Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup for March 20th

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Tour de Fort Worth 2012
by Doohickie            www.bikeforums.net
Mayor Betsy Price is still riding all she can, and inviting others to ride with her. If you’re in Fort Worth and want to ride one of the following dates, you can ride with the mayor.

Fort Worth Weekly rides:
Date / Time / Location
March 21 / 5:30-7:00 p.m. / Trinity Bicycles, 343 Throckmorton St.
March 28 / 5:30-7:00 p.m. / TCC-Trinity Trails Trailhead
April 4 / 5:30-7:00 p.m. / Oakhurst Scenic Drive Trailhead 2400 Daisy Lane
April 11 / 5:30-7:00 p.m. / Police & Fire Memorial on Seventh Street
April 18 / 5:30-7:00 p.m. / TCC-Trinity Trails Trailhead
April 25 / 5:30-7:00 p.m. / Police & Fire Memorial on…

Reveille Peak Ranch
by Ashley Erickson
The second annual Tour de Ranch, taking place at the 1,300-acre Reveille Peak Ranch on March 24-25, is a weekend of mountain biking events and races.  With a cross-country race, flow track race, “Super D” sprint down a nearly 400-foot vertical drop and a pump track event, there are endless thrills for riders and spectators alike.
Tour de Ranch
March 24-25, 2012
Reveille Peak Ranch (105 CR 114, Burnet, TX 78611)
Event Description:  A full weekend of mountain bike racing hosted by Reveille Peak Ranch and Terra Firma Racing, including cross-country, Super D, flow track and pump track events. Racers can enter all four, or just one. The whole family can participate in a trail ride to the top of Decision Point Peak. Onsite camping available. Contact: Visit www.rprtexas.com or e-mail info@rprtexas.com

This event is newsworthy as it is a great way for riders to get out to Reveille Peak Ranch and spend time on the course before more of their upcoming events, such as the XTERRA Bluebonnet Tri next month and the Reveille Peak 100 Mountain Bike Race in September.

Why our behavior and treatment of the Slaughter Creek Trail matters
by Il Pirate             Austin Ridge Riders
This is a cross post from the Slaughter Creek Trail Facebook Page related to discussion in reposne to photos of trash on the trail, evidence of dogs on the trails, manure in the parking lot, discarded tire tube on ground, etc. The comments following the photos were leaning towards finger pointint to one user group or another until the page administration brought them all back to focus:.

http://www.facebook.com/slaughtercreektrail

Slaughter Creek Trail I don’t think the trail is going to be closed at this time. However, if these type of actions continue it could be closed. The Slaughter Creek Preserve on which land this trail is built is constantly monitored by various environmental groups. SCT is a pilot project that is monitoring public land use on sensitive lands. If it is deemed…

Cat Claw Photo Narrative
by M2RIDER, FWMBA President            Fort Worth Mountain Bikers’ Association
Below is my photo narrative of the Cat Claw Classic XC mountain bike race at the Solavaca Ranch in Glen Rose, Texas. I hope you like it.

Transportation Bill
by Steve A            DFW Point-to-Point
Earlier, I sent the following to Texas Senator John Cornyn:

Apparently at the instigation of the National Parks Service, the Senate version of the Transportation Bill includes a mandatory sidepath provision for bicyclists. There is a similar provision in the House version. That is, if there is a paved bicycle path anywhere near a road, bicyclists are prohibited from using the road. What is worse, the provision doesn’t even say that the path has to be usable, or serve the same destinations, and regardless of any…

Winners Announced for 2012 Advocacy Awards!
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
To shine the spotlight on the progress and victories of the bicycle and pedestrian advocacy movement, the Alliance for Biking & Walking is pleased to announce its 2012 Advocacy Award winners. Since 2009, the Alliance has solicited public nominations and recognized the individuals, organizations and business leaders who are propelling our People Powered Movement. This year, we honor the following winners from across North America. …

…Innovation Award: BikeTexas
imageThe Innovation Award goes to an organization that’s pioneering or inventing new ways to promote biking and walking — and BikeTexas continues to cultivate new and effective models in working effectively with the full spectrum political perspectives and full range of community stakeholders. Thanks in part to its traveling bicycle fleet, BikeTexas has organized rides with policymakers, agency staff and nonprofit organizations that have…

Texas Mt. Bike League race moved to Rocky Hill
by salsaTopp            Brazos Valley Mountain Bike Association
Hey BVMBAers,
We cannot seem to avoid the downpours this season and this last one was a doozey. The Texas High School Mt. Bike League was scheduled to race in Dallas this weekend, but:
“As many of you have experienced in the last few hours, we have been flooded.  Rowlett Creek Preserve received 3.5? of rain last night and 2.5? is forecasted for today.  From discussing with the land manager, it will take over 2 weeks to dry. This has forced us further south to Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, TX.  Greg Maxwell has been so kind to waive the land use fee of $10 and just charge $15 for overnight camping…

San Antonio B-Cycle program a big success so far
San Antonio Business Journal by W. Scott Bailey, Reporter/Project Coordinator
San Antonio still has plenty of work to do to address its weight and nutrition issues.

But the Alamo City is shedding some of its unhealthy image — one bicycle ride at a time.

City Hall officials say San Antonio, which is celebrating its first anniversary with the B-Cycle bike-share program, has plenty to…

First Look: SRAM’s 2012 Red Group
by djcurtin                It’s Time To Ride!
I don’t think much about bicycle weights.  Yes, I’m readily impressed by incredibly light bikes, but often times, I’m mostly concerned about fit and feel—the bike’s ride quality and balance—as well as finish.  Those things really get my blood pumping.  Of course, I also take my road bike out and point to towards places like the Mansfield Dam Loop, Courtyard, Jester, River Hills, Lost Creek, and some other “secret” climbs in and around Austin.  This past weekend’s ride on some of these roads got me thinking, “I wonder how light the new SRAM Red group really is?”

Chances are you’ve seen much of what’s been written about the new SRAM 2012 Red group.  Billed as the world’s lightest road component group, the kit also boasts some impressive improvements over the previous iteration.  Those improvements include a quieter running system thanks to some ingenious work on the…

Texas Cycling Challenge – Race Director’s Report
By John Foote        UltraRaceNews

While most everyone was celebrating St. Patrick’s Day drinking green beer and chasing leprechauns, we were riding through fields of blue bonnets and chasing white tailed deer through the Texas Hill Country.  The Texas Cycling Challenge was the kick-off event for this year’s RAAM Challenge Series.  Generally, each of the nine events is comprised of 3 rides (30, 60 and 120 miles) and 2 races (200 and 400 miles).  The 400-mile event is…

2012 PURE Austin Driveway Series Week 1
By Driveway Bike Race Series

 

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 19th

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Wurzbach Parkway crossing to McAllister Park from Salado Creek Greenway is CLOSED
by John                www.bikemojo.com (San Antonio)
Due to construction on Wurzbach Parkway (formerly Starcrest) at the southern entrance to McAllister Park, the street crossing for cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians has been closed. It is now marked with signs and barriers showing that the crossing is closed. Yesterday, the Park Policeman, who I have met several times as he is regularly assigned to Tobin Park, was waiving off cyclists and runners who were trying to cross the street and ticketing those who crossed despite the warning. Unfortunately, a male-female cyclist couple were arguing with the officer and yelling profane epithets at the Park Policeman. As the police officer who is part of the Bike Patrol is a nice guy, I was embarrassed by the cyclists behavior and repeated attempts to break the law.

Please be nice to the Park Police, especially when they are just doing their job. In this case, with the speeding traffic on Wurzbach Parkway, the officer was just trying to save lives at a dangerous crossing.

Beginner and Intermediate Group
El Paso Bicycle Club
The Beginner and Intermediate Group (B/IG) rider training program will kick off the 2012 program on Thursday, April 5th at 5:50pm. Please note the ride night has changed to Thursday. The meeting location will be the same as last year Rio Plaza at the intersection of Artcraft and Upper Valley Road.

If you are just getting into cycling, want to learn more about the sport, or would like to meet new friends to ride with then the B/IG ride is for you.  B/IG rides are designed to be both educational and fun.  Each week before the ride a different cycling related topic is presented.  Topics…

More Than Hypothetically Delayed
by Steve A                Dallas Point-to-Point

I apologize to my loyal reader, who wondered what I might be getting at when I posed the question:

“Has anyone out there really added up the time cost of stopping at a stop sign compared to nonchalantly riding through same?”

Perhaps noting that I had an ulterior motive got comments off on the wrong track. Perhaps I have been too strident in the past. For, you see, sometimes a question is EXACTLY what it seems. You see, this post is not hypothetical, as Pondero couched his theory. Then he and others talked about momentum lost and rhythm. Khal even touched on a hot button of mine when he used that “w” word. Well, all that goes into the hopper for a future post, but today, simply, this post is about who gets delayed – cyclists by motorists or motorists by…

Russell Metoyer wins Fayetteville road race!
by velossimo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF7sh6625so
Wow what a punch in the last 200m to seal the win! Congrats Russell!

Gallus Cycles visit
by bikedenton

Last fall, I stopped by Gallus Cycles in Fort Worth to see what Jeremy Schlacter was working on. Jeremy hand builds (brazes) bike frames, and his work has been turning heads at the Southwest Swap Meet and NAHBS. He studied framebuilding with Doug Fattic and Koichi Yamaguchi, and he’s been making frames ever since, without…

Graduate student trains for cross-country bike ride
Anthony Santigate                 www.sbstatesman.com
Three thousand, nine hundred and seventy-four miles, 11 states, four time zones and a whole lot of peanut butter. That is what graduate student Jay Epelman, 23, has in front of him this summer.

As a member of the 2012 Southern U.S. Route team for Bike and Build, an organization that raises funds for affordable housing projects by biking across the country, Jay and 24 others will bike from Jacksonville, Fla. to Monterey, Calif. Through the official website, bikeandbuild.org, anyone can follow his bicycle trip, learn about…

Construction Warning for Cyclists on Ronald Reagan Blvd.
by djcurtin                Bicycle Sport Shop’s Offical Cycling Blog
The good folks in Williamson County have asked us to share the following information regarding planned construction work on Ronald Regan Boulevard.  Please make note of this planned road work and take extra caution when riding in this area.

“Williamson County’s contractor, Ramming Paving, is scheduled to start the asphalt repair and overlay on the portion of Ronald Reagan Blvd., a popular road for cyclists, from RM 2243 to SH 29.  This work began on Thursday, March 15th on the northbound lanes near RM 2243.  It will take approximately 4 weeks to complete the work (weather permitting) which will consist of making repairs to the pavement, paving a new 2 inch asphalt…

 

23 mph from the SSE with 38 mph gusts – March 19th Bike Ride

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Winter wraps up today and spring arrives tomorrow. Winter weather pulled out of the Houston area a couple of weeks ago but today as a departing gift the wind hit speeds not normally seen: 23 mph from the SSE with 38 mph gusts. With this wind I decided the route needed to bend to my rule of riding into the wind at the start and use the tailwind for the return leg. No fancy reverse routing today so I could concentrate on battling the wind.The National Weather Service issued this alert last night:

Wind Advisory
… Wind Advisory remains in effect until 7 am CDT Tuesday…
* event… south to southeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph possible this afternoon. Only a slight drop in speeds can be expected overnight.
* Timing… through early Tuesday morning.
Precautionary/preparedness actions…
Drivers of vans… campers… trailers… and other high-profile vehicles should be alert to the danger of these winds… especially when driving along east to west oriented roads.

Until the 16.7 mile point the ride predominately headed into the wind or it came from my right side. The gusts moved me and the bike around some when I rode into the unprotected spots along the route. The most exposed occurred on the FM1960 McKay Causeway over Lake Houston going east. I looked off to my right at the water being shoved to the causeway by the heavy wind. Fortunately the east bound traffic helped counteract the wind some. I don’t know where all of the trash blew in from but the east bound shoulder of the causeway seemed to contain more than usual and the blowing pieces could get tangled in the wheels but I avoided that.

To go with the wind the clouds covered the sky, they looked thick and heavy with rain. When I pulled into my driveway I got hit by a few rain drops. So my finish time looked very timely. A few minutes later when I entered the house the rain picked some but stopped shortly leaving the pavement wet. The wind should dry it off quickly if the rain stays away. With the wind the temperature became a secondary matter but it stayed in the upper 70’s during the ride; 77 at the start and 75 when I finished. The decline probably resulted from the rain in the area. Later today and most of tomorrow the rain forecast calls for 3 to 5 inches north of I-10 which is where I live and bike.

Other than the wind the ride was uneventful. I left at 11:48 AM to beat the rain forecasted for the afternoon. With the wind I did not expect my average speed to be over 1.9 mph but I did manage to get it up to 15.1 mph thanks to the tailwind on the way back home. Max speed of 21.3 mph was on the way back home as well. My 78.2 RPM average cadence was higher than I would have guessed. When I got the tailwind I increased my gear combination and my speed went above 19 mph for some long stretches.

Some statistics:

  • 1:57:32 ride time
  • 29.61 miles biked today
  • 344.50 miles in March after today’s ride
  • 980.59 miles YTD
  • 12 biking days so far in March
  • Garmin Connect data link

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/551250 97% 600]

3-19-2012 Home Weather Station End

3-19-2012 Home Weather Station End

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 18th

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CIP MEETING UPDATE
Save the Anthills, Houston, TX
As a reminder, please plan to attend the City’s important CIP meeting MONDAY evening:
When: Monday, March 19th at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Paul Revere Middle School Auditorium (Capacity 800)
10502 Briar Forest Drive (it’s like 5 mins away from the Anthills)
WHAT TO EXPECT?
Unlike the HCFCD’s Charting Buffalo meeting on February 8th which focused solely on flood mitigation, this City meeting will cover a wide range of City of Houston Capital Improvement Plan (“CIP”) projects, not just the M-261 CIP which specifically deals with excavating Buffalo Bayou detention basins. Expect people to be addressing a variety of CIP projects, including street repair, street flooding, pot holes, etc. Our Briar Forest Super Neighborhood leadership in particular will be addressing at least four CIPs, including M-261 which threatens our forest. However, there will be several other Super Neighborhoods represented from District G, each with their own special concerns.

Cibolo Ride – San Antonio Wheelmen
Date:     03/31/2012
Time:     09:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location:     Cibolo, TX
Details:     Cibolo Ride (NE) [F to R]. Routes of 20, 27, 39, 51, 66 and 71 miles.
Meet at the City Hall parking lot in downtown Cibolo. From I-35 North, turn right on FM 3009 (Roy Richard Drive, exit 175) to FM 78; turn left and then left again on Main Street in Cibolo. City Hall is just off of Highway 78. Contact: Cliff Hickel, 210/884-9470 Please wear your Wheelmen jersey!
Lunch at Catalano Pizzeria (102 N. Main St, Cibolo)

Texas RAAM Cycling Challenge Race Results
By John Foote         www.ultraracenews.com
The 200 mile Event
Kurt Searvogel wins the inaugural RAAM Texas Cycling Challenge 200 mile event in 9hrs 55mins.  Seven racers lined up at the start, but it was only rookie racer Stephen Stafford that was able to pressure Searvogel on the very hilly route with 10,000 ft of vertical gain.  Stafford finished just a mere 3 minutes behind with Larry Ide rolling into the finish in third place with a 11hr 39min elapsed time.

Two – Four person teams also competed at the 200 mile distance with the team of Steve Logan, Jason Dunn, David Tietz and Tammy Walters bringing it home first in 12hr 42min…

Tour de Houston riders hit the streets for a cause
By Naheeda Sayeeduddin            www.chron.com

Carmen Busceme uses the trails of Memorial Park to train for marathons and bike rides. The 35-year-old found it fitting to give back to the park by riding in the Tour de Houston on Sunday, which was sponsored by Apache Corp. to benefit Houston park reforestation. Busceme, a first-time rider in the tour, was among the nearly 4,000 who peddled up to 60 miles – a roundtrip from City Hall to Johnson Space Center – Sunday to help raise money for new trees to area parks ravaged by the drought. “A lot of people are riding because of the fact that it is a…

saturday shots
by bikedenton

When life gives you lemons, or in my case, a handlebar stab in the calf, you make blog posts. I’ll be resting up this week as my leg heals, so inevitably I’ll be getting some posts out of my (brain) queue.

Here are random shots from yesterday, an all around great day that started with mountain biking at Johnson’s Branch, working at Querencia, and rolling down to the new Oak St Drafthouse for pints. …

Important Last Chance Pre-Race Work Party on Sunday, 3/25, 9 to noon
GHORBA
Important Last Chance Pre-Race Work Party on Sunday, 3/25, 9 to noon and beyond (if people want to keep on working). Meet at the Rec Area Trailhead parking lot. Free entry for trail workers, bring your bike and ride afterwards. Pay Dirt eligible, bring your forms. Please confirm your attendance with trails@ghorba.org.

We’ll be finishing up the drainage improvements on the new trails and grooming the race course. Trail tread and shoulders need to have vegetation chopped back in some areas and derailleur eating small branches-n-twigs need to be removed. Tread is generally…

From gators to peacocks, bats and raccoons, Houston is a real urban jungle
By Tarra Gaines                houston.culturemap.com
Several summers ago I was riding my bike along the Buffalo Bayou Hike and Bike Trail, nearing the Sabine Bridge, when two guys flagged me down for a camera emergency. Neither had one and they were desperate to get a picture of a log in the water. It took me a few seconds to recognize that log, floating leisurely, and to my eyes amicably, in the bayou, was a large Texas alligator heading…

15 miles on a Mountain bike tonight
discussions.texasbowhunter.com
It may not seem like a lot to some of you but to a 56 yr old ex smoker 15 mi is a good place to be right now.
Bought a Specialized Hardrock from Brian (BLUEDOG80) before Christmas and finally started riding somewhere in January. Been riding 2 to 3 times a week and slowly working my way up and not trying to hurt myself. You…

Willow City Loop, First Leg
by Roy and Christine        Pedal Pushers

Willow City is a tiny community just outside of Fredericksburg, Texas. The Willow City Loop has been a part of the Wildflower Pedal Power organized ride, however, this year the event was cancelled. So a day trip was planned to ride the loop. It was chancy as it is still early in the spring, and in good years, April and May are the best times to view wildflowers. This time last year everything was brown from the drought. However, some glorious winter rains produced a good showing of some of the earliest wildflowers on…

Willow City Loop to THE HILL
by Roy and Christine        Pedal Pushers

…Crash? No, we found another nice spot. Have I mentioned we weren’t in a hurry? This was a real stop and “smell the flowers” ride. …

Willow City Hill to Willow City
by Roy and Christine        Pedal Pushers

…Christine stopped some ways back as the hill started its steepest incline. My Garmin registered 15% grade. The first time I went up this hill a few years ago, I reported that I went 2.9 mph–and stayed upright. It was on an organized ride and I just barely passed a person pushing her bike up the hill. I am happy to report that I went up…