{"id":24950,"date":"2014-07-09T23:47:15","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T04:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.texbiker.net\/blog\/?p=24950"},"modified":"2014-07-09T23:47:15","modified_gmt":"2014-07-10T04:47:15","slug":"texas-bicycling-news-digest-july-9th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texbiker.net\/blog\/2014\/07\/09\/texas-bicycling-news-digest-july-9th\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Bicycling News Digest July 9th"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big Ride for the Death Ride<\/a><\/h2>\n

by Bike Noob<\/h4>\n

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\nOur pal Don Blount is at it again, as he prepares for his big ride of the year. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s his account of a little(!) training ride.
\nBlountOnBikingTo prepare for big rides, you have to train for big rides \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and often that training is painful. On Saturday, July 12, I am riding the Tour of the California Alps Death Ride. It is 129 miles (207.6 kilometers) with 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) of climbing over five mountain passes.
\nI have done a number of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153big\u00e2\u20ac\u009d rides to prepare for the Death Ride, including two double metric centuries and two century rides.
\nBut I had never ridden at altitude, so two weeks before the Death Ride I headed up to the mountains to do a few training rides.
\nI joined my buddy Paul, who is also my doctor, and is experienced riding up in the mountains. He also climbs like a billy goat. The most I…<\/p>\n

Hardin Co. hike, bike trail nears completion<\/a><\/h2>\n

By Megan Mattingly-Arthur\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0www.beaumontenterprise.com<\/h4>\n

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\nConstruction on a new hike and bike trail that winds through wooded areas along U.S. 69 – between the city of Kountze and the Big Thicket Nature Center – will be completed later this summer, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
\nPlans for the nearly seven-mile trail have been in the works since 2003, but the project didn’t receive official approval from the Texas Department of Transportation until the…<\/p>\n

Urban Paths: The Southern Walnut Creek Trail<\/a><\/h2>\n

by Daniel Setiawan\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0www.austinpost.org<\/h4>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a commuter looking for an alternative to sitting in traffic on 183, or you just need a quiet escape from the city, check out the newly constructed Southern Walnut Creek Trail.
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\nThe 7.3-mile, 10-foot-wide double-lane concrete hike-and-bike path runs north from Govalle Park in East Austin to the trail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s end near Johnny Morris Road and Daffan. There are also access points with parking at the YMCA on 51st St., the North East District Park, and the Austin Tennis Center. The trail is mostly flat with only a few hills, making it a comfortable bicycle commute from…<\/p>\n