Daily News Roundup July 10th – Texas Bicycling

Texbiker.net Posted on by

BILL CULLINS: Corporate sponsors bog down the races
* San Angelo Standard Times
SAN ANGELO, Texas — It seems that every event these days has a title sponsor and a zillion sub-sponsors. No more just putting on small, friendly, and low-key cycling or running races.

They also have gone to high-tech race scoring chip timing, finish line cameras, digital clocks, and a few dozen laptops at registration to facilitate data entry into the race management software. …

The news is very light tonight. I did watch stage 7 of the Tour de France; thankfully I had recorded it and was able to skip most of the commercials.

July 10th Bike Ride – Pinch Flat and Perspiration

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Got an early start at 7:03 AM while the temperature was a comfortable 75 degrees, the sun was just peeking over the trees and the wind was not stirring yet. The planned route was to go to Splendora and then west followed by a southerly route to test the road construction progress on FM1314. While I was heading west on FM2090 at the 23 mile point I hit a chunk of concrete large enough to cause a pinch flat. Due to the recent rains there wasn’t really a good place to get off of the road shoulder so I stayed on the edge and started patching the rear tube. The first obstacle was the running perspiration. this made everything I touched soaking wet. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to get the rubber cement on the tube but eventually I got it on there and the patch to go with it. When I remounted the tire I must’ve added several ounces of water to the inside of the tire. The patch held and I was off. Later when I got home I replaced the tube with a new one since the patched tube had 5 patches already. It is interesting that the patches were all around the valve stem side of the tube.

While I was heading west on FM2090 there was a pace line of 6 riders headed east at a fast clip. I am guessing they were from The Woodlands. The construction on FM1314 has reached far enough west that I can go east on the new pavement. This has been under construction for about a year.

I was home by 11:22 AM. At the beginning of the ride I went to check a church that is under construction. I told my wife that I thought it was St. Martha’s Roman Catholic Church because I had heard they were out of space and were going to build a new complex. This is the case.

Today’s ride statistics:

  • miles = 52.54
  • riding time = 3:24:59
  • average pace = 3:54 min/mile
  • average speed = 15.4 mph
  • max speed = 20.7 mph
  • average cadence = 80.2 rpm
  • max cadence = 112 rpm
  • climb 230 ft., descend 221 ft., max elevation 151 ft.
  • July mile 178.88
  • YTD miles 2745.53

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 9th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Armstrong tips hat to USA junior champion Craddock
from Cyclingnews News Headlines by Greg Johnson
Lawson Craddock got the biggest tip in his junior cycling career in the form of a recent tweet by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. The Houston native wowed the cycling community when he won three junior national titles in the time trial, criterium and road race at the recent USA Cycling National Championships held in Bend, Oregon. “I came into the National Championships feeling confident with my abilities, but you can never tell how the races are going to turn out,” …

Lawson Craddock

Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s Fitness and Health E-Zine
July 11, 2010
Sodas with HFCS and Caffeine May Be Best Drinks for Endurance
The limiting factor in endurance racing is the time that it takes to get enough oxygen into muscles to burn food for energy.  Anything that reduces oxygen requirements allows you to race faster. Sugar stored in muscles, called glycogen, requires less oxygen than fat or protein. Anything that helps you keep sugar in muscles longer gives you greater endurance.

A study from Georgia State University shows that drinks that contain both glucose and fructose burn more carbohydrates than…

Mixed Signals: Dallas Drops Ticket Against Bike Helmet Law Opponent, Then …
by Dallas Observer (blog)
… a federal civil suit last month against the city, Dallas County and the State of Texas, complaining the city’s bicycle helmet law is unconstitutional. …

Folding Bike Concept locks itself to poles
by Slippery Brick
Here in the sprawled out state of Texas most of us can’t use a bike to get around unless we are in one of the big cities. It’s also hot enough to melt the …

Folding bike locks itself

Times-Georgian – Texas to Georgia bicycle trip to aid animal welfare
Bill Craig, a volunteer at the West Georgia Spay and Neuter Clinic, will ride his bicycle from Carrollton, Texas, to Carrollton, Ga., a 750-mile ride, to raise money for animal advocacy.

A Carroll County man’s passion for animal advocacy has inspired him to hit the road — he’s organizing a 750-mile bike ride from Carrollton, Texas, to Carrollton, Ga., in September. …

Bill Craig

Cited cyclists appreciate new ticket dismissal option
by Austin American-Statesman
Defensive cycling program first in Texas and among the first of its kind in the nation, organizers say. AJ Greig received a ticket for running a red light …

Concept Halo Bike Lock Sends a Text Message When Your Bike is Stolen
from Gearlog by Alan Henry
If you’ve ever had a bike stolen from somewhere you thought was safe, or had your lock cut so someone could make off with your bike, you know that feeling of helplessness you get when you come back and find your lock in pieces on the ground. Even though it’s still a design and may never make its way to store shelves, the Halo bicycle lock, from designer…

Halo lock

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 8th

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Bicycle accident map
from Bike Denton by howard
Readers from last year will remember that when Nick Magruder was seriously hit and run on Bonnie Brae, the Denton Police were not collecting bicycle accident stats at that time.  Naturally, we asked if they could, and they agreed to start keeping track of bicycle accidents.  The police gave us a raw spreadsheet of accident data, and we plugged in the data to Google Maps via www.batchgeo.com.  You can click on each dot…

Bicycle  safety is a two-way street
by The Cross Timbers Gazette (blog)
… enjoys bike riding with his 20-year-old son. For more information on bicycle safety and Texas law, visit the Texas Bicycle Coalition at www.biketexas.org. …

The Mudville News :: Blistering Sands Bicycle Tours
Despite Hurricane Alex hitting Mudville the Blistering Sands Challenge Bicycle Tours began at 8 AM on Saturday, July 3, 2010 at the Hill Park.  This challenge is presented by the St. John Knights of Columbus to raise money for their scholarship fund.  This past year they were able to give out $6000 in scholarships through various fundraisers.  West Texas State Bank and Spec.-Ops sponsored the event. …

Mudville News