Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup November 25th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Cranksgiving is sure to be fantastic!
by spinnincin         www.austinridgeriders.com
Greetings all! Looking forward to seeing you all at Pace Bend Park tomorrow. We anticipate 80-100 riders joining you to burn off some of that extra pecan pie. Rudy’s will be bringing some tender brisket and spicy sausage for you to enjoy after the ride and our sponsors have provided some great prizes for us to hand out during the raffle.

Recap Of Our Black Friday Ride – Number 3
by dickdavid            Bike Friendly Richardson

Today was our 3rd annual Black Friday Ride. Sixteen folks made the choice to avoid the shopping malls and discount stores to do a casual ride around Richardson. It ended up being a great afternoon for riding.

Starting at the Shops at Eastside, the ride was a 10 mile loop around Richardson. The loop included a wide sampling of the many back roads, side streets and multi-purpose trails that Richardson has to offer.

At the end of the ride, several of us enjoyed some tasty food and beverages from…

Area suffering from shortage of competitive cycling events
By Bill Cullins            San Angelo Standard-Times
I receive quite a few emails from people new to the San Angelo area asking about local cycling events.

Unfortunately, they usually have to travel out of town if they’re looking for races or organized cycling tours.

Thus far in 2011, there have been only five small cycling events in San Angelo. Three of those were club time trials organized by the San Angelo Bicycle Association (road TT series, mountain TT series and the Burma Road TT series), with the other two being a six-hour…

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for November 24th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Not much news today being Thanksgiving Day. I need to read this next story because I do not love the cold. I did my time in the cold when I lived in Ohio.

Winter is Coming: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cold
By Jenny Rilling                Bike Friendly Richardson
Y’all, I am that person who’s always cold, brings a sweater to the movies during the summer, and hates to feel cold. This can present a problem for biking during the winter months, even in Texas. Last year, I made it down to about 30 degrees by wearing a bulky parka, but on…

Day After Thanksgiving Ride
Corinth Cycling Club
When: Fri Nov 25, 2011 9am to 11am  CST
Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
There will be a very low-key (translation: easy pace) ride on Friday morning leaving from the school at 9 a.m. The plan is for 20 or so miles at a 15 – 16 mph pace. Confirmed participants are myself and Alex P. Sammy is likely to show as well. All are welcome. This is just a chance to socialize, burn a few calories, and limber up the legs for Saturday.

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for November 23rd

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Share The Road Y’all
by dickdavid        Bike Friendly Richardson
I got my new “Share The Road” specialty license plates.

From the specialty plate fee, $22 goes to the Texas Education Agency for the Share the Road Program to support activities that promote bicyclist safety, education and access through education and awareness programs, training, workshops, educational materials and media events.

GHORBA and Bikehouston Christmas Party at Saint Arnold’s Brewery – Saturday, Dec 10
by Veljko Roskar        GHORBA
Join GHORBA and Bikehouston at Saint Arnold’s Brewery to celebrate off-road biking, GHORBA volunteers, and our mutual successes over the past year.

FREE for GHORBA or Bikehouston members, anyone who volunteered for the trails, and all of our generous sponsors and their employees over the past year. Bring a non-member friend for $10 (the amount can be applied…

Inaugural Louisiana XC State Championship Series Ends at Cypress Bend Resort with Pro Racer Nevada Thomason Taking Top Prize
Pro racer Nevada Thomason was presented with a trophy and cash prize for his first-place finish at the “Battle at the Bend.”

Many, LA, November 23, 2011 –(PR.com)– On November 19, extreme mountain bike racers from across the country gathered at northwest Louisiana’s Cypress Bend Resort in Sabine Parish to compete in the “Battle at the Bend,” the final race of the inaugural Louisiana XC State Championship Series.

Pro racer Nevada Thomason of Tyler, Texas, was presented with a trophy and cash prize for his first-place finish at the “Battle at the Bend” during the Louisiana XC State Championship Series awards dinner held in the Grand…

Thank You Steve!
by christo358@hotmail.com (Chris Mathews)    Plano Bicycling Association
A big PBA “Thank You” to member Steve Standifer for his $1500 donation to our 4th annual PBA Holiday Bike Build and Donation. Because of Steve’s generosity, the club will be able to donate over 50 bicycles in total to those in need at the Boy’s & Girls Club and Children’s Advocacy Center of Plano. Please take the time to…

Twinkle, Twinkle Ride IV
by sooner1            Shawnee Trail Cycling Club
Do you want an evening out with a little peace and quiet before the holidays kick into full gear?  Shawnee Trail Cycling Club would like to invite you to join us for our 4th annual Twinkle, Twinkle Ride on December 9th.  We’ll be “wheels down” at 6:30pm, returning between 8 and 8:30.  We take a nice pre-planned route through parts of Frisco to see some of the best light shows our neighbors have to offer.  It’s usually chilly, so dress warm and…

A couple of years ago I read about a belt drive power train. At the time there was only one bicycle manufacturer offering a few belt drive models. Since then I have not heard any more about this until I saw this review. Belt drive offers some nice advantages with quietness and cleanliness being the most evident ones. The problem is how to get the belt on the bike because it has to go through the frame like a chain does.

Belt Driving Impressions
Lovely Bicycle

Seven Cafe Racer Belt Drive
I’ve wanted to try a bicycle with a belt drive for some time, but they are not exactly mainstream around these parts. So when I saw a belt drive Seven Cafe Racer in my size at the Ride Studio Cafe last week, I seized the opportunity and took it out for a ride. The belt drive Cafe Racer is a single speed version of this bike, one of Seven’s commuter models. I will save my impressions of the…

Bicyclist injured in crash on Sawyer
By ROBERT STANTON, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
A bicyclist was hurt when he was struck by a car Tuesday near downtown Houston, police said.

The cyclist was riding on a sidewalk on Sawyer Street and entered the intersection when he was struck by a Ford Contour that was eastbound on Crockett Street, Houston police…

San Antonio Wheelmen Holiday Party
Date:     12/11/2011
Time:     04:00 PM-8:00 PM
Location:     Pericos Mexican Cuisine
Details:     This year’s Holiday Party will be held on December 11 from 4 PM to 8 PM at Pericos Mexican Cuisine (1439 East Sonterra Blvd).  During the party, we’ll elect members for open board and committee positions and recognize members who have made significant contributions to the club during the year.  We hope to see many of you there.  More details to come…

Was That a Coyote? – November 23rd Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

No bike ride yesterday because it rained and when it stopped the temperature starting dropping into the lower 60’s. I was working on installing a new forum on Texbiker.net and I did not want to bike in the chilly, cloudy and windy weather.

Today was much better. The sky was the nice clear blue you can see forever in. The temperature started the morning at 52, 20 degrees lower than yesterday, and by the time I left on my ride it was 71 degrees. By the time I got back it was up to 73 degrees. Wind was of not much consequence at 7 mph from the north. I decided today was a great day to ride my mountain bike. Earlier when I was out in the garage I was wiping my mountain bike off from an earlier ride where some mud splattered on the downtube and thought I need to get out on the knobbies. Probably the one issue I have with mountain biking is the mud. I am a clean freak and I have issues getting stuff dirty. But mountain bikes ar made for this even if I’m not.

The route was mostly on the greenbelt trails where dirt is not that common but there were places where yesterday’s rain moved some onto the trail. Generally the dirt was dry unless you went through the middle of the pile. I managed to stay on the side. Not too long after I started on the trail I came upon what looked like a dog from 200 feet or so but as I got a little closer it looked more like a coyote. This was only a half mile from my house but before I got close enough to have a good look he went into the woods along side the trail. I am not surprised a coyote could live in the woods, plenty of deer do.

I biked 20.24 miles today which is a long ride on my Motobecane 700HT. This may be the longest ride this year. My average speed was 12.0 mph and my max speed was 21.5 mph when I was going down a steep short hill around the 7.3 mile point. The trails were not very busy today but there was one spot where a number of people were bunched together. I was passed by one serious road biker around the 15.3 mile mark. November miles have increased to 374.22 and year to date I am at 5357.12 miles. With tomorrow being Thanksgiving Day I will not be biking but I hope to bike on Friday. Saturday will probably not be biking day because a major cold wave is supposed to arrive with cold and rain.

The other day I was reading an article on Cyclingnews.com about this woman who has experienced a miracle. Her name is Monique van der Vorst. When she as 13 she became disabled and could use her legs. She went on to become a world class handcycle athlete. Last year she was training for the 2012 Olympics and was hit by a bicycle. During her rehabilitation she regained the use of her legs. She now is training and will race with the Rabobank women’s team this year. She has much to be thankful for as my family and I do as well. God has blessed my family as He has done for Monique. Have a great Thanksgiving Day.

The picture is from the River Grove Park looking out on the San Jacinto River as it passes the boat ramp. Notice all of the growth in the water from when the water level was almost gone during the drought.

River Grove Park

11-23-2011 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

Link to my Garmin Connect activity and data. Link to my RideWithGPS.com activity report and map.

11-23-2011 Home Weather End