A different setting for today’s bike ride, Harlingen, TX. I’m here early to ride the Jalapeno 100 on Saturday and to take advantage of the summer like weather for riding before then.
Earlier today I watched two bike races, the UAE Tour and the O Gran Camiño while I ate breakfast. The weather couldn’t have been more different for those two races. The UAE Tour was sunny and around 20C while the O Gran Camiño was super cold and snowing on the last climb. The O Gran Camiño was stopped with about 22km left because of heavy snow and freezing cold. I didn’t have that problem in Harlingen. When I started my ride at 11:16 AM it was 84 degrees, fair with a south wind of 18 mph and gusts of 31 mph. By the 1:53 PM finish the temperature was 94, fair sky, and the wind was from the south at 15 mph and 24 mph gusts. The wind and temperature took a lot out of me so I should’ve started earlier before it got that intense.
I looked up a route at RWGPS that I planned the last time I came to Harlingen for the Jalapeno 100 in late February 2020. I wanted to ride a few miles longer than then. I selected the route on my Bolt computer for turn-by-turn directions. The first 6+ miles I rode on that route but I didn’t update the route to add the extra miles and the Bolt had a beeping fit wanting me to turn at every side street to get back on the route. I ignored the beeping and later in the ride when I was on Loop 499 the Bolt wanted me to make u-turns which would’ve taken me away from where I finished. I called the route Wilson Road – Combes – Loop 499.
Most of the roads were chip seal on the shoulders except for TX 107 and Loop 499 which was asphalt with some patches. It wasn’t rough enough to jar fillings out but bumpy and vibrating. No climbing but there was a short slight downhill on Loop 499 over a bridge approaching Business US77 near the end of the ride.
The wind and heat took their pound of flesh so I stopped at the Road Ranger Truck Stop in Combes at US77 to recover some at 14.8 miles. Later I stopped again for ice and water at a store on Loop 499. My CamelBak would’ve been better than the water bottle I had with me.
I ended up riding less miles than I wanted to at 24.47. My legs told me to finish or they would go on strike from the wind.
MSU Texas cycling coach Pablo Cruz Trochez can’t hide his excitement about the Spring 2023 season.
He can’t wait for the conference championships in April or the Collegiate Road Nationals in May. Cruz Trochez’s team is the reason for his optimism.
Pavle and Dusan Kalaba lead a talented group of returnees from the fall mountain bike season. The brothers were first and second in the Hotter’N Hell Hundred last August and competed at nationals. …
Brent Frenchak crosses Nichols Sawmill Road as he takes Helen Cooper and Alice Riley for a ride on his modified bike, Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, in Magnolia. Frenchak does not feel that the city is safe for pedestrians and cyclists.Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer
Brent Frenchak has provided a bicycle service for older adults in the Magnolia area for seven years. Three days a week he travels on his customized bike, where a bench big enough to hold two people fits between two wheels.
Before embarking on an hour-long journey around the city, Frenchak, 64, checks-in with his two passengers from Love On ‘Em Assisted Living, making sure they are comfortable and strapped-in.
Alice Riley, 86, has been using his service for three years, and said she feels comfortable with Frenchak ‘behind-the-wheel.’ …
Riders with the Chain Reaction cycling club of San Antonio brave the cool temperatures Feb. 11 to ride into Floresville; their route took them a bit more than 60 miles that day, entering Floresville on U.S. 181 south. The group stopped at the H-E-B convenience store for a quick break and to wait for some stragglers. Watch for more cyclists on area roadways as the weather warms up!
New Event Stage 2 Midland Trails / ViM & Vigor MTB Short-Track Series Stage 2 Midland Trails / ViM & Vigor MTB Short-Track Series at Midland , TXhttps://t.co/ypFEcxWawR
New Event Stage 3 Big Spring State Park / ViM & Vigor MTB Short-Track Series Stage 3 Big Spring State Park / ViM & Vigor MTB Short-Track Series at Big Spring , TXhttps://t.co/Uoo2O8Lzxq
It happened just after midnight on the southwest side of town.
SAN ANTONIO — A good Samaritan was in the right place at the right time to help a man who was shot in the leg while riding his bike on the southwest side of town just after midnight.
Police say they were called early Tuesday for reports of a shooting on Somerset Rd at Cree Street, not far from South San High School.
Officials say a 24-year-old man was riding his bike heading north on Somerset when he was shot twice by a suspect in a passing vehicle, hit twice in the leg.
A good Samaritan took the victim to Texas Vista Medical Center where …
As the City of McAllen moves forward with the 2018 Bond Group C3 Drainage Improvement projects, storm infrastructure construction will cause a closure at the Bicentennial Blvd. Hike & Bike Trail at Redbud Avenue. …
There was a time Pablo Cruz Trochez wouldn’t have envisioned life as a college student, so being the cycling coach at MSU Texas definitely wasn’t on his radar.
He claims he wasn’t a good student in high school. But he was great on his bike. He was a professional cyclist for two years before he came to MSU. The transition wasn’t easy. He was still learning and adapting to English.
But in retrospect his experiences gave him a good picture of what students and …
KINGSVILLE – The Kingsville Noon Lions Club will host their annual A Ride on the Wild Side Bike Tour on April 22 in Kingsville. The Bike Tour is scheduled for April 22 starting at 8 a.m. The tour provides challenging bicycle rides, through local Kingsville venues to include the famous…
Long-term and permanent closures are ongoing as part of the $1.74 billion I-635 East project. The eastbound I-635 ramp entrance from Skillman Street is expected to remain closed until August 2023, TxDOT officials said. The closest detour to access eastbound I-635 is at the Royal Lane and Miller Road on-ramp. In addition, the westbound I-635 ramp exit at Skillman Street, Exit 16, was permanently combined with a further exit at Royal Lane and Miller Road.
The project is designed to improve what TxDOT officials call one of the most congested areas in the state and spans from US 75 to just south of I-35. Construction includes building a fifth lane in each direction of I-635E, reconstructing the existing managed toll lanes and adding frontage roads in each direction, according to officials. Also part of the project is a revamp of the Skillman Street interchange by building an arched bridge. Construction is expected to last into 2024. Updates and closures can be found at www.635east.com. …
… Upcoming projects
Lakewood area pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements
Pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements are coming to North Central Expressway, Mockingbird Lane, Lovers Lane and Greenville Avenue near Lakewood. New traffic signals, extended sidewalks, crosswalk improvements and lighting enhancements are expected to make streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, according to city planning documents.
Timeline: October 2023-December 2024
Cost: $5.5 million
Funding source: 2017 Dallas bond program/North Central Texas Council of Governments…
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new project from Austin Public Works will revitalize pedestrian and bicycle paths along Barton Springs Road between Stratford Drive and MoPac Expressway.
Crews recently began construction along the 0.7-mile project stretch, designed to improve mobility and add transit access near Zilker Park, the Zilker Botanical Garden and the Austin Nature and Science Center, per the release. The project is being done in partnership with the Austin Parks and Recreation and Austin Transportation departments as well as CapMetro. …
It’s a Sunday morning in late February last year. I get dressed for my 9:30 a.m. church service downtown and make it out the door in record time. As I drive to my parish in the heart of the city, my typical route is blockaded by police vehicles. I decide to take an alternate route but quickly realize it’s also closed off. Then, I notice people walking by wearing numbered bibs labeled “Ascension Seton Marathon.”
No matter how far north I went, there was a continuous line of runners preventing me from accessing I-35. Suddenly, a guy on a road bike weaves through the standstill traffic with ease. In that moment of frustration, I thought to myself, ‘That guy’s got it figured out.’
Street Skills is a free, hour-long class for adults and mature teens who want to learn the safest way to cycle on the street. The class will cover important street riding information in a brief presentation.
I rode to the north on today’s bike ride enjoying mostly a tailwind to Tavola. Before I started the ride I watched the UAE tour. Today was the team time trial. The winning team beat out their challenger by 1 second. I watched while I ate breakfast. The teams inspired me to ride my bike but without a team.
Before today’s ride I needed 23 miles to reach my 300 mile goal for February. Today’s ride was long enough to get those miles. I rode 36.16 miles which also moved my Cervelo bike to 6033 miles since I bought it last February.
Today’s route was New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch. I rode through several Kingwood villages, Woodridge Forest, Brooklyn Trails on the way to Tavola. Checking the weather before starting at 10:49 AM the wind was from the SW at 10 mph and the temperature was 79, nice and warm for late February. The weather forecast said the wind would pick up during the day and it did. When I finished at 1:45 PM it was 82 degrees and the wind was from the SW at 12 mph with 25 mph gusts. I wore a long sleeve jersey and a short sleeve jersey, no jacket needed.
On the way to Tavola there were spots where I rode into the wind and my legs hurt pushing the pedals. When i reached the northbound US59 frontage road the wind was from my left rear side and my speed went up and my legs stopped complaining. When I rode into Tavola on Via Principal Parkway I went east and the wind helped me get to Aregoste Parkway. The ride to Roman Forest ended the helpful wind part of the ride. From there back to Kingwood Drive I battled the wind. At times I shifted to the 35×13 gears and when the wind was blocked I went to the 35×13 gears but not for long. My legs bogged down as the headwind pushed against me on the southbound frontage road from FM 1485 to Valley Ranch Parkway. Valley Ranch Parkway changed directions affording some let up of headwind. It was hard pedaling up the little incline from the TX 99 overpass to Valley Ranch Bend Drive. I was afraid I would have to stop at Valley Ranch Bend if the newly operational traffic lights turned red but they stayed green as I rode through. From there to FM 1314 the trees on the right blocked the wind some and I could pedal the 35×13 gears.
Back in Kingwood the houses and trees lessened the wind some plus I rode to the east and the wind was from the SW. My legs will need some recovery time after fighting the headwind.
When I looked at Strava I was surprised to see I captured 3 local legends: Local Legend on Briar Willow to Lodge, Local Legend on KPHS Sprint, and Local Legend on VR Drag. It is rare for me to get one on a ride let alone 3. In Strava I marked this as a hard ride because of the headwind.
2-21-2023 Strava Ride Summary New Caney-Tavola-Valley Ranch2-21-2023 Strava Ride Map New Caney-Tavola-Valley Ranch
