The last little bit is coming soon!

Colleyville's construction will complete the remaining gap of the Cotton Belt Trail linking Grapevine to North Richland Hills without interruption.

Once the gap—between Grapevine and Colleyville—is filled, bicyclists and pedestrians will be able to travel from North Richland Hills to Grapevine uninterrupted. All that remains to connect the Cotton Belt Trail is a portion of about 800 feet, which is from Colleyville’s entry sign to the existing trail on John McCain Road. Construction is currently underway on this small portion of the trail. Colleyville officials said the gap is expected to be closed by spring.


Elsewhere on the Trail

At Rufe Snow drive there is a trailhead under construction. The trail head will feature a water fountain, a shade with benches, and a bicycle rack.

There is a rumor that:
LD Lockett park will get a bike repair station.

Hotter N' Hell Hundred!

The Criterium Races

This past weekend was the Hottern' Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls Texas. My friend, wife, mother-in law and I went up early on Friday and set up camp. We went to the exhibition and watched the criterium races.
    I had the goal to ride a sub five hour century and I ended up with a time of 4:50:38. I am pleased to say that I hung with the lead group (in front of the "Official Pace Group") for 60 miles. I ran out of water and had to stop off at the Burkburnett rest stop to refuel/ tighten my handlebar stem bolts. At that time my average speed was 27mph. I was able to catch on with the second chase group and hang with them for about 20 or so miles. I started feeling some light cramping in my left calf muscle so I peeled off at the next rest stop. After a whole bottle of Pickle Juice and a refill of my bottles I was off but not in a group. I rode solo for about seven or eight miles when I was over taken by and latched on with the "Official Pace Group". It was an interesting experience riding in a group with "full race support" watching them slow for a "feed zone". The race leaders would ferry bottles from the team  motorcycles to the riders that needed refilling/refueling. They used radios to control the pace of the group, keeping everyone in a tight pack. It was neat seeing the organization of all this happening while still moving along between twenty and twenty-five miles per hour.

The Finish

    I had some discomfort on my inner right thigh and reached down to investigate only to find that my seat bag strap had rubbed a hole in my shorts and was now rubbing a hole through my skin. I reluctantly had to leave the pace group at the next aid station to get my leg seen to and to refill/refuel for the final push into the finish. The doctor at the station understood my hurry being pressed on time at 4:37 since the start and only at mile 92. With 23 minutes to go, 8 miles and get my leg dressed, time was very close. I needed to average 20 mph but I was tired and there wasn't a paceline in sight. I was desperate. The head winds were killing my speed, the best I was able to make was 19.5; not quite good enough. Then suddenly from behind a small group of ten or twelve riders started to come around me on my left. "I'M SAVED!" I thought and latched on to the first wheel I could muster and held it until the last turn. I was in a total zone of aggressive male, almost growling as I planned my sprint into the finish. Judging my strength after 100 miles and the length that I can sprint. 100meters after the USCF finish I started my sprint into the finish. I was off like a rocket propelling myself past the finish in a burst of anger and elation. My heart was pounding like a drum even after I stopped. I unclipped and walked my bike towards the finish line village. I picked up my finishers pin and went straight to the fire hose to cool my body down. The water was refreshing but I needed to sit down. I found a shady place and sat on a chair, drinking water till I felt like I would be able to walk back to the campsite and get a shower.

A Finisher!

    My ride, while a major accomplishment for me, doesn't compare to my mother-in-law's ride. This was her first century and she is not quite as youth-full as I am. I am really impressed with her endurance. She looked very strong crossing the finish line. I am proud of her.

What do you do when your pump will not fit?

The bicycling family, that we are, needed to go to "Stuff-Mart" to get some "Stuff". On our way home my son punctured his rear tire on some glass (broken beer bottles are a direct result of the open container law) that was on the edge of the road. We didn't have a tube for his bicycle (700x23C) so I thought i would just patch it. But when I got out the pump out to inflate the tube I realized that the cheap pump that I had would not attach to a presta valve. BUMMER! This means I need to get creative.

So I:

• attached his front wheel, to the rear, on the non-drive side of his bike, outside the frame,
• towed his bike with the Ute, 
• hung his rear wheel hanging from his handlebar,
• had my daughter ride the back of the Ute,

    and

• had my son ride my daughters bike.

We were back moving and back home in no time at all.
Adapt, Overcome, and Execute!

What does a Full Buggy of Groceries look like on a Bicycle!

 In preparation for the consolidated guy birthday party (Me and both my sons birthdays are within ten days of one another) my wife went to our local "stuff-mart" store and loaded up the Ute with a full buggy of stuff. When she was there, she called me and said that she may have bought too much "stuff" and may need me to rescue her with the cargo trailer. She, however, found my bungee cords and lassoed things down on to the top. I believe she could have carried more using the old "shopping bags on the handlebars trick" but I don't know if she knows that one. As you can see from the pictures the Ute bags are pretty full. The bike has room for more stuff if I got a front rack and a big folding crate for the deck. But that might be a little too much weight!

Fort Worth Bike Route 360 is a Dirty Mess

You  would think that right next to the barn that the park the street sweepers, the street would be clean...You'd think! But its not. The problem that is created by the city not keeping an established bicycle route clean and clear of debris, is that it forces riders to ride closer toward the center of the lane just to keep their bicycles from slipping and sliding around. Also the mud does clog the storm drains and cause standing water in the rain. I would rather not have to wrap myself completely in plastic just to get to work. Road grime is difficult enough to keep out of a chain, so riding through mud flowing on top of the streets is nearly impossible.

 

2 for 2

  I’ve had a chance to go out riding a little lately, what with the recession and all, and the last two times i have gone out to ride with people both those people have crashed…is it me? Cursed? Am I careless? Do I cause this?  I hope that I or at least someone can learn from all this misery around me.

Point One

My wife and I went to my hometown to visit my mom and bike around…(a very windy day)and while climbing “the Wall” (a 19% grade ) my wife fell. She wasn’t hurt but was a little annoyed. She wasn’t going fast enough for any serious injury and that might just have been the cause of her mishap. Gravity! When it comes down to it, gravity is why we crash. While riding, we’re relying on the gyroscopic forces of our two skinny wheels along with our ability to balance and control our bike, as well as a bunch of other physics that I don’t care to explain. The fact is, if any of it goes out of whack,(loss of gyroscopic force) gravity wins.

Point Two

My wife’s cousin and I decide to skip spinning class and go for a ride instead. She is a rookie and doesn’t have a road bike of her own, so she will ride my wife’s orbea with a set of pedal cages. I am leading this ride and decide a “ride for pastries” will be of sufficient distance. We ride…We eat..We start for home and about halfway back I accelerate to get into the lead and make a right and totally come across her front wheel. I feel the contact, slow and look back only to see her wobble then fall/slide as if the bike had bucked her off. She seemed ok at first glance, the way she got up so quickly. After a second I saw her wince in pain. She was definitely hurt! I helped her clean her wounds and inspect for other injuries, praying all the while that she was ok and that the whole experience hadn’t turned her off from cycling in general. We finished our ride back home, all be it allot slower, and the fun then began of cleaning the debris from all her wounds and bandaging them up. It was a good thing that she was wearing her helmet because her head was the only thing that she didn’t scrape up. The whole crash was my fault because I rode with her as if she was a seasoned cyclist used to riding in a group. I didn’t announce my intentions before my turn and she didn’t know what to expect, being she had never ridden in a group before. Every one crashes sooner or later too bad because of me she had to crash sooner.

PSA #1

Crashing is a fact of cycling but often can be avoided if you have good habits and good handling skills. It's no coincidence that experienced cyclists tend to crash less than beginners. After years of racing they've developed instincts for avoiding danger.

One important habit is monitoring your front wheel so that it rarely overlaps the rear wheel ahead of you. If your wheels overlap and the other rider makes a sudden move -- to pull out of the paceline, to attack, to avoid a pothole -- your wheels will strike and it's going to be you who pays the price.

That said, should the paceline slow, there's no need to slam on the brakes in order to avoid the overlap. Rather than panic and cause trouble, coast and hold your line until you can get back behind that wheel.

Another good habit: Monitor your "outs." At any given time, you need to know what you'd do should there be a crash ahead of you. Can you escape onto the shoulder? Is there a curb or a driveway you can ride onto? Are you completely boxed in? Then you might want to find another spot to be. Like in front of me.