The late fall weather continues to bounce around from warm to cool. After two days off the bike I was back on my mountain bike today. The clouds had thickened from the partly ones earlier in the day. The temperature was up to 66 and then down to 64 when I finished. There was no wind to speak of but just enough that when I was in the shadow of trees I could feel the difference. Changing from my road bike to my mountain bike sounds easy but certain muscles and nerves take time to acclimate and there was some complaining as this was going on. I was not able to pedal with the leg power I am used to so my average speed (12.1 mph) dropped and the time to cover the 15.78 mile route was a little longer than I would like. My average cadence was lower than usual for my MTB riding at 75.3 RPM, down 3 RPM from Monday’s ride.
There were a number of other people out biking on the trails. All but one are what I call light recreation bikers. The one exception was in the serious category with a helmet and other gear. Riding the trails with light recreational bikers can challenging since their bike handling skills do not always match how fast they are moving or turning.
December mileage is now at 172.02 and YTD is 5543.32 miles. This week I biked 108.68 miles. For December I have been on the bike 12 hours and 30 minutes. The Christmas days will block off some biking but I should be able to get to the 200 mile mark for December.
Gearing Up for 2012 – Sponsor Our Event
by UrbanPedal         Dallas Cycle Chic
The cat’s pretty much out of the bag. Remember all the photos from the Cyclist Census back in April? And the lawn movie, the Texas Theatre, the photo exhibit, and the bike polo, and….
We’re doing it again in 2012, only we’re revamping the plan. …
CITY OF HOUSTON HELPS BRING HOLIDAY CHEER WITH NEW BIKES, HELMETS FOR 8,000 STUDENTS
www.thecypresstimes.com
City Partners with Local Organizations to Encourage Scholastic Improvements, Physical Activity
HOUSTON, TX – The City of Houston Mayor’s Citizens’ Assistance Office (MCAO) has partnered with Elves & More, a Houston-based non-profit, and other sponsors to distribute 8,000 brand new bikes and helmets to studnets in more than 36 local schools. Students qualified for the bikes and helmets by improving their grades during the school year.
MCAO raised approximately $25,000 to purchase helmets. Representatives from the Texas Medical Association, the Houston Police Department (HPD) Bike Unit, Texas Children’s Hospital, ExxonMobil, Association…
Boys and Girls Club Bike Give-Away
Plano Bicycle Association
Congratulations to all the boys and girls who received new bicycles from the PBA at the 2011 Boys and Girls Club of Plano Bike Give-away. 26 bicycles were raffled off at…
The City of Dallas Clarifies Its Support for Implementing Bike Plan
by marc@mcmumby.com       BikeDFW
The City of Dallas issued a press release today to help clarify its stance on implementing the 2011 Dallas Bike Plan following the confusion resulting from a briefing of the City Council Quality of Life Committee on Monday, December 12th. See the articles below for more information.
The press release states, in part that, “You may have heard in the news some confusion about the implementation of the Dallas Bike Plan. The City is enthusiastic about the Dallas Bike Plan…
8:00am – Harden Dental Team Ride
Corinth Cycling Club
by Scott Franklin
When: Sat Dec 31, 2011 8am to 11am CST
Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
Event Description: This is the weekly training ride for the Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental race team. This is a 62 mile loop on an established route. Expect a fast pace and be prepared to fix your own mechanicals. There are no stops on this ride. -8:00am- http://ridewithgps.com/routes/337788
Racers represent San Angelo well in local cyclocross series
By Bill Cullins      San Angelo Standard-Times
Upcoming Events
Dec. 17: Abilene cyclocross race, angelo.edu/asufit.
Dec. 17-18: Texas cyclocross championships, http://txbra.org/events/?page=texasCup.
Dec. 31: Resolution Run half marathon, roadlizards.org.
Feb. 19: Frost Yer Fanny duathlon, ironheadrp.com.
March 3: The Crazy Desert Trail 50K/Marathon/Half Marathon, roadlizards.org.
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The final race of the 2011 San Angelo cyclocross series took place on Dec. 3, with local cyclists battling racers from Abilene, Fredericksburg and Midland/Odessa for series awards.
The races were held on the campus of Angelo State University and organized by the university’s ASUFit program in collaboration with the San Angelo Bicycle Association. …
Megan Baab, 19, of Euless was killed Thursday afternoon after a truck hit her while on a training ride in rural North Carolina.
“He hit her head on,†said her father, Chris Baab. “It was devastating.†…
T.V. Face Time for Matt Brady.
by Doc         McKinney Velo Club
Earlier this week, friend of McKinney Velo, Geoff Godsey, appeared on Good Morning Texas to discuss gifts for people with active lifestyles. Geoff brought gift ideas for show and tell, and used MV’s Matt Brady to model use of a stationary trainer. Check out Matt and Geoff’s television appearance here. [MANDATORY FBI DISCLAIMER: Matt was used for display purposes only and is not for sale.]
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve
By Shawn      Texas Mountain Bike Trails
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is the perfect place to escape from the hustle of the city. This 2 mile trail sits in the heart of Plano Texas and provides a great piece of singletrack for after work riders and weekend warriors. You can find the trail ocated just south of where Dallas North Tollway and the 121 Tollway intersection.
Like many of the North Texas trails it has plenty or roots with minor elevation change. The soil is hard-packed and rides very fast in some areas, during the dry summers it can become very dusty and easily crumbles under hard turns at high speeds. Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is ideal for beginners…
What is the UCLEAR HBC130? Imagine doing the “Ride for Heroes 2012? in Aledo and being able to take an important call from a client, patient or your family without pulling over to talk. No more worries that your group…
Participate in the National Launch of the 2012 Benchmarking Report
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
The Alliance is finalizing the last details of the 2012 Benchmarking Report: Bicycling and Walking in the United States and invites you to join us as we prepare for a national release of the report in January.
The report contains data on the state of biking and walking in the 50 states and 51 largest U.S. cities including data on biking and walking levels, safety, funding, policies, advocacy, and programs.
The release of the report is an excellent opportunity for you to engage the media and local decision makers and let them know how your state or city stacks up. This report will reveal where…
USA Cycling announces winners of the 2011 “CLUB OF THE YEAR†AWARDS
Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dec. 16, 2011) — USA Cycling is excited to announce the recipients of its 2011 “Club of the Year†awards. In addition to being recognized for outstanding programs, the ten winning clubs will also receive complimentary renewal fees in 2012.
…Matrix Cycling Club (Dallas, Texas) took the top honors as “Overall Club of the Year†in Division I. Founded in 1984, the club has a nearly 30-year history of supporting riders of all ages and ability levels. Of its 210 members, 65 are junior riders. The club’s mission to promote and develop cycling is met through various initiatives like its first-time racer clinics at…
Chocolate Milk as Recovery?
by Kelli      lovingthebike.com
After a super-tough ride on the bike, what’s your best nutrition option for recovery? In the world of sports nutrition, there’s a lot of buzz about low-fat chocolate milk. Since I generally like simple, whole-food nutrition over chemicals and processed foods, the thought of it appeals to me (although many cheap chocolate syrups are made with chemicals – more on this below). While there are…
Waco Bicycle Club Ride
When: Thursday 05:30 PM
What: Road/all levels
Contact: Rickey Taylor
Phone: 254-366-2126
Distance: 20-35 miles
Note: no drop ride
This ride starts from Hewitt Park. Starting time is 5:30 pm and it is not a drop ride. We ride a set route of 27.91 miles. If you would like to view the route you can click here.
As I have said before, I don’t like riding at night, mostly because I don’t have enough light available to me. I have been using a Serfas USB Ultrabright rechargeable, and while it seems fairly bright, the light output is a mere 12 lumens. Being interested in a brighter light than I had, I contacted the folks at Light and Motion, and they agreed to send me over one of their Urban 180 models to test. The Urban 180 is 180 lumens (clever) and in addition to lighting…
Lees-McRae cyclist killed in collision
by Staff Reports      www2.wataugademocrat.com
A freshman Lees-McRae College cyclist was killed Thursday afternoon after being hit by a vehicle while on a training ride in Avery County. Megan Baab of Euless, Texas, was airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center after the accident but did not survive her severe injuries, according to a message from LMC President Barry Buxton. “We all remember Megan as a bright and bubbly member of our campus community,” Buxton said…
Track Olympic long team announced
By VeloNews.com
Thursday USA Cycling announced the 2012 Olympic track long team. The 19 athletes represent the pool from which athletes may be selected to represent the U.S. in the 2012 London Olympics.
…Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas/Momentum Coaching Group p/b Atomic), with teammate Tela Crane, finished second to Carlson and Godby in the women’s team sprint at the 2011 USA Cycling elite track national championships. …
WABA Packs the House with Women’s Bicycling Forum
www.peoplepoweredmovement.org
According to 2009 data, women account for just 24 percent of bicyclists in the U.S. But, on Monday night, female cyclists of all ages and abilities packed the house for a new event hosted by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
An innovative evening of collective brainstorming, the Women’s Bicycling Forum convened nine female panelists who shared their bicycle stories and discussed ideas to close the gender gap. Nearly 80 ladies…
Austin Bike Culture Calendar Events: 12/15- 12/21/11
by elliott         Austin on Two Wheels
In between holiday parties, we hope you are getting a chance to ride your bike. To help you with that, here is our last pre-holiday round up of recommended cycling events.
…15th Annual Bikes for Kids Giveaway
6- 10 AM, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces
Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop is partnering with Mix 94.7 and the JB & Sandy Morning Show for a fourth year to provide bicycles to needy Central Texas children through the 15th Annual Bikes For Kids campaign. Donations have been raised by individuals and large corporate sponsors such as Freescale and Whataburger, as well as…
Blowing through stop signs
By Pam LeBlanc         Fit City
It’s a slow week if I don’t get at least one email or phone call from a motorist irked at a cyclist for blowing through a stop sign or red light.
At the same time, I’m a daily bike commuter and every day I see cars that speed, cut off bikes or roll through…
Bike Zoo’s Zest for Life
There’s no short of imaginative puppetry with this bicycle troupe
By Ramon Martinez, Austin Chronicle
Behind an unassuming corrugated steel gate on Austin’s central Eastside, the Bike Zoo workshop is abuzz. On this day in early December, three young women, recent arrivals from the West Coast, known affectionately as the Oregonians, are spray-gluing strips of leather into the shape of animal ears and painting them white. “To match the reindeer,” explains Jessie Von Curry.
Across the sprawling yard of the workspace, Mike Caballero and Grant Schauhut run along a 40-foot Santa’s sleigh built atop a train of bikes. Connecting wires and lights while drilling antlers into white foam reindeer heads, they start and stop with…
‘Tour de Force’
2 bikers follow 1,700-mile pipeline route to protest tar sands project
BY TERRIE GONZALEZ
Ron Seifert (left) and Tom Weis departed Canada on Oct. 13 on a 1,700-mile bike ride to protest the tar sands pipeline. m Ron Seifert (left) and Tom Weis departed Canada on Oct. 13 on a 1,700-mile bike ride to protest the tar sands pipeline.
Twelve miles north of Montana near the U.S.- Canadian border, Tom Weis took a stick and gouged a symbolic line in the soil. A You Tube video recorded the moment as he stood in front of a chain link fence surrounding property owned by multi-national corporation TransCanada.
“That’s my line in the sand. TransCanada shall not pass,†he said. Then the Boulder, Colo., resident climbed into a high-tech “rocket trike†accompanied by a friend on a regular bicycle, and they began a 1,700 journey to protest a proposed international pipeline carrying tar sands oil…
AG Lets Committee Rule on Bikes at the State Cemetery
By Ian Crawford, KUT News
Authorities at the Texas State Cemetery have become increasingly concerned with bicycles that stray off the paved roadway and onto walking paths or across grave sites. So much so that the cemetery’s governing committee asked Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott whether they had the authority to put the kibosh to bikes at the historic site in East Austin.
Officials saw an upswing in bike traffic through the cemetery after road construction started along E. 7th Street and cyclists reportedly started…
