The Warm Weather Did Not… – December 16th Bike Ride

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12-16-2010 Ride Data

The warm weather did not last quite as long as I was hoping for. At work this afternoon I noticed the wind had changed to the north signaling the arrival of the chill front. The temperature was still in the 70’s but by the time I left work it had dropped to 69 degrees. The mostly cloudy skies stayed that way when I got home and started my ride. Wind was 10 mph from the north.

I was planning on dressing like I did for last night’s ride but the temperature drop and the cooler wind dictated warmer clothing. Leg warmers, two long sleeve jerseys, wind jacket and full finger gloves made for a warm ride.

One of the nice things about riding after dark is the many Christmas lights and decorations I get to see. One I missed last night was a very tall reindeer in the front yard of one house. I am guessing the deer was 10 to 12 feet tall with a large red nose. Some houses have flashing light displays with music or animated Santa’s. Later next week we will drive around to see the many sights.

I am trying a different layout on the report with a panel of data and a separate image of the route. I like the graphic way to show data when possible.

The monthly and year to date data:

  • December miles 123.53
  • YTD miles 5056.85 (2009 total miles was 5225.74)

I may try to ride on Saturday even though the temperature is not expected to get out of the mid 50’s.

Tonight’s ride went smoothly with the wind being less of a challenge than yesterday’s ride. I am amazed that some people have trouble seeing me. I have a very bright headlight and a 3 LED flashing taillight yet one car was determined to turn in front of me as I rode on the trail along side the street in full street light illumination. Maybe on Saturday I will give a video run down of my night riding setup. The temperature was 59 degrees when I finished my ride.

12-16-2010 Route in Kingwood

Additional charts and weather.

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Texas Bicycling News for December 15th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

four thousand mile stare
from Bike Denton by bikedenton
Jon Triantafyllou‘s 4500 mile stare.
We mentioned him a couple weeks ago in the Surly/Schwalbe portrait, but we wanted to share this photo.  Obviously we’re big fans of his epic ride across America last summer. …

Notes From The Richardson – Central Trail South Meeting
from Bike Friendly Richardson by dickdavid
Central Trail South
Last night, the City of Richardson had a public input meeting over the planned southern extension of the Central Trail which runs along the DART Rail Red Line. Representatives from the city as well as consultants from…

Bicycle giveaway
by ConnectAmarillo.com powered by KVII
AMARILLO, TEXAS — An early Christmas present for students at Hamlet Elementary. 30 bicycles were given away to deserving children. …

37 Years of Moonlight Ramble Posters!
from www.bikehouston.org
You can see Moonlight Ramble posters from the past 37 years on Facebook:

Moonlight Ramble Poster

…first ride since last Saturday… – December 15th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The weather finally took a break on the chill so today it was 76 degrees in the afternoon so this was the setting for the first ride since last Saturday. By the time I got home the temperature was down to a comfortable 70 and it was 67 degrees when I finished the ride. Wind was brisk all day and it was not much lighter this evening with 10 mph from the south but 22 mph gusts. I could really tell when the gust kicked up and I was trying to ride into it. Conversely when I had it as a tailwind the pedal effort was easy. It was mostly cloudy during the day but the clouds start to clear out after dark. The sky was clear enough that I could see many of the airplanes lined up to land at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The higher portion of the flight path goes over Lake Houston to the south of Kingwood along FM1960.

I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get a ride in again before the next chill front arrives on Saturday. This warmth is supposed to be here tomorrow so I should be able to ride again. Rain has not been a problem as far as riding goes but we are starting to rack a long stretch of no rain and Harris County is moving back into the drought status. So at this month there has been .05″ of rain.

The Motobecan 700HT MTB continues to be a good ride. I am starting to feel comfortable with the disk breaks. The Rockshox front fork absorbs the few bumps I encounter on the bike trails. The streets have more bumps than the trails. I was hoping to get some bayou trail riding in last Sunday but my schedule and the coolness did not cooperate.

This month’s ride stat’s:

  • December miles 109.50 (I hope to hit 200 by month end)
  • YTD miles 5042.82(5100 looks reachable)

12-15-2010 Ride Data and Map

Additional charts, weather and map.

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Texas Rando Stampede 1200 – Waxahachie, TX

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Texas Rando Stampede 1200
The Texas Rando Stampede 1200 is a 750 mile (1200 kilometer) bicycle ride organized by the Lone Star Randonneurs bicycle club under the auspices of Randonneurs USA and the Randonneurs Mondaux.

For information about randonneuring in general, please visit the Randonneurs USA web site.

If you live in the North Texas area and are interested in randonneuring, we would like to hear from you.  Please visit our club web page for details on other (much shorter!) rides that we do and how you can join us.  We welcome new members anyime.

For those considering the Texas Rando Stampede 1200, you’ll find information about the route, the ride, and how to register.

The 2011 inaugural Texas Rando Stampede starts May 11 at 5:00 AM.

chedule
This is a list of major events and milestones leading up to the Texas Rando Stampede 1200

3 Jan 2011 – Registration opens
TBD 2011 – Registration closes (or when the field limit is reached)
27 April 2011 – Deadline to submit qualifying ride documentation
10 May 2011 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Bike inspection at Holiday Inn Express, Waxahachie, TX
11 May 2011 5:00 AM RIDE START

Why so early in the year?
Spring is a beautiful season in Texas with an abundance of wildflowers and moderate temperatures.  While summer may be the most common time to schedule a randonee, the brutal heat of the Texas summer would make this ride extremely difficult and potentially dangerous.  It is the goal of the organizers to offer a ride that showcases the state of Texas, not to create a death march.

Texas Rando Stampede 1200Km