Avoided Hot Part of The Day Bicycling Out and Back to Balmoral

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Thinking about potential routes for today’s bike ride I remembered the “Atascocita – Balmoral – Walden” one and decided to ride there today. I got start before 9 AM, barely, rolling away at 8:58 AM. To be beat the potential high of 101 degrees I wanted to finish before noon and I made it completing the ride at 11:47 AM. I rode my Cervelo Caledonia bike for 35.51 miles which was farther than the previous 6 rides on this route so far in 2022. Now the week totals 149.54 miles putting me in reach of a 200+ mile week. I’m almost to my 800 mile goal for June with 766.83 miles. I narrowed the miles gap for the year to date between 2022 and 2021 and 2020. 2022 stands at 4,526, 69 miles short of 2021 and 169 miles behind 2020.

6-23-2022 YTD Bike Rides Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Route
6-23-2022 YTD Bike Rides Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Route

I saw other cyclists from a distance along W. Lake Houston Parkway and later at Eagle Springs Parkway. Traffic on Timber Forest is not that heavy and thins out more south of Atascocita Road. The railroad overpass south of Greens Road shows progress towards completion and maybe August is a real possibility. FM 1960 construction at Atascocita Shores Drive dug up the closed lanes from the causeway to the traffic light so the only option is to ride in the main lanes beside the barriers. Maybe they will pour concrete as quick as the did on the east bound section.

From the AXS.SRAM.com ride report:

  • Moving Time 2:45:20
  • 19 RD gear changes
  • 1:49:14 using the 35×13 gears or 24.4 miles

Weather Conditions: start 84 (humidity 74%, dew point 75), fair, wind variable 5 mph; finish 93 (humidity 48%, dew point 71), clear, wind SW 9 mph. The lower humidity as the I rode made the light wind feel cooling especially when I rode in the shade.

6-23-2022 Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Data Summary
6-23-2022 Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Data Summary

Texas Bicycling News June 22nd 2022

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Bike Wichita Falls to hold 3rd Annual Ride & Splash event

by: Olivia Taggart, Angie Lankford | www.texomashomepage.com

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Bike Wichita Falls will host their annual fun bike educational event this weekend.

For the 3rd Annual Ride & Splash, Bike Wichita Falls will be working with the Texas Department of Transportation to provide a closed course for kids to learn bike safety.

In addition to the closed course, there will be refreshments, helmet fittings and giveaways, bike adjustments and goody bags for the first 50 to arrive.

Participants are encouraged to ride their bikes as a family to the new splash pad.

Ride & Splash will be Saturday, June 25, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Hamilton Park.

Making it (to) work: Local residents embrace commuting by bike

Adam Zuvanich | www.fortbendstar.com

Joy Roth is a self-described cheerleader for commuting by bicycle, having recruited several of her fellow Chevron employees to pedal to work instead of pressing the gas pedal in an automobile. She readily ticks off the benefits of riding to their downtown office building on a bike, such as improving fitness, lowering transportation costs, decreasing stress and reducing one’s carbon footprint.

But Roth admits that it’s not for everyone – not even in her own household.

She and her husband both work for Chevron and make daily 3-mile treks from their home in Woodland Heights to the energy company’s office building at 1400 Smith St. Roth rides her bike while her husband drives, sometimes more slowly.

“Getting out of downtown at the end of the day, from my office I can see traffic backed up …

TxDOT Completes Upgrades at I-35 and Parmer Lane in Travis County

Diann Hodges | www.txdot.gov

A project that built a diverging diamond interchange in north Austin is now complete and was celebrated today by TxDOT, Texas Transportation Commission chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., State Representative Celia Israel, and others at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“Since 2015, we’ve completed a dozen Texas Clear Lanes projects across the state,” said Bugg. “The I-35 at Parmer Lane project will help get Austin drivers out of congestion and back to the things they want and need to do.”

The $24.6 million project replaced the traditional intersection with a DDI, reconstructed the northbound bypass lane, added a southbound bypass lane, constructed right-turn lanes and dual left-turn lanes at the Parmer Lane and North Lamar Boulevard intersection, and improved bicycle and pedestrian paths throughout the corridor.

“As someone who …

Cool cats gravel on the mtb

Per (PJ) Tviberg HBC | strava.com

Juanita’s Shredsville

Brad Stauffer | strava.com

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Smooth Biking Spring Creek Greenway to John Pundt Park

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Every once in a while a bike ride just feels smooth and great. Today’s bike ride on the Spring Creek Greenway to John Pundt Park and back was one of those. It all began at 8:57 AM when I pedaled away from my driveway on my Lynskey Helix bike. The weather was warm but not oppressive yet. A 3 mph wind from the north was strong enough to provide some cooling but not to strong to make pedaling hard. Maybe one of the contributing factors was the different gearing on the Lynskey from my other bike, a Cervelo Caledonia. Once I was on the greenway the shade provided some cooling and it didn’t feel too hot. The gears helped the short climbs go easily compared to other rides. Usually my average speed is below 13 mph but today it was 13.4 mph most of the ride.

I wasn’t sure if there would be many other cyclists and riding to Jesse Jones Park from US59 I only passed one cyclist but after that the number increased. The video only shows a fraction of the cyclists I saw. I also saw two people on roller blades. I asked the second one at the US59 trail head how far she was going and she said 5 or 6 miles which would been to Jesse Jones Park. I saw 2 people riding 3 wheel recumbent bikes as well. At John Pundt Park 2 ladies were walking by where I was sitting for a short rest. One of them had a miniature baseball bat. I asked if she was going to hit some baseballs and she said no, it was in case something making noise off the greenway chased her. The second lady said she didn’t need one because she would run faster than the other lady.

This was the 5th time to ride the greenway to John Pundt Park this year. I wanted to ride at least 40 miles and I beat that by biking 42.22 miles. That was the farthest ride of the 5. This puts the week’s total at 114.02 miles and June at 731.32 miles. I need 69 miles to reach my goal for June. I rode a portion of the San Jacinto Bayou Greenway but not to Woodland Hills Drive.

6-22-2022 YTD Bike Rides Spring Creek Greenway to Pundt Park
6-22-2022 YTD Bike Rides Spring Creek Greenway to Pundt Park

Some photos along the greenway.

6-22-2022 Lynskey Helix Spring Creek Greenway-7
6-22-2022 Lynskey Helix Spring Creek Greenway-7
6-22-2022 Lynskey Helix Spring Creek Greenway-6
6-22-2022 Lynskey Helix Spring Creek Greenway-6
6-22-2022 Lynskey Helix Bevil Jerrell Bridge-1
6-22-2022 Lynskey Helix Bevil Jerrell Bridge-1

Weather conditions: start 85 (humidity 73%, dew point 76), mostly clear, wind N 3 mph; finish 88 (humidity 60%, dew point 73), partly cloudy, wind N 0 mph. My CamelBak kept my water cold until I finished at 12:28 PM. No ice cubes left when I emptied it out so the timing was good. At the rest stop on the picnic bench in John Pundt Park the light breeze felt cooling as I sat in the shade. I had to push myself to get back on the bike.

From the AXS.SRAM.com ride report I saw 11 RD shifts while riding 2:35:19 (35.1 miles) using the 33×13 gears. Total ride moving time was 3:12:04.

With 4 previous rides I didn’t expect any top results in Strava but I recorded 5: PR on Mazie’s Run (1:49), 2nd fastest time on Sprint Under The Trees (E.B.) (53s), 2nd fastest time on Carter Park to Jesse H Jones Park (13:42), 3rd fastest time on Evy’s Run (3:50), and Smooth Sailing South. I’m not close to Tom Riddle for the local legend, he has most of these with 57 rides in the last 90 days to my 5.

6-22-2022 Strava Data Summary Spring Creek Greenway to Pundt Park
6-22-2022 Strava Data Summary Spring Creek Greenway to Pundt Park

This link shows the interactive ride on Google Earth created by Relive.cc.

Texas Bicycling News June 21st 2022

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Juneteenth means pride’ Frisco community, cyclists celebrate Juneteenth with downtown event

By Rick Rogers | starlocalmedia.com

Hillis Davis couldn’t help but smile.

The vision for a Juneteenth event in Frisco became a reality on Saturday as 337 cyclists took part in Saturday’s Soul Patrol Juneteenth Bike Rally.

As cyclists and event attendees took shelter from the sun in the shadow cast by the historic Frisco water tower in downtown Frisco, Davis looked around with pride.

"This is absolutely fantastic," he said. "This morning I was thinking about when I had a conversation with (Angelia Pelham, deputy mayor pro tem of the City of Frisco) at (La Finca, a restaurant in the Rail District of Frisco), when I brought this plan together. I was not sure if this deal was going to happen. It was just a prayer. We made our pitch. She listened diligently to us. She said she …

Third Annual Emancipation Trail Ride Celebrates Juneteenth

www.biketexas.org

On June 12, Texans led by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis rode the third annual Emancipation Trail ride from Galveston to Houston in celebration of Juneteenth. The Emancipation Trail follows the route that newly freed people took in 1865 from Galveston to Houston to spread the news of freedom and find a place to call home. Learn more in this KUT interview with Naomi Mitchell Carrier, CEO of the Texas Center for African American Living History.

US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee began the push in 2019 to start the process for the Emancipation Trail to be designated as a National Historic Trail. The bill was ultimately passed in early 2020 and the feasibility study is underway; it is expected to be completed in 2023. Once approved, the …

Volunteers needed for the upcoming “iCan Bike” camp

by: Xochilt Lagunas | www.valleycentral.com

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The “iCan Bike” camp is making its first appearance in our community. The program is part of the non-profit “iCan Shine” dedicated to teaching people with disabilities how to ride a bicycle.

Team Mario, the RGV Down Syndrome Association, and Edinburg CISD are collaborating this year with the weeklong program and are in search of volunteers.

According to Team Mario’s Program Director, Lisa Becerra, each bike session is an hour-long.

During the camp, volunteers will help assist the learning process of riding a bike.

“Being able to sit on the bike and pedal the bike,” said Becerra. “There will be people that will be helping, and then as the camp goes on, eventually, the goal is …

Longest annual charity bike ride in the world riding through Paducah

Charity Blanton | www.wpsdlocal6.com

AUSTIN, TX— Every year since 2004, students from the University of Texas at Austin bike 4,000 miles to raise awareness for cancer. This year, they will be stopping in Paducah on June 23 as part of their 70-day journey.

Students participating in the Texas 4000 for Cancer are biking from Texas to Alaska in 2022 with the mission of "fighting cancer by sharing hope, knowledge, and charity in hundreds of communities…"

Before they begin their long journey, students take part in an intensive 18-month long leadership program. They train, fundraise, volunteer, and help plan the ride in an effort to …

PeopleForBikes Unveils 2022 City Ratings: The Best Places to Bike in the U.S.

www.endurancesportswire.com

BOULDER, COLO. (June 21, 2022)/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – For the sixth consecutive year, PeopleForBikes, in conjunction with Trek Bicycle, is proud to publish the findings from a year of research in a comprehensive guide to and ranking of 1,058 cities for biking in the United States. In 2022, the top three bikeable cities in the country are: Provincetown, Massachusetts; Davis, California; and Fayette, Missouri.

PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings program highlights communities that embrace the bicycle as a tool for mobility, economic growth and recreation, while also suggesting that the vast majority of American cities and towns have yet to implement relatively simple changes that make communities more bikeable.

These results are the culmination of extensive research and data collection, including factors such as cities’ speed limits, existing infrastructure and overall safety, as well as community input on what people think about …

bike stolen – airport and i35 – blue soma with longtail cargo kit – easy to spot – let me know if you do from BikingATX

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