The problem watching Paris-Nice and Tirreno – Adriatico races did not happen; EuroSport (English) finished Paris-Nice before GazzettaTV (Italian) began streaming Tirreno – Adriatico.

Tour Dallas Bike Ride Looking for Volunteers
With the Tour Dallas Bike Ride, (www.tourdallas.org), falling on Easter weekend this year, (Saturday, April 7th), the organizers are experiencing a critical shortage of volunteers to help put on the ride.

They are needing volunteers to help with the pre-event activities, day of event activities, and post event activities.  Their greatest needs are at the break points and on the route corners on the day of the event.  They are also looking for help with the pre and post event Work Crews.  A list of the volunteer opportunities can be found at www.tourdallas.org, and then clicking on the “Volunteer Opportunities” link.

Bonus – Work and then ride for Free
As a special incentive, volunteers who work on the day of the ride at one of the break points or out on the route, qualify for a free registration for the Collin Classic, scheduled for June 9th in McKinney, TX.

Please share this with your family, friends, and fellow cyclist.  You don’t have to be a cyclist to help, and no experience is necessary.

Interested parties should go to www.tourdallas.org, click on the “Volunteer Opportunities” link, and then scroll down to the bottom of that page to register as a volunteer.  You can also contact Fred Miller, Tour Dallas Route Coordinator, at fred.r.miller.jr@gmail.com, for more information or if you have questions.

The Whole Damn Loop Mountain Bike Series – Race 1
Graded Cheese Racing
Date: March 11, 2012
Location: Lubbock, TX
Contact: Chase Wesley
Details: The Whole Damn Loop mountain bike series begins at 3 pm at the MLK parking lot. Everybody rides the same course. Enough challenges to keep the skillful people honest and the beginners attention. Lap is approx 12ish miles.

Fredericksburg 300k
Hill Country Randonneurs
Date: March 24, 2012
Start time: 6:00 am
Starting location: 3108 Creeks Edge Pkwy, Austin, TX 78733
Due to the lack of volunteers, this will be a lightly supported ride. The rider check-in will be open from 5:00-6:00am.   You must have a helmet. A tail light and a head light are required if you cannot finish before dark.

The course is very hilly so be prepared for a real Texas Hill Country ride. The scenery is beautiful and the roads are mostly kind to cyclists. The wind can be a factor at this time of year. …

Community Bike Shop Gathering at National Bike Summit
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
The Alliance is hosting a meeting of leaders from community bike shops from across the country during the 2012 National Bike Summit. We invite leaders of community bike shops from across the continent to attend this gathering so your voice can be heard.

Register for the meeting here.

While community bike shops play a critical role in getting more people on bikes, and engaging people and communities whose needs are often not addressed by traditional advocacy groups, there has not been a clear avenue for community bike shops to engage with…

Cycling for Better Health
by Victor Jimenez, Darryl Kotyk, Rob Grissom        Cycling 360 media
We all know that cycling is a great way to increase your fitness level and overall health.  But there are a lot of people who buy a bike with that thought in mind, but just never seem to figure out how to get the full benefit of riding.

Some new riders will go out on a weekend and take a nice leisurely ride, and then wonder why the pounds are not just melting away.  Does this sound like you?  If so, then here are some easy ways for you to get more out…

Austin Bike Culture Calendar Events: 3/8- 3/14/12
by elliott            Austin on Two Wheels
The annual SXSW madness descends on our fair city for the next week. If you go anywhere near downtown in the next 10 days, leave the auto at home and ride your bike. You’ll be glad you did! And if you are downtown on your bike Saturday or Sunday evening, be sure to join in BikeHugger’s Mobile Social ride. No badges required.

Here’s a quick run down of recommended events for the coming week from our comprehensive calendar of all cycling events. As always, if there is an event you know about that’s not on our calendar contact us, and we’ll…

Downtown bike parking for SXSW
By Pam LeBlanc            Fit City
Planning on riding your bike to SXSW but don’t want to deal with it once you’re downtown? (Or don’t want to lock it to a metal fence, as some SXSW fans did last year?)

Here’s an option — a staffed parking lot just for bicycles. …

Cycling Notebook: New trails offer more options
By Dale Robertson        Houston Chronicle
All is not perfect on the local cycling scene – road, highway and bayou drainage projects continue to muck up the works for pedal-powered commuters – but I’m here to report some good news today courtesy of Dan Raine, …

Bike bridges to help link Southwest Austin to downtown
by Austin American-Statesman
The alternate bike route will also clear the way for the Texas Department of Transportation to add a vehicle lane to southbound MoPac in that area. The council today will consider spending $1.4 million for an environmental study and final engineering …

Spinistry via Twitter
The Dorba Boulder race is postponed due to the weather again but rain only makes the gravel that much more fun….