What’s Clogging the Tubes, February 21

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Nearly Famous Fred – Texas Cyclist: It was the best of times, it …

by Nearly Famous Fred

Being from Texas, I’m somewhat unfamiliar with it. * Phil just referred to the Rabobank team as “The Men of Orange”. Oooooh, scary. That’s a nickname sure to strike fear in the hearts of the other teams. * Looking at the team kits, …

Pedal Pushers: Beginners Page # 6 First Time Trial

by Roy and Christine

Dedicated to the San Angelo Bicycling Association. Contains articles about recreational bicycle tours in Texas, articles for beginners, and general biking interest. … He also emphasized that it was all about beating your own time, not racing anyone. Now, if I just had to beat myself I didn’t have much competition, so I decided to try it out. Finally the big day came, and it was time to ride the wind. And ride the wind was the theme of the day. ..

rekre8: Messing with Texas (part 1)

by rekre8

The camp where this was happening had all of 3 miles of trail, but it was a nice warm up to stretch out and try out the bicycles that our friends had assembled for us. I rode an old Amp and The Honey managed on a Jamis with some seat post issues. … And of course we didn’t start our drive until mid afternoon, after a day of heavy labor and that quick ride, so we actually stopped and slept in the middle of all that, at Monahans Sandhills State Park. …

Texas Trek: Hellacious Winds Today

by Texas Trekker

Carle Aldrete: Austin, Texas, United States: Training for the Tour de Cure in May 2009. I want to be a lean, green, cycling machine. Anyone want to ride?…

Humble Lions Ride: The Roar Had a Couple of Coughs

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The scene today was at the Humble Civic Center Arena with several hundred riders gathering for the start of the ride. Since the ride organizers use wrist bands instead of numbers it is hard to get an idea of the number of riders.

The start was a little disorganized with the starting leader not having a microphone to give instructions to the riders. My group left at 8:10 AM with several more groups to follow. The routes had a few changes from last year with the longest one set for 55 miles. Unlike the ride in Katy I was determined to watch the route markers and not miss the turns for the 55 mile route. I managed to stay on the route and ended up at 54.33 miles. After the 1st rest stop the route signs for a turn was missing so we took the wrong roads but ended back on course.

Two riders getting ready for the start

Two riders getting ready for the start

I was bundled for cooler weather but it did not take long for me to realize I could have dressed lighter. Full finger gloves were not necessary nor the two long sleeve jerseys. After the missing turn signs the route went as planned to the first rest stop.

Rest stop one.

Rest stop #1.

The ride from rest stop #1 to rest stop 2 on the 55 mile route was straight into a strong headwind. A couple of turns provided some relief but not for long. At this rest stop the port potties were missing so no natural breaks here. Before I got to the stop I noticed two lonely porta potties sitting at a small business parking lot and wondered if they belonged to the ride. I guess they did.

Rest stop #2 on the 55 mile route. No porta potties here.

Rest stop #2 on the 55 mile route. No porta potties here.

After leaving this stop (28 mile point) we started to head back to Humble but not without many turns onto side roads. The next rest stop was in Crosby which I passed up. Riding on without any problems I did come upon a crash scene at the 37.88 mile point with one rider on a stretcher with an ambulance and two wreckers in the road. I am not sure what happened though.

Clouds were starting to gather so I picked up the pace as much as the wind and roads would allow. Being this early in the season I get bogged down easily when an incline is in the way. I skipped the next rest stop and headed to the finish with a few rain drops hitting at one point but they backed off for the dash to the finish. I pulled up to my Jeep at 11:56 for a respectful elapsed time of 3:46 and an average speed of 15.2 mph.

The lunch provided was great with a very large baked potato, salad and beef barbecue for the potatoes. As I pulled out of the parking lot the rain began to fall.

Clogging the Tubes February 20th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Citywide open house for Austin bike program

by Community Impact Newspaper – Austin,TX,USA

Review the City of Austin bike route map at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/bicycle/default.htm, or contact Nathan Wilkes at This e-mail address is being …

Your input is still needed on bike safety devices | Austin On Two …

by marcus

At last night’s Bicycle Advisory Council meeting, I was informed that the city has gotten over 50 very good responses to this urgent request, but they would. … Look over the options below and contact Nadia.barrera@ci.austin.tx.us at the City of Austin by March 1, 2009 with your ideas of where these safety improvements should be tested. The City of Austin, via the help of the Center of Transportation Research, is conducting a research investigation of four new …

Pudgy Cyclist that Loves Climbing: A Little Texas Highway History

by Bellie

As you drive through Texas, you may notice that exits and entrances on many of our Interstates tend to be more frequent than in other states. This is the result of the wishes of a former and long-time director of the state highway …

Bicycling Events Coming Up

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I am getting lazy with these events. There several and the links will take you to more information. I got these from austinontwowheels.org

Friday, February 20

Traffic Skills 101 sponsored by Austin Cycling Association
5 PM, REI Round Rock, 201 University Oaks Blvd, Suite 1100, Round Rock
Do you want to ride your bike but are afraid of traffic?  Or are you an experienced cyclist who would like to learn how to get more courtesy and respect from motorists? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes”, you should take Traffic Skills 101, the League of American Bicyclist’s (LAB) street cycling course for adults.

Sun City Cyclists Third Friday Social
6 PM, Wildfire Restaurant, 812 S Austin Ave, Georgetown, TX
The third Friday of each month is the social meeting for the Sun City Cyclists. This month there is a private dinning room for the group at Wildfire in downtown Georgetown.

Saturday, February 21

Walburg Classic Road Race
8 AM, Walburg Mercantile Restaurant, FM 972 & FM 1105, Walburg, TX
This is a road race of 24, 48, or 72 miles depending on the category, with Mens Pro- Cat 5, Womens, masters, and Juniors categories.

Mellow Johnny’s Scout-A-Ride- Southern Culture Off the Grid
8:30 AM, Mellow Johnny’s, 400 Nueces Street
Saturday mornings spent exploring City of Austin bike routes finding new neighborhoods and ways to get around on your bike. This week’s theme is Southern Culture Off the Grid. 20 mile ride.

Austin Mountain Bike Patrol
9 AM, Barton Creek Greenbelt
Sponsored by the Austin Ridge Riders, the Austin Mountain Bike Patrol (AMBP) promotes bike safety and proper trail etiquette, as well as providing minor first aid and mechanical assistance to all trail users as needed.

Sunday, February 22

Pure Austin Road Race
8 AM, Pace Bend Park, Spicewood
Located on scenic Lake Travis in the rolling hills west of Austin, the Pace Bend RR is one of the largest cycling races of the season. As one of the few events in Texas to feature full use of the roadway (no “center line” rule), cyclists from have found the race’s classic 6.2 mile circuit, punctuated by sweeping curves and short, steep climbs, a prime opportunity to test themselves.

Upside Down Duathlon
8 AM, Flat Rock Ranch, Comfort, TX
This is a flip of the Sweet & Twisted Du (bike-run-bike instead of run-bike-run.) There are two available racing distances: Short Course, Mtn Bike 8 miles, Run 2.25 miles, Mtn Bike 8 miles and Long Course, Mtn Bike 12 miles, Run 4 miles, Mtn Bike 12 miles.

Round Rock Salt Lick Ride hosted by Austin Cycling Association
10 AM, Salt Lick, 3350 East Palm Valley, Round Rock
This is a 45 mile ride Starts from the Round Rock Salt Lick – 3350 East Palm Valley (corner of Hwy 79 and Harrell Parkway) From the Salt Lick in Round Rock this flat, country route will take us through Old Settlers Park, through Hutto following much of the path of Brushy Creek.