Red Poppy Ride Georgetown
by dstrong            www.bikeforums.net
Updated OP with completion of the Red Poppy Ride. No pics taken, so no ride report except this description I posted in Machka’s Weekend Ride thread:

Did a local charity ride…the Red Poppy Ride in Georgetown. I didn’t see a single red poppy. I signed up for the 80 mile route and toyed with the idea of doing my first century of the year but the wind squashed any ideas I had of doing that. I ended up riding with a woman from about mile 20 on. She had some interesting cycling stories, as she used to be an endurance cyclist, her longest trek had been 500 miles. Six years ago, on a training ride, she was hit by a car and ended up with a smashed left ankle (and a Merlin Extralight with Chorus). 5 surgeries and six years later, she now has an artificial ankle, can no longer run but still loves to bike. The wind…was brutal…constant 15 – 20 mph from the south. Fortunately the route was made up a lot of short…

Pedaling for Safer Roads
Public Event · By Please BE KIND to Cyclists
Thursday, May 3, 2012
7:00pm until 9:00pm in CDT
The Austin cycling community is shocked and saddened by the recent death of cyclist Verter Ginestra, killed on 360 and Westlake on Saturday, April 28th and the serious injuries of cyclist Evan Baird caused by a hit and run collision on Monday, April 23rd. …

Rails to Trails Ride
Date: May 5, 2012
Location: South Plains, TX
Contact: Pat Crawford806-786-2941
Details: Mark your calendars for the Rails to Trails ride on Saturday May 5th. The ride starts from the trail head in South Plains and descends off the caprock along scenic valleys. The ride to Monks crossing is about 14 miles where you can catch a lift to Quitaque. The ride from South Plains to Quitaque is about 23 miles. No hard climbs, mostly down hill on an old rail bed that is grassy at the beginning and some combination of lava rock, sand, and dirt (also bat guano in the tunnel). Mountain bikes, hybrids or cyclocross bikes recommended. However, there is the option of a scenic road ride also starting from South Plains on paved roads. There is a $3 charge for using the Park trail. Please let Pat Crawford know if you are going by May 1st. He will need to pay in advance at the Park office for the people riding the trail.

Landon Winery Weekend
Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts
When:     May 19, 2012 – May 20, 2012
Where:     Hampton Inn and Suites – Greenville , TX
After an entertaining and interactive wine-tasting event at the Landon Winery Tasting Room in McKinney last year, Chuck and Janet Kirklen began thinking about a Landon Winery tandem weekend in Greenville – the main winery location -  for 2012. Fast forward to today and planning is well underway!
WHO  -  DATES members
WHAT  -  We plan two days of riding. Two distances on Saturday and a shorter route for Sunday morning. Saturday’s ride will be followed by a wine tasting at Landon Winery, hosted by the owner, Bob Landon. Bob’s tasting at the McKinney location last year was a big hit – fun, food and fine wine. We’ll have more of the same this year!! After the tasting, we’ll enjoy dinner at…

TEBR Time Change
Greater Dallas Bicyclists
The Tuesday Evening Bike Ride start time will make its annual seasonal change this week. It will now start at 6:30pm beginning on May 1st, 2012.

Tenth Ride of Silence planned for May 16
DALLAS, TX (BRAIN) Monday April 30 2012 7:44 AM MT—Advocates around the world are planning the tenth annual Ride Of Silence this month to raise awareness of cyclists’ rights to the road and honor cyclists who have died.

The ride is planned for Wednesday, May 16, at 7 p.m. According to organizers, the ride will be held in 322 locations, including all 50 states and in 23 other countries.

Student Advice
by Steve A        Dallas Point-to-Point
One aspect I like about the LAB program, despite its other warts, is the organized feedback it offers. Case in point: last weekend, a student inadvertently offered me some advice without realizing it. You can see that advice above. Yes, campers, teachers have bad habits every bit as much as any student. And, if Gail Spann is reading this, it isn’t what she thinks. Even Warren would admit I was VERY well behaved about avoiding cyclocross mounts and dismounts. My recent fixie purchase should help further, but I have to drag THAT story out a while. For reasons that will become gradually clear in future posts.

It all started with Quick Stops and Instant Turns. For those not practiced in the bike handling drills common to LAB and Cycling Savvy, Quick Stops are the theory and practice of stopping a bike as quickly as possible in an emergency. You will NOT do a Quick Stop or Instant Turn every day. In fact, I cannot say I have EVER had to do…

2012 council candidate questionnaire
by bikedenton
In years past, I’ve asked questions about biking to city council candidates, so we can see where the politicians stand. This year, I’ve narrowed the questions down to two, and I bring up a question about Denton’s walking infrastructure, because currently there is no dialogue or organized advocacy for better sidewalks and…

Safety Bling! Music Video Launches May 1
by Jack Sanford            BikeTexas.org
BikeTexas kicks off Bike Month 2012 on Tuesday, May 1 with the online release of a new music video produced for our TxDOT-funded, ‘CATS’ presentations on College Active Transportation Safety.

Safety Bling! features comic rap duo The Rhymanese Twins, aka Jon Steinmeier and Noah Tabakin. This hilarious two-headed, three-legged rap team pumps out the BikeTexas safety message with phat beats, a hysterical, while educational plot line, and the help of rival UT and…

Cyclists: Do you ride on Loop 360?
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
I was saddened this weekend by news of the death of 54-year-old cyclist Verter Ginestra, who was killed while riding his bike along the shoulder of Loop 360.

Now comes the inevitable flurry of emails.

From cyclists, wanting to know why motorists don’t pay more attention to bikes on the road.

From motorists, wanting to know why cyclists don’t always obey the law.

And from people who just want to know why a cyclist would even consider riding along Loop 360, where cars travel at speeds of 70 mph or…

Bike lovers at Bowling Family YMCA in Northeast El Paso give rusty relics new life
by Victor R. Martinez \ El Paso Times
El Pasoans love their cars, trucks and vans. Judging by the congested neighborhood streets, highways and freeways, El Paso is a car-dependent city.

But quietly nestled in the corner of the Bowling Family YMCA in the Northeast part of the city, a group of El Paso bike lovers is trying to create an emerging Sun City bike culture.

The Northeast YMCA opened the city’s first El Paso Bicycle Co-Op where volunteers provide free bike maintenance and repair advice, as well as help children and adults appreciate the…

Park Service slammed for new bike trail at Big Bend NP
by Bob Berwyn                summitcountyvoice.com
Watchdog groups raise conflict of interest issues and fault the park planning process
SUMMIT COUNTY — A simmering controversy over a new mountain bike trail in Big Bend National Park boiled over again earlier this month, as the park service started work on the trail before publishing a formal Finding of No Significant Impact or issuing required  rule-making.

Conservation groups are stewing over the project, which will create a trail in an area previously identified as potential wilderness. They also see a potential conflict of interest on the part of a former park service official now involved with a local mountain…

PBA Spring Century
by  (Chris Mathews)        Plano Bicycling Association

Austin cycling community remembers avid cyclist killed this weekend
by SHELTON GREEN / KVUE News
The Central Texas cycling community is mourning the loss of an avid cyclist killed while riding this weekend.
55-year old Verter Ginestra, a married salesman and father was riding his bicycle on the shoulder of 360, near the Westbank exit around 2 p.m. Saturday.

A Department of Public Safety spokesperson said that the driver was a man in his mid-eighties, but as of Monday night he had not been charged. It’s believed the elderly driver veered onto the shoulder, hitting and killing Ginestra in the…

@BSS_Austin            via Twitter
Great pics from the TX High School MTB Racing State Championships from the kids on the Austin High team!