Texas Bicycling Action March 12th 2022

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Losing some more greenbelt

By AustinBike | austinmountainbiking.com

There is a bypass to the chain that many of you may love or may be a real sucker for a bypass.

Anyway, about 2-3 weeks ago there was some massive remodeling.

Today I was not paying attention and literally hit a barbed wire fence.

So, if you are hitting the GB, the chain is your only option. Just upstream from the chain there is a spot where you can cross to the Northside.

Oh, and I found some new stuff too. If you are having a beer with me, ask me about that, not posting here.

Inaugural ride on the new bikes

Eric Braun | www.strava.com

Team Ride/Race

Carlos A. Moreno | www.strava.com

Bandera County, Texas

Gator 100

Reynaldo Juarez | www.strava.com

brutal wind. just death

Always fun riding with this guys

Jorge O-M | www.strava.com

Canyon Lake Ride

Mark Noblitt MTCCSA | www.strava.com

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Two Big Climbs, Watopia Road To Ruins Meetup

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To keep my biking streak going I rode Zwift today because it was 50 degrees outside. The streak spans from February 17th to today. Looking at the events in Zwift I didn’t see any that interested me so I created a meetup. I chose the Watopia Road Ruins route which I previously rode on April 4th, 2020. That day was about the same temperature outside but raining. No rain today, plenty of sunshine but too cold. Starting at 12 PM the ride went 19.06 miles with 906 feet of climbing. It took 1:21:40 to complete, faster than the April 4th ride at 18.65 miles. The climbing went up two mountains (at least to me) and then some rolling hills. One of the climbs hit 12% briefly. ZwiftInsider.com described the route “Watopia’s “Road to Ruins” was added with the Mayan jungle expansion in late October 2017. It begins just like the Jungle Circuit, but takes you to the Volcano Flat and back home to the start/finish banner instead of leaving you riding jungle laps.” Route basics: Length: 29.6 km (18.4 miles), Elevation: 268 m (879‘), Lead-In: 0.5 km (0.3 miles). apparently meetup ride distances differ because of the starting position is not in the pen. The route didn’t seem to have long downhill sections instead flat sections to 1% inclines didn’t give much time to recover. My legs did well though. The Wahoo Kickr Snap followed the commands to add resistance though at first I thought it wasn’t doing that. But the first hill changed my mind.

3-12-2022 Ride History Watopia Road to Ruins
3-12-2022 Ride History Watopia Road to Ruins

Today’s ride improved on the previous ride with a 14.1 average speed, higher average power, and heart rate.

I rode the Specialized S-Works road bike with road wheels and a pink/blue kit.

Since it was a meetup other riders appeared on the roads but not connected to the meetup. Some times I rode with others but mostly by myself.

The livestream ended around 13 minutes into the ride because I lost the internet connection to YouTube long enough to stop streaming. The video above I recorded when that happened.

Two personal records in Strava: PR on Road to Ruins (1:19:38) and PR on Epic KOM Reverse – Start to Jungle Intersection (6:40).

3-12-2022 Strava Zwift Watopia Road to Ruins Meetup Data
3-12-2022 Strava Zwift Watopia Road to Ruins Meetup Data

Texas Bicycling News March 11th 2022

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Bike lanes vs. small business: City decision squeezes Paciugo and Jarams Donuts

By Sam Gillespie | lakewood.advocatemag.com

It’s a bike vs. business battle, right here in the heart of Lakewood.

The fate of two small neighborhood businesses teeters on a decision the City made two years ago, a decision that doesn’t appear to be consistently applied throughout the City. Now that the problem and the contradictions have been brought to the City’s attention, however, there’s seemingly no appetite to right what could be an expensive wrong for the family owners of Paciugo and Jarams Donuts.

Cement-curb-protected bike lanes installed in front of these neighborhood businesses during …

Texas Parks grant to help EPISD middle-schoolers mountain biking basics

www.episd.org

(EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT — March 10, 2022) – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department awarded El Paso ISD a $60,000 grant for its Bike On: Bike Safety and Outdoor Learning program to encourage bike riding among middle school students and encourage trail riding in the Franklin Mountains.

The grant will provide middle school physical-education teachers with training to deliver a three-week bike education curriculum in the 2022-23 school year for 1,250 students. Instruction combines the fitness benefits of biking with riding techniques, safety and maintenance. The unit concludes by connecting students to nearby riding trails at Franklin Mountains State Park, with a group bike ride to teach trail safety, etiquette and stewardship.

EPISD is one of 41 recipients of the more than $2 million in grants from the Texas Communities Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP). With the help of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and community organizations, the district will …

E-bike sales spike as consumers look to avoid high gas prices

By Hope Merritt | www.kbtx.com

College Station, Texas (KBTX) – Skyrocketing gas prices are prompting more people in the Brazos Valley to switch to two wheels instead of four.

The Light Electric Vehicle Association said the United States imported almost 800,000 electric bikes in 2021, a huge increase from the nearly 450,000 e-bikes imported in 2020. Experts say they expect sales to track towards $1 million in 2022. With the global market heading to $40 billion.

Customer of Aggieland Cycling Damond Carter, said the high price of diesel lead him to consider getting an e-bike.

“I just filled my truck up, and about two days later it jumped up 50 cents,” said Carter. “It looks like that’s the way to go right now, with everything being electric nowadays…I’ve never had one but it might be the way to go right now.”

Rod Wagner, owner of Aggieland Cycling, said …

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Zwift Tour of Watopia Stage 1: Figure 8 Route

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I rode the Tour of Watopia Stage 1 on the Figure 8 route. Group B started at 12:02 PM with about 660 riders. In hindsight I could’ve rode outside but the forecast contained a wind advisory with a strong cold front arriving around noon. It turned out to not arrive until a little after 1 PM. I chose the warm inside. I’ve rode the Figure 8 Reverse route but this was the first time in this direction. The “8” in the name meant climbing the one mountain in both directions and it wasn’t less steep in either direction. Short sections of the big climb hit 12% which my Wahoo Kickr Snap dutifully cranked up the resistance on. The ride came in at 18.63 miles with a total of 833 feet of climbing. It took me 58:55 to complete. The tour consists of 5 stages.

In the pen before the start several people said they weren’t racing and the tour technically is not a race but the flyers take off. Of the 660 riders I stayed in the 513 to 535 position with a few others. I rode for the route badge and the free XP’s. The Group B results from ZwiftPower.com. I slot in at 337 out of 359 in group B. Group A shows 561 results, Group C 239, and Group D 20. Looking at the flags people from around the world took part.

At the end of the ride I was sweating from the climbs and speed. It was a workout.

I noticed when I finished the last Zwift ride that my right shoe cleat was loose making it difficult to unclip. The cleat screws needed tightening and no problem unclipping today.

I was surprised with the top results in Strava since I rode the Figure 8 Reverse route three times I thought it would be hard to better those. The route profile doesn’t reflect the steepness of the climbs.

3-11-2022 Strava Zwift Tour of Watopia Stage 1 Figure 8 Map
3-11-2022 Strava Zwift Tour of Watopia Stage 1 Figure 8 Map
3-11-2022 Strava Zwift Tour of Watopia Stage 1 Figure 8 Data
3-11-2022 Strava Zwift Tour of Watopia Stage 1 Figure 8 Data