Every Saturday morning, an aggressive bunch of road cyclists head for the hills
PAM LEBLANC: FIT CITY (Austin American-Statesman)
Pam writes about the group of riders who meet Saturday mornings. These are not your sightseeing riders:
“The group, which pedals at an average rate of about 27 mph and hits speeds close to 50 mph on the downhills, includes professional cyclists, Category 1 and Category 2 rated riders. (The lower the number, the more proficient the rider.)”
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports on the tug of war between the Chamber of Commerce and a group of ride volunteers. Each group claims they are responsible for the success of the ride and want to run the event this year. The Chamber owns the name but the volunteers say they provide the brainpower to put the race on.
April 15, 2007 — Palo Duro Canyon SP — Family Mountain Bike Ride — Explore our mountain bike trails with an experienced mountain cyclist on this ride. Bring your mountain bike, helmet, sunscreen, water and a snack. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at the Chinaberry Day Use Area. 2-4 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.oldtascosacycling.com or call Kay at (806)467-8379. (806) 488-2227.
May 5, 2007 — Lake Colorado City SP — 3rd Annual Lake Colorado City Bike Tour — Ride from Colorado City to the park, around the lake and return to Colorado City on this 25-mile tour. Go twice around the lake for a longer 42.5-mile tour. 9 a.m.-noon; registration fee includes barbecue lunch and T-shirt $20 before April 30, $25 after, $5 lunch available for non-riders; reservations recommended (325) 728-3931.
May 5th and 20th, 2007 — Palo Duro Canyon SP — Family Mountain Bike Ride — Explore our mountain bike trails with an experienced mountain cyclist on this ride. Bring your mountain bike, helmet, sunscreen, water and a snack. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at the Chinaberry Day Use Area. 2-4 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.oldtascosacycling.com or call Kay at (806)467-8379. (806) 488-2227.
May 19, 2007 — Government Canyon SNA — Basic Bike Repair Clinic — Join Nea Britton from Britton’s Bicycle Shop and learn the basics for bike maintenance on the trails: what to take, safety and emergency planning and simple maintenance. Following the program, you are encouraged to enjoy our trails. Open to adults and children 12 or older; group size limited. Dress to ride and bring your bikes, bike packs, helmets and plenty of water and be ready for a fun, informative program. 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.; donations to the Friends of Government Canyon accepted and help make these and other programs possible; reservations required and will be accepted by e-mail only, beginning at noon May 7, 2007. For reservations or more information, e-mail rec_cmte@yahoo.com. Include name, e-mail address and telephone number for each reservation. (210) 688-9055, ext. 292.
September 15–16, 2007 — Huntsville SP — 2007 Huntsville Classic XI Mountain Bike Race — This cross country mountain bike race begins with a pre-race on Saturday. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and features the Kid’s Kup and Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association (TMBRA) Fall cup races. The Bike Lane Race will be held on Sunday, registration begins at 7 a.m. for all classes. For more information, contact TMBRA at http://www.TMBRA.org. (936) 295-5644.Â
A transportation engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is providing a survey for all bicyclers in Texas that will help in developing future bike lanes, bike racks and other facilities that better meet bicyclists’ safety and other needs.
In 2005, 784 bicyclists nationally were killed and 45,000 others were injured in traffic crashes. By surveying Texas bicyclists, Dr. Chandra Bhat hopes to enhance guidelines used by state and metropolitan organizations for designing bicycle facilities. The goal is to reduce traffic accidents, provide shorter commutes for bicyclists, and encourage more Texans to bicycle.
The online survey asks about preferred routes, reasons for bicycling and other information. It takes about 15 minutes to complete, and is available until May, here:
Bhat is conducting the survey with support from the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.
From the GHORBA forum