Texas Bicycling News for December 6, 2023

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Bikes for burgers at Fred’s Texas Cafe

www.nbcdfw.com

Help spread holiday joy with Fred’s Texas Café through their annual bike drive.

TBCAC – Sunday coffee ride (partial ride clips)

Texas Bell County Area Cycling | www.youtube.com

Recovery type ride for coffee to Salado, TX Original video was upside down. Had to flip and rotate video. GPS data is not in sync. map is reversed.

Video: Brownsville promoting health and wellness with bike ride event

By: Dina Herrera Garza | www.krgv.com

The city of Brownsville is promoting health and wellness in a fun way with an upcoming event.

Commissioner At-Large “B”, Dr. Rose Gowen, gives more details on Ride with the Commissioner, an 8-mile bicycle ride.

The event is happening Sunday, Dec. 10 starting at 8:30 a.m. at Oliveira Park

Houston cyclists plead next mayor for more bike lanes: ‘We’re demanding safety improvements’

By Chaz Miller | abc13.com

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – A group of cycling advocates in Houston is asking the city’s next mayor to make roads safer for people who commute via bicycles.

BikeHouston held a rally on Houston Avenue Tuesday night to urge leaders to add more bike lanes in the city as a way to make things safer for both cyclists and motorists.

“Safe streets save lives,” BikeHouston Executive Director Joe Cutrufo said. “We’re demanding safety improvements on Houston Avenue and all of our dangerous streets in the city.” …

Video: Central Texas AGC donates 100 bicycles for Toys for Tots drive

By Jessica Rajkumar | www.kwtx.com

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – The Central Texas Associated General Contractors of America gathered monetary donations to continue its tradition of buying bicycles for the annual Toys for Tots drive.

President and CEO K. Paul Holt says that owning a bike is an experience his company wants kids of all ages to have.

“Most of us, at a certain age, had bicycles before there were bike helmets and we survived. So, we want other children to have bicycles as well,” Holt said.

Contractors, members of the Marine Corps and volunteers from Waco ISD worked together to unload, organize, then store the bikes until they are ready to be distributed. …

Zwift – Mostly Eastern Eight in Watopia. Turned Before Titans Grove Reverse

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Second ride on this route. Last ride, January 12th, 2023, but not the full route. I stopped at 21.14 miles and 772 feet elevation gain. The full route is 32.1 miles and 1334 feet elevation gain. At the start I thought maybe 25 miles today. Two big climbs (big for me) over Titans Grove in both directions. From ZwiftInsider.com, “Route Description Originally published as a Rebel Route by Zwift Insider in February 2020, “Eastern Eight” covers the easternmost roads of Watopia (Fuego Flats, Titans Grove, and most of Ocean Boulevard) in both directions.” When I reached around 21.5 miles the turn to Titans Grove KOM came up and I opted to go straight to avoid that climb. I continued to the Sprint Forward near the Italian Villas and then stopped at 26.32 miles and 823 feet of elevation gain. Maybe I’ll stick to the route for the full distance and elevation gain. I’m getting closer.

12-6-2023 Strava Ride Map Zwift Watopia Eastern Eight
12-6-2023 Strava Ride Map Zwift Watopia Eastern Eight
12-6-2023 Strava Ride Summary Zwift Watopia Eastern Eight
12-6-2023 Strava Ride Summary Zwift Watopia Eastern Eight

Texas Bicycling News for December 5, 2023

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Heritage Trail Cowboy Church donates 15 bikes to Neal’s Wheels

KETK NBC | www.youtube.com

Heritage Trail Cowboy Church donated 15 bikes to Neal’s Wheels, KETK’s campaign to give bikes to East Texas children for Christmas.

Final phase of Red Berry re-development project introduces new trail on San Antonio’s East Side

news4sanantonio.com

SAN ANTONIO – A new trail opened up on the city’s East Side.

The 85-acre land connects to two additional trails allowing for more hiking and biking.

It’s all part of the Red Berry re-development project by the Parks and Recreation Department and the San Antonio Housing Trust and it’s been years in the making.

The new trailhead begins off i-10 at the Red Berry Estate and connects to the Howard W. Peak Greenway trails system and Salado Creek.

This is the final phase of the re-development plans.

Council greenlights update to urban trails, sidewalks and bikes plan with last-minute amendments

by Kali Bramble | www.austinmonitor.com

As the city prepares for a decade of unprecedented public transportation and highway infrastructure projects, Austin’s Transportation Department is making moves to spread the love to those choosing to walk, bike or roll.

Since early last year, staff has been devising updates to the 2019 Strategic Mobility Plan, a sprawling vision charting the path forward for capital improvements to Austin’s streetscapes. The two-year-long effort came to fruition at last week’s City Council meeting, where members unanimously approved the update to the plan’s urban trail, bicycle, and sidewalk and crossing goals alongside amendments addressing community concerns in districts 4, 5 and 8.

The bulk of Thursday’s discussion concerned updates to the city’s Urban Trails Plan, which since 2014 has steered the expansion of Austin’s urban trail system from around 30 miles to nearly 60 miles in total. The updated plan …

Roper And White Christmas Bike Giveaway

easttexasradio.com

The Third Annual Bike Giveaway by the Rober and White Law Firm will be on Saturday, December 16, beginning at 9_00 am at the office building at 519 Oak Ave. Sulphur Springs. They will provide 150 boys’ and girls’ bikes for only Hopkins County residents. Only one bicycle per vehicle is allowed. The route will be the same as last year’s event, as seen below.

Park in the works for Dallas’ Trinity River reveals new location

By Teresa Gubbins | dallas.culturemap.com

A major park long in the works for Dallas has shifted its location to a more stable setting: Harold Simmons Park, the 250-acre park centered around the Trinity River, wil now be situated on a parcel of land that’s west of the floodway.

The park, which was first announced in 2016 with a $50 million gift from Annette Simmons, widow of Dallas businessman Harold Simmons, has expanded from a 200-acre park within the floodway, stretching from the Ronald Kirk Bridge to the Margaret McDermott Bridge, to a 250-acre park which includes overlook parks and development within the floodway. …

… Active elements include two acres of bike and skate parks, a roller-skating rink, courts for various sports, and six “play towers” with different themes, plus a cable ferry where kids can pull themselves along. …

Weslaco man arrested for hitting, killing cyclist in late September

By Xavier Alvarez | myrgv.com

A 21-year-old Weslaco man was arrested on Nov. 27 for striking and killing a cyclist with a vehicle that he was borrowing in late September.

Humberto Garza was charged with crash involving death after a police investigation revealed he took his friend’s truck, drove it after a night of drinking in downtown McAllen and hit Rames Gonzalez Jr., killing him, according to a probable cause affidavit.

At about 8:36 a.m. on Sept. 23, a Texas …

This is what Texas MTB looks like. Zero elevation but super fun builds…
byu/GuywhoMTB_s inMTB

Army Corps of Engineers no longer closing popular Fort Worth bike path

by Matthew Sgroi | fortworthreport.org

While patrolling Benbrook Lake over the last few months, the Fort Worth District of the Army Corps of Engineers have noticed a few changes along the trails.

The changes aren’t physical, said chief of public affairs Richard Bumgardner, but are indicated by how the cycling community treats Benbrook Lake’s trails, parks and campers. …

Upcoming Rides

Fort Worth Bicycling Association | www.fwbaclub.org

9:00 AM Start Chisholm Rusty Chain Gang Ramble Tue, December 12, 2023 9:00 AM 4936 McPherson Blvd, Fort Worth, TX https://www.fwbaclub.org/event-5494479

Rusty Romp Tuesday Edition Tue, December 12, 2023 9:00 AM Benbrook YMCA, 1899 Winscott Road, Benbrook, TX 76126 https://www.fwbaclub.org/event-5494560

Upcoming Rides

San Antonio Wheelmen | www.sawheelmen.com

Dec 23 China Grove Ride http://www.sawheelmen.com/events/7/29-copperfield

Dec 24 New Braunfels Ride http://www.sawheelmen.com/events/11/4-cibolo

Dec 30 Spechts Ride http://www.sawheelmen.com/events/1/15-spechts

Dec 31 Cibolo Ride http://www.sawheelmen.com/events/10/14/cibolo

Upcoming Houston Avenue redesign has cycling advocates, impacted properties wanting more

Adam Zuvanich | www.houstonpublicmedia.org

The City of Houston is adding medians to a stretch of Houston Avenue north of downtown, in order to make what is now is a six-lane street easier to cross for pedestrians and less congested and complicated for drivers.

James Midkiff was riding his bicycle along Houston Avenue on the night of Nov. 19 when he was struck by the driver of a white sedan who did not stop after the collision, according to the Houston Police Department. The 36-year-old Midkiff died in a hospital three days later, becoming the latest cyclist to lose his life in a city that has pledged to end traffic fatalities by the end of this decade.

A few blocks south of where Midkiff was fatality struck – he is at least the 16th Houston cyclist to die this year in a crash with a motor vehicle, according to local advocacy group BikeHouston – the city is starting a road redesign project it bills as bringing “multimodal improvements.” But no protected bike lanes or even unprotected bike paths are part of the planned work on Houston Avenue, where a …

TEXAS Cyclocross State Champion!!

Ten 96 Cycling | www.youtube.com

This is the Texas/Oklahoma Battle at the Border Cyclocross State Championship put on by the Texas Racing Syndicate! We raced in Sherman, Texas. I raced the Intermediate Cat 3/4 race and took the win. Check out the video and make sure to share with EVERY person you know. Thanks for watching!

City celebrates completion of Avenue B and North Alamo bike lanes

by Raquel Torres | sanantonioreport.org

After delays and hurdles, the city on Tuesday celebrated the completion of protected bike lanes on Avenue B and North Alamo Street and said the completed lanes are just one piece of what will become an interconnected bike network.

“This is our first way of showing it’s possible,” District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said Tuesday. “Our advocates on the ground keep pushing us to say we need more resources for bikers, more resources for safety measures for bikers and we need more nodes of transportation in general.”

Construction on the $6 million midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) project started in …

Trek Houston December rides of the month have arrived!

Flintridge MTB Mountain Biking Trails

Bicyclists demand action as Houston nears cyclist death record

Author: Marcelino Benito | www.khou.com

So far in 2023, 16 cyclists have been killed on Houston streets. With a mayoral runoff looming, BikeHouston asked candidates to make traffic safety a priority.

HOUSTON — 2023 has been the deadliest year on Houston streets for cyclists since 2019.

Now, with a new mayor set to take office on Jan. 1, BikeHouston wants to make sure the next administration prioritizes safety on the road. They rallied at the corner off Houston Avenue on Tuesday.

Zwift – Makuri Islands Chasing The Sun, Conquering Temple KOM

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The morning got away from as I worked on my Linux computer changing the operating system from Ubuntu to Ziron. I started working on that when the temperature was in the low 50’s which pointed me to riding Zwift if it didn’t warm up by 11 AM or so. Tuesday is a short window day because I play dominoes with a group. with that in mind I decided to ride Zwift. Opening Zwift Makuri Islands was one world to choose from. Scrolling through the routes one that I had not done (according to Zwift) was Chasing The Sun. Not too long, 21.8 miles, but with extra climbing at 1034 feet. The big climb was the Temple KOM, a category 4 mountain. Back on March 13th I started this route (according to SportTracks) but must have moved off course and did not earn the Zwift badge. Going up Temple KOM some of the gradients hit 10% and I was out of the saddle. My legs got a workout and were tired when I finished the ride. I achieved a number of Strava segment awards. The Strava profile map doesn’t portray the steepness of the KOM.

12-5-2023 Strava Ride Summary Zwift Makuri Islands Chasing the Sun
12-5-2023 Strava Ride Summary Zwift Makuri Islands Chasing the Sun
12-5-2023 Strava Ride Map Zwift Makuri Islands Chasing the Sun
12-5-2023 Strava Ride Map Zwift Makuri Islands Chasing the Sun
12-5-2023 Strava Ride Segments Zwift Makuri Islands Chasing the Sun
12-5-2023 Strava Ride Segments Zwift Makuri Islands Chasing the Sun