More rain today in the Houston area. I was hoping some of the drier and warmer weather would wander over my way. Tomorrow does not look much better. Maybe I can bike on Sunday.

Austin Cycling Association E-News
February 2012
Greetings!

Only in Texas will you find snow on the weekend followed by temperatures in the 70s – almost 80! – just a few days later.  But we’ll take it because we know this presents more opportunities to ride our bikes! We hope you’re taking advantage of this very bike-friendly weather.

We also hope you’re as excited as we are about our upcoming meetings and programs. For the fourth consecutive year, we’re hosting the cycling community’s meeting with Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo…

Sharing a message from Jenny Abraham and Jake Carsten Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew
by Laura Scagno         Austin Ridge Riders
Hey all!
Thank you so much for taking part in the events this weekend! We were so pleased that everyone took time out on Friday afternoon to attend our Better Living Through Trails presentation.

And thanks to all who came out to the Saturday trail building school and put time in at the Walnut Creek trails reclaiming the eroded fall line section and cutting in the new section of trail. We had a blast working with all of you and hope you are pleased with your handiwork.

Please check out our blog post about the weekend, along with pictures on Flickr!. If you…

ACP 200K and 300K Brevets
Date     Saturday, February 25, 2012 7:00 am
Type of Ride     Non-Club Pay Ride
Location     Cleburne TX
Sponsor     Lone Star Randonneurs
Email Contact     gary.p.gottlieb@me.com
Phone Contact     817-675-0292
Website     www.lonestarrandon.org
The Lone Star Randonneurs offer longer distance rides to challenge experienced cyclists. Proper equipment and RUSA membership is required. Please see their web site or call for more details.

What Your Body Needs at Different Phases of Your Ride
by Kelli            lovingthebike.com
What kind of nutrition and hydration does your body need when you’re out cycling?  This is a question that all of us have and today our nutritionist, Kelli is here to provide her answer.

We received a question from Amy that came in as part of our “Ask the Sports Nutritionist” assistance, but the answer was just so detailed and necessary for all of us cyclists, that we’re making it into a full out post.

Here’s Amy’s question:
“I’m hoping you can give me a bit of advice!  I have just recently got into mountain biking, and have a quite…

The number of people living to 100 is increasing. Mr. Marchand does not sit at home. I hope I can still bike when I get to 100.

Centenarian claims hour record
by VeloNews.com            By UCI Communication Services and AFP
At the age of 14 he entered his first cycling event under a false name because he was too young: yesterday he established the first-ever best hour performance… in the category over 100 years.

And that pretty much sums up the personage of Robert Marchand. Full of energy and motivation, when he gets an idea in his head, nothing will stop him.

The centenarian rode 24.25 km (15.1 miles) in 60 minutes watched by crowds of cheering supporters at the International Cycling Union (UCI) velodrome in Aigle, Switzerland.

Two stories to make your Friday
by elliott            Austin on Two Wheels
Local ABC affiliate KVUE reported 2 stories yesterday that address the bane of cyclists existence: getting hit by a car and bike theft. These are not world changing stories but it’s good to know things work out sometimes.

Witnesses catch hit and run driver after cyclist injured

Arrest made after UT police use bait bike

Take a quick read then ride your bike and have a great weekend!

Austin Bike Zoo heads to West Texas and Mexico
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
Where better to pedal an 80-foot, six-seated giant rattlesnake of a bike than West Texas? And where else but Mexico to cruise around on a winged monarch butterfly bike with organza wings?

Next week, the Austin Bike Zoo makes its second trip to the Big Bend region, where it will unpack a slew of its pedal-powered works of art for spins around Terlingua and Presidio before crossing into the Mexican city of…

The SAW Paceline
We are in the process of updating some of our maps.  One of our members, Kelly Sile, agreed to take this project on and she’s done an outstanding job.  Please take a look at the new maps for the New Berlin ride.  You’ll see new maps for some of our current rides and maps for new routes in the coming weeks.  Thanks, Kelly!

Join the Wheelmen’s Tour de Cure team and ride in the event on May 19th!  This event is an excellent opportunity to join fellow-Wheelmen riders for a great one-day ride in support of the American Diabetes Association.  Through February 20th, you can register…

Horseshoe Trail Mountain Biking in Grapevine Texas
by Shawn            Texas Mountain Bike Trails
Tucked off of the southwest corner of Grapevine Lake, Horseshoe trail is the sister trail of the incredibly popular Northshore. This trail has a very moderate skill requirement that is great for a beginner.

The terrain at Horseshoe is not nearly as rugged as Northshore, instead it is somewhat flat with optional technical sections and two solid but doable climbs at the very end. The trail does feature the tightest tree-gate I have ever come across. To make it even more interesting, that tree gate was placed right in the middle of a…