Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for April 10th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Cyclists take part in 39th Easter Hill Country Tour
dailytimes.com

About 1,000 riders from across the state took part in the Easter Hill Country Tour on Saturday. In total there are 11 routes, with five of those featured Saturday, ranging in distance from a 33-mile ride to a 103-mile trek. …

Easter Hill Country Tour Comment
Chris Tucker via email to Texbiker.net
Local coverage of the Easter Hill Country Tour. The actual print article isn’t much longer.

Over all, as a newbie to the ride, I’d say it was a great success. People of all levels of riding going over the same routes will great support from the DFW club who put on this years race! Good routes. I rode Saturday and Sunday, 31 mile route (36 from my house) and 20 Sun. (26 from my house).

Challenging routes but achievable for people not into shape yet. Loved the fact that the rest stops included sliced pickles. Real sodium replacement! Bananas and Oranges for potassium replacement! Water and Gatorade for those who weren’t supported by their Camelbak (like I was).

Makes me sorry that this is the only Kerrville based ride!

Any Adventurous Riders in the Rio Grande Valley? (McAllen area)
by El_Guapo                www.bikeforums.net
Trying to find some local cyclists who might be up for some backroads exploration riding. Most of my friends are road-only types, but I prefer hybrids and enjoy exploring the back roads and trails that most cyclists don’t frequent. I would love to meet some like-minded riders and go out as a group.

Ride To Dallas’ First Ciclovia – This Saturday
by dickdavid        Bike Friendly Richardson
A couple of us are volunteers for the Ciclovia de Dallas – happening this Saturday, April 14 from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm., and we’re heading down there by DART and bike. Our goal is to arrive at 8:00 (an hour before it actually opens) to help set up. Click here for more information about Ciclovia de Dallas.

Anybody is welcome to join us. IF you want to volunteer, click here to sign up. OR, If you just want ride with us, then tool around downtown Dallas for an hour until it opens, you are more than welcome to do that as well. …

Urban Bike Systems presentation at City Hall Wednesday April 11th
by The Announcer Guy        Biking in Dallas
From the press release:
Public Information Office www.dallascityhall.com City of Dallas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public invited to Urban Bike Systems presentation at City Hall
What: Gil Penalosa, an internationally renowned leader in creating great cities and communities through active public spaces will give a presentation on urban bike systems and pedestrianism as the City prepares to implement…

Deep Ellum Bike Co-op Fundraising Shin-dig Sunday April 15th
by The Announcer Guy        Biking in Dallas
From the Facebook Event Page:
Deep Ellum Bike Co-op Fundraising Shin-dig: “One-Eyed, One-Horned, Bikin’ Purple People Eater”
Sunday April 15th @ 1pm 3615 Parry Avenue Dallas, Texas
Join us for a BIKE RIDE FUNDRAISER PARTY to build up the Deep Ellum Bike Co-op!Come dressed in PURPLE, decorate your bike in purple, come with one eye one horn.. because themes are fun. We will have a leisure cruise then stop for a party in Expo Park with booze, bikes, bbq, bikes, …

Bike to Work Day Approaches
by Ultimate West U
The April 13 event is the first of three Bike to Work Days to be held in 2012. The forthcoming Bike to Work Days will feature a ride in the Energy Corridor on May 17 and a ride to the new Texas Medical Center on May 18. Bicyclists are urged to prepare …

Cycling mantra: Be prepared
By Andy Olin        www.chron.com
Almost as important as knowing how to repair a flat tire is being equipped to actually fix it. And while not everyone is the DIY-type, anyone who spends much time and money riding a bike should at least know how to do that.

If not more.

About 48 miles into the recent Gran Fondo Texas TMCO ride, a snapped chain left me on the side of the road assuming my day was done. The biggest problem I was prepared for was a busted tire. Lucky for me, the…

Sitting In With Cycle Camp USA!
by djcurtin            It’s Time to Ride
If’ you’ve been getting our newsletter or checking out our website or our Twitter or Facebook feeds, you’ve likely seen that we’ve partnered with Cycle Camp USA on some clinics this year. I first checked out nearly two years ago. Since then their name has changed, their program has changed some, but their goal—being your road to better bike fitness—has stayed the same. I recently sat down with Cycle Camp USA’s founders, Trey Steele and Dave Appel, for a chat about what’s new with the guys in blue.

So.  What’s up? Seriously, let’s start with the name. Why the change?

TS:  The goal was always to grow the business and take what we think is the right tool for most riders looking to get stronger on the bike to a wider audience. When we decided to expand nationwide, we wanted to have one…

Stampede on the Chisholm Trail in Belton, TX
by WB admin            The Wheel Brothers
The 2nd Annual Belton Lions Club – Stampede on the Chisholm Trail benefiting the Belton Lions Club invites you to join their ride happening on Saturday, April 14, 2012 at Belton Park and Ride at Confederate Park  505 East Avenue C @ IH 35  – Belton, Texas

We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Robert Jones of Stampede on the Chisholm Trail to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.

1. Why participate in The Stampede on the Chisholm Trail?
The ride is a project of the Belton Lions Club in Belton, Texas. The motto of Lions Clubs worldwide is, “We Serve.” Your participation in our event will help us to continue to serve the greater Belton community. The ride begins with a stroll through downtown historic Belton, across Nolan Creek and the Hike and Bike Trail out west…

Time Trial Series
Tyler Bicycle club
Time Trial Series will resume on April 12, at 6:30 PM.  Elite Bicycles is donating a $1,200 Roval wheel set to a random participant! Click the link above for details!

SB 250 Jersey designs…
Team McAllen

ARE IN!!
The jerseys look awesome and amazing thanks to Wally at Wally’s Bicycles and Castelli!
Sign up for the SB 250 to get your jersey!

Tuesday Rides – Waco Bicycle club
Cameron Park Beginner Mountain Bike Ride
Tuesday 05:30 PM
Mountain/beginner More

Waco Dam
Tuesday 05:30 PM
Road/all levels More

El Paso Bicycle Club Ride
Thursday, April 19
Pace Lines – B/IG
Description: Introduction to Pace Lines
On this ride we will introduce riding as a group in a pace line. Learn how to pull (you will be the hero of the next group ride) and rotate (it is an acquired skill) as a pace line. Program starts at 5:50pm and the ride takes off at 6:05pm. All riders should be there at least 15 minutes early. Meet at Rio Plaza at Artcraft & Upper Valley. …

BSS_Austin 2 hrs        via Twitter
Super Squadra’s 1st 2012 DLA Piper Driveway Academy Clinic was a hit! If you missed tonight, the next one is May 8th.

Texas MTB is like Road Riding?
By Shawn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mISZDFhwIg
http://www.texasmountainbiketrails.com/texasmtb – I saw a video yesterday that said mountain biking in Texas was like riding on the road. I disagree 100%, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on that question.

So what do you think? Is Texas Mountain Biking the same as road riding?

Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff – April 10th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Another great biking weather day rolled in today. I started the ride at 3:15 when the heat usually hits the high point and it did kind of today at 88 degrees on my home weather station but due to the 33% humidity it did not feel that warm. Biking in the shadows also helped. By the time I finished the temperature went down to 86 degrees and the humidity stayed at 33%. Partly cloudy skies and a 13.8 mph southeast wind kept the ride comfortable. These temperatures are above normal for this time of the year but I am not complaining.

With the late start school traffic filled some of the roads at the beginning of the ride but not for long. No other bikers crossed my path but I did talk to a new biker at the Texaco station at the Valley Ranch entrance. I stopped there to visit the restroom and refill my waterbottle with ice. As I came out of the store a Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff was sitting in his car and I said hello. He followed me into the service station from the service road earlier. After I said hello he asked me how many miles I usually rode and I told him today would be around 25 but normally I biked about 30 miles with an occasional 40 or more. He told he bought a WalMart bike a week ago and rides around 20 miles. I congratulated him on taking up biking and getting some miles in. I also handed him one of my Texbiker.net business cards explaining he could get information about bicycling in Texas. He told me to be careful and I resumed my ride.

My wife wanted to work in the yard more today so I made today’s ride a little shorter than usual ending up with 26.21 miles. Some more numbers from today’s ride:

  • 1:44:29 riding time
  • 15.1 mph average speed (the first 5 mile lap deficit of 2:19 set a high mark to recover the time to get to 15.0 or above average speed)
  • 22.5 mph max speed
  • 80.6 RPM average cadence
  • 56.05 miles this week
  • 235.45 miles in April (rode 8 days out of 10)
  • 1454.80 miles YTD
  • RideWithGPS.com data link

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com/activity/166878827 98% 725]

4-10-2012 Home Weather Station End

4-10-2012 Home Weather Station End

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for April 9th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Time Trials 2012
Northwest Cycling Club
Sunday, April 15th starting at 7:30 AM will be the beginning of the 2012 NWCC Club TT series. The venue will again be Warren Ranch Road. Please note that we will be starting promptly at 7:30. No rider will be started after 8:00 due to traffic and safety concerns. If by chance more than 30 riders show up we…

Bicycle Seats and Numbness in Male and Female Cyclists
Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s Fitness and Health E-Zine
April 8, 2012
Several studies have shown that male bicycle riders can become impotent from pressing their genitals against a bicycle seat. A study from Yale showed that compression from a bicycle seat can cause loss of feeling in a woman’s genitals (J Sex Med 2006;3:1018-1027). Now, a new study from Yale shows that the lower a woman sets her handlebars, the more she bends forward and the harder she presses her genitals against the bicycle seat to cause this loss of genital feeling (J Sex Med, published online March 5, 2012).

Women who suffer the most genital numbness set their handlebars below the height of their seats. Riders set their handlebars low to lower their bodies so they can go faster. More than 60 percent of the force you press on your pedals is lost by the air resistance against you and your bike. So, to go faster, you make yourself lower and…

CamelBak expands into new markets
By STEVE HART, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Bike racer Michael Eidson was looking for a better way to stay hydrated during a sweltering road race in Texas, the “Hotter’N Hell Hundred.”

The emergency medical technician filled an IV bag with water and slipped it into a tube sock.

He stuffed it down the back of his bike jersey and sipped from the IV tube as he pedaled. Eidson didn’t have to slow down or take his hands off the handlebars while he…

Red River Riot recap
by bikedenton
I’ve spent much of my life driving past interesting roads, especially those dirt and gravel ones you never have a reason to drive down. I feel a burning curiosity to go down those roads that don’t have stores, parking lots, or even houses. Sometimes the roads stretch to the horizon, and sometimes they curve and disappear into a tunnel of trees. The emptiness that draws us in isn’t actually empty.

Gravel grinding is celebration of those roads.

Last Saturday, I went up to the Texas/Oklahoma border to ride Spinistry’s Red River Riot gravel grinder. 130 miles of desolate roads through rolling prairie and tough hills. The terrain just north of Muenster is far more rocky and hilly than I’m used to seeing around Denton. The elevation was killer, something like ~6800 feet total in the…

Register to Ride in the Georgetown Grand on May 19 – 20
by Keith Hutchinson            news.georgetown.org
Register now for the Subaru of Georgetown Grand by Holland Racing, the state criterium championship weekend on May 19 – 20. The one-mile downtown criterium course sanctioned by USA Cycling has eight turns with plenty of places for spectators to get close to the racing action on the Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas.

Register for the races or the non-competitive recreational ride and get all the details at GeorgetownGrand.com. The Subaru of Georgetown Grand offers $30,000 in cash prizes.

Saturday Racing: Racing on the downtown circuit course starts at 9 a.m. and continues…

Injured Veterans To Cycle 350 Miles From San Antonio To Arlington For Texas Ride 2 Recovery Cycling Event
www.thestreet.com
More than 200 cyclists including injured veterans and their supporters will set off Monday, Apr 16, on the Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, a seven-day, 350-mile ride from San Antonio to Arlington.

Texas Challenge cyclists will start their journey at Brooke Army Medical Center’s Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio and ride through central Texas with overnight stops in San Marcos, Austin, Ft. Hood, Waco and Cleburne. The ride will conclude in…

Sunday, April 15th, Social Event: Join us at Brietske’s for a piece
San Antonio Wheelmen
Sunday, April 15th, Social Event: Join us at Brietske’s for a piece of pie (paid for by the Club) after the New Berlin ride. Remember to wear your Wheelmen Jersey.
Saturday, April 21:  Southside Mission
Sunday, April 22:  Kendalia-Crabapple
Sunday, April 22:  Fiesta Wildflower

STCC at the Track, Training Opportunities
by sooner1                Shawnee Trail Cycling Club

Not technically a group riding opportunity, but several club members are already riding at our velodrome on Tuesday evenings.  The track is open to all certified cyclists, not just Shawnee Trail CC.  If you’ve not ridden at the Frisco SuperDrome before, you’re missing a fantastic training opportunity.  This facility on the Collin County Community College Campus in Frisco, Tx, is one of the premiere outdoor track venues in the country.  The track is a 250 meter loop with turns that are banked at 44 degrees.  The ride is a little different, on fixed…

Huntsville HS Mountain bike race, Smithville, TX 2012

TexasMTBtrails        via Twitter
What a TERRIFIC video! Congrats to the HHS Hornets on their victory! You guys

Fredo’s 30th

So a few months ago I decided I wasn’t going to be a home body and I was going to get back into the outdoors. On my 30th birthday I decided to go and just grab my mountain bike and go! The next 30 years and beyond I am going…

A Whisp of Coolness – April 9th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

My bike ride started at 11:05 today since we will wrap up the mulch exercise in the late afternoon to avoid some sunshine. With the earlier start the temperature at 74 degrees felt very comfortable especially with the northerly 5 mph breeze (the wind went to calm by the end of the ride). Cloud cover started increasing as the ride progressed. No other bikers crossed my route. By the time I finished at 1:18 PM the temperature rested at 85 degrees with 46 % humidity. Very comfortable biking today.

I did vary my Huffman route slightly today going through Walden at Lake Houston and not returning on Atascocita Shores Drive. Schools were closed today for Easter so traffic around them disappeared. I do not mention the road surface very often but this route does not include any chip’n seal roads. Streets and roads are concrete or fairly smooth asphalt.

Some numbers from today’s ride:

  • 1:55:32 riding time
  • 15.5 mph average speed
  • 21.5 mph max speed
  • 82.0 RPM average cadence
  • 29.84 miles today
  • 209.24 miles in April
  • 1428.59 miles YTD
  • RideWithGPS.com data link

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4-9-2012 Home Weather Station End

4-9-2012 Home Weather Station End