Today I had to look at Google Maps to refresh my memory of the streets to turn on when I got to The Commons of Lake Houston. The last time I rode this route was about a year ago and I think I got lost then. The route took me around Lake Houston north of FM1960. I started out on US59 north after exiting Kingwood. The light 4 mph breeze ws not much of problem no matter which direction I biked.
When I got to FM1485 I turned east and the sun started hiding behind some clouds which kept the heat down some. During the ride the temperature ranged from 89 to 93. I maintained a good pace during the entire ride. At the 40 mile point I checked my average speed to find 16.2 mph. The route totaled 42.39 miles and the final average speed was 16.1 mph thanks to all of the residential streets in the last 3 miles.
Overall the surfaces of the roads are good. Except for a section on FM1485 from mile 19.8 to 21.4 there is a shoulder. During this short section the first 300 yards has a steep drop off where the shoulder would be. After that the dirt levels up with the road in case you need to exit the road. There was a dust storm in the same section today. The dryness combined with a pipeline construction site to stir up the dust. The worst dust happened when the trucks hauling wooden road pieces covered with dirt drove by me. The dust was so thick it almost obscured the road for a short time. I stopped for a minute when a flagman held us up to let two trucks back into the construction area. Once I passed this place the trucks and dust went away as I turned into the side streets to go through The Commons of Lake Houston. One of the reasons I took this direction was the lack of shoulders on FM1485 until it meets FM2100. Traffic is not too bad since this road shortens the distance getting from FM1960 to US59 north. Back in the 1990’s I biked this route frequently and the log trucks traveled it a lot. I never had any problems though.
[wppa type=”slide” album=”184″][/wppa]
These two maps are interactive if you want to see more metrics.
GS Tenzing Criterium • May 26 2013
www.road-results.com
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50 years ago, the city of Dallas was forever changed by a major tragedy…the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. To honor this date in history, BFOC is bringing back the Tracing the Footsteps of Lee Harvey Oswald history tour bicycle ride on Saturday, November 23rd, at 1:30 PM starting at Dealey Plaza in Downtown Dallas, and passing the infamous residences of JFK’s alleged assassin. This was the group ride that…
Donate Your Old Bike or Spare Parts!
Texas Mountain Bike Trails
July 11th we are going to have a donation drop off for Erwin Park Summer Series sponsor ReCycles McKinney.
Why Donate An Old Bike?
We all have some old bike parts or even an old clunker sitting around in the garage or a spare closet, it’s time to de-clutter and put those bikes or parts to good use. ReCycles McKinney is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to “re-cycle†bikes within the community and give back to those who need them. They operate under a founding principle that “local donations are for local needs.†This means that all of the donations of bicycles, funding, suppliers, and other resources will stay within the…
Day 2 of July and the weather lightened up some more from what we experienced on Saturday. The humidity rested at 37% as I rode out of the driveway at 11:05 and 28% when I pulled in at 1:52. During the ride my perspiration evaporated nicely keeping me cool. When the sun ducked behind the clouds I felt a coolness from the moisture leaving my jersey.
To not loop back over any of my route I went north to New Caney via the “back way” out of Kingwood. At New Caney I turned to the northwest on FM1485 going to Gene Campbell Road. Up to this point the 10.4 mph breeze offered no resistance as it came from the north. I enjoyed the cooling effect as I made the left turn onto Gene Campbell and pedaled toward FM1314. All this time I expected to be greeted by the usual headwind once I started on FM1314 but not the case. Not to complain spinning along FM1314 was a breeze until I stopped at the Stripes store for a break to drink a Diet Pepsi, eat some crackers and Kashi cookies.
Normally when I take one of these breaks the sweat drips from my body for awhile until I cool down but today was different and I barely dampened the paper towels I sat on. The temperature range while I was biking: 85 to 92 which is not too bad for July.
After finishing the rest I moved to the traffic light to cross FM1314 to Old Sorters Road. Unfortunately the sensor does not recognize a bicyclist so I stood there for several minutes until several cars pulled up behind to activate the light change. Finally getting through the light I continued to Briar Tree subdivision and back streets to land at the southbound US59 service road. Traffic was light on the service road and I stayed at a steady pace to Kingwood Drive. My speed was no where near the TDF team time trail though. They averaged over 40 mph while I was at 18 to 20 mph. Over the 34.16 mile route I averaged 16.0 mph which is not too shabby for me. July mileage increased to 70.32 and 3396 year to date.
All Level Ride @ Walnut Creek Spring/Summer hours
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Sunday, July 7, 2013Â Â Â Â Â Â 9:30 AM
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX (map)
We set up under the trees in the parking lot near the swimming pool. Look for the ARR Banner.
New Spring/Summer hours to help when the weather gets hotter. Starting 3/31 we go to 9:30 am.
We know that this time change doesn’t work for everyone so we hope you considering hosting a ride for yourself and those who might want to ride at a different time or…
Brazosport Bicycle Club Upcoming Rides
7/4/2013    7:30 AM    4th of July Ride    Start at LJ Recreation Center.
7/5/2013    7:30 AM    Friday Morning Ride    Start at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
7/6/2013    7:30 AM    Saturday Morning Ride    Meet at Lake Jackson Recreation Center
7/7/2013    7:30 AM    Sunday Morning Ride    Meet at 288 and 35 Park and Ride in Angleton
7/9/2013    7:30 AM    Tuesday Morning Ride    Start at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on FM 2004 near Lake Road.
7/12/2013    7:30 AM    Friday Morning Ride    Start at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
7/13/2013    7:30 AM    Saturday Morning Ride    Meet at Lake Jackson Recreation Center
7/14/2013    7:30 AM    Sunday Morning Ride    Meet at 288 and 35 Park and Ride in Angleton…
On the last Friday of every month, Houston bicyclists meet at Market Square park to take part in Critical Mass, an informal bike ride that happens among different groups all over the world.
The size of the last ride was the talk of the town on Friday night, good and bad.
Abrahan Garza has been riding with CM since May 2009. He remembers there only being around 300 riders on his first ride. Friday night, he says he was one of nearly 1,500. Some estimated there to be close to…
A group of college students are biking for a special cause – and today they cruised into Bozeman.
“We don’t really have the money to fund some significant cancer research,” said Sarah Kettles, ride director. “So we use our youth and our bodies to try and make a difference and inspire others by raising money and spreading hope and knowledge about cancer prevention.”
A group of 69 University of Texas students are part of the…
Niner Jet9 Review
by TCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â www.turnincranks.com
Well, as I referenced in my last post, my chain stay had gotten bashed and I was looking for a replacement.
I dropped the bike at the shop last Monday before we headed out of town for a trip to Corpus Christi with the expectation that I’d be out about $300 to have it fixed.
Shop calls on Friday with some bad news. Apparently my seat stays are also bent, as well as needing some new bushings. This is going to push the price upwards towards $500.
Now we’re starting to get into the neighborhood of concern on pricing. I’ve already had to replace the chain stay once last fall due to the derailleur hanger not breaking off and shearing off the end of the stay. That cost me about $300 then. Now I’m looking at…
Longview, Texas (KETK) — A team of cyclists participating in Journey of Hope, presented by KRG Capital, will arrive in Longview as a stop on their 4,000-mile cycling event across the country to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities Tuesday, July 16th.
The team will be having dinner and an advocacy presentation with AMBUCS TOO at 5pm.
Journey of Hope is a program of Push America, the national philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, which raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities. The Journey of Hope team consists of men from Pi Kappa Phi chapters across the…
The Pedaler Newsletter – July 2013
San Antonio Wheelmen
Earlier today, I watched a recording of the first day of the 100th edition of the Tour de France. One of the team buses got stuck under the banner of the “finishing line”. It forced the TdF officials to declare that the race would now end at the 3 KM-to-go mark, where they also had photo-finish equipment. After that was relayed to the cyclists, the team bus was dislodged from the banner and a big crash occurred about 3 KM from the 3 KM-to-go mark! The TdF officials decided that the original “finishing line” would now be the end of the race and that that the riders who crashed earlier would get the same time as the winner. The race is off to an interesting start…
We held our annual summer picnic on June 15th. You can view several photos taken during the picnic on…