It feels like spring arrived today during my bike ride. As I left on my ride I thought the overcast sky would stick with me for the whole ride but about an hour into the ride some blue starting peeking through the clouds. By the time I finished the blue sky gained even more. As I bike the flowers and trees showed signs of spring. I stopped for three pictures along the route just to prove the theory.
The temperature started out at 74 and by the end it topped out at 81. Wind was not too much at 9 mph from the south. It seemed more than that when I biked into it. The saying goes for March weather “in like a lamb, out like a lion”. In southeast Texas the lamb arrived but not so for some people in Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky yesterday which would have been March except for the leap year day. Now we have 30 days to see if the lion shows up when March leaves. I wore a long sleeve jersey because I thought the temperature would stay in the 70’s but it turned out to be my sunscreen. We are only 10 days from daylight savings time arriving March 11th. Last year I would still be biking in the dark after work but now with retirement daytime biking is the norm.
USA Cycling awards cyclo-cross nationals venues
By:    Neil Browne         www.cyclingnews.com
Boulder, Austin and Asheville get one year each
USA Cycling announced today the host cities of future cyclo-cross national championships, awarding one year each to Boulder, Colorado, to Austin, Texas and to Asheville, North Carolina for 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively.
Due to the high quality of bids each city will host the national championships for just one year instead of the proposed two year contract. In a press release USA Cycling’s Managing Director of National Events Micah Rice explained why each…
Team McAllen Cycling Individual Time Trial series (revised)
Team McAllen Cycling’s individual time trials are back! Join us this March 4th to test your speed!
Place: Milo Ponce Park, located 2 miles east of US 281 (Love’s Truck Stop exit North of Edinburg)
Time: 7:00 AM to register, first rider out at 8:00 AM
Cost: Free to TMC members, $10.00 to non-members
It’s My Park! Day @ Shoal Creek
Saturday, March 3, 2012 – 09:00 – 14:00
SHOAL CREEK Trail Day
Shoal Creek Between West & 5th
393 West Avenue
Austin Ridge Riders & Social Cycling Austin
The dynamic duo of Brooks and Charlie will be leading the group that will ride to Shoal Creek to make improvements to the trail between West Ave. and 5th, moving dirt, clearing over growth and picking up trash.
TTAT Conference: Highlights from Texas’ main event for walking and biking
www.biketexas.org
TTAT-Professionals and advocates that create, promote, and use active transportation (i.e. walking, biking, transit, etc.) convened at the Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference in San Antonio from February 1 to 3, 2012. They shared ideas and momentum to make Texas a great place to walk and bike. Building upon the success of the first TTAT Conference held in Austin in 2010, well over two hundred…
Ride to the Waterfall!
Lone Star Cyclists
Pace: Touring (with a Self Guided Fast Option)
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012 – 9:00am to 12:30pm
Location: 3150 S Hulen St, Fort Worth (NW corner of Hulen and Bellaire)
Join Denise and Lois as we ride Fort Worth’s Trinity Trails to the waterfall park, and for those riding the longer route, around Benbrook Lake. And, yes, of course there will be a stop at the coffee shop. There will be a mostly flat, shorter route of 30 miles and a longer, slightly hillier route of 60. If you’re riding the long route, bring $1 for the Lake entrance fee. Park in the southeastern part of the Tom Thumb lot at the northwest corner of Hulen and Bellaire.
Last Post of the Old Era
by Steve AÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â DFW Point-to-Point
I’m going to go in a little different direction. If you happen to be my loyal reader, don’t despair. I don’t think this blog is actually going to GO AWAY in the near future. However, a little clarity has entered my life and I’ll unveil it soon. For the moment, I’ll dispense a little wisdom in the way I’ve been accustomed to do.
Dear, Departed Eugene Sloane
Today, I want to rant a little about the pure ignorance of traffic engineers where people that ride bikes are concerned. I’ll start with a blast to the past. Specifically, Eugene Sloane’s classic book on bicycling. In it, amongst other things, he ranted against drain grates that trapped cyclists. My own edition (actually, my wonderful wife’s book) was published back in 1969. For those of you that are math challenged, 1969 was the year we…
Beauty and the Beast Bicycle Tour set for March 24
www.tricountyleader.com
Tyler’s Beauty and the Beast Bicycle Tour will mark the 24th anniversary with the March 24 event.
This year the proceeds benefit the Texas Wounded Warrior.
The mission of the Texas Wounded Warrior is to raise awareness, honor, and empower the wounded armed service members returning from combat. The group provides basic essentials and needed funds to defray cost of living, ensuring these Great Americans hospitalized with combat injuries, and their families’ needs are met, …
Estimated 13K cyclists to compete in 28th annual BP MS 150
by Timothy Petropoulos       www.ultimatekaty.com
An estimated 13,000 cyclists will ride in the 28th annual BP MS 150, a two-day, 180-mile trek from Houston to Austin, to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society on April 21 and April 22.
As the largest fundraising bike ride in Texas, the BP MS 150, along with volunteers and supporters, have raised $140 million for multiple sclerosis research that has helped 56,000 Texans affected by…
So when it was time for his Race Across America to begin a new season, the president and CEO knew the ideal starting…
Olympic preparations get underway in Mellow Johnny’s Classic
First UCI points of the season for US mountain bikers
By: Dave McElwaine         www.cyclingnews.com
North America’s top mountain biking talent will descend upon Flat Creek Crossing Ranch this weekend with guns blazing for round one of USA Cycling’s US Pro XCT series. The ranch is a new venue for the race, which had previously been held on Lance Armstrong’s Juan Pelota Ranch. With a UCI-1 designation, it will be the first critical race of the year for individuals named to the USA Olympic Team long list.
Searing heat and oppressive humidity have seriously marred the past two Mellow Johnny’s races. Racers wore ice vests not only to the starting line, but also sometimes during the race itself. To beat the heat, the race has been re-scheduled each…
Mountain Biking Denton’s 380 Greenbelt
By Shawn         Texas Mountain Bike Trails
The 380 Greenbelt is a very selectively useful trail. If the DFW mountain bike trails were a swiss army knife this would be that one tool that you never use until one day when the light bulb goes off and you say “oh, thats what this is forâ€.
This trail is great for rainy seasons because it is made of crushed limestone that drains extremely well. When the other trails in the area are closed, this trail is almost sure to be open and will give you a great day of pedal mashing. You will get a very different type of workout than your typical mountain bike trail. Instead of the occasional downhill…
Mountain Biking in Frisco, Our own Trail Coming Soon
by sooner1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Shawnee Trail Cycling Club
For those that don’t know, Shawnee Trail Cycling Club is in a joint effort with the City of Frisco, Crest/RBM Cycling and Dorba to develop a Mountain Bike course inside the City of Frisco. While efforts are proceeding to secure land and get the appropriate agreements in place for trail construction, the Frisco clubs have been proactive in the education of our members in the art of trail building. Shawnee Trail Cycling Club sent three representatives to the recent Lone Star Trail Building School, hosted by IMBA and Dorba, to learn the “right” way…
The sun finally arrived and burned off most of the clouds and with it the temperature moved out of the 70’s and stopped at 81. The clouds attempted to regain the lost ground but not successfully. The 13 mph south wind did not inhibit my biking and even felt comfortable because of the 81 degrees. There was a stretch heading west over Lake Houston that the cool water lowered the wind temperature but not enough to matter. It even felt good because I built up some body heat pedaling. I moved up today’s start time because of the good weather to 12:19 PM.
With the earlier start I decided to try a modified route staying on FM1960 east until the Liberty County line. The reason I turned back at the county line is the TXdot road surface in Liberty County is the much loved chip’n seal, guaranteed to loosen fillings and anything else you might have loose on your bike. The route totaled 32.84 miles according to SportTracks software but the Garmin Edge 500 shows 32.1 miles. This is interesting because lately SportTracks calculates a longer distance than the Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com websites do. Before these websites’ totals exceeded SportTracks. SportTracks updated not too long ago and this could account for the change. The other statistics for today:
15.7 mph average speed
22.5 mph max speed
81.8 RPM average cadence
Thanks to the extra day I can add to the monthly performance. Statistics for February:
368.84 total February miles (average for February: 249 miles)
Mountain Biking is a Family Affair
by Laura Scagno       Austin Ridge Riders
I always enjoy reading George’s insights regarding rides and racing. Partly because he is so knowledgeable and entertaining but also because he is such an inspiration to so many in our community. I won’t share his secrets but George aka: GJD races in the 50+ category because that is generally as high as they go.
But George is an incredible mountain biker, strong and fearless and he stays young at heart by hammering the trails and showing all the youngin’s how it should be done. George introduced the sport to his grandchildren and they are obviously following in his footsteps towards the podiums. I can still remember the first time I saw…
Tyler Bicycle Club
Rides
Saturday 8:00 a.m.
Faulkner Park 30+ miles
@Â 15-18 mph
Another Success in Atlanta: Q&A with Action 2020 Workshop Participants
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
The Advocacy Advance team took a trip down to Atlanta for an Action 2020 Workshop this month and met with more than 50 advocates, agency staff, and elected officials from across the region.
The free, one-day training empowered attendees with a wealth of information about federal, state, and local funding sources and practices, and how to make bicycles and pedestrians a local priority. It also provided a unique and productive chance for…
Texas Motor Speedway Paceline – Winter training update
www.bicycle.net
Just got back from an hour of unintentional interval training that was supposed to have been a fast group-ride with me tucked safely out of the wind. Minor difference.
But it had turned windy this afternoon — surprise! By rush-hour flags were starched stiff against the sky, and I wasn’t even sure it made sense to ride. Owning an indoor spin bike tends to make one wimpy about going out in wet, cold, or windy. I’m not proud about it.
But when it came to the prospect of spinning inside on an awfully pretty evening, I sucked it up and headed to Texas Motor Speedway in north Fort…
The first thing you notice, in case you haven’t guessed from the furniture built with bicycle parts, is that Mr. Guerrero is a huge fan of cycling, running, and healthy lifestyles. He’s a competitive cyclist and triathlete, as well…
Cycling angel smoothing bumps on the trail
By Pam LeBlanc         Fit City
A cycling angel is running amok somewhere in Austin.
See the little cement ramp in the photo above?
I snapped that shot the other day, while riding my bike along the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail, where it passes underneath 10th Street just east of Lamar Boulevard.
For years, I’d either have to hop my front tire up slightly or suffer a spine-crackling jolt as I rode over the 2-inch…
MTB rider putting on a clinic showing proper jumping skills at McAllister Park in San Antonio, Texas. Listen for the sound I make when I stick the landing.
Ridden & Reviewed: Michelin Pro4 Service Course Tires
by djcurtin            It’s Time to Ride   Bicycle Sport Shop
Kelly, our parts and accessories buyer took pity on me. I was bugging him mercilessly about swag from Frostbike and he relented, loaning me a bran new pair of Michelin Pro4 Service Course tires to ride and review—but not to keep. Needing every ounce of help I could get for this past weekend’s races, I decided “no time like the present†and quickly mounted the new tires.
Michelin’s Pro 4 is actually not a single tire model, rather an umbrella name for a family of tires. The Pro4 Endurance replaces what was know as the Krylion and is designed for longevity and puncture resistance—a true training tire. The Pro4 Service Course that I’m riding is most directly comparable to the Pro3, which it replaces. Billed as somewhat of an “all arounder,†the Pro4 Service Course improves on its predecessor by relying on…
Walburg Road Race 2012
by Ken         Texas Racing Life
For some reason, the word epic has become grossly overused in the cycling circles around the US. Cycling Texans love this word just like the Californians or Coloradans, except epic does not describe long climbs or descents. It describes wind and occasional rain/cold. Walburg Road Race is no exception to this, as the course is almost completely flat and loops its way through treeless farmland. It is the closest thing we have to a Belgium classic. It can get windy, but this is something I deal with on a daily basis in Houston. Doing 300…
