23, 2012
amarillo.com
Old Tascosa Cycling Club ride: 6:30 p.m. Gander Mountain, 10300 W. Interstate 40. 806-223-8328 or www.oldtascosacycling.com.

LMRA Bicycle Club Message Board
Week of April 22, 2012

Road Bike Rides
San Angelo Bicycling Association
Monday Group Ride:
Intermediate/Beginner. All levels welcome. Starts at 6:00 PM from Mary E. Lee Park. Just under 14 miles. Moderate pace, designated rest/re-group spots. Flat to moderate hills.

Tuesday-Loop Group. Starts at TxDOT at 6:00-6:15 PM. 20, 25, and 30 mile options. Groups ride continuous, NO designated rest/re-group spots. All levels are welcome. It is a San Angelo ride versus a SABA ride. If you are Intermediate or below, it is best to let the Fast/Advanced riders lead out to…

Texas Flyers Cycling Club of Flower Mound
Group Rides

@TAMUCycling        via Twitter
AMCT wins the SCCCC 2011-2012 Team Omnium! Points are combined from the road, cyclocross, track and MTB seasons.

Fiesta Wildflower    @grandpajerald        via Twitter
Great day

Fiesta Wildflower    @grandpajerald        via Twitter

Fiesta WildFlower 2012 very hot after 12 .80 Miles with group then 20 miles slow,great ride.next to the last rest stop

The One on the Rear Was Firm – April 22nd Bicycle Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

When I went out to the garage to leave on my ride I remembered that I better check the rear tire pressure. The rear tire was firm. Yesterday on the return leg home as I rode onto the W. Lake Houston Parkway over the San Jacinto River I suddenly heard this loud clicking sound. I quickly stopped thinking maybe one of my tires picked up something or something got caught in one of my wheels. Looking at the front tire I did not see anything but when I turned to look at the rear tire just behind my rear brake this brown thing about 1 1/2″ long stuck out of the tire. The protruding end had a ball on it and a rust metal stem. I hesitated on pulling it out thinking if I did the tire would go flat and the traffic noise on the bridge would make the repair difficult but I pulled it out anyway. I put my finger over the hole to feel if any air escaped but nothing seemed to come out. So I started riding home to finish the route.

I should have checked the tire last night in case the object did some damage so that I would have time to make the repair but no need; the one on the rear was firm, filled tight with air. Thanks to the Continental GatorSkin tire the puncture did not make it to the tube. I can’t remember such an experience before. I like this kind of an ending.

The weather continues to be amazing: bright blue sky without a cloud in sight, 77 – 83 degrees start to finish, and a light NW 7 mph breeze. No need for extra clothing today just a short sleeve jersey (my University of Cincinnati one) unlike yesterday when I wore a long sleeve and short sleeve jersey. Tomorrow some clouds arrive but the temperature will get up to 80 or so.

Starting out into the NW wind my legs did not seem too willing to turn the cranks but they loosened up somewhat so that by the 10 mile point my average speed almost reached 15.0 mph. Once I turned southerly at the 11 mile mark the wind helped from my rear and right rear quarter so I could get the speed up enough to push my overall average speed for the ride to 15.0 mph. I shortened the route by about 3 miles in order to get back home in time for cleaning up, lunch and then to take my niece to Special Olympics cycling practice. The route totaled 26.58 miles. Max speed hit 22.3 mph and average cadence 78.7 RPM showing my leg speed down from a typical ride.

Some ride data:

  • 1:46:12 riding time
  • 5:12 stopped time
  • 4:00 minutes per mile on average
  • 150.5 miles this week
  • 493.31 miles in April
  • 1712.67 miles YTD
  • RideWithGPS.com data link

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4-22-2012 Home Weather Station End

4-22-2012 Home Weather Station End

Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup April 21st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

HoustonCyclingCentre  (@HoustonBikes)    via Twitter

Steady wave of cyclists rolling through RS 2. These ladies are still smiling

Ride and Run Schedule
www.bikenacogdoches.org
Check out our Rides page for info about all our get togethers. Here’s a quick rundown of our riding and running sessions.

Tuesday: meet at the Doches Credit Union (on the West Loop)  at 5:30pm for 15 to 20 mile ride on Highway 21
Thursday: meet at McMichael Middle School (on the East Loop) at 5:30pm for 20 mile ride.
Saturday: There is always a Saturday morning ride. We meet at Java Jacks at 8:30.

Texas MTB Trails  (@TexasMTBtrails)        via Twitter

My babies after a bath and a good ride at Big Cedar Wilderness Trail in Dallas. I would be lost without these beauties

@BPMS150        via Twitter

Team BP riders and volunteers enjoying a late lunch

Corinth Cycling Club Rides
8:00am – Sunday Group Ride
by scottfranklin@gmail.com
When: Sun Apr 29, 2012 8am to 10:30am  CDT
Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
6:10pm – Micro Steamer
by scottfranklin@gmail.com
When: Tue May 1, 2012 6:10pm to Tue May 1, 2012 7:10pm  CDT
Where: Olive Stephens Elementary School – Shady Shores
Event Description: Tempo pace group ride at 17 – 18 mpg avg. Good opportunity to work on paceline skills or taper for a race.

Council to consider ordinance requiring drivers to safely pass cyclists
by Corpus Christi Caller Times
Although cyclists share a right to the road, they need to be smart, too, said Gretchen Arnold, a cyclist and vice chairwoman of the city’s pedestrian and bicycle subcommittee. “I’d have to be a moron to ride down certain streets I’m legally entitled to …

Several streets closed Sunday for MS 150
by Austin American-Statesman
Several streets between the University of Texas campus and the Capitol will be closed until 8 pm Sunday near the finish of the annual BP MS 150 bike ride. The two-day fundraising event, billed as the largest of its kind in the country, is organized by …

Wind Dominates the Ride – April 21st Bicycle Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

For the second Saturday in a row the wind dominates the biking environment. Today’s wind did not quite match last Saturday but it still presented an extra barrier to overcome. Today’s wind: 17.3 mph with 23 mph gusts from the NW. After yesterday’s rain front passed through the temperature dropped to 54 degrees this morning and slowly warmed up to 72 by the time I left at 1:30 PM. I completed the ride at 3:48 with a 77 temperature. Courtesy of the front the blue sky had a color depth where you almost see forever. Hopefully Saturdays will not be high wind days on a regular basis. Tomorrow’s weather should be warmer, clear and without so much wind.

After all of the effort I expended yesterday trying to outrun the rain I thought my legs would not respond with much power. To help I started off the ride heading south with the wind at my back. The reasoning: buildup up my average speed early then try to hang on when I turned back home and into the NW wind. I think I accomplished this with 21.22 miles at 17.1 mph out of the 30.96 miles for the whole ride. My first 5 mile split was done in 20:30 which is about a minute and a half better than usual. My overall average speed ended up at 15.1 mph. My max speed got up to 27.0 mph, thanks to the tailwind, with my average cadence of 73.2 RPM.

Ride data highlights:

  • 2:02:56 riding time
  • 3:58 minutes per mile on average
  • 123.92 miles this week
  • 466.73 miles this week
  • 1686.09 miles YTD
  • 15 riding days this month
  • Garmin Connect data link

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4-21-2012 Home Weather Station End

4-21-2012 Home Weather Station End