No ride report today. I took a rest day to watch the 4 hours of stage 9 of the Tour de France. Great race with Alberto and Andy catching the breakaway with seconds remaining. The yellow jersey suffered a lot going up the final mountain. Being a flat lander the mountains would do me very quickly. I am inspired for tomorrow’s ride though.

The following article is not Texas based but I could not pass it up. My grandparents lived in Gratiot, Ohio, and I spent many a summer there when I was growing up. My Dad had a garden at their home for many years. Every Thursday we would drive to Gratiot from Zanesville (10 miles maybe) to tend the garden. A push cultivator was a tool I learned much about.

Veteran cyclists: Injured soldiers hope to inspire
BY ABBEY ROY • CentralOhio.com • July 13, 2010
GRATIOT — To all injured veterans struggling in a wheelchair, or feeling hopeless because of a lost limb, or grappling with the haunting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder: Seventeen men and women would like your attention.

They are riding their bicycles nearly 4,000 miles across the country to get it, and their message is this:

“We want others to see this and say, ‘We can do that,'” said Marc Esposito, 26, who nearly died in a bombing while serving in the Air Force in Afghanistan. …

Campus Cruisers Recalls Bicycles Due to Front Fork Failure
from Bicycle.net | Attitude is Everything by editor
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using…

2010 Redline Conquest Cyclocross Bicycles and Framesets Recalled
from Bicycle.net | Attitude is Everything by editor
Seattle Bike Supply Recalls Bicycles and Framesets Due to Fall Hazard WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a…

Denton hires Safe Routes To School consultant
from Bike Denton by howard
On June 15, 2010, Denton signed a $10,000, 2-month contract  with engineering firm Freese & Nichols to prepare a new plan for a Safe Routes To School program at elementary and middle schools.

This plan will cite areas around each school that require attention for crossing of barriers and provision of sidewalks or other safety measures to encourage walking or bicycling to school for households within one mile of school. …

It seems a little early to think about indoor training but I do like the scenery in this video.

New Indoor Cycling Training Video DVD – Epic Texas Hill Country …
by John
This Indoor Cycling Training DVD is shot in the hill country west of Austin TX. This is where cyclist Lance Armstrong trained and developed his incredibly climbing abilities. …

BMAC to host Bike Night
by San Antonio Express
The San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization will host its Bike Night meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the VIA Metro Center Community Room at 1021 San Pedro Avenue.

The team of consultants the city has hired to create a new bicycle master plan will be gathering public input.

The meeting is part of the Bicycle Mobility Advisory Committee’s work…

Does Bicycling Need Rebranding?
by Triple Pundit
Despite the growth of exurbs and the long commutes that pair with them, bicycle riding has become more popular than ever before.  Los Angeles, where I live, is hardly a city thought to be full of bicycles, but its university campuses are teaming with bikes; immigrants and urban hipsters are two wheeling it from Echo Park to Larchmont; and a walk around the Silver Lake Reservoir on weekend mornings means bike riders will zip past you, possibly on their way to biking along the Los Angeles River. …

2010 Sense Corp Texas 4000 for Cancer Rolling Through Seattle
Students cycle 4,687 miles to raise funds to fight cancer.
Austin, Texas – The longest annual charity bicycle ride in the world, Texas 4000 for Cancer, will be rolling through Seattle on Sunday, July 18. Riders braving rain, sleet, wind, snow and heat in support of cancer research will make a 70-day journey to their final destination, Anchorage, Alaska. The 4,687-mile ride to Alaska which began June 5th is designed to share Hope, Knowledge and Charity with those fighting cancer. Once in Anchorage, the team will visit with cancer patients to learn their stories and spread awareness with the community about cancer prevention. …