Texas Bicycling News Digest February 11th
2015 Gran Fondo bicycle ride cancelled
www.woodlandsonline.com
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The Steering Committee of the 2015 TWFG Insurance Services Gran Fondo: Texas TMCO announces that this year’s ride is cancelled.
The primary consideration of any bicycle ride is the safety of the participant riders. After an exhaustive effort to find safe routes in the area surrounding The Woodlands, Texas, it was the …
Big Changes in the Bike4Heck House and San Antonio for 2014-2015:
Bike4Heck
Right now the city of San Antonio has a new interim-mayor and we will be holding an election soon for a new mayor. This has me a bit nervous because the previous mayor, Julian Castro, was very big on increasing bicycle infrastructure in San Antonio and it was under his watch that the bicycle master plan was passed. During his time here in San Antonio we saw a vast expansion of bike lanes and trails and signs that reminded motorists to share the road and that bikes can use the full lane and the start of Siclovia. Castro has now moved on to a position in Washington D.C..
What will the future bring for San Antonio it’s uncertain but only time will tell. I hope we continue to move forward with pro-cycling city policies but lately some actions have left me doubting what will happen to the future of two wheeled transportation in San Antonio. I will be exploring these doubts in the next few blog posts over the …
Cypress Creek Mountain Biking Trails
Texas Adventure Racing Club
Ron Dorrell with Chris Phillips and Sarah Ginsbach at Cypress Creek Mountain Bike Trails
(Video)
Bike Sharing with Heart
texasbikeracing.com
Bike Donations Needed for Special Olympics Athletes
We’re calling for some outreach within the Texas bicycle racing community to help a great group of athletes get some much-needed bicycles. The Baylor University/Waco area chapter of the Special Olympics is in need of bicycles they can use to train with and compete on at regional and national events.
William “Ray†Lamb of Waco is spearheading this donation drive after spending the last year helping develop a cycling program with the group. “They are really excited to compete in cycling,†says Lamb, a cyclist who races in endurance events and also teaches road and mountain biking classes at …
‘Ghost bikes’ vanishing from Houston streets
By Katherine Whaley      abc13.com
(Video)
HOUSTON (KTRK) — Have you ever wondered about those white bikes along the side of the road? Each of those bikes marks the spot where a cyclist was hit and killed.
Richard Tomlinson, a cyclist himself, almost single-handedly maintains Houston’s ghost bikes. Each bike is stripped of its chains and gears, is spray-painted white, and is installed at the location where a cyclist was hit and killed. So far, Tomlinson, along with a small group of volunteers, have placed 53 ghost bikes in the Houston area.
The ghost bikes are part of an international project to memorialize cyclists — there’s even a …
Green Valentine Kidical Mass
Kidical Mass
Saturday, February 14
at 10:00am – 12:00pm in CST
3 days from now · 23°C / 11°C Clear
Onion Creek Coffee House
3106 White Oak Dr, Houston, Texas 77007
Kidical Mass rides again. Join us for a safe, family-oriented ride starting at Onion Creek Coffee House during the Green Valentine Market.
BikeHouston will lead a Kidical Mass ride beginning at 10am. Get organized early and come join the fun.
Kidical Mass is a legal, safe and FUN bike ride for kids, kids at heart, and their families. The first ride was held in April 2008 in …
USA Cycling unveils 2015 American Mountain Bike Challenge calendar
www.usacycling.org
(Feb. 11, 2015) – USA Cycling announced the nine-stop American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) calendar on Wednesday. Launching in March, the 20th installment of the AMBC will feature nine contests in eight states, which will span 15 days of competition between March and November.
The nine-race 2015 AMBC will run March through November.
The AMBC was created in 1996 to provide opportunities for mountain bikers of all ages and abilities. Each stop on the series offers cross-country races, while some events may host short-track cross country, downhill, observed trials, or super D competitions as well.
AMBC events held prior to July 13 will also serve to qualify riders for cross-country events at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships, which take place July 15-19 at Mammoth Mountain in California. The number of rider qualification slots will be …
September 4-6 – Camp Eagle Classic Mountain Bike Festival – Rocksprings, TX
Bike lane plan in the works
by Julie Butterfield      impactnews.com
Although a bicycle lane plan is still a component of the South Montgomery County Mobility Study, the wider scope of what the Bike The Woodlands Coalition and The Woodlands Township hoped to see in the study was not addressed. In response, the township in September incorporated funding for a master cycling plan it hopes will lay the groundwork for the development of bike lanes.
The purpose of the mobility study, according to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, or H-GAC, which conducted the study in 2014, is to improve the efficiency of the roadway network in south Montgomery County. The study also evaluated bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
“There were some gaps [in the study],†said John Powers, assistant general manager of …
Route safety concerns doom Gran Fondo bike ride
By Bridget Balch      www.yourhoustonnews.com
The TWFG Insurance Services Gran Fondo: Texas TMCO bike ride has been canceled due to concerns about the safety of the route.
“We were really concerned with the ability to put on a safe ride with the volumes of traffic,†said Scott Beard of the ride’s steering committee.
The ride was expected to attract about 3,000 cyclists to The Woodlands area for the weekend of March 29, and organizers hoped to raise thousands of dollars for the …
Austin recognized as national leader in creating streets that work for everyone
BikeTexas
The City of Austin is working to make streets safer for all road users—and our work has been recognized by the National Complete Streets Coalition as among the nation’s best.
Austin’s Complete Streets policy, adopted in June 2014, is #3 in The Best Complete Streets Policies of 2014, released February 10. The policy directs transportation planners and engineers to design and build streets that provide safe, convenient travel for road users of all ages and abilities—pedestrians, transit users, people on bikes, and drivers—which leads to less congestion and a healthier Austin. Bike Austin and …
Day 8 – Fort Stockton: Easy Day   Tuesday February 10, 2015
By Alan Guo, Beaumont to San Francisco (Feb 2015)Â Â Â Â Â Â www.crazyguyonabike.com
(Photos)
The day was nice. I had a late start, knowing that the next few days are going to 65 miles or less. It was hot, topping out at 97 deg F at one point, but the distance was short, and I had plenty of water. When I stopped at a truck stop, I even got a bottle of water from a trucker, who also happens to be a cyclist.
Today, I stopped in Fort Stockton, explored the town a little, showered at …
Day 9 – Balmorhea: Headwind sucks Wednesday February 11, 2015
By Alan Guo, Beaumont to San Francisco (Feb 2015)Â Â Â Â Â Â www.crazyguyonabike.com
Today, the headwind ate me raw. The forecast now indicates a wind from the North at 19 mph, with gusts of 24 mph, which would indicate a crosswind. The direction must have changed, because I had a headwind the whole way, grinding along at 10 mph on the flats. It sucked big time.
Tonight, it looks like it might rain. I will try to setup camp under some shelter. There are several …
New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar
New Bike Event added: Castroville Time Trial Series – Castroville, TX May 10, 2015 08:00AM http://t.co/G7yspZwf7m
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) February 11, 2015
New Bike Event added: Leprechaun 50/33 – Shamrock, TX Mar 22, 2015 10:00AM http://t.co/coOpuvDq4m
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) February 11, 2015
New Bike Event added: Reflection Ride (FREE Public Event) – San Juan, TX Mar 28, 2015 07:00AM http://t.co/fauRh79Wx7
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) February 12, 2015
New Bike Event added: SB 250 McAllen to San Antonio Ride – McAllen, TX Jun 26, 2015 07:00AM http://t.co/uzl9pRwaSo
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) February 12, 2015
New Bike Event added: Critical Mass – BikeHouston Outreach Feb 27, 2015 06:00PM http://t.co/nEXKukAVlG
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) February 12, 2015
Tweets
First real ride in it's new home: Getting a lot of looks already! Thanks iamspecialized @elbowzracing… http://t.co/LHsc63xhRj
— Stefan Rothe (@stefanrothe) February 11, 2015
Snuck in a quick #mtb ride before sunset http://t.co/9qR4Y98Kbh
— Austin Magruder (@aus10m) February 11, 2015
Creating a #Fredericksburg City #biketour with @jackandadamsfbg – casual fun way to see and experience the city. pic.twitter.com/dVyffWGL4I
— Texas Bike Tours (@TexasBikeTours) February 11, 2015
New Bike Corral in Brownsville Tx and the first one installed in the Rio Grande Valley. #peopleforbikes #BikeTexas pic.twitter.com/VJvr9t2dul
— Fernando Martinez (@SafeCyclist) February 11, 2015
Another brilliant day to cut out of work and go ride! pic.twitter.com/yI0SiayMWj
— Bicycle Sport Shop (@BSS_Austin) February 11, 2015
Today's ride partner http://t.co/EaEgTMlvMK
— weiland (@weiland) February 11, 2015
.@TxDOTELP thanks for inviting @velopaso to come talk #safety! pic.twitter.com/WReQjCLvv7
— Bike Hombre – STREETS ARE FOR PEOPLE (@sbwhite) February 11, 2015
Hammering in the winning break at Cedar Hill Road Race. #bicycle #racing #breakaway @bicyclesplus pic.twitter.com/qaG0xixAOp
— Michael Johnson (@MJDrive) February 11, 2015
https://twitter.com/andrewpyoung/status/565530509854253056
https://twitter.com/AustinpalStacy/status/564994758402408448
Bike racing selfie!!! #bicycle #raceday #selfie #bigsunglasses pic.twitter.com/uVrl8iHo6y
— Michael Johnson (@MJDrive) February 11, 2015
Event Reminder
2 Day Alert: Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest | Off-road MTB Festival – Terlingua, TX, Feb 13, 2015 08:00AM – 22937 HWY 170, Terlingua, TX(CS
— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) February 11, 2015