Houston Chronicle Cycling Notebook: Local event gains in popularity

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by Dale Robertson

Memorial Park crits series sees record number of participants

…at least one local race promoter doesn’t believe Armstrong’s decision to come out of retirement in 2009 will have much additional impact on the already explosive growth of cycling in Houston.

After all, with interest in international cycling at a low ebb this past summer because of ongoing drug scandals and a shortage of compelling personalities, Hans Schneider’s popular Sun & Ski Sports Criterium Summer Bike Races (a.k.a., “The Crits”) still attracted more riders than ever before to the Memorial Picnic Loop course.

“A lot of new riders came out, and we’ve never had more depth,” said Schneider, a custom bike builder from Huntsville who has taken it upon himself to stage the weekly criterium races annually since the early 90s, rain or shine. “It was a great season, and we got really lucky with the weather. I’m not sure what happens in pro cycling has that much of an effect.”

link to the Houston Chronicle Cyling Notebook

Jennifer Schuble Wins First Cycling Medal, Sets New World Record

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Jennifer Shuble, a graduate of Kingwood High School, has won the Gold at the 2008 Paralympics.

Jennifer won the Olympic Gold Medal for her performance in the Paralympic Games’ Women’s Cyclist 500m Time Trial. She not only won the Gold but broke the world’s record! Jennifer has set a new record for the CP4 class. Not bad for a newcomer to the U.S. track cycling program, which she joined in 2006.

Link to the usolympicteam.com page

Jennifer’s family and friends already knew she was a champion to contend with long before the Olympic Games. Jennifer received the high honor of being appointed a West Point cadet. While at West Point, she received a brain injury during a hand-to-hand combat session. A few years later, Jennifer had the misfortune of suffering another traumatic brain injury in a car accident.

Plano biker wins Susie Stephens Young Professional Scholarship

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from the Plano Courier Star

By Kim Nguyen, Staff Writer

The Association of Pedestrian & Bicycle Professionals (APBP) revealed the five winners of its Susie Stephens Young Professional Scholarship.

Renee Burke of Plano; Laura Dierenfield of Hawaii; Joe Fish of Bloomington, Ind.; Maureen Shenberger of Chicago; and Barry Zalph of Louisville, Ky. are the 2008 beneficiaries. The scholarship provides funding for recipients to attend either the 2008 ProWalk/ProBike conference or the Thunderhead Alliance Retreat, both held just outside Seattle.

Burke is the trail systems planner, a newly created position, for the City of Plano and has plans to implement a stellar, effective, safe, on-street system that will set the trend in North Texas, defining a safe place for cyclists to ride. Burke is an avid bicyclist who bikes to work and leads several monthly rides for novices.

link to the full article

Bike MS: Valero Bike to the Beach Official Rides to Honor Sister

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from www.mysanantonio.com

Tony Ralf is known for doing crazy things to raise money for the MS 150, the annual bike ride that benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

This year, Ralf has committed to doing something he’s never done: riding in the 160-mile, two-day event. Now renamed Bike MS: Valero Bike to the Beach, the ride begins at the AT&T Center on Oct. 4 and winds up in Corpus Christi on Oct. 5.

It’s a big deal for Ralf, considering that he hadn’t been on a bike in four decades before he started training. He’s usually behind the scenes, setting up the event, supporting the riders and raising money.