2013 Racing Club Team
By Andrew            bicyclesoutbackracing.net
We have a lot of exciting things happening here at Bicycles Outback. As many of you already know, we are all really stoked about the expansion and reorganization of our racing team. We are still finalizing details so you might see some minor tweaks before the beginning of the year, but we want to make sure the word gets out in time for our members to order kits, ask questions and get psyched about racing for us this next year!

Details about what we are expecting of members and the basic outline of the team can be found here: 2013 Team Details…

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Cyclesomatic 2012: Spooky Cross Race Day II, October 28th
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

It’s another full day of Cyclocross Racing at the Dallas Heritage Village, along with a beer garden and many of the best food trucks in the Metroplex!  Also, be sure to catch a shuttle to and from the Texas Custom Bicycle Show happening at Club DaDA in Deep Ellum or just ride on over. …

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Good roads – Bandera, TX
by ctpres            www.bikeforums.net
Will be RV camping in Bandera TX early Nov and would like info on good roads for 20 to 50 mile rides.
reply by Werkin
If you are looking for a challenge, 337 from Medina to Camp Wood has very steep climbs with tremendous views http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p…?pic_id=163013

For a decent road surface, light traffic, and gradual climbs, 173 North of Bandera past Ranch Road 2828 and past Camp Verde toward Kerrville, or take a right at Camp Verde (FM 480), or on the return do…

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Mellow Swap 11/3 (Swap Meet) Flat Creek Ride 12/1
by teoteoteo            forums.mtbr.com
Mellow Swap is back! This year’s event will take place at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop on November 3, 2012 from 9am-4pm.

The swap is open to reps, individuals, teams, or anyone with a box of old bike goodies that need a new home. For shoppers its a chance to buy great sample and demo product from industry reps and we use it as a chance to sell scratch-n-dent product, take-offs, and clear out the basement.

The 2012 event will be our fourth year hosting the Mellow Swap, continuing to build on the popularity of the past four editions. Spaces…

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The latest email from Don about his riding exploits in the Hill Country.

October 22 Ride Report – A commemoration the noble senselessness of old men
by Don Bynum
A year ago yesterday, my high school classmate, now cycling buddy, Gil Jones and I set out on a grand cycling adventure.  We headed off into the wilderness west of Lake Buchanan, Gil on his Snazzy Scattante Prostate Crusher bike and me on my trusty, since deceased, Catrike Road.  Our goal was to make the 101.5 mile trek to Junction Texas.  A refresher on that saga can be found on my Blog.  We did it!  This year, Gil has had some neck surgery (possibly aggravated by the contortions required to ride a bike in an aerodynamic position and still be able to see a rattlesnake crossing the road just ahead) and could not ride for the several months during recovery.  Subsequently Gil upgraded to a Catrike Expedition, but has not had time to get his condition back up to what would be needed to undertake another great senseless challenge.  So I had to find another way to do something crazy.

My old friend Doug Miller provided such a challenge in ride around a common route we all ride out here where Austinites think dragons live, west of US281, but with a 5 mile extension through the western edge of Kingsland Texas.  The total mileage was not a big deal, nothing like riding across the hill country to Junction.  What made this a challenge is that Doug and I get really, really, competitive and though he is a couple of years older (70 vs my 68) he is only 140 pounds soaking wet and what is there is muscle, gristle, bones and/or hightech body part replacements (not quite a Six Million Dollar Man, but chasing him on uphills does make me wonder).  Route map below.

So we set out on our route and it was a blast.  We did the 38.4 mile loop at a pretty amazing pace for a couple of certified (and maybe certifiable) geezers.  Doug finished only 5 minutes ahead of me.  At various “catchup” spots one or the other of us would be ahead, but at 28.5 mile point we began a 6 mile segment in which we climbed from 871 feet above sea level to 1071 feet, with total ascending being closer to 300 feet than 200, due to ups and downs.  On that stretch Doug opened up that 5 minute gap as he hauled his 140 pounds plus about 20 pounds of machine up those hills while I hauled my 215 pounds plus 35 pounds of machine.

I can say with great confidence that few our age could ride that route at all and very few could have stayed anywhere near our blistering pace through the hills of the area.  So a different type of endurance ride was celebrated on October 22 of 2012.

Gil “retires” at the end of this year and swears that he wants to raise our senselessness level with me on October 22, 2013.  I will work on getting us to raise the bar much sooner than that.  Fear creeps into my gizzard as I realize that Doug will, no doubt, join us on whatever testosterone fume (hey, we are old men) powered craziness we can dream up.  I gotta get out and build up my ability to maintain a 2-3 mph higher average.  Gotta get stronger faster than old age makes me weaker!

At the end I showed 38.4 miles in 2hrs 35min 26 seconds at an average speed of 14.8 mph.  I burned an estimated 2,590 calories with a maximum heart rate of 150 and an average of 127. This performance is well above anything I ever was able to squeeze out of my Catrike Road, though I miss its better high speed cornering a little.  Clearly my new Catrike 700 is going to be a huge boost for my ability to cover increasingly insane distances in a single day… that’s pretty cool to be contemplating at age 68!  The graph below shows my heart rate and the elevation profile for the ride.  Note the long periods well above 120bpm.  WHEEEW!

I suppose wheel chair races are gonna be there in my 90s!

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Great Fall Cycling Events This Weekend
by Marc Mumby             BikeDFW

There are loads of cycling events in North Texas this weekend. The forecasts is for beautiful fall weather. The events are free and open to the public. There’s absolutely no reason not to get out there and have some fun on your bike! Here’s the run-down.

Fort Worth
October 26 –Mayor Betsy Price’s 2012 Tour de Fort Worth, 6pm – , T&P Tavern, 221 W. Lancaster Ave
The final ride of Mayor Betsy Price’s 2012 Tour de Fort Worth series takes on an eerie twist with a ride to one of Fort Worth’s oldest cemeteries—Pioneer’s Rest—where members of Historic Fort Worth Inc. will re‐enact scenes involving notable figures from Cowtown’s early years. …

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Sign the Petition that seeks to bring a Bike Skills Park to Austin
by Il Pirate            Austin Ridge Riders
Austin has a great reputation in the mountain biking world, and it needs to meet the demand for progressive and legitimate places to develop riding skills for riders of all ages.

Mountain biking, as a sport, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Austin’s fair climate and expansive green spaces have allowed for a culture to develop around mountain biking. While there are several sanctioned areas for traditional cross country mountain biking, there are no legitimate areas for building the rider skill set. There is overwhelming demand for this opportunity locally and it has not been met.

Many communities around the United States have recognized this need and are moving forward with bike skills park construction. Great examples of such established parks are…

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Fund manager Finds Common Ground As A Competitive Bike Racer
by Juliette Fairley         www.fa-mag.com
Accomplished track cyclist Ryan Crane has won multiple U.S. National and Pan-American championships, all while managing the Stephens Small Cap Growth Fund and the Stephens Mid Cap Growth Fund out of Houston, Texas.  On the bike track, Crane specializes in timed events.

“There’s a meritocracy in both biking and mutual fund managing. Whoever rode the fastest in a race wins, and performance numbers of a fund defines who among managers are winning,” says Crane, who in 2011 won the national championship in team sprint, second place in match sprints and fourth place in the one kilometer track race.

The registered investment advisor (RIA) employs the same skill set of focus and determination to win a bike race as he does in his duties as a mutual fund manager…

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Cyclists ride in honor of organ donors
by Kim Hilsenbeck            haysfreepress.com

Twelve non-professional cyclists with The Circle of Life bike tour rode nearly 600 miles in eight days throughout Texas to promote organ, tissue, bone marrow and blood donation. Each cyclist has a personal experience with one of these life-saving donations and rides in honor of a person who has given or received the gift of life.

The tour to encourage the public to be life-saving donors began in Beaumont and ended eight days later in Houston. The riders were in San Marcos on Oct. 17.

This year’s honorees include Jackson Norris, who died in June 2011 after doing what he loved most – skateboarding. After skating with a friend, the 15-year-old…

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Tweets

A fun cycling infographic for your Wednesday morning: H/T @SA_Bcycle pic.twitter.com/iwzSxV5g

— BikeTexas (@BikeTexas) October 24, 2012

City of Arlington is providing free bicycle safety classes for kids!!… http://t.co/j7DUeVL4

— WheelBrothers (@WheelBrothers) October 24, 2012

Wind sucks. Finished a 40 mile ride yesterday and 20 of it was in a 15mph headwind.

— Texas MTB Trails (@TexasMTBtrails) October 24, 2012

Another busy weekend ahead, including our @SRAMontheroad & @iamspecialized Shiv demo on the 27th! Come check it out! http://t.co/ZyuTHiUy

— Bicycle Sport Shop (@BSS_Austin) October 24, 2012

San Antonio B-cycle Buzz: A Busy Week http://t.co/R821tozu

— San Antonio Bike Share (@SABikeShare) October 24, 2012

https://twitter.com/bikesbelong/status/261123484430786562

RT @iangfleming: Little bro Luke is tearing it up on the 'cross bike: http://t.co/vAuavzZf #txcx < It was so fun watching this kid. Talent.

— the ghost of TexasCX (@TexasCX) October 25, 2012

Mixte! Do it. RT @gelatobaby I mean would you just look at this adorable @scoutregalia bicycle? Pricey but made in USA! http://t.co/8ZCn7nGh

— I BIKE DALLAS (@IBIKEDALLAS) October 24, 2012

Rather hit the trail than the tri bike Saturday? Here ya go! Intermediate MTB Clinic @ Walnut Creek. Info/registration http://t.co/cD9jMgk2?

— Bicycle Sport Shop (@BSS_Austin) October 24, 2012

Look who won the Open Division of 24 hours of RockyHill #MountainBike #Cycling #Houston #Champs #inittowinit http://t.co/nMUpyIDW

— Bike Barn (@BikeBarnTX) October 24, 2012