After several bouts of rain showers earlier today the opportunity to ride appeared. The weather radar did not show any rain and the clouds were stable so off I rode. The temperature was a comfortable 74 degrees when I started and 73 at the end. The clouds were covering the sky but by the time I got back home the sky was almost clear of all the clouds. Wind was not much at 9 mph from the east. Since I have riding to the southeast so much I figured today I should go north. The extended route was 28.87 miles long with an average speed of 15.0 mph, a maximum speed of 21.2 mph and average cadence of 80.0 RPM. No other bikers were out along the route but there were plenty of school buses due to the time of my ride.
Mileage update:
December 156.24
This week 92.90
Year to date 5527.54
Tomorrow is an iffy biking day with a 50% chance of rain and the temperature not getting above 65 degrees. I may have to work at hitting my usual mileage for December of 200.
12-15-2011 Bike Ride Data and Route Map
Link to my RideWithGps.com data and route map. The elevation chart at Ridewithgps.com shows good variation in the terrain although the actual area is pretty flat. SportTracks elevation mirrors the same change.
Fort Worth Mountain Biking Association
32 FWMBA volunteers worked in less than ideal conditions at the December Workfest. Under a rainy sky we added more singletrack to the Gateway Park trail network and then ate some fine chili afterwards! FWMBA is inviting you, your family and friends to the January Gateway Park Workfest. Be a part of something big! Join your mountain biking brethren for a day of trail
building fun
– Meet prior to 9:00am at the abandoned parking area on East 1st Street immediately east of the Trinity River.
If it hasn’t yet been pounded into your head that biking is good for you and good for society, you’re either not reading enough or incredibly stubborn. The evidence for biking abounds: It’s good for you, without being too high impact (unless that impact is a…
Forest Service works with MTB film producer
www.bicycleretailer.com
WENATCHEE, WA (BRAIN)—The U.S. Forest Service—along with Specialized and Shimano and other bike industry supporters—is partnering with film producer Howell at the Moon Productions on a documentary exploring the conflict over illegal trails on public lands.
The hour-long documentary, “Pedal-Driven: a bikeumentary,†is on a 250-stop world screening tour. It has screened at several festivals, including the Banff Mountain Film Festival, where it was a finalist. …
Three cities have been selected as finalists to host the 2014 and 2015 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships according to USA Cycling on Wednesday. The three potential host cities are Asheville, North Carolina (Biltmore Estate), Austin, Texas (Zilker Park) and Boulder, Colorado (Valmont Bike Park).
With six bids under consideration, USA Cycling evaluated potential host cities using various criteria, including: accessibility, community support, …
Bart Yasso may be known as more of a runner than a cyclist, but this running idol says that “Riding my bike cross country is by far my favorite athletic achievement. I wasn’t out there trying to set any records. Just riding solo enjoying the natural beauty, diverse landscape and friendly people.â€
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Bart while he was in Austin for The Running Event last week, and sat down with him to talk about cycling and his love for the Bike. He is a very kind, funny, and…
Look Who’s Loving the Bike: December 2011
By Darryl        lovingthebike.com
At the top of each month we like to feature the amazing stories and memories of people who are loving the bike. Please take a look at what our December 2011 lovers have to say. Hey…..and we’d love to hear from you as well. Feel free to submit your “Look Who’s Loving the Bike†story to us at any time.
Chantall Redd – Dallas, Texas
“I feel free when riding my bike, I come ALIVE when I ride my bike, I feel accomplished and get healthier, my children get a good example of how to stay fit, enjoy life and have a passion. My favorite part is the rush I get…
Disc brakes are on almost every mountain bike. Have you wondered why they haven’t shown up on road bikes? The UCI rules do not allow the pro’s to use them so the manufacturers have not pushed them.
The Torqued Wrench: Disc brakes, coming soon to a drop bar near you
By Caley Fretz      velonews.competitor.com
…Nathan is a big fellow — a hockey player, over 6 feet and strong, with at least 60 pounds on me. I have only once felt bad about having a friend test equipment; sadly, Nate was that guy. But we needed him for his, uh … magnitude.
We took Nathan and a few other guys from the office up to the Wall on Flagstaff, the steepest section of the famous Boulder climb, to do some brake track testing on carbon clinchers. We figured the problems of heat buildup and…
TxDOT alters detour to appease bikers, hikers
By ALLAN TURNER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Texas highway officials on Wednesday said they will tweak bicycle and pedestrian routes around a massive Loop 610 North construction project to allow pedestrians and “experienced” bikers to pass through a heavily traveled intersection.
TxDOT spokeswoman Karen Othon’s comments came a day after highway officials met with hike and bike advocates who were angry with plans to close a mile-long segment of the White Oak Bayou Hike and Bike Trail for…
Bikes for Kids giveaway on Friday
By Pam LeBlanc      Fit City
The JB & Sandy Morning Show will hand out bikes to needy children Friday morning, as it winds up its 15th annual Bikes For Kids campaign.
The giveaway will take place from 6-10 a.m. at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, at the corner of 4th and Nueces Street. The JB & Sandy Morning Show on radio station Mix 94.7 will broadcast live during the…
Making the case for resilient design
By Alex Wilson         www.reformer.com
During my six-week bike ride last spring, I covered nearly 2,000 miles, most of it over land that hadn’t seen a drop of rain since the previous fall; some of those areas — mostly in Texas — still haven’t gotten significant precipitation. Farmers in Texas have had to plow their cotton under or slaughter their cattle. If the drought continues through the winter, power plants may have to start shutting down for want of cooling water.
Meanwhile, the Amtrak train that I was going to take home from Houston was canceled due to extensive flooding in the Upper Midwest. And back in Vermont, at the end of August, we saw whole towns cut off by flooding and washed-out bridges and roads from Tropical Storm Irene. An early snow storm in October caused power outages in…
Cycling notebook: Weekend brings cyclocross races
By DALE ROBERTSON, Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle
BIKE BRIGADE
For information on or to enter local and state-wide cycling events, consult the following websites: bikehouston.org, www.texbiker.net (rides), www.txbra.org (races), www.ghorba.org and www.timbra.org (off-road biking).
It’s the weekend for the local cyclocross “season” with the Bikesport Skill-Based CX State Championship in town Saturday and Sunday’s CX State Championship in The Woodlands
The city event starts at 10 a.m. at Mason Park, 541 South 75th Street. State championships will be awarded for Men Cat 4, Men Cat 3, Men Cat 2, Men Pro/Cat 1, Women Cat 4, Women Cat 3, Women Open and Single Speed. Texas champions must be Texas residents and annual…
The Hump Day Quick Tip – Go Tubeless
By Shawn      Texas Mountain Bike Trails
Face it, flats happen when mountain biking. These Texas trails are covered in thorns, sharp rock, cacti and plenty else that will go straight through your tire and puncture the tube.
Today I have a quick tip on a way to prevent most of these flat tires and keep you riding. Watch this video first, and then answer the following question. Can your tire do this?…
Today’s weather is why I live in southeast Texas. Except for the 19.6 mph south southeast wind the warm 75 degrees and mostly cloudy skies were just what a road biker could ask for. Earlier in the week a person asked me if I preferred the hot or the cold. My response was bring on the heat. The forecast was right for a change so I headed out a little after 1:30 for a 29.88 mile ride. This was almost twice as long as I ride yesterday on my MTB. The average speed was up as well to 15.1 mph even with the stout wind. I did record 21.7 mph as my maximum speed and my average cadence was 79.8 RPM. I thought my cadence would be higher but maybe not road biking for several days has slowed the leg speed down some or maybe the MTB riding played a part. Even riding amongst the trees the wind was still strong enough to slow me down at times. December miles are now up to 127.37 and year to date I am at 5498.67 miles. I did see one other serious biker on my ride. Tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be a repeat of today so I hope to have a similar ride.
Cycling 360 media
By Victor Jimenez, Darryl Kotyk, Rob Grissom
Cycling 360 is a round table podcast from cyclists for cyclist. The Cycling 360 team will cover topics ranging from bike tech, nutrition, fitness, training, coaching, technique and bike fit. Join your Cycling 360 hosts, Darryl Koytk, blogger from lovingthebike.com, Victor Jimenez pro bicycle fitting expert from bicylelab.com and Rob Grissom cycling coach positiveperformancecoaching.com, every couple of weeks to learn even more about the sport we love.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will consider an amendment offered by Alaska Senator Mark Begich on Wednesday morning to provide safe and adequate accommodations for all users in all federally-funded street projects. This means safer roads for everyone, including those who walk, bike, ride transit, or drive cars.
Your Senator is a member of this Committee, we need you to voice your support TODAY for the Senator’s amendment S. 1950, “safety for motorized and nonmotorized users.â€
This is the first time in over six years that our federal representatives will take a vote on Complete Streets language — take action now!
2012 Webberville Cyclocross
www.violetcrown.org
presented by Bradley Houston, Louis Garneau, and Betty Chang Realtor on December 11, 2011 was a HUGE success!
Webberville Cyclocross course co-designer John Bartle takes it easy before his race. (Photo: Scott Yates)
most recent Violet Crown race results…
December 11 | Webberville CX
Men 60+ – John Bartle 1st
Men 50+ – Joe Haas 10th, Jay Bond 11th
Men Cat 3 – Jamie Mitchell 22nd
December 10 | Cyclocross Scuffle, Austin
Men 60+ – John Bartle 1st
Men 50+ – Jay Bond 8th
Men 40+ – Jamie Mitchell 11th
Saving time or enjoying time
by katiejo         Austin on Two Wheels
I never thought riding my bicycle would make me an advocate for change…but somehow I find myself in that boat, er, rather on that bike.
A comedian that makes me laugh so hard I cry, Louis C K, says “Everything’s amazing & Nobody’s happy.†He talks about the current shifts in time and technology. An example he uses that I can identify with is the rotary phone. When I was a little girl I remember using a rotary phone at my grandparents’ house. When grandma…
2 Mile Radius
By Jenny Rilling      Bike Freindly Richardson
Richard’s post over at Suburban Assault of the League of American Bicyclists “Bicycling and Health†infographic reminded me to share a handy map radius tool that I sometimes use for work. As the infographic says, 70% of American’s car trips are under two miles. Many times, these 2 mile and under car trips could be replaced with biking.
Here is a picture of a circle with a 2 mile radius around my neighborhood of Highland Terrace: …
Last Minute Holiday Gift Idea – Bicycle Advocacy Group Membership
by dickdavid         Bike Friendly Richardson
If you’re looking for that last minute gift to give your bicycle enthusiast friend, you might want to think about giving them a membership to a bicycle advocacy group – or perhaps making a donation in their name.
No, not to Bike Friendly Richardson. We’re not set up to take in and allocate funding. Quite frankly, there are other organizations who are much better advocates for bicycling. Here are just a few: …
The Dallas Cycle Chic Boutique Ride was a hoot
by Christopher Curnutt         Biking in Dallas
The Dallas Cycle Chic Ride was a fun one. It was more of a shopping and social excursion on bicycles than a formal ride. We ended the day at Barcadia for food and drinks. There were several people who had never been on one of the many leisure rides in Dallas and it didn’t take them long to meet everyone and fit right in. Be sure to drop by the Dallas Cycle Chic site and look at the photo slideshow they put together. I took numerous photos myself, I’ll be posting more here and on my…
Dallas Christmas Light Bicycle Tour Thursday, December 15th
by The Announcer Guy      Biking in Dallas
From the DORBA website:
Dallas Christmas Light Bicycle Tour
Event Date & Time:
Thu, 12/15/2011 – 7:00pm – 10:00pm
This is the traditional ride in the Dallas area touring some of the most beautifully lit neighborhoods in the area. Be sure to decorate your bike and yourselves. …
Bikes & Boutiques Holiday Ride Great Fun!
by UrbanPedal         Dallas Cycle Chic
We all had a fantastic ride to the boutiques in West Village and Henderson Ave Sunday afternoon. We found some real gems of shopper’s paradise, got some killer Christmas gifts… for ourselves *wink*, and got to know more cool folks in our bike community here. Then most of us stuck around for dinner, drinks, and games at Barcadia. Don’t worry though if you had to miss this one – we’ll have more Chic Boutique Rides to come. And if…
That can be a complicated question.
There are a lot of factors that are going to influence your final purchase. Maybe you just want something to commute back and forth to work on, or maybe your biggest deciding factor is that it has to have pink unicorns and fluffy streamers hanging off the handlebars (you may be in the wrong…
4 Tools You Need On Every Ride
www.texasmountainbiketrails.com
In February of 2008 I bought my Felt Q620 mountain bike. 2 hours later, I had my first flat.
Yep, my first flat. Squabble Creek has a lot of thorns and I had picked one up in my rear tire. I ended up walking my new bike 1.5 miles through the trail and another 2 miles to get home. This was a pretty…
If you want cyclocross the West Texas Cycling Association has the races for you.
West Texas Cycling Association
–West Texas Premier Cyclocross Series Race 4
Date: December 18, 2011
Location: Lubbock, TX
Details: KastMan Park, (Joliet & South Loop 289). Course is available for pre-ride at 2pm and wheels roll at 2:30. Weather doesn’t matter!
[Add this event to your personal calendar] Add to Calendar
–West Texas Premier Cyclocross Series Race 5
Date: January 15, 2012
Location: Lubbock, TX
Details: Hodges Park, (Marshall & North University). Course is available for pre-ride at 2pm and wheels roll at 2:30. Weather doesn’t matter!
–West Texas Premier Cyclocross Series Race 6
Date: February 5, 2012
Location: Lubbock, TX
Details: Maxey Park, (30th & Nashville). Course is available for pre-ride at 2pm and wheels roll at 2:30. Weather doesn’t matter!
[Add this event to your personal calendar] Add to Calendar
–West Texas Premier Cyclocross Series Race 7
Date: February 26, 2012
Location: Lubbock, TX
Details: Mae Simmons Center, (MLK & Canyon Lakes Dr). Course is available for pre-ride at 2pm and wheels roll at 2:30. Weather doesn’t matter!
