Texas Biking News August 28th 2020

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Arlington Police Officer Injured, 1 Killed After Car Strikes Cycling Group On Bridge

dfw.cbslocal.com

FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – An Arlington detective in the Crimes Against Children’s Unit was seriously injured, and another cyclist — 57-year-old Steven Dennis was killed when a motorist struck them from behind.

It happened on the bridge of Dottie Lynn Parkway over West Division in Fort Worth.

The officer, who was later identified as Alan Branch, was riding a bike with members of his church. Police said he’s alert and conscious at JPS Hospital surrounded by officers and family.

“Any time one of your own is injured, it’s hurtful. It’s part of the family. You know, we …

Plans underway for annual Cotton Patch Classic

By Brad Kellar | www.heraldbanner.com

Donaghe Buick GMC has signed on for the fourth year as the title sponsor for the 24th annual Cotton Patch Classic bicycle tour. From left are John Clark, Bike Ride Director for the Noon Rotary Club of Greenville, Chance Donaghe, David Weiland with the Rotary Club and Craig Bird with Donaghe Buick GMC.

Preparations are underway for the 24th annual Cotton Patch Classic bicycle tour, scheduled Sept. 19 in downtown Greenville and hosted by the Noon Rotary Club of Greenville.

Donaghe Buick GMC is the title sponsor for the event, along with the city of Greenville.

David Weiland with the Rotary Club said the organization is humbled by Donaghe Buick GMC’s continued support of the event.

“This is their fourth year,” Weiland said. “And they …

Austin Insider Guide – How To Plan A Fun Biking Day With Kids

freefuninaustin.com

Just because school’s back in session, doesn’t mean that summer feeling has to come to end. That’s why happyly is partnering with Free Fun in Austin to offer readers a bevy of curated activities for a fun and active family day in the midst of these strange times. After all, it is happyly’s mission to inspire fun and safe outings so you can spend less time planning and enjoy more quality time together. This week, getcher pedal on because we’re planning a fun biking day complete with burgers and a pit stop at Govalle Park! …

Mellow Johnny’s to continue providing police bikes until end of year

by Dean Yobbi | www.bicycleretailer.com

AUSTIN, Texas (BRAIN) — Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop will provide bikes and services to the Austin Police Department until the city awards another contract, which is expected "sometime before or shortly after the beginning of the new calendar year."

In a letter written by Austin Procurement Manager Cyrenthia Ellis and dated Aug. 25, the city will end the current five-year contract with 30 days’ notice after awarding the new contract. The letter followed an Aug. 6 phone call with …

Celebrate Austin’s oldest hike-and-bike trail during special 2-week event

By Melissa Gaskill | austin.culturemap.com

In years past, the Shoal Creek Conservancy hosted an annual spring fundraising event called the Shoal Creek Social, featuring live music, food and drink, activities and a silent auction. It typically took place in a venue near the iconic creek, which is also home to the oldest hike-and-bike trail in Austin.

But this is 2020. The group canceled its spring social and now has planned a pandemic-appropriate alternative: Shoal Creek Social Distancing. The two-week giving campaign, which runs September 15-30, encourages Austinites to get out …

Hotter ‘N Hell Today With No Hotter ‘N Hell 100

Duranago Texas | durangotexas.blogspot.com

Screenshot from my phone on this last Friday of the 2020 version of August.

The Hotter ‘N Hell 100 should have been happening now, but it was canceled months ago due to the Trump Pandemic.

If I remember right, and sometimes I do, last year’s Hotter ‘N Hell 100 was not HOT, with the temperature being in the 90s. With rain, again, if I am remembering right.

108 is a bit warm. Not the …

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Orange Barrels Turned Into Dirt Circles. Lots of Heat, No Shade

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I planned on riding my Canyon Endurace bike today but after seeing pictures on Bikeforums.net from a poster of his Lynskey GR300 I changed my mind and switched to my Lynskey R300 bike. They are not quite the same but close enough, the “G” stands for gravel.

After riding north yesterday I chose a southerly route even though I plan on riding that direction tomorrow. I picked the “Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman” route and rode 34.08 miles. Today made the 9th time biking this route in 2020; 6 times on my Canyon Endurace and 3 times on the my Lynskey R300. I like this route because of the different scenery and minimizing biking the same streets out and back. To start the ride I varied it by going through Sherwood Trails and North Woodland Hills villages in Kingwood before connecting with my usual streets. Later on when I reached FM 2100 I planned on making a u-turn and ride back to FM 1960. But as I sat waiting for the traffic to clear I looked north on FM 2100 and saw no orange barrels blocking the shoulder in the construction zone. I decided to ride north on FM 2100 and the barrels were gone leaving dirt circles on the shoulder where they used to be. I plan on repeating this on tomorrow’s ride, weather permitting.

I improved the week’s total to 158.71 miles. I may have written off reaching 200+ miles for the week too quickly. If I bike 31 miles tomorrow (Saturday) and 12 miles Sunday I can do it. Marching closer to my 800 mile goal for August I narrowed the miles behind to less than 50. I won’t reach my goal but I will be closer than I thought. The recap so far.

8-28-2020 MTD Mileage Goal Status

Unlike my ride on Wednesday on a similar route my legs did not get overwhelmed by an easterly wind. Today the wind came from the SW and helped me get to FM 2100. Something happens after a storm goes through or nearby to the weather. Since Laura’s passing it has gotten hotter. When I started the ride at 10:02 AM it was already 92 and at the 12:58 PM finish it was 97. During August rain has been rare so everything is dry and more dry. Today I was looking for some shade as I rode east on Old Atascocita Road but there wasn’t a big enough spot to get in and drink some cold water. I had to wait until I reached Huffman to take a several minute break at the Chevron station. While it was hot there was a nice breeze blowing under the pump canopy. I hated to leave. What the weather looked like at the start and finish: start 92 (71% humidity, 81.7 dew point), partly cloudy, wind SW 8 mph, finish 97 (58% humidity, 80 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind SW 8 mph gusts 20 mph. I didn’t realize the wind was that strong until after finishing the ride. Looking at the wind graph in the PowerPod bike ride data graphs below I see that strong wind as I rode west on FM 1960 over Lake Houston.

Validating my better performance on today’s bike ride compared to Wednesday’s Strava tells me the ride was harder than my usual effort.

  • 8-28-2020 Strava Bike Ride Summary-1
  • 8-28-2020 Strava Bike Ride Summary-1

I marked the wind graph in the PowerPod bike ride graphs (image on the left, click to enlarge it) with a red arrow. Around mile 23 was when I turned west in Huffman into the stiff headwind as shown by the blue area above the white line. Bike rides would be perfect if there were no headwinds. Link to SportTracks bike ride activity.

  • 8-28-2020 PowerPod Bike Ride Graphs
  • 8-28-2020 SportTracks Bike Ride Summary

I avoided the lost video from my GoPro cameras by renaming the clips with duplicate file names today.

Texas Biking News August 27th 2020

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Austin organizations partner with city on 8 neighborhood projects

by: Kate Winkle | www.kxan.com

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A number of local organizations are partnering with the city of Austin on projects to improve their neighborhoods.

This week, Austin announced eight projects in areas of south, central, east and north Austin:

Austin Texas Bike Polo Social Club’s multi-use bike polo court at Metz Park Colony Park Neighborhood Association’s new entrance and extended pathways for the Colony Park District Park, Turner Roberts Recreation Center and Overton Elementary Agave Neighborhood Association’s bike lanes along Sendero Hills Parkway …

Family Fun: R&B Night Light Bike Ride, ‘Toy Story’

preview.houstonchronicle.com

… 2000’s R&B Night Light Bike Ride

On this music-themed bike ride, participants will explore inner-city Houston on LED bikes while listening to a curated playlist featuring R&B & Hip Hop artists from the 2000’s.

When: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Aug. 29

Where: 301 Elgin

Details: letsdothishouston.com

Adding Amenities to Bike Trails: What Riders Experience Matters

by BILL O’TOOLE | pittsburghquarterly.com

The City of Pittsburgh is poised to gain dozens of miles of new bike lanes in the next decade. While avid cyclist Tom Vesch welcomes the expansion, he suggests thinking beyond the trails themselves to consider the broader experience of riders. …

… In Austin, Texas, the 10-mile Butler Hike and Bike trails encompassing the city’s Lady Bird Lake features foot showers, water fountains for both humans and canines and connections to nearby natural pools for swimmers and kayakers. …

Dick’s Sporting Goods: Bicycle Technician in Dallas, Texas

workintexas-veterans.jobs

We are genuine in our belief that sports make people better and so are you! Immerse yourself in a workplace that loves to be active and lives the brand. Associates joining our team have an opportunity to be a part of the #1 sporting goods retailer in the country and create a lasting impact on their communities through sport and activity.

On our Team, everyone plays a critical role. Your Mission (and Ours) is to serve and inspire athletes and outdoor enthusiasts to achieve their personal best through the relentless improvement of everything we do.

Bike Technician Duties: …

Bike Night Returns To COTA In September

By Claudia Alvarez | patch.com

The event exercises safety guidelines amid COVID-19, letting riders cruise COTA’s famed stars and stripes in a socially-distant setting.

ROUND ROCK, TX —Cyclists will have the chance to navigate COTA’s 3.4-mile circuit when Bike Night returns in the fall with safety guidelines in place amid COVID-19. The weekly event lets riders cruise COTA’s famed stars and stripes in a socially-distant and stress-free environment without the worry of city traffic while offering fantastic sunset views of the …

Park Glen resident keeps bikes rolling through Fort Worth neighborhoods

fortworthtexas.gov

Usable bikes and parts are donated to nonprofit groups and others to promote health and wellness.

Fort Worth resident Daniel Guido knows how to get more bikes rolling through the city.

His ambition, love for biking and passion for others has led in part to the Fort Worth City Council passing a resolution this summer to allow qualified nonprofit entities to receive and give away discarded bikes left at the city’s drop-off stations. In the past, those bicycles would gather at drop-off stations and be sold as scrap metal.

With the new policy in place, usable bikes and …

HOTTER’N HELL 100

rouvy.com

Sat, August 29, 2020 12:05 (your local time) The United States’ largest one-day cycling event takes place on the scenic country roads surrounding Wichita Falls.

Though the in-person event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hotter’N Hell organization invites riders from all over the world to come together and ride the virtual edition.

The route begins on Scott Avenue, just outside the Hotter’N Hell clubhouse and after its initial climb, proceeds along the gently rolling roads of Wichita County before concluding out front of the Kay Yaeger Coliseum beneath the Hotter’N Hell 100 arch.“We are exceptionally excited to announce our partnership with Rouvy to extend the experience to any and all cyclists who love Hotter’N Hell 100, even if they cannot make it to Wichita Falls to share in the in-person event, this year and beyond.” Charlie Zamastil, Race Director of Hotter’N Hell 100. …

Evening Ride

Steven Salazar – Blitz Racing | www.strava.com

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Laura Devastation to The East, Interesting Skies and Hot – Bike Ride to Tavola

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As I got ready for today’s bike ride I visualized the route, streets and other things. I realized this morning that is what I do before each ride. I don’t necessarily remember the street names but the sequence. If I want to add distance this is the time I plug in some streets. The route I chose for today, “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch”, stuck to the usual roads and streets coming in at 34.4 miles. This ride marked the 19th time in 2020. 15 times on my Canyon Endurace (today’s ride) and 4 times on my Lynskey R300. My week now totals 124.63 miles. I might not reach 200 miles but I could get close. I needed a 40+ mile ride this week to get there.

My legs had power today. No turtles passed me. I built my overall average speed up to 13.7 mph and held it there until I returned to Kingwood. Yesterday I couldn’t do that.

On the way back when I was in Kingwood I looked to my left as I rode across an intersection on Kingwood Drive and saw another biker dressed in a bright red, white, and blue jersey. It happened so quickly and our directions went opposite with no time to fire up the GoPro.

Hurricane Laura left the building coming ashore about 30 miles east of the Texas – Louisiana state line. This spared the Houston area but devastated counties and parishes along the state. Here while it felt hot there was a coolness in the breeze as I rode along. Summer is 2/3 of the way over and maybe Laura lowered the dew point to make it feel like that. Weather for today’s bike ride: start 85 (77% humidity, 77.4 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind W 9 mph, finish 92 (59% humidity, 75.2 dew point), partly cloudy, wind NW 7 mph. I am using the CamelBak for water during the ride. I stopped on Valley Ranch Parkway at The Grand Parkway underpass for a break and eat a Clif Bar.

Though I will fall short of my goal I continue to reduce the shortfall. A recap after today’s bike ride.

8-27-2020 MTD Mileage Goal Status

After the bike ride when I started to edit the video a message popped up as I transferred the clips about a file already existed. Not thinking I clicked okay and a couple of clips disappeared. Up to now each GoPro put different filenames on clips but today I think the filenames overlapped. I “move” files from the GoPro to my computer which deletes them from the GoPro. When that happened today it deleted a couple of files without coping them. In the future I will “copy” the files and only delete them from the GoPro when I am sure there were no issues.

Link to my Strava activity page.

  • 8-27-2020 Strava Bike Ride Summary-1
  • 8-27-2020 Strava Bike Ride Summary-2

I compare my YTD mileage to previous years thanks to a browser extension in Chrome. The left image does that as of today. The right image is my SportTracks activity page.

  • 8-27-2020 Strava Year Progressions YTD Mileage
  • 8-27-2020SportTracks Bike Ride Summary