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

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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

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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

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/604492 98% 700]

4-21-2012 Home Weather Station End

4-21-2012 Home Weather Station End

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for April 20th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

No Suspense Here
by Steve A        Dallas Point-to-Point

One has to look carefully at eBay stuff, but THIS is the genesis of what I bought. I considered dragging this whole thing out, but then it occurred to me that my loyal reader might also be interested in a similar bike.

Yes, this IS a “fixed gear” bike. It also has three speeds in a close-ratio Sturmey Archer internal gear hub, with a…

Family and Bikes…The Rest is Just Stuff
by Darryl            lovingthebike.com
Yeah, it’s true.  There really are only two things that matter to me…..my Family, and Cycling.  Seriously, if I could fill my days with nothing other than these two things I would consider myself an utter success.  My Family and the Bike matter so much to me, that I’ve spent the past few years carving out a life that allows…

Bessies Creek 24 Hr Race Results – 2012 Edition
by Bike Brookshire
Bessies Creek 24 – Texas Ultra Cup ChallengeResults and split time for the the 24 hr, 12 hr, 6 hr and team events are now posted on Bessies Creek 24 website.
Overall Results Leaders
24 hr:
Standard Bike – Gentle, 398 miles
Recumbent -  Schlitter/Hafner, 411 miles…

Cyclist Census Locations Announced!
by UrbanPedal
This Saturday is the Cyclist Census in which photographers will be capturing photos of you and your bike in all your stylish glory between 10am and 2pm at the following locations: …

New cycle track debuts Monday
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
Big news, fellow bike commuters!

On Monday, the city will unveil the new Rio Grande Cycle Track, a two-way bike pathway separated from motor traffic by lane markings and…

Wounded warriors to ride into Johnson County
By Chris Vaughn            www.star-telegram.com
For four years running, they have been a fixture on Texas roads in April — dozens of disabled and recuperating young veterans pedaling and cranking their way north from San Antonio to Arlington.

The veterans, and many more supporting riders, are expected to ride into Eagle Stadium in Rio Vista this afternoon to the cheers of hundreds of students and residents of Johnson County. The rally for the Ride 2 Recovery participants marked one of the last events on their…

Road 2 Recovery: Cyclists tackle Texas challenge
By Colleen Flaherty            Killeen Daily Herald
FORT HOOD — Lt. Col. Patty Collins was biking to work at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2006 when a car struck her and took her left leg below the knee.

But the lifelong cyclist didn’t let the injury stop her. Within six weeks of the accident, Collins was back on a bike — as she was Thursday during the annual Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge’s stop at Fort Hood.

Collins, 42, was among the first to reach III Corps Headquarters from the Shilo Inn, where the group of wounded warrior cyclists spent the night on their…

Meet the MS 150’s fundraising legend: He makes a bigger difference with every ride
By Tyler Rudick                houston.culturemap.com
In two short years, Michael Hurd has become a fundraising legend at the BP MS 150, the springtime Houston-to-Austin bike trek for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society that kicks off Saturday morning. The two-day, 180-mile journey — the “150” is a bit of a misnomer — is the largest charitable bike ride in Texas.

When Hurd launched his cycling group Team Standard Tube in 2010 with two close friends and the generous sponsorship from his employer, Hurd…

When To Shift Gears
by Shawn        Texas Mountain Bike Trails
I hear people all the time shifting at the wrong time. It’s a skill that you definitely have to acquire and it comes with much practice and experience. But once you are able to shift gears smoothly and at the right time, you will see a dramatic improvement in your riding ability both for mountain biking and for road riding.

So let’s start with a basic look at the parts involved so that you can follow along as I talk about each piece. …

Burma Loop
by Roy and Christine        Pedal Pushers

Forecast cloudy, mid 70’s, and wind from the south at 25-35 mph. Perfect training day–for what I am unsure unless it is for the Ballinger ride coming up soon. So a few of us chose to brave the wind and ride what is called the Burma Loop. Pictured are Rick, Velma, Loyd, Eddie, Curtis, Jesse, and Brian. Christine decided to go on a…

Red Poppy Bike Ride in Georgetown, TX
by WB admin            The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
The Red Poppy Bike Ride benefiting various organizations invites you to join their ride happening on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Georgetown High School Annex, Georgetown, TX
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Bill McMillian of Red Poppy Bike Ride to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.

1. Why participate in the Red Poppy Bike Ride?
The ride is in a great biking area east of IH10 with a variety of routes ranging 14 to 100 miles with frequent signage, regular rest stops, SAG vehicles with radio communication, motorcycle escorts in most sections and…

Mark your calendars!!!
by Il Pirate         Austin Ridge Riders
Monday May 7th is the the date for the first Rider LIke A Girl of the year!

It will be at Walnut Creek and the details for subsequent rides will be posted soon (we’re still working out all the specifics of locations, special events, etc.)

WTCA Post to Gail Ride
Date: April 21, 2012
Location: Post, TX
Contact: Steve Crowell
Details: Steve Crowell is hosting the Post to Gail ride. Meet at the Courthouse square in Post at 9:00AM. The ride is an out and back. Post to Gail is about 32 miles, so about a 100K round trip. However, since it is an out and back you can choose to ride as far as you want and Steve will be providing SAG support. The Fluvana road is at approximately 25 miles for a 50 mile round trip. It is a nice scenic ride with small teeny climbs up the Cap Rock. $5.00 charge to ride.

Weyer Will Ride The Mississippi
corinthcycling.wordpress.com
Longtime Corinth Cycling member Doug Weyer will take part in the Great Mississippi River Ride beginning on May 14th. He will pedal the 1,726 mile route from New Orleans, LA to Minneapolis, MN in honor of his friend and companion Donna McMullen. McMullen lost her lengthy battle with cancer last year.

The 25 day ride is meant to heighten people’s awareness of cancer research in support of those who have battled and survived cancer, as well as for those who have lost loved ones to cancer. Donna was a patient at Mary Crowley…

@MountainBikeTx            via Twitter
RACES: Monte Bella 6 Hour Race UPDATE: race has been rescheduled. NEW DATE: Sunday, 04.29.12

@Spinistry        via Twitter
Happy 4/20 everyone! Brett Ringger of Sherman, TX is our Syllamos Revenge winner. Also, we are postponing the 5/13 Bonzai Run to accommodate the FWMBA Fat Tire Festival as well as mothers around the world. We will announce the make up date very soon.