Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for February 24th

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Major Taylor Weekend Feb 24-26
Austin Cycling Association
February 23, Thursday
4:00pm – 6:00pm Opening Ride
Free and open to the public
The featured guest for the weekend is Nelson Vails, the first African American Olympic medalist in cycling and a 2009 Inductee to the Cycling Hall of Fame. The public will be able to “Get Back in the Saddle with Nelly” with a 20 mile social ride. See some of Austin’s favorite sites including a photo op at the Capitol.

7:00 – 9:00pm Evening Program and Welcome Party
Free and open to the public
“An Evening with Nelly” will begin at 7:00pm with cycling historian and biographer Andrew Ritchie introducing 1899 World…

Kid Trips Event at Pace Bend Park
Austin Ridge Riders
Saturday, March 3, 2012 – 13:00
Kid Trips will be conducting a ride for the Girl Scouts of America at Pace Bend Park on Saturday 3/3/12. We’ll meet in the Texlake parking lot at the north end of the park at 12:00 p.m. The ride starts at 1:00 p.m. Adult volunteers are welcome; just bring your…

Cycling Tactics
by Victor Jimenez, Darryl Kotyk, Rob Grissom     Cycling 360 Media
Using tactics in your ride or race
If you have ever been interested in what tactics are and when to apply them this show is for you. Join Victor and Coach Rob while Darryl is vacation for an in depth roundtable discussion on applying tactics in races and even recreational rides.
–Getting started with tactics
–When to apply tactics to a ride or a race…

Gearing up for Mellow Johnny’s Spring Classic
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
Some of the country’s top mountain bikers — including a few who hope to race in the 2012 Olympics — will tear through the twisty, technical course at Flat Creek Crossing Ranch next week during the Subaru of Georgetown Mellow Johnny’s Spring Classic.

It’s a new venue for the race, held for three years at Lance Armstrong’s private ranch. Armstrong sold that property, though, so this year’s event will take place at Flat Creek Crossing Ranch, a private venue near…

Getting to know Texas
Mae Cowgill crosses the Lone Star State.

Mae Cowgill, a Mokelumne Hill native, and her companion Pablo are bicycling across America and she is chronicling the adventure in weekly reports to the Enterprise. This is the second installment in the series.

Today is the 38th day of my bicycle journey across the southern United States. Twenty-four of those days have already been spent crossing a single state – Texas. I’ve found that manually propelling oneself across this great state is an excellent way to comprehend just how big it actually is. But after 1,071 miles, we’re finally leaving Texas…

City should focus more on local groups
By Bill Cullins        San Angelo Standard-Times
One of the differences between Texas and some other states is lack of access to open space such as state and national forests.

That lack of public land means that, for the most part, our cycling, hiking and running activities take place on public roads, private land, small local city parks or “pay to play” venues such as state parks.

San Angelo is in better shape than many Texas communities. We have rural roads with minimal traffic, access to the open space around Twin Buttes Reservoir and the relatively undeveloped areas on Lake…

Five Guys Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Start:     March 11, 2012 9:30 am
End:     March 11, 2012 12:00 pm
Venue:   Five Guys Burgers
Address:  6531 FM 78, San Antonio, TX,
Sunday, March 11th: Ride starts at 9:30.  Meet at Five Guys Burgers & Fries for a 31 mile ride with an optional 51 miles.  Park at the HEB across from Five Guys Burgers & Fries @ the corner of FM 78 & Foster Rd.  This ride features the rolling farmland east of Bexar County, with two or three gas station stops, one of them being the fresh hot pie place in New Berlin. Lunch after the ride will be at…

STCC Group Riding Intro; Safely Ride our Streets and Roads
by sooner1            Shawnee Trail Cycling Club

You’ve bought a new bike, new helmet, shoes, shorts(with padding), fancy cycling jersey with empty pockets, bike bag, pedals —-   whew!

Maybe you want to be like Lance, or be a little greener and not drive your car so much or you just want to lose some weight and improve your…

Reveille Roubaix Route Preview

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for February 23rd

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Fun Valley & Dog Leg Trail Lajitas Texas

Sneak Peek at ARTCRANK ATX
by Darryl            lovingthebike.com
The ARTCRANK poster art show comes to Austin tomorrow, and it’s the “don’t miss” event of weekend.  We are proud to be sponsors of the show and as we mentioned a little while back….be sure to come find me tomorrow night and get your Clif Bar goodie bag.  I’ll be arriving to the event around 8:00PM and handing out bags full of Clif Bar products to everyone I see.  I’ll only have a limited…

El Paso Bicycle Club Ride
Saturday, March 3
Ride Leader Ride
Description:     Begin at Upper Valley Rd & Artcraft. 30-mile moderately paced ride to Gadsden High and Border Crossing. Those interested in leading rides for the Club, as well as all past rider leaders, are encouraged to join us for a combination ride and overview of rider leader responsibilities. Before the ride, we will review how to submit ride information and what to do before a ride begins. At rest stops along the way, we will review how to manage your riders and maximize safety as well as fun. At the end of ride, we will go over any additional questions about ride leadership.

El Paso Bicycle Club Ride
Saturday, March 17
Luck o’the Irish Ride
Description:     Start your St. Patrick’s Day right and help Bob Lynn celebrate 29 (again) by riding to Hatch. Options for round trips of 104, 80, and 43 miles, moderate pace. The 104-milers leave La Mesa at 7:45 a.m. and arrive at The Bean at 8:30. The 80-milers depart from The Bean at 8:45 a.m. and arrive at Fort Selden at 10 a.m. The 43-milers leave Fort Selden at 10:15 a.m. Destination is Sparky’s in Hatch for their famous green chile cheeseburger. Bring a driver’s license or other ID for Border Patrol station on NM 185. Those departing from Mesilla should park at the municipal lot south of The Bean.

Kelly Island Breakfast Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Start:     April 1, 2012 8:30 am
End:     April 1, 2012 10:30 am
Venue:     Port San Antonio
Address:      143 Billy Mitchel Rd, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78226
Saturday, March 31st: Ride starts at 8:30 a.m.  Meet in the large parking lot located on the corner of General McMullen and Foulois St. in Port San Antonio. Join us for an easy ride on a flat course for 18 miles.  (A shorter option is available.) This ride is timed so that we will be able to enjoy a late breakfast at Kelly Island.  Directions:  Traveling east on Hwy 90, enter Port San Antonio via the 36th Street exit.  Go to Billy Mitchell, turn left, and take Billy Mitchell to General McMullen and turn right, go one block, then right onto Foulois St.  The parking lot is on left.  Traveling west on Hwy 90, exit General McMullen and go south, proceed through traffic lights until you pass Billy Mitchell.  Take the next right onto Foulois St. and turn left into parking lot.

Austin Bike Culture Calendar Events: 2/23- 2/29/12
by elliott            Austin on Two Wheels
The weather is great and there’s lots to do on 2 wheels this weekend! Mellow Johnny’s is sponsoring a whole slew of rides and events to encourage more minorities to ride with their Growing the Movement conference. If art is your thing, check out ARTCrank on Friday and the art benefit for injured cyclist Bethany Bauman on Saturday. TXBRA road racing continues with 2 races this weekend and Frankenbike returns again. Get out and ride!…

Dance, swap bike parts, pull a fire truck: Your weekend fitness events
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
…FrankenBike. The coolest bike swap meet in the free world just got a new sponsor – Independence Brewing Co. The February meet is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Al Covert’s Bike Yard, 4404 Manzillo Drive. The event is open to anyone who wants to buy, sell or trade bicycles and bicycle related gear or parts. For more information go here. …

GHORBA Short Track Stampede Championship Series 2012
by Veljko Roskar

2012 GHORBA Big Ring Challenge – The Race to Build Trails
by Veljko Roskar

GHORBA receives RTP grant for local trails
The Greater Houston Off Road Biking Association (GHORBA) is pleased to announce the receipt of a grant through the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). This three year, $36,120 reimbursable grant is scoped to provide working capital to fund supplies, equipment, training and associated trail work costs to upgrade our existing portfolio of trails. In 2008 and 2010, GHORBA was successful in securing large RTP grants for professionally constructed trails. With this grant…

Bike Race 1, Mineral Wells, Texas

These were taken from under the awning of the Crazy Water Building in the previous shot. It felt good to get out of the rain for a minute. There were a few people watching the race, but the rain kept most from being out. I wasn’t there because of the race, though I knew about it. It was a big deal though, most of the hotels were full in Mineral Wells because of it.

Texas Gov. Perry to have surgery Friday to repair collar bone
By Corrie MacLaggan        (Reuters)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled to have surgery on Friday to repair his right clavicle, which did not heal properly after a bicycle accident in 2009, the governor’s office said on Thursday.

Highland Village receives Trails of Texas Great Trail Head Award
www.thenewsconnection.com
The City of Highland Village recently received the Great Texas Trail Head Award from the Texas Trails Network. The award was given in recognition of the planning and design of the city’s Inland Trails system. Highland Village received the award as part of the Trails of Texas awards program in conjunction with the Texas Trails Network annual conference.

Highland Village’s Inland Trails system is a concrete-paved, multi-use trail network connecting virtually all areas of Highland Village as well as providing connectivity to adjacent cities. The Inland Trails system was designed for walking, jogging, bicycling, meandering throughout the city’s neighborhoods, parks, schools, government centers, retail areas and a recreational lake. …

Short Sleeve Jersey Required – February 23rd Bike Ride

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The weather made it to 94% of the forecast temperature 83 degrees (out of 88) at the start of the ride. By the time I got home it dropped to 77 degrees. But I am not complaining. I noticed that central Texas reached 91 degrees. As the headline says with a temperature like this a short sleeve jersey was required and appreciated. The clouds were a little thicker than I preferred but the sun shone through so I applied sunscreen before the start. The southwest wind showed 12 mph with gusts to 21 mph. This repeated yesterday’s wind. Today I started south into the wind so I could finish with the wind. The plan almost worked but I only managed an average speed of 14.8 mph but I did get to 22.3 mph for my max speed. Looking at the 5 mile splits I can see why the average dropped below 15; only 2 of the 6 splits averaged 15 mph or more, the others were below that mark. Average cadence was 77.4 RPM.

I planned a slightly modified route from the usual one to Huffman. As I rode east on FM1960 I noticed abnormal traffic as I approached Fairlake Drive where I turn south off FM1960. Once I started down Fairlake the traffic kept building up. Normally I might pass 3 or 4 cars over the two mile stretch to FM2100 but the traffic kept coming. I figured there was a blockage somewhere up ahead but my route had some options. When I turned north onto FM2100 I still could not see any problem but about a mile further I rounded a bend and I could see the traffic stopped. Biking beside the stopped vehicles I made it up to the spot where the Harris County Deputy Sheriff blocked the road. About two tenths of a mile ahead the railroad tracks held a big truck with the trailer stuck on the high tracks. The deputy said she had been there 45 minutes and the truck probably preceded her by 15 minutes. I took a couple of pictures with my cell phone (below, the zoom is not real clear) and the map shows the spot.

After waiting about 10 minutes and talking with some other bystanders I asked the deputy if it was okay for me to go ahead and get by the truck on the left side of the road. She said that was how she got through and to go ahead. The trucking company routed another truck to help get this one free. I think the big tank causing the problem was for drilling mud. I resumed my ride and went where the deputy directed. While I waited we noticed the wind seemed to increase, probably with the soon to arrive cool front.

Back on track I completed the 30.18 mile route battling the wind as I headed west over Lake Houston on the McKay Causeway. The temperature felt cooler going west than it did earlier when I biked east. February miles total 293.08 and YTD stands at 560.32 miles. Friday and Saturday weather do not look biking friendly so I may not get to ride again until Sunday.

2-23-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

2-23-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

2-23-2012 Home Weather Station End

2-23-2012 Home Weather Station End

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for February 22nd

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New National Plan to Transform Bicycling
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog

The leadership of the Alliance for Biking & Walking, Bikes Belong, and the League of American Bicyclists has agreed that uniting the three organizations would dramatically improve their effectiveness in increasing bicycle use in U.S. communities. Leaders of the three groups issued a joint statement summarizing the outcome of their recent meeting in San Diego, February 13-14:

“Our enthusiasm to take this momentous step for the movement is matched by a commitment to do this right,” said Noah Budnick, Board Chair of the Alliance for Biking & Walking. The boards of all three organizations must ratify the agreement. Once (and if) that occurs, the transition team will work with a variety of board, staff, …

Black Tie Tsunami Ride Sunday Feb 26th
by The Announcer Guy        Biking in Dallas
Dallas Cycle Style is announcing the Black Tie Tsunami bike ride commencing this Sunday at 1:30 beginning at Main Street Garden.

From their announcement:
Black Tie Ride to Who Knows Where!
Bicycle Tsunami has planned a bicycle flash mob Sunday Feb 26th. We’re not sure where we’ll all be converging (it’s very hush-hush till we get the email the day before) but we’ve been assured it’s within a 30 minute ride north…

Council pedals plan at 7-0 clip
Projects include dozens of miles of bicycle lanes
By Lowell Brown / Staff Writer            Denton Record-Chronicle
Denton took a step toward becoming more bike-friendly Tuesday as the City Council approved a bicycle and pedestrian plan.

The 7-0 vote culminated years of work by the public, city staff members and a hired consultant and followed a public hearing that saw healthy support for the plan.

“It’s been a long process, but it’s been a productive process,” said Jim Coulter, a city official who oversees streets. “We think we have a good plan to work…