The Thermometer Can Fool You – November 7th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I got a later start on today’s bike ride than normal for a Sunday. I had a meeting at church which caused the delay but I thought it would give the temperature a chance to warm up some from the 11:30 time I usually start. With the change to standard time this morning it moved the time to even later. When I got home I looked at my weather station and the temperature was 77 degrees. By the time I got dressed to leave on the ride (about 10 minutes) the temperature had lowered to 74 degrees but there was plenty of sunshine with the clear blue skies and a very light breeze of 5 mph from the southeast. I thought this would be warm and did not really dress too heavily. I wore a light long sleeve jersey with a short sleeve one over the top. No leg warmers and half finger gloves. When I first started the ride I was chilly when I was in the shade but I thought I would warm up as the ride progressed. I did get somewhat warmer but with the earlier shadows it was tough to stay in the sunshine. So I was chilly the whole ride even though when I got back the temperature was 70 degrees. It didn’t help that I loaded the water bottle with a lot of ice. It was still ice cold when I got home.

According to the weather forecast we should be back in the 80’s by the end of the week. I will hold them to this. I already miss CDT.

Today’s ride information:

  • November miles 102.26
  • YTD miles 4705.23

11-7-2010 Ride data and map

Additional charts, weather and map.

[nggallery id=139]

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for November 6th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Cyclist injured by teen driver in NW Harris County
from HoustonChronicle.com — Houston & Texas News
A cyclist trying to cross a road was critically injured when he was struck by a teenager in northwest Harris County Friday afternoon. Arthur Barrett Miller III was trying to cross the 2800 block of Spears on a bicycle shortly before 4 p.m. when hit by a Volkswagen Jetta driven by a 17-year-old man.

Trails to Sales
from Bike Denton by bikedenton
In today’s “Bicycle Retailer and Industry News” feed, there’s a little story explaining the positive economic impact of bike trails in Dallas.  Although lacking in figures like Portland’s $90 million & 1,000 job bike-conomy, the article still makes a positive correlation between bike path creation, ridership, and economic benefit.

Storeowners in central Dallas can thank the local bike paths for much of their business success. Retailers visited on the last day of the Dallas Dealer Tour reported strong sales of fitness hybrids…

Texas Recycles Day – Nov. 13th, 2010 – Plano Bicycle Assoc.
from www.planobicycle.org
The City of Plano is hosting a Bicycle Round-up and Rodeo in conjunction with Texas Recycles Day.

Find the old bicycles hiding in your garage and ride them, pull them or tow them to the Bicycle Round-up and Rodeo.  The used bikes will be donated to Bikes for Tykes.

Plano Bicycle Association, BikeDFW, Richardson Bike Mart, Plano Cycling and Fitness are all supporting the Plano Sustainability an…

Cool Motivation – November 6th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

According to the SciGuy Blog in the Houston Chronicle today’s low temperature was the first official 39 degrees since late March. Some areas further north got a few degrees lower. I delayed today’s ride waiting for the temperature to get above 60 degrees. It was slow but by the time I left at 2:44 it was 65 degrees. Clear skies and a light breeze made for a great day to ride if I chose the right amount of clothing. My attire: leg warmers, long sleeve jersey, short sleeve jersey, bike shorts, half-finger gloves. All of this was okay as long as I did not spend too long in the shadows where the cool would penetrate the jerseys without much trouble. This was where the cool motivation came in: I was motivated to speed through the shadows to get back out into the sunshine. I should have added a light wind jacket. This is reflected in my average speed of 15.9 mph. This may be why I did not see any other riders.

Sadly today is the last ride before daylight savings time ends tomorrow at 2:00 AM. I will miss the daylight in the evening even though it has been getting shorter. I will miss you CDT. See you in the spring.

Today’s ride infromation:

  • November miles 79.46 (maybe I can hit 100 with tomorrow’s ride)
  • YTD miles 4682.43 (only 318 left to get to 5000)

11-6-2010 Ride Information and map

Tri-County Hill Hopper – Round Top, TX

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Tri-County Hill Hopper
Start: Sunday, February 20, 2011 @ 9:00 AM
Antique Sales Lot
Corner of TX Hwy 237 and FM 954   Round Top, TX
Fees
$25 / $30 / $35

Registration Closing Date Saturday, December 24, 2011 @ 11:59 PM

Brief Description
The Tri-County Hill Hopper is a BP MS 150 Recommended Ride with three route options available: 20, 36 or 67 miles. Each route provides a hilly ride complemented by some flats. The ride starts at 9 am and the last route sweep is at 3 pm.
Routes

Participants can choose one of three hilly routes of approximately 20, 36 or 67 miles through the scenic Round Top area within the counties of Fayette, Colorado and Austin. Routes and distances may change somewhat from one year to the next due to road conditions or other considerations.  NOTE: NEW START TIME!!

Additional Information
The Tri-County Hill Hopper is a bicycle fundraiser for the Family Support Network. The Family Support Network is a resource for families who have children with disabilities, providing access to the information, support, and skills needed to make informed decisions.