Texas Bicycling News October 18th 2019

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Trail mix: Ribbon cutting ceremony for SoPac Trail this weekend

lakewood.advocatemag.com

The SoPac Trail, formerly known as the East Dallas Veloway Trail, has been more than 10 years in the making.

Neighbors will celebrate with a ribbon cutting Saturday as a portion of that wait comes to a close.

The SoPac Trail Phase III ribbon cutting is at 9:30 a.m. at White Rock Lake Park, 2920 White Rock Road.

Friends of SoPac Trail, a neighborhood group that supports the path, is hosting the event.

Man found unresponsive after hit-and-run, police say

By Mary Claire Patton | www.ksat.com

SAN ANTONIO – A man who police say is in his mid-30s was struck in the 1800 block of Austin Highway Thursday night, according to San Antonio police.

A sergeant at the scene said a passerby spotted the man, who was unresponsive.

The man was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center with possible life-threatening injuries after what police are calling a hit-and-run.

San Antonio police find SUV possibly involved in fatal hit-and-run

He was riding a bike and pushing a shopping cart when he was struck, police said.

There are currently no known witnesses and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Veteran receives donations from across SETX enabling him to replace his stolen bicycle

kfdm.com

BEAUMONT — An outpouring of support and and a new bicycle for a disabled veteran who lost his bike during a robbery.

Jeremy Page, of Buna, received more than enough donations to replace his old bike and buy a new one for $1,500, which includes all the bells and whistles at Bicycle Sports in Beaumont.

A man who indicated he had a gun took …

UT not liable, bicyclist trespassing when university truck hit her, court finds

By Lara Korte | www.statesman.com

More than four years after an Austin resident was injured while riding her bicycle through a University of Texas-owned apartment complex, the state’s highest civil court has determined that the school is not liable for her injuries.

The case began in April 2015, when April Garner, a graduate of UT and 57 at the time, was riding her bike from her Tarrytown home to meet a friend at the trailhead at Eilers Park. Garner took a shortcut on Alvin, a road that runs through the Colorado Apartments, a university-owned complex on the north side of Lady Bird Lake. A university employee in a maintenance truck was backing out of a parking spot, failed to see Garner approaching from behind and struck her with the vehicle. Garner …

How to Plan a Biking Trip in Big Bend Ranch State Park

BY KAREN HOFFMAN BLIZZARD | www.austinmonthly.com

Blame it on the wide-open space, the sunshine, the scent of creosote bushes in the morning, or the miles of sweet desert singletrack. The fact is, I’m hooked on mountain biking in Big Bend Ranch State Park (BBRSP). To satisfy my craving, I planned a group biking adventure through the park, consisting of three days of riding and two travel days.

With more than 200 miles of trails, BBRSP is the mountain-biking mecca of West Texas. The most popular trails are accessible from the southernmost trailhead at Lajitas. These include the …

Bike plan for Georgetown heading toward November vote

By Rudy Koski | www.fox7austin.com

GEORGETOWN, Texas – The roadways in Georgetown are dominated by automobiles, but a new Bicycle Master Plan could change that.

City transportation coordinator Ray Miller is going around town getting feedback from groups.

Friday he was in Sun City. “And I think we can develop a bicycle-friendly community,” said Miller.

The idea is to build a network of loops in the north, central and …

Texas girl can now ride bike with bionic arm

www.wcax.com

AUSTIN, Texas (CBS) A little girl in Texas born without a left arm can now ride a bike thanks to her new bionic arm.

Mady Gardner was born without her left arm below the elbow. But like any other 8-year-old, she enjoys sports, jumping rope and riding her bike.

"When she was first born, I know Mindy and I spent many nights dreading and saying all the things that we were afraid that she wasn’t going to be able to do. And on every single occasion she’s …

SWCC Fri social ride

Khalid Alrashed | www.strava.com

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Texas Bicycling News October 17th 2019

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Texbiker news offline for two days due to my illness.

Montopolis Bridge in East Austin gets facelift before opening as hike and bike trail

By Mary Huber | www.statesman.com

The Montopolis Bridge that spans the Colorado River in East Austin is getting a facelift, including a new coat of paint and upgrades, before it opens as a pedestrian and bicycle pathway early next year.

The bridge, which was built in 1938 and has been deemed a historic structure, was decommissioned and closed to vehicular traffic in 2018. It is being renovated as part of the U.S. 183 South project, which will add three tolled express lanes in each direction between U.S. 290 and Texas 71.

The highway project is …

Stolen bike ring from BikingATX

Letters to the editor, Oct. 17

Daniel Christian | dentonrc.com

Paying for safe bike routes On the Sept. 29 front page of the Denton Record-Chronicle, there was an article on how Denton wants to provide for bicycle safety routes, improvements and how to find these items.

Funding should be easy. How? Have on every bike a license plate and each rider have a bike operator’s license just like for a motorcycle, Vespa or scooter. These would be issued by the city or county, not the state, and be valid for the city of Denton or Denton County only.

The riders’ safety should be up to them. They should obey all laws that pertain to that that’s in the Texas Driver’s Handbook. Example: If an auto has to stop at an intersection…

What’s going on at Edgemere Linear Park in East El Paso?

by John Purvis | kfoxtv.com

El Paso, Texas — A KFOX14 viewer named Larry wanted to know what’s happening with Edgemere Linear Park near Burges High School in East El Paso.

Larry noted that the park’s been torn up for months, with trees and grass dying.

I went to the city of El Paso’s Parks and Recreation Department for answers and spokesman Rick Isaias told me construction crews are renovating Edgemere Linear Park to include a new pedestrian/bicycle path along with new bollard lights. In addition, …

Disabled veteran victim of gunman who stole bicycle: "I need my bike for independence"

kfdm.com

BUNA — A disabled veteran tells KFDM/Fox 4 he’s outraged and hurt that a man who may have had a gun stole his bicycle, and for now, much of his independence.

Jeremy Page says a man confronted him at about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday between his house in Buna and the library. He says the attacker indicated he had a gun.

The man stole the lime green mountain bike Page uses to get …

Former active duty pilot from Borger to participate in 2019 Warrior 100K bike ride

By Destiny Richards | www.newschannel10.com

BORGER, Texas (KFDA) – A Borger man is participating in a 100K mountain bike ride hosted by the George W. Bush Institute for U.S. military personnel who have been wounded or injured since September 11, 2001.

Major Eric Schneck currently works as a Financial Advisor at Edward Jones in Borger.

But while Schneck’s transitioned from military service to community service, he said he’s excited to be a part of something that reminds him of the difference he made in his active duty career. …

velofix Continues Momentum with Investment in Strategic Hires and New U.S. Headquarters

www.bicycleretailer.com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (October 15, 2019) – velofix, the leading Mobile Bike Shop operator in North America, is on a mission to get more people on bikes by redefining the service experience to meet the demands of today’s discerning consumer.

The six-year-old company was founded by entrepreneurial cyclists Chris Guillemet, Boris Martin, and Davide Xausa. The three successfully closed a round of funding in the second quarter of this year with MacKinnon, Bennett and Company, a Montreal-based clean energy and transportation fund, and set to work immediately to build a foundation for rapid, next-level growth. …

… velofix is also adding key hires to its team and opened a new U.S. headquarters in the tech hub of Austin, Texas. …

‘Gotcha’ Bikes & Scooters No Longer Coming To Waco

by: Shaquille Omari | www.fox44news.com

WACO, Texas – The plan to bring electric bikes and scooters to Waco has hit a speed bump.

This comes as the deal between the ride share company and the city fell through.

“I think its a shame. I think Waco could use something like this,” says resident Stephen Balaban.

Back in June, the city hired vendor Gotcha to begin a shared mobility program. The one-year-pilot program would have allowed people to rent bikes and scooters using their cell phones. San Diego, Austin, and Dallas have adopted the measure. …

Hard Hats for Little Heads – Bicycle Helmet Giveaway

Lynda Shanblum | patch.com

ARC Leander hosts the Texas Medical Association’s "Hard Hats for Little Heads" Bicycle Helmet Giveaway on Friday, October 18, from 3:30-6:00pm at the clinic. Children will receive a free new helmet and you’ll learn how to make sure it fits properly. Dr. Lee Dockray, ARC Leander Pediatrician, will assist with helmet fittings and instructions. LIMITED NUMBER OF HELMETS, FITTINGS FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED. For more information, call ARC Leander, 512-259-2198.

Slow and Steady: Six Days of Strava Stats in October 2019

A DUDE ABIKES | adudeabikes.com

Over the last six days I’ve biked 112 miles, including my abbreviated, rainy-cold-windy birthday ride. I haven’t been very fast, but that’s always been true and is to be expected coming off of driving a car for work for the last while. It’s been an adjustment from having the luxury of a automobile to having to make the effort to get the legs going on the bicycle. Being in between jobs makes it far easier to find the time, although I frequently did 100+ miles per …

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Texas Bicycling News October 14th 2019

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Bagby Street road diet details finalized for 1Q20 start

Wilson | houstreets.com

The Downtown Redevelopment Authority has made final decisions on how they are planning to redevelop Bagby Street along the western edge of downtown and transform it into a more pedestrian and bike-friendly corridor.

This project will see sweeping changes on Bagby starting at Clay Street in the south and extending to Franklin Street in the north. This stretch of road links an impressive number of important Houston hotspots from City Hall to Bayou Place to Jones Hall and to the recently announced Post HTX complex. The original plan had the cycle …

Upcoming Rides

Chasing Watts | chasingwatts.com

Tuesday Night Intervals w/ Pearland Bicycles & South Texas Cycling Tuesday, October 15, 2019 @ 6:00 PM

Kemah Tuesday Tuesday, October 15, 2019 @ 7:00 PM

Lite Bike Tuesday, October 15, 2019 @ 7:05 PM

Sugar WNR Wednesday, October 16, 2019 @ 6:00 PM

Nite Bike Thursday, October 17, 2019 @ 7:05 PM

Pearland Bicycles Thursday Night Shop Ride Thursday, October 17, 2019 @ 6:00 PM

NWCC Zube ride Saturday, October 19, 2019 @ 7:30 AM

IP/ILC Lite Bicycle World Memorial Saturday, October 19, 2019 @ 7:00 AM

Bike Barn Clear Lake Saturday, October 19, 2019 @ 7:30 AM

Sunday Blendin Sunday, October 20, 2019 @ 7:30 AM

Monday AM ride Monday, October 21, 2019 @ 5:30 AM

UPCOMING RIDES

Fort Worth Bicycle Association | www.fwbaclub.org

Rusty Chain Gang Ramble Tue, October 15, 2019 9:00 AM 3200 FM 1187, Crowley, TX 76036
Rusty Romp Tuesday Edition (session 1 of 12) Tue, October 15, 2019 9:00 AM Benbrook YMCA, 1899 Winscott Road, Benbrook, TX 76126
Rusty Romp (session 42 of 52) Thu, October 17, 2019 9:00 AM Benbrook YMCA, 1899 Winscott Road, Benbrook, TX 76126
Leakey Scenic Challenge 2019 Fri, October 18, 2019 8:00 AM Frio Pecan Farm, Leakey, TX
Willow Park Warbler Alternate Leakey Sat, October 19, 2019 8:00 AM 5189 Interstate 20 Frontage Rd #101, Willow Park, TX 76087
Rusty Chain Gang Ramble Tue, October 22, 2019 9:00 AM 3200 FM 1187, Crowley, TX 76036 Rusty Romp Tuesday Edition (session 2 of 12)
Tue, October 22, 2019 9:00 AM Benbrook YMCA, 1899 Winscott Road, Benbrook, TX 76126

Most Perfect Weather for Edge Falls

Francisco Simas – US MES | www.strava.com

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Pedal Spinning Under Some Dark Clouds and Blue Sky Too

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Despite a rain promising weather forecast I decided to go for a bike ride rather than a virtual ride. The sky contained some dark clouds at 10:57 AM start but after checking the weather radar and seeing the rain far to the north and south away from where the “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route took me I got ready and left.

The route produced 36.34 miles of biking improving October’s total to 425.27 miles, 275 miles short of my goal for October. With 16 potential riding days left I think I can reach the goal if the weather doesn’t collapse.

Weather conditions: start 82 (75% humidity, 73.0 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind E 6 mph. Finish 84 (77% humidity, 76.4 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind SW 4 mph.

During the ride the sky harbored some blue spots but those moved around as the gray clouds shifted places. Biking through Woodridge Forest I felt a fine mist on my face and I saw some wet spots on my glasses and Elemnt computer.With the blue spots I saw in the sky I felt certain the mist wouldn’t last long and it didn’t. What did last was the temperature. From an overnight low around 68 it warmed up to 82 at the start and then 84 when I finished about 1:50 PM. At the beginning of the bike ride my outfit felt under dressed but by the time I warmed up after several miles I began to sweat. Wind wasn’t much of a factor in the ride. Biking north to Tavola a tailwind assisted some and my fear of a headwind on the ride back south didn’t materialize. Once I built my overall average speed up to 14.2 mph riding south I maintained it until entering Kings Manor for the last few miles to finish the bike ride. The Relive app shows the animated ride on the route.

Relive ‘New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch’

No water stops on the ride. It wasn’t hot enough and I kept looking at the dark clouds moving around and wanted to finish without getting rained on. I finished without getting rained on but I thought I heard some distant thunder when rode into Kingwood.

Rain might interfere with Tuesday bike ride but I will wait and see. If it does then Zwift will call me.

SportTracks Bike Ride Summary and Intervals Summary

10-14-2019 SportTracks Bike Ride Summary
10-14-2019 SportTracks Bike Ride Intervals Summary

Strava Year Progressions YTD Bike Ride Miles

Strava Year Progressions YTD Bike Ride Miles