BIKE MS: SAM’S CLUB 2013
RIDE REGISTRATION KICKS-OFF WITH SPECIAL ONE-DAY PRMOTIONAL RATE OF $18 ON 10/18

Two-Day, 150+ Mile Fundraising Ride Benefiting the National MS Society Marks 26 Years When It Rolls Out May 4-5
WHAT:  Special One-Day Registration Rate: – It’s time once again to gear up for the Metroplex’s largest cycling fundraiser now known as Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-Up Ride rolling out May 4-5, 2013. Registration for the 26th-annual event, which benefits the National MS Society, opens Oct. 18 with a special one-day promotional rate of $18. Once registered each $25 online donation a participant receives on Oct. 18 — either from a supporter or a self-donation — enters him/her into a drawing for a free Kindle Fire. More than just a ride, this 150+ mile endurance challenge connects cyclists to each other and a great cause as they raise funds, pedal towards a cure and experience the triumph of completing a two-day route that makes a lasso across North Texas from Frisco to Texas Motor Speedway and back. The event has continued to grow in popularity since it first originated in 1987.
WHO:   Anyone (including novice and experienced cyclists) can saddle up and go the distance to achieve a world free of multiple sclerosis. The National MS Society anticipates nearly 3,000 cyclists will register for the event and raise funds to support its mission of creating a world free of MS.
WHEN:  ALL DAY – Thursday, October 18. Special $18 registration rate is valid 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
HOW:   Visit bikeMStexas.org and select the Bike MS: Sam’s Club Round-up Ride to register to ride, volunteer or make a donation.
*After Oct. 18 the rate goes up to $25 and will increase incrementally as the ride approaches. See site for details. …

Bike To City Hall Day (tomorrow!) – Safe Passing Ordinance?
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff
Dallas cyclists have some major wins to celebrate this year (first bike lanes and sharrows down, safe passing ordinance draft) and major possible wins coming up on the City Council Agenda!

Council will soon be voting on the 2012 bond, which includes money for more bicycle infrastructure, and next month they’ll vote on a safe-passing ordinance which many bike-friendly cities have enacted. We need to show them that we…

Austin trail conditions status
by swl7            forums.mtbr.com
I know there are many websites bikemojo, ridgeriders, and Twitter @austinMTBtrails that keep up with the trail conditions here in Austin.

However, these updates are very outdated at times (some go back to 2011), and I understand it’s hard to maintain trail conditions across Austin without personally going there.

Any suggestions on how we can achieve the most up-to-date status? I know it rained today, but none of the mentioned websites above have posted trail conditions. …

Cycling in the Hill Country – PR4 loop, 33miles and 2 seconds slower than my personal best for the route
by Don Bynum (from an email I received)
This morning I took my new almost burnt orange Catrike 700 out and ran one of my favorite routes, from my home down RR261 to TX29 then east across Inks Lake to Park Road 4 then south, bearing right just south of the Hoover Valley Store to hit FM1431 across the street from Spykes BBQ, then north on FM1431 through Kingsland, continuing north across TX29 to RR261 then north to home.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”40″ size=”auto” align=”center”][/wppa]

The route has some challenging hills, some gentle climbs and lots of great Texas Hill Country scenery.

I was concerned about how I would get up the really tough hill on PR4 to the overlook at the Devil’s Water Hole since the trike did not get the 25 tooth super-low-geared inner chain ring that I was expecting.  It was tough, but I made it.  I was off the road for nearly three weeks after my Catrike Road’s frame broke irrepairably (thanks to all the horrible cattle guards and bad bridge expansion joints in the area.)  Finally, last Friday, the new machine arrived, with better aerodynamics, a more powerful seating position and a much larger rear wheel (28inch for my fellow Americans and 700mm for my friends who are still hoping to at least become Texans, compared with a 20inch, or 406mm on the dearly departed Catrike Road). The extended time off left me pretty out of shape.

The larger rear wheel provides much higher effective gearing… fun downhill, harder work up hill… and that “harder uphill” aspect has already inflicted some pain when I rode with Gil Jones on Monday. Gil was on his Catrike Expedition which has had the 25 tooth inner chain ring modification and I really suffered on one pretty steep hill we climbed that day, while he came up the hill slower, but without his eyeballs about to be blown out of his head by the effort.

OK, I made it.  It was a bear but I skint the bugger.  I completed the entire 33.09 mile loop in a time only 2 seconds slower than my personal best time for this route, set in early August when I was in much better shape. I made the ride in 2hr 13min 35sec.  My average speed was 14.8mph with an average heart rate of 127bpm and with an average cadence of 84rpm.  My maximum heart rate was 146bpm, experienced on the climb on PR4 up to the Devil’s Water Hole overlook.  My maximum speed was 35mph on the descent on TX29 to the Inks Lake Bridge. I burned about 2,206 calories.  Nothing fell off the trike, but then there were, on this route, none of Llano County Roads Dept’s entries in their competition with Blanco County for who can make the worst damned cattle guards in the region.

A nap sounds really nice right now.

Dallas officials bike to City Hall to show support for making city more bike-friendly
By Matt Peterson            cityhallblog.dallasnews.com

City officials traded four wheels for two Wednesday to ride with bike enthusiasts as part of “Bike to City Hall Day.”

The group met in Oak Cliff and rode to City Hall, where the City Council and Dallas bike coordinator Max Kalhammer held a news conference on how the city will improve its biking infrastructure.

“This is the community and this is the leadership that’s going to put bicycle infrastructure in Dallas,” said District 3 council member Scott Griggs, who occasional. “Cities aren’t born with bike infrastructure, it’s people like you and it’s…

6th Annual Bike Around the Bay passes through Chambers County
www.theanahuacprogress.com

With over 950 registered riders, the Galveston Bay Foundation (“GBF”) is geared up for Bike Around the Bay this weekend! Bike Around the Bay is a fully supported two-day, 180-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay showcasing the natural beauty of Galveston Bay and benefiting GBF. The proceeds benefit projects that preserve wetlands, protect natural habitat, and enhance the water quality of the bay for present users and for posterity.

For the first time in the event’s six-year history, cyclists will make a complete 180-mile loop around Galveston Bay, starting and ending at Barbers Hill Intermediate School in Mont Belvieu, TX. GBF again welcomes Shell as…

FWISD students form bike club
www.star-telegram.com

Students at the Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences, a Fort Worth ISD school that opened last year, have launched a bike club. They meet Tuesdays and Thursdays to ride as a club, but rode with a special guest Wednesday, cyclist and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

New report for Memorial Park: Muddy (do not ride), trail is Lots of rain the past two days. More at http://t.co/SnoswVah

— GHORBA (@ghorba_org) October 17, 2012

Great ride tonight with a crew of seven…and Chuck made an appearance! After the ride, we went to PBK Stem and… http://t.co/iZWIK3UL

— AustinCyclingTeam (@ATXCyclingTeam) October 18, 2012

https://twitter.com/grandpajerald/status/258777219655163904

Police say Jones hit a cyclist with his car and dragged him for a few blocks. He is charged with failure to stop… http://t.co/Pkce1kzC

— CyclingATX (@CyclingATX) October 18, 2012

Spooky CX in dallas oct 26-28th: TX handmade bicycle show close to Sat & Sun courses @TexasCX #FB

— Jess Parker (@Velogas) October 17, 2012

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