Texas Biking News Digest September 10th 2021

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Video: Sun City Crit bike race returns to El Paso

by Amanda Guillen | cbs4local.com

National champions, Olympians and international cyclists will take over Downtown El Paso Saturday Sept 11.

The second edition of the Sun City Crit Bicycle Race will bring together athletes from all over the world. El Paso will be the 9th stop in a 10 stop trek across the country.

Rebecca Reza a representative with Sun City Crit says El Paso plays an …

Video: Texas Brotherhood Ride will make stop in Amarillo Saturday

By Bailie Myers | www.newschannel10.com

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – A cycling group dedicated to honoring first responders will make a stop in Amarillo Saturday.

Texas Brotherhood Ride is expected to arrive sometime between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., according to the Potter County Sheriff’s Office.

The journey began in Houston on September 5, and they will travel from Memphis to Amarillo on September 11.

PCSO will pick them up at the county line on 287 South. From there, the group will …

Dirty Kanza winner on the Pop A – 9/9/2021

Honest Tree | www.youtube.com

Don’t Trust Wichita Falls Bike Stop Bike Shop To Fix Your Bike

Durango Texas | durangotexas.blogspot.com

If anyone is missing the key ingredient in Duck Soup, there is a surplus available for the plucking, currently, at Sikes Lake. The duck population growth has the Sikes Lake flock rivaling the size of the Sikes Lake Goose flock.

Ducking to another subject.

I got my bike back from the bike doctor last night.

I had taken the bike to the only bike shop in Wichita Falls, called Bike Stop.

The problem I was having with the bike was the derailleur was not shifting correctly, with the main problem being …

Video: Meet the Man of Steel Behind Austin’s Tomii Cycles

By Kathy Blackwell | www.texasmonthly.com

Nao Tomii takes us along for the ride as he applies his background in sculpture to creating one-of-a-kind bikes in his studio.

This is the second installment of our Made in Texas video series, in which we highlight stories from craftspeople all over the state.

In his Austin studio, donning his safety headgear while applying heat to steel, Nao Tomii looks like an artist at work on a sculpture. And in many ways, that’s exactly what he is. His end product, though, is a beautiful custom bicycle, not a museum showpiece. “The whole bicycle-building process is art,” Tomii explains. The native of Niigata, Japan, actually first worked as an artist, for a sculpture company in Boston, but then turned to bike-making when he began cycling around the city. He brought his small studio to Austin in 2014, where he focuses on creating custom bikes.

In this Made in Texas video, we spend time with Tomii both on a bike and in the Tomii Cycles studio, where he shows us his craft and discusses his philosophy.

Solo v. Group Cyclists: Sad and Lonely, or So Happy Together?

A Dude Abikes | adudeabikes.com

For some time even before the Great Plague of 2020-20??, I mostly rode my bicycle by myself. When Coronavirus hit, and health rules didn’t prevent bike riding but discouraged doing so with others, nothing much changed for me. Sure, I’d go to the occasional social cycling ride, or a friend might join me sometimes. But for the most part, I was Forrest Gump on a two-wheeler. I Just. Kept. Bicycling. Things sort of relaxed, with some people getting vaccines (including moi), then they got worse again with the Delta variant. Still, I have ridden every day of the pandemic and then some — 23 months straight as of …

Langham Creek and Addicks Reservoir Trail from bikehouston

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

2 Year Anniversary, 4 Extra Pounds, Low Dew Point = Fall Feeling

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Fall like weather continued one more day for my bike ride. I got started at 9:38 AM, a little earlier than yesterday. The ride went north along US59/I-69 through Porter and New Caney where I turned to the NW on FM 1485. At Gene Campbell Blvd. a left turn put me on the way to FM 1314. I took 2 side trips off Gene Campbell Blvd. The first went through the industrial park and the second looped through Porters Mill. Arriving at FM 1314 I headed SE towards Porter. Up to that point I mostly enjoyed a tailwind but on FM 1314 it became a headwind. I got some wind relief when I rode onto Old Sorters Road going south. I label this route “New Caney – Gene Campbell Road”. So far in 2021 I rode this route 5 times. Today was about average among those 5 times. I biked 37.35 miles which upped the week to 186.41 miles and the month to 321.38 miles, 46% of the way to my goal of 700 miles. The Canyon Endurace bike rolled to the finish at 12:31 PM.

9-10-2021 YTD Bike Rides Summary Today's Route
9-10-2021 YTD Bike Rides Summary Today’s Route

Today is the 2 year anniversary of my wife’s, Hazel Marie, funeral. I stopped at her grave site during the ride. The weather in 2019 was different from today. Then it was hot and humid with a threat of rain. A dreary day for a sad time. I miss her very much. She fought cancer for 16 years.

That fall weather I mentioned was 66 degrees when I got out of bed at 6:30. By the start of the ride it was 78 and when I finished 86. The humidity and low dew point made it feel like fall. Biking in the full sun didn’t feel that hot as my jersey and arm sleeves wicked sweat away keeping cool. Overall weather: start 78 (58% humidity, 62 dew point), a few clouds, wind NE 8 mph; 86 (44% humidity, 62 dew point), a few clouds, wind E 10 mph. The headwind seemed stronger than 10 mph but I got my average speed up to 14.4 mph and held it until I rode well into Kingwood.

My legs had power today. Better than yesterday.

After the bike ride I weighed my bikes. This something I wanted to do but forgot when I was home. The weights:

  • Canyon Endurace CF SLX 19.2 pounds
  • Lynskey R300 22.9 pounds

The extra 4 pounds the Lynskey weighs may account for the sluggish rides I have sometimes.

9-10-2021 RWGPS Bike Ride Map
9-10-2021 RWGPS Bike Ride Map
  • 9-10-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Summary-1
    9-10-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Summary-1
  • 9-10-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Summary-2
    9-10-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Summary-2
  • 9-10-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Charts
    9-10-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Charts

Texas Biking News Digest September 9th 2021

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Making San Antonio a bike-friendly city

by Robert Rivard | sanantonioreport.org

The proposed city budget that goes into effect on Oct. 1 includes $2.7 million to update the badly outdated 2011 Bicycle Master Plan.

That’s not a lot of money in the scheme of things, but it could provide a foundation for examining why a city so focused on urban growth and sustainability, and attracting and retaining talented young people, has failed over the last decade to make San Antonio’s streets more bike-friendly. …

Cycling after illness 942021

Veloharmony | www.youtube.com

Narrated local group rides with educational narrative about the ins and outs of cycling technique and etiquette.

Bike ride raises funds for Fort Bend County domestic violence survivors

Tracy Maness | www.houstonchronicle.com

As domestic violence often goes hushed and hidden, more than 200 cyclists gathered on Sept. 4 to ride, give light to the issue and support survivors in Fort Bend County.

The first “Bike Ride for Survivors” began at Brazos River Park in Sugar Land and brought out friends, coworkers and people who love to ride. Together, they raised around $20,000 to benefit organizations that help domestic violence survivors, such as the Fort Bend Women’s Center, Katy Christian Ministries and Daya.

When Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton was an assistant …

Semi Chilly Bike Ride By Kid-Free Doctor’s Splash Pad

Durango Texas | durangotexas.blogspot.com

Those are the handlebars of my backup bike you see above, aimed at the Hamilton Park Splash Pad, which was brought to Hamilton Park by the good folks at the Wichita County Medical Alliance.

My non-backup bike is still at the bike doctor awaiting treatment.

Methinks this town could use another bike store to compete with Bike Stop. When I brought the bike to the doctor, two Thursdays ago, I was told it could take a week to get treated, but probably it would be fixed before that.

So, last Thursday I called the doctor’s office to ask about my bike’s condition. I was told it …

"More butts on bikes…"

www.bikedfw.org

I love clever memes and quotes to live by, and the other day I heard this phrase: “the goal is to get more butts on bikes” and it made me smile – because getting more women on bikes has been a mini mission of mine for the last 3 or 4 years.

See, about 10 years ago, cancer tried to take me down – first physically, then mentally – but I fought it, and won! Yes, its return is always lurking over my shoulder, but I keep pressing forward. Grateful for the awful experience (mine was pretty easy compared to some) and it’s what got me off the couch and on my feet. I literally wanted to run away from cancer ever catching me again.

But injury after injury, I started thinking this running business isn’t really loving my body like …

Texas Biking from Twitter

https://twitter.com/EaDoBikeCo/status/1436070668915908608

https://twitter.com/HoustonChron/status/1436000442484412426

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Moving Headwind, Tired legs, Salt Stains

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I managed to start the bike ride at 9:57 AM, beating yesterday’s start by 50 minutes. Not sure why I can’t get rolling earlier. My Lynskey R300 bike carried me on the “Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman” route for 35.46 miles. I was back home by 12:44 PM. I don’t ride this route a lot with this the 5th time this year. The week miles are up to 149.06 getting me closer to a 200 mile week. I’m 41% of the way to my 700 mile goal for September (284.04 miles).

9-9-2021 YTD Bike Rides Summary Today's Route
9-9-2021 YTD Bike Rides Summary Today’s Route

Fall like weather hung around a little longer. It was 68 when I got up this morning but warmed quickly as the sun rose. A headwind seemed to move around no matter which direction I biked until the return across Lake Houston. That changed once I turned north from FM 1960. While it wasn’t that hot salt streaks appeared on my arm sleeves and shorts. I think the sweat evaporating in the low humidity was the reason. Low humidity for Houston, anyway. Weather summary: start 81 (65% humidity, 68 dew point), fair, wind N 5 mph; finish 87 (56% humidity, 70 dew point), a few clouds, wind N 12 mph.

I enjoy looking at the sky with all the blue and wispy clouds.

No pop in the legs today. I struggled to get my average speed to 13 mph but once there it stayed until the finish. Tired legs and that moving headwind.

Two other cyclists crossed my path: 1 on Fairlake Lane and the other on Atascocita Shores Drive.

9-9-2021 RWGPS Bike Ride Map
9-9-2021 RWGPS Bike Ride Map
9-9-2021 Strava Bike Ride Summary Data
9-9-2021 Strava Bike Ride Summary Data