Texas Bicycling News August 18th 2022

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Specially trained cyclists provide emergency care for West Seventh

www.fortworthtexas.gov

The West Seventh Street district is a very popular venue for area residents to enjoy a night out with friends. On Friday and Saturday nights, thousands of visitors and residents crowd the entertainment venues in the blocks bordered by West Seventh, Bledsoe Street, University Drive and Foch Street.

The large number of visitors creates a significant challenge getting emergency medical resources into the district for medical calls.

Since September 2018, a unique partnership between the bicycle teams from Fort Worth Police Department and MedStar has helped improve patient access to medical resources. MedStar’s Bicycle Emergency Response Team – BERT for short – responds to medical calls in the West Seventh District as requested either through a 911 call, or by Fort Worth police officers on duty in the district.

Since the program was begun, BERT medics have treated 466 patients, with 61% of the patients treated …

Northeast trail gets $18M grant

By Mary Madewell | theparisnews.com

The Northeast Texas Trail is the recipient of an $18 million federal grant to complete the roughly 45 miles of unsurfaced trail remaining in the 130-mile stretch from Farmersville to New Boston. The trail passes through seven counties and 19 rural towns.

TxDOT made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in conjunction with a combined $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant announced late last week for the NETT and for the Paso del Norte Trail in El Paso. The grant is part of more than $2.2 billion awarded to 166 projects across the nation.

“It’s my understanding we are going to receive $18 million and the …

Video: New dedicated bike lanes coming to Wichita Falls

By Tanner Deleon | www.newschannel6now.com

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – Phase two of a bicycle-friendly initiative in Wichita Falls is underway. City staff members are once again adding more bike lanes to streets in Wichita Falls, but first they are working with cyclists to determine where the biggest need is.

38 miles of bike lanes are currently in Wichita Falls. Nine miles are dedicated lanes just for cyclists and the other 29 miles are shared lanes for cyclists and drivers.

Phase one finished in December of 2021, so officials said it is time to begin phase two.

“Our goal is to get another 10 to 12 miles of dedicated bicycle lanes installed,” John Burrus, City of Wichita Falls director of transportation, said.

City staff is working with the biking community to come up with a plan on which areas in the city would benefit the most from …

Weekend Route and Rental from BikingATX

The 10 Best Bike Trails in Texas

deepsouthmag.com

Texas can be the perfect place to explore for bikers. The state has many beautiful locations for both biking and hiking, whether it be on parks, creeks, forests or mountain roads.

So, if you’re an adventure lover who’s always looking for the next location to explore with two wheels, this list is for you. Read on for the 10 must-visit bike trails in Texas.

The Northeast Texas Trail

If you’re a pro-biker who loves to ride through various faces of nature, then you must ride through the longest trail in Texas. The 130-mile Northeast Texas Trail will have you riding across seven counties, through …

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Reverse Biking A Route Changes Everything

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To continue the theme of doing rides different this week I decided to ride my “Atascocita – Balmoral – Walden” route in reverse. I’ve not done that before and I had to think of how to order the streets and make a couple of accommodations due to traffic direction. I should adjust the route name because I went through Walden before getting to Balmoral. The bike ride started at 9:09 AM and I finished at 12:02 PM riding my Cervelo Caledonia bike. This was the 10th ride on the route this year and I biked 34.6 miles which is about the average distance for the route. The last time I rode to Balmoral was July 28th. I wanted to check the construction progress of the railroad overpass on Timber Forest Drive south of Greens Road.

An overview of the ten rides.

8-18-2022 YTD Rides Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Route
8-18-2022 YTD Rides Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Route

Riding a route in reverse changes the look and the road surface that I am familiar with on the other side of the center line. New pot holes to look for, new shifted concrete to avoid. The first route adaption came at Magnolia Cove when I crossed W. Lake Houston Parkway. I wanted to separate where I rode on the return from the south bound direction so I moved to the south bound lanes of W. Lake Houston Parkway to go over the river and then made a left turn at Kings River to get back to the reverse course. Some streets I rode in reverse for the first time: Trophy Place Drive in Walden, Timber Forest Drive north from Atascocita Road to Upper Lake Drive, Upper Lake Drive from Timber Forest to Atasca Oaks. It was the second time to ride Radura Road into Balmoral and with the Bolt computer map I found my way to Balmoral Blue Lagoon and Greens Road. The video gives a view of the railroad overpass construction.

Yesterday was the last day for sunset to be later than 8 PM until May 4th 2023. Today also is likely the last 100 degree day with rain arriving later and lowering the daily highs to the low 90’s. After the ride as I write this rain came with thunder and some electricity outages. I’m glad I beat that home. It was hot while I biked and the wind seemed to come from whatever direction I was going. Weather overview: start 86 (humidity 77%, dew point 78), mostly cloudy, wind S 5 mph; finish 90 (humidity 61%, dew point 75), mostly cloudy, wind W 10 mph.

Because of my battle with the wind I didn’t think I used the 35×13 gears that much but the AXS.SRAM.com ride report shows I pedaled 1:56:04 (25.2 miles) out of the total moving time of 2:47:24 which surprised me.

Strava reported these top results: PR on Timber Forest to Upper Lake (7:12) and 2nd fastest time on Timber Forest (3:44). The Strava Local Legend for the first segment is Fernando Romero with 3 efforts.

8-18-2022 Strava Ride Data Summary Atascocita-Walden-Balmoral
8-18-2022 Strava Ride Data Summary Atascocita-Walden-Balmoral

A rare notice from RideWithGPS.com told me I set a new personal record on Upper Lake Drive.

Texas Bicycling News August 17th 2022

Texbiker.net Posted on by

TMBRA Fall Announcements

Dave Bellante | www.tmbra.org

Get ready racers! Our Cycle Progression 2022 Texas Cup season opener is right around the corner. Starting Labor Day weekend at ” Barber Hills Hard Labor presented by Paris Chevrolet Buick and GMC ” . You can find registration links for all of our races on the calendar section on our website www.tmbra.org . Remember our fall series is best 4 out of 6 races and you need to complete 3 races to qualify for overall awards.

Here is a quick reminder of our places and dates for the Cycle Progression 2022 Texas Cup …

This and That: Literacy Council hosting school supply drive

Compiled by Ellysa Harris | www.myplainview.com

Local cyclist Cris Salinas is once again embarking on the Great Cycle Challenge in September. Throughout the month, he plans to ride his bike for pledges to raise money toward childhood cancer research. The campaign officially starts in September but he’s already raising funds. This year, Salinas plans to raise $1,000 and to ride at least 400 miles for the cause. Those interested in making a donation can visit: …

Brand Development Manager – South Texas

smartsportsjobs.com

Brand Development Manager – South Texas Jobs in Remote at Specialized Bicycle Components

Title: Brand Development Manager – South Texas

Company: Specialized Bicycle Components

Location: Remote

Are you ready to combine your passion for an active lifestyle with a meaningful and multifaceted career in the cycling industry? At Specialized, our teammates are encouraged to explore roles in a variety of functions throughout their careers. We value curiosity, a desire to try new things, and an eagerness to learn about all aspects of the business. No matter where you begin with the company, you get to decide where you want to go whether it’s marketing, finance, product development, sales, or an international assignment. Join us in making the world a …

Design work for first part of Vince Bayou trail to finish this fall

John DeLapp | www.houstonchronicle.com

Design work is expected to be completed this fall for the first section of a hike-and-bike trail along Vince Bayou that would eventually connect Pasadena’s north and south sides, and if all goes well, that first leg of the path will open in a couple of years.

“We’re getting to end of design in October, then we will go into permitting and then go into construction a year after that,” said project senior manager Lisa Graiff with the nonprofit Houston Parks Board, which is overseeing the project. “The first quarter of 2025 is when we hope to have the first segment of the Vince Bayou Greenway Trail completed.”

The planned trail, which would be 3.7 miles long when all segments are …

Ride Bikes Friday 8/19 – 7:45PM from BikingATX

Ride Bikes Saturday 8/20 – 5PM: Splash Pads & Roller Disco from BikingATX

TxDOT awarded $25M for long-distance bikeways across Texas

By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team | www.fox7austin.com

Texas is taking another step forward in providing safe, long-distance travel options for bicyclists and pedestrians after TxDOT received $25 million in federal funds to expand two trail corridors in northeast Texas and El Paso.

Both trails are components of the state’s envisioned Bicycle Tourism Trails network.

The United States Department of Transportation has awarded TxDOT a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant to continue the expansion and development of transportation networks across the state that support economic development and tourism.

The funding will help build and expand two trail corridors in the El Paso area and Northeast Texas.

Much of the funding is set to …

MedStar’s Bicycle Response Team Treats Nearly 500 in Program’s First 4 Years

www.nbcdfw.com

BERT, the Bicycle Emergency Response Team, works in the West 7th Street entertainment district where MedStar says it can be difficult to route ambulances

MedStar BERT officers, in red, and Fort Worth Police officers, in blue.

MedStar says their bicycle response team working in the West 7th Street entertainment district has treated nearly 500 people since being deployed in September 2018.

The Fort Worth Police Department and MedStar have been partnering for four years to provide medical treatment to people visiting the district on Friday and Saturday nights.

MedStar said the number of people visiting the area on weekends makes it difficult for first responders and emergency medical resources to answer medical calls with ambulances, so they deployed BERT — the Bicycle Emergency Response Team — to respond to 911 calls or police officers from 10 p.m. Friday through 3 a.m. Saturday and from 10 p.m. Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday.

Since its initiation in 2018, BERT medics have treated 466 patients, 61% of those patients being …

Blue Line Bike Fam

Nate Eguia | strava.com

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Scapegoat For Starting After 9 AM, Words2

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Looking for something to blame for starting today’s bike ride after 9 AM I will pick on Words2. I was trying to find a high scoring word to regain the lead but I settled for a low scoring one. That out of the way I rode my Lynskey Helix bike heading south and east to Huffman at 9:25 AM and finishing at 12:09 PM. This is the first ride that direction this week which is unusual. The “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route averages around 34 miles the 20 times I biked it in 2022. Today I rode 34.51 miles improving my week’s total to 117.41 miles and August is at 561.3 miles narrowing the gap to my 800 mile goal for August. Year to date I am up to 6,334 miles, which puts me 13 miles behind YTD 2021 and 13 miles ahead of YTD 2020. The Lynskey is getting close to 1000 miles of biking. My next ride on the Lynskey should put it over that mark.

The streets didn’t change much from my recent rides on the route. Road construction at FM 1960 and Atascocita Shores is moving along on the westbound side. The piles of dirt have been leveled probably in preparation to lay the asphalt layer before pouring concrete. Maybe riding the open space between the barriers riding west to Atascocita Shores Drive won’t be necessary for too long. A rare train blocked the crossing on Old Atascocita road and I found a small patch of shade to wait for it to clear. Two other cyclists crossed my path, one in Kingwood Greens and the other on Pinehurst Trail Drive.

It feels like the heat is loosening its grip a little bit with the starting temperature at 83 and the finish at 92, not the upper 90’s to 100. Riding and finishing around noon avoids the maximum heat part of the day. Wind was not strong today allowing me to pedal at a good speed. Weather summary: start 83 (humidity 85%, dew point 78), mostly cloudy, wind SW 5 mph; finish 92 (humidity 58%, dew point 75), partly cloudy, wind W 8 mph.

I peaked at the the weather in Wichita Falls for Friday 8/26 (as far ahead as the 10 day forecast goes) and saw a high of 89 with partly cloudy sky. The low shows 71. But that is in the future and subject to change. If Saturday is similar then not hotter than hell for the bike ride.

Data from AXS.SRAM.com ride report shows I spent the most time in the 33×13 gears at 1:38:02 or 23.4 miles. I ordered a new Rival crankset with 48×35 gears for the Lynskey Helix to make it the same as my Cervelo Caledonia.

8-17-2022 Strava Ride Data Summary Atascocita-Walden-Huffman
8-17-2022 Strava Ride Data Summary Atascocita-Walden-Huffman
8-17-2022 RWGPS Bike Ride Map
8-17-2022 RWGPS Bike Ride Map