Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup April 16th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Save the Date for Viva Streets – Austin’s ciclovia on May 20, 2012
www.biketexas.org
Save the Date!! A fun, new festival where a car-free street becomes your playground.
When: May 20th, 10am-3pm
Where: Sixth Street – car-free for 2 miles (Brazos to Robert Martinez)
Join the energetic fun at VIVA STREETS! — a free festival that invites you to bicycle, play, get fit, people watch, and celebrate good health. Everyone is welcome – bring friends, bring the family or your whole team or neighborhood. Connect with the community and celebrate Austin. Enjoy the spectacle and be part of the…

Blessing of the Bicycles + Annual Ride for Please BE KIND to Cyclists
Public Event · By Please BE KIND to Cyclists
Sunday, April 22, 2012
10:00am until 1:00pm
On Sunday April 22nd, Please BE KIND to Cyclists will be joining forces with St. Martin’s Lutheran Church for the first annual Blessing of the Bicycles from 10 – 10:30 AM

Please join us by bringing your bike for a blessing as we remember cyclists we’ve lost on Austin’s roadways. A group ride will be leaving from the church to ride around the…

The National Bike Challenge
bikeleague.org            League of American Bicyclists
May through August 2012
The National Bike Challenge is an opportunity to challenge yourself to ride more often.  Record your rides, and add up the miles you’ve ridden, the calories you’ve burned, and the gas money you’ve saved. You can connect with other riders in the challenge, or embrace the spirit of competition by winning points for your employer, your community, or your state. You also become eligible for prize drawings after you’ve logged just three days on…

Walnut Wednesdays! April 25th Walnut Creek Metro Park
Austin Ridge Riders
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 – 16:00 – 19:30
Walnut Wednesdays!
April 25 Walnut Creek Metro Park
4 pm ’til dark thirty
If you get there after 4, just call Mark H to get directions to where he is working.
Six nine ate 4 three ate uno
Meet at the pool parking lot. Paydirt? Yup!

Accident Last Monday (Apr 9th). Were You There?
by cramsay3         www.austinridgeriders.com
A friend of the man who was airlifted to Brack last Monday (April 9th) is looking for anyone who was on scene. Please contact via message at hilldog53 on YouTube only if you were there.

<snip>
Hi there: did you happen upon the bike accident on the greenbelt this past monday? a friend’s husband was hurt and starflighted to Brack. We are looking for anyone who came up on the scene. About 4:15p last…

Urban Breakfast Ride
Hill Country Bicycling Touring Club
Start:     April 29, 2012 8:00 am
End:     April 29, 2012 12:00 pm
Venue:    Pearl Brewery Complex
Address: 200 East Grayson Street, San Antonio, TX
Sunday April 29th: Wheels Down Exactly at 8AM (no exceptions). This is a 24-mile stay together ride with the Wheelmen through Brackenridge Park, Olmos Park, downtown, Mission Reach, and other neighborhoods with a stop for breakfast (usually on St Mary’s) near the end of the ride. Meet in the parking lot under…

Texas Cup Action — Rockwall Criterium
www.txbra.org

Kayla Sterling, Exergy Twenty12, went on a solo break early in the Women’s Open race. Despite a mid-race crash, she was able to hold on to the large margin she built up and win the race. Photo courtesy of Ryan Lange.

BikeTexas beneficiary of Groupon Grassroots
by elliott            Austin on Two Wheels
BikeTexas is one of the featured organization this week on Groupon’s non-profit fundraising site, Groupon Grassroots.

Here are the details: The Campaign: Bike Lights and Helmets for Kids

If this Grassroots campaign raises $400, then BikeTexas can provide bike lights for 40 Texas cyclists to ensure they have the necessary equipment to ride to work or school safely. Each additional $10 raised will provide a…

SIGN UP NOW! – Traffic Skills 101 Course
by dickdavid        Bike Friendly Richardson
Traffic Skills 101 Course
Sunday, April 29, 2012
8:45 AM – 2 PM
Location: Casteel & Associates, 10031 Monroe Drive, Suite 105, Dallas, TX 75229
Cost: $20 – includes a light snack and a printed copy of the Traffic Skills 101manual (a $10 value).
Instructor: Renee Jordan (Reneej@plano.gov)
Come have some fun learning safe, effective cycling from Instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists who are active riders and commuters. The course includes an online portion you can take anytime (as…

Day 2 Thicket to Richards: four bad, one good decision
By Darren Kilbride             Crossing Texas the long way
Net riding time: 06h:55m. Net average speed: 12.7 mph. Gross travel time 09h:00m. Wheels on road at 10.00 am after letting the tent dry out. This is bad decision number one as it means that I have too much riding in the heat. I vouch to start off earlier tomorrow. At midday near Shepherd, I get hungry for a fresh sandwich. Only place…

Seen at Ciclovia
by UrbanPedal            dallascyclestyle.com
This weekend was the first Ciclovia Dallas has experienced, hosted by none other than our one and only Bike Friendly Oak Cliff.

Some of the eye-catching cyclists (that I could catch!) are pictured below. There was even a miniature penny farthing and a few unicycles. …

Cardiac nurse plans cross-country bike ride for heart health
by TINA FOSTER            WFAA
FORT WORTH — Rob Davis was just four years old when his mother died from heart-related issues at age 29.

“I was the one who found her in bed having trouble breathing,” he recalled. A few years later, Davis’ dad died of a heart attack. He was 42. For Davis, who is a cardiac nurse, heart disease is both personal and…

Central Texas: Wounded Veterans Bike Ride Passes Through
by Brittany Semadeni        www.kwtx.com
(April 16, 2012)–Wounded veterans participating in the Ride 2 Recovery will make stops in Central Texas on Thursday.

For the fourth consecutive year, veterans will pedal their way into Waco and Fort Hood as a testimony of pushing through the health and wellness obstacles of wounded warriors.

The injured veterans use hand cycles, recumbent cycles tandems and traditional road bikes.

The ride begins in San Antonio on Monday, stopping nightly in six cities along the way including…

Southside Bike Ride    May 19, 2012
fortworthtexas.gov
Bicycles are a vehicle for positive change, creating safer communities and improving the air we breathe. Become part of a cycle of change by teaming up with the Safe City Commission and local businesses.

Enjoy the family friendly, leisurely ride through Fort Worth’s southside neighborhoods on the 8.8 mile route, or ride a…

Rockwall Criterium Weekend 2012
by Ken            Texas Racing Life

There are two main ways that I judge my cycling: power data and results.  On one hand, it is incredibly satisfying to reach new levels of fitness and break personal records of average power over certain time intervals.  But as many have said, “You are only as good as your last race.” Results matter too.

Saturday’s race was a very windy four corner crit course around a business park.  I was a bit nervous because I don’t race with the guys from Dallas very often.  I didn’t know what to expect. As the race started, I kept up front, trying to find a draft as much as possible. Different teams were adamant on keeping the field in the gutter, but I was motivated to stick in with my wife and parents cheering me on.  About halfway through, I found myself in a…

Bike Gear Designer: Geoffrey Franklin
by Laura            The Wheel Brothers – Cycling in Texas
Bicycle Can Cage
At Wheel Brothers, we are always trying to keep our cycling community well informed on everything from upcoming events to local bike shops. When we came across Geoffrey Franklin of Walnut Design Studio, we did not think that we would be doing our job without sharing his handmade cycling gear with you. Geoffrey’s gear is unique, and his passion for cycling is evident in the quality and thoughtfulness of his work. We asked Geoffrey a…

@jodyms             via Twitter
And BTW ya’ll: I missed you last week. I was out in west Texas cycling my heart out. The bluebonnets were outrageously beautiful.

Orange Bike Presents BIKAPALOOZA!
By Valerie Do
Monday, April 23, 2012
10:00am until 2:00pm in CDT
Gregory Plaza
Join us Monday, April 23 for Orange Bike’s biggest event of the year! And, when we say big, we mean a whole lot of awesome stuff being given away and fun activities and awesome prizes! What sort of stuff and activities and prizes you say?

We will be featuring an obstacle course!
A really fun obstacle course with an oversized tricycle, a clown bike, foam swords, a cool bike helmet upon completion, and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Freewheeling! The person with the fastest time wins that gift certificate, and also upon completion of the course, you get…

Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup April 15th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

@ntccycling         via Twitter
Congratulations to Derek Whisenhut for winning the 35+ Cat 4-5 Rockwell Crit today. off the front, stayed out, won by 20-30 seconds.

@AustinCycling         via Twitter
The ACA wouldn’t be the same w/o these awesome cyclists! Russell is doing the #Armadillo! ow.ly/a2lcw Are you?

@BSS_Austin         via Twitter
THANK YOU to our sponsors & supporters for the Pace Bend MTB Festival & Race! And to our volunteers & officials THANK YOU TOO! It was great!

Recap and Pics of Ciclovia de Dallas on SuburbanAssault.org
by dickdavid        Bike Friendly Richardson

For those of you who couldn’t make it out to the Ciclovia de Dallas yesterday, you can find a quick recap and some pics over at Suburban Assault.

A&MCHS Mountain Bike team race #2 – Waco!
by ajpwilkerson            Brazos Valley Mountain Bike Association
These kids ROCK.

The second race of the inaugural Texas High School Mountain Bike League opened under heavy cloud and a weather report of thunderstorms. It was the first time I’ve ever heard a race director instruct the riders to head the potential warnings of the course marshals to stop riding and take cover in the woods on the trail if they were told to do so. Yii-ikes. Apparently undaunted, the 7 girls lined up for the mass freshman/sophmore/JV start and were sent on their way at 10 am. Our own Bettie Oliva nailed the first corner, passed the…

Bicycle Road-E-O held at Nursery Elementary
www.victoriaadvocate.com

The Texas Department of Public Safety conducted a bicycle safety talk at Nursery Elementary in Nursery on March 21. The talk covered bicycle laws and safety tips covering the rules of the road.

On March 30, 64 students participated in a riding course to demonstrate their riding skills and took a written test. A perfect score is 120 points. The Road-E-O was judged and sponsored by…

Crossing Texas the long way
www.crazyguyonabike.com
a bicycle crossing of Texas East to West along the southern tier route
Day 1 Merryville to Thicket: Off to a good start
Friday March 23, 2012, 85 miles (137 km) – Total so far: 85 miles (137 km)
Net riding time: 06h:20m. Net average speed: 13.4 mph. Gross travel time 07h:45m.

The night before, my wife Thamine drove me to DeRidder, LA where we spent the night at the American Best Value Inn. Newly renovated place and very clean. Early in the morning on Friday, Thamine had get back to work, she drops me off in Merryvile, just outside the Texas Louisiana border and official start of my Texas crossing. I unload the bike at a gas station and start to mount panniers and pump up tires. There is no breakfast place open at 07:00 am when we get there so sandwiches from the gas station have to do as breakfast. Thamine leaves at 08:00 and I spend another hour making adjustments and…

HBC Urban Challenge Ride Ride
Sun 04/22/12    9:00 AM
The Urban Challenge Rides are in-town group rides, faster and longer than the EZ Rides, each time taking you to different parts of the city each time. You should be able to maintain a pace of 15 mph and above for a distance of 40 to 45 miles, usually with one rest stop.

 

Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup April 14th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Austin Cycling Assoc (@AustinCycling)        via Twitter

Spotted! The Ghisallo Racing Team beautifying and cleaning the LAB underpass

Kid Trip Event at Government Canyon SNA
Austin Ridge Riders
Saturday, April 28, 2012 – 10:00
Kid Trips will be conducting a ride for the Boys and Girls Club of San Antonio at Government Canyon State Natural area on Saturday April 28th in conjunction with the GC Park Rangers.

We’ll meet at the Home Depot parking lot (8801 S 1st St) just north of Slaughter Lane and IH 35 North.  We can carpool from there and travel to the park. The ride starts at 10:00 am so we will meet at the parking lot at 8:00 am. Adult volunteers are welcome; just bring your mountain bike…

Fort Worth Bicycling Association Rides
Almost Austin to Damn Near Fort Worth
Saturday, April 21, 2012 8:00 am
Cleburne: Amtrak Station

Joe Pool Lake
Saturday, April 21, 2012 9:00 am
Grand Prairie: Joe Pool Lake

Bicycle Saddle Pain and Discomfort
bicyclelab.com
Learn about your anatomy to get more comfortable on your bike seat.

Nearly all cyclists have problems with their body/saddle connection at some point. Some people just deal with the pain and discomfort while others give up cycling all together. It does not have to be that way.  We created this series of videos to help educate cyclists , bicycle fitters, coaches and even bicycle saddle…

Memorial bike honors memory of accident victim
By MADELINE BUCKLEY/The Brownsville Herald

Sometimes when Nadia Rodriguez came home at night, she would find her little brother asleep in front of the television, his mouth slightly open.

It is small details like this that make the 24-year-old miss her “hermanito” the most.

“I’m never going to see my little brother doing that again,” Rodriguez…

Economy affects event selection
By Bill Cullins            San Angelo Standard-Times
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The depressed economy is affecting more than just the purchase of big-ticket items such as cars and homes.

Worries about how to put food on the table and high prices at the gas pump are affecting events such as cycling and multisport races.

The economic woes are affecting which events people choose to participate in, what type of events they select…

Plano adopts tough fines to give cyclists more room
By THEODORE KIM         www.dallasnews.com

The Dallas-Fort Worth area, crisscrossed by menacing highways and lacking in paved trails, has never ranked among the most bicycle-friendly of places.

And while it may be some time before North Texas rivals Austin or New York as a cycling mecca, the region is pedaling to catch up.

Plano , once the home of cycling star Lance Armstrong, in February became the third North Texas city to approve stiff fines for drivers who veer too close to bicyclists on the road. Advocates are seeking similar…

@MountainBikeTx     via Twitter
MAP: Thanks to Lance Jones we have a much better, printer-friendly map of Ringtail Ridge Natural Area in San Marcos

Texas 4000  (@Texas4000)        via Twitter
2012 rider Leah Horsch being interviewed at tonight’s Round Rock Express game!

@BSS_Austin             via Twitter
The Pace Bend Mountain Bike Festival was great! Thank you everyone for coming out! We’ll see you at the races tomorrow!

Blown by the Wind About the Route – April 14th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Before I started my ride this morning I thought a northerly route would be the direction but after looking at the weather I saw a wind advisory. Sometimes these do not mean much but today it changed my ride direction to the southeast. Not because there would be a tailwind at the start but one on the return leg. My guideline wants me to start the ride into the wind and finish with the wind. Of course if I only followed this guideline I would almost never ride to the north with the southeast prevailing wind we have.

Wind Advisory in effect from 9 am this morning to 9 PM this evening…
The National Weather Service in Houston/Galveston has issued a Wind Advisory… which is in effect from 9 am this morning to 9 PM this evening.
* Event… south to southeast winds up to 20 to 30 mph with gust to 40 mph possible.

The revised route included the back roads to Crosby through the open grass fields. I thought the wind might not reach the upper limit on the advisory until after I headed back to the north and west. This 49 to 51 mile route sticks to the side roads except for a section on FM2100 and FM1960. On Saturdays I usually see other bikers who started earlier headed back as I ride to Crosby. I am not sure what route they take before our paths cross. They must start several hours before I do. Today I saw about 25 bikers spread along the route probably because of the high wind. When I left at 10:38 AM the wind already showed 23 mph with 27.6 mph gusts from the SSE. When I got home the wind shifted to the southeast at 25 mph and 31 mph gusts. Except for the wind good biking weather prevailed: 79 to 84 degrees, mostly cloudy, 54% humidity.

After biking yesterday I thought of today as a recovery ride day but with the wind it soon became apparent a full effort day was on tap. For the first 22 miles I biked into or had the wind coming at my right side. The hardest stretches were east of FM2100 on Old Atascocita Road and southbound on Ramsey Road when Atascocita Road intersected it. At one point along Old Atascocita Road one of the bikers going the opposite direction said there was no tailwind ahead. I nodded and yelled in agreement. Until I tuned onto Ramsey Road I stayed in my usual gearing for the open road but then I went up one gear on my rear cassette to ease my pedaling effort into the stiff headwind. Looking at my Garmin Edge the speed dropped into the 12 to 13 mph range and when a gust hit I went even slower.

There was a brief respite when I turned west on Ramsey Road and the wind kind of became a tailwind from my left rear quarter side but this did not last long as the road turned back south until I hit Stroker Road. Because of the wind I changed my route to a shorter one not going as far south to Crosby. Instead of 50 miles I opted for the 37.69 miles I ended up with. When Stoker Road came to FM2100 and I headed north the wind seemed to disappear because my speed going north almost matched the wind speed. After the effort I put out up to this point the tailwind came in handy. Battling the wind I did not drink as much water as I should so I stopped at an Exxon convenience store to refill my waterbottle. The cold water tasted great.

Back on the bike I headed to Huffman where I planned to take a break, drink a Diet Pepsi and eat my Kashi Trail Mix bars. It did not take long to get there with the tailwind. While I ate a man got out of a pickup truck wearing a BP MS150 T-shirt. As he went into the Chevron store he said the wind was really a strong one today. I agreed wholeheartedly with him. After getting refreshed I got back on the bike to head home. I expected the wind to be tough going over Lake Houston with no wind break and I was not disappointed. Where the below the  causeway openings allowed the wind to blow through the extra power buffeted me. I had to hold on tight to avoid getting blown over. The parallel traffic helped to shield me from the wind at times. With the wind behind me I biked home at a better pace than heading out.

My legs were not strong with all of the wind and my desire for a recovery ride from yesterday’s 35.77 mile ride. Even though yesterday’s ride was a little shorter I rode faster. At the beginning of the ride I new my average speed would be low. It ended up at 14.4 mph which is higher than I thought it would be. With all of the tailwind on northbound FM2100 I thought my max speed would be higher than the 21.7 mph from SportTracks. RideWithGPS.com calculated 26.2 mph max speed. Below is the Garmin Connect numbers. The 75.4 RPM average cadence affirms the slow riding into the wind.

Tomorrow will be a true rest day since I will not be able to bike due to a church meeting. Rain could dampen Monday’s ride chance as well. Some of today’s numbers and mileage recap:

  • 2:37:31 biking time today
  • 4:11 average minutes per mile
  • 36:02 resting time today
  • 10:46:54 riding time this week
  • 163.42 miles this week (5 biking days)
  • 342.82 miles in April
  • 1562.18 miles YTD
  • RideWithGPS.com data link (Click on the route at any point to see my speed and cadence. Going to the south will be slow.)

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com/activity/168023897 98% 750]

4-14-2012 Home Weather Station End

4-14-2012 Home Weather Station End