Texas Bicycling News June 4th 2022

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East Link Trail aims to connect East Austin with downtown

Author: Hank Cavagnaro | www.kvue.com

While it’s been there unofficially for years, over the last 5-6 years, the Austin Parks Foundation has worked with the City and others to create a finished trail.

AUSTIN, Texas — For years, the Austin Parks Foundation, along with the City of Austin and the Mueller Foundation, has been working to connect the Eastside more. Recently, they just finished the 5.1-mile trail that connects Bartholomew Park up on 51st Street all the way down to Lady Bird Lake.

Hank Cavagnaro talked with Colin Wallis, CEO of the Austin Parks Foundation, about why this trail is so important.

"If you live right here, you can jump on this thing and ride it all the way up to Bartholomew Pool or all the way down to the hike-and-bike trail," he said on his bike while riding the trail.

"This is a way to connect people," asked Hank. "Right?"

"Absolutely. A safe way to get …

Public Bike Repair Station Locations? from bikehouston

Afternoon Ride

Lupe Ontiveros | strava.com

PRIDE Ride

Esther Barrientez -TEAM TACO | strava.com

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Wheels Rolling at 8:05, Hit 200+ Miles For Week, Other Cyclists

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I wanted to start the bike ride before 8 AM but I settled for 8:05 AM. I need to start getting ready at 7:30 if I’m going to get rolling before 8. With the early start (for e anyway) I hoped to see other cyclists and I did. I chose my “Atascocita – Huffman – Walden” route and rode the Cervelo Caledonia bike. Before the ride I needed 16 miles to hit 200+ for the week and I biked 33.49 miles making it a 218.02 mile week. June improved to 140.87 miles with a 800 mile goal. Year to date 2022 totals 3,901 miles compared to 3,983 in 2021 and 4,120 in 2020. Some days I gain on YTD 2021 but I was a busy cyclist in 2020 and don’t seem to narrow the difference much. So far I’ve rode today’s route 8 times. Today’s ride was average for the route. I saw an announcement on one of the message boards riding west over the lake that traffic lanes will change on June 8th beginning at 7 PM. Not sure how that will affect my riding over Lake Houston.

6-4-2022 YTD Bike Rides Overview Atascocita-Huffman-Walden
6-4-2022 YTD Bike Rides Overview Atascocita-Huffman-Walden

I saw numerous cyclists starting at FM 1960 and Atascocita Shores Drive heading to the east. That is a highlight of Saturday bike rides. My GoPro skills need improving to capture them on video. The GoPro freezes sometimes when cyclists are passing or I think it is recording but really is not. Consistency is not a GoPro 10 feature.

Weather conditions were favorable with light wind and moderate temperature, no threat of rain, and sunshine. Weather data: start 73 (humidity 92%, dew point 70), mostly cloudy, wind N 7 mph; finish 84 (humidity 69%, dew point 73), mostly cloudy, wind E 4 mph.

With the light wind my legs powered the ride in the 35×13 gearing for 1:31:51 (22.6 miles) out of a total moving time of 2:25:31 according to the AXS.SRAM.com ride report. I used the 35×15 gears for 31:38 (6.8 miles). A modest 27 RD shifts.

6-4-2022 Strava Atascocita-Huffman-Walden Data Summary
6-4-2022 Strava Atascocita-Huffman-Walden Data Summary

Texas Bicycling News June 3rd 2022

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University of Texas students embark on 4K mile bike ride from Austin to Alaska

By Tierra Neubaum | www.fox7austin.com

AUSTIN, Texas – 50 University of Texas student cyclists will embark on a 4,000-mile bike ride from Austin to Alaska.

Texas 4000 for Cancer is an 18-month leadership program for UT students who must apply and be selected. Its mission is to raise hope, awareness, and knowledge in the fight against the disease.

Students cap their program with the 70-day, 4,000-mile bike ride to Anchorage. …

Plan to update urban trails, sidewalks and bike lanes prioritizes equity

by Samuel Stark | www.austinmonitor.com

At the City Council Mobility Committee meeting last month, representatives from the ATX Walk Bike Roll program spoke about their commitment to achieving equitable outcomes when updating Austin’s urban trails, bike lanes and sidewalks.

ATX Walk Bike Roll, a joint planning effort led by the Public Works and Transportation departments, began in 2021 with the hopes of giving Austinites more options than cars or buses when traveling around the city. Project staff members are currently in the design evaluation stage and hope to execute plans in roughly a year’s time.

Half of respondents to a survey conducted by the program said they “strongly” felt that all races don’t have equal access to safe and comfortable paths. Thus the program has ensured that equity is at the heart of its revamp.

“We’re using the Equity Office’s definition where race no longer predicts the quality-of-life outcomes in our community,” Kate Wettick, Austin’s Urban Trails program manager, said in her presentation to the …

IMPAIRED DRIVER SENTENCED IN DEATH OF CONROE MAN IN 2018

montgomerycountypolicereporter.com

Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 21, 2018, Brian Vines and two females were walking along with two bicycles on East Davis when a Kristina Hardin, 27, driving an SUV ran off onto the shoulder and slammed into them. According to one of the victims they were walking to a local church/food pantry when the Vines was struck, as he was being struck he pushed his girlfriend out of the way. She was transported with a broken arm. Ashley, the other female walking with them was uninjured. She did say she saw the female driver exited the vehicle and throw an unknown pill bottle into the ditch. The Montgomery County District Attorney Vehicular Crimes Unit is also on the scene assisting Conroe Police. After further investigation, the …

White Oak Bayou Trail from bikehouston

Video: Laredo Councilmember hopes to expand Shiloh bike trail

By Brenda Camacho | www.kgns.tv

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) – A proposal to expand the Shiloh Hike and Bike Trail will be discussed during Monday’s City Council meeting.

Currently the Springfield Avenue extension development is cutting through the trail system, so District Six Councilmember Dr. Marte Martinez is working on expanding the eastern portion of the land.

He says many cyclists have come to him asking that the city maintain the Shiloh trails since many other trails are no longer available.

Dr. Martinez says this will be a community-based project that he hopes will eventually expand upon further.

“Eventually we want to have a park that goes all the way from …

Friends, family mourn father of four killed in East End hit-and-run

Jay R. Jordan, Ariana Garcia | www.chron.com

Houston police are still searching for the driver, who fled on foot after hitting 47-year-old cyclist Sajid Barajas.

Friends described Sajid Barajas, second from the right, as a hard-working family man. Here, he poses with his wife and four children in an undated photo. GoFundMe / Sajid Barajas Islas

The family of slain Houston cyclist Sajid Barajas is still looking for answers after the 47-year-old father of four was killed on a rare bike ride home early on Memorial Day.

Barajas clocked out of his shift at Grocers Supply in south Houston and biked nearly six miles into Magnolia Park, where he was killed. He normally carpooled with a coworker, but that coworker wasn’t scheduled to work because of the holiday, his aunt Cristina Islas said. That meant Barajas had to take his bike to and from the warehouse, putting him in a vulnerable position as a cyclist on Houston’s notoriously dangerous roadways.

Barajas was pedaling along South Cesar Chavez Boulevard near Polk Street around …

Texas Biking from Twitter

June Coolness, Dogs Update, Railroad Overpass Work

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I wanted today’s ride to be on a route I haven’t rode in awhile. I checked SportTracks and saw the last time I rode my “Atascocita – Balmoral – Walden” route was April 19th. That was where I rode today. A “cool” front arrived during the night dropping the temperature to 69 degrees when I got up around 6:15 AM along with lower humidity and dew point. Before starting the bike ride I made a few phone calls following up on problems or questions. That delayed the start to 10:16 AM. I rode my Cervelo Caledonia while waiting for Lynskey to come up with a solution to installing the wrong crankset on the Helix. That was one of the phone calls I made. Maybe they will decide by the end of today.

When I checked the route history the average distance was 34 miles and today I biked 34.34 miles pushing the week’s total to xxx miles, close enough to 220 miles that I can get there with tomorrow’s ride. This is new route in that I created it in 2022. Five of the 6 rides have been on my Cervelo Caledonia. The route is all west of Lake Houston though I get close to the lake at FM 1960 and Atascocita Shores Drive. Some of the streets in the area are under construction so maybe I couldn’t biked parts of this route in 2020 or 2021. The railroad overpass construction on Timber Forest south of Greens Road appears to progressed but I didn’t get close enough to see the details. A small crane was moving around and several pickup trucks may mean workers there. If I had to guess I think the beams have been placed and the small crane was laying the decking slabs in place. Maybe August will be a good opening time after all.

6-3-2022 YTD Bike Rides Overview Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden
6-3-2022 YTD Bike Rides Overview Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden

Weather at the start and 1:00 PM finish: start 78 (humidity 75%, dew point 70), partly cloudy, wind N 9 mph; finish 84 (humidity 63%, dew point 70), partly cloudy, wind NE 9 mph. I felt the difference in the humidity from the bike rides earlier this week. Single digit wind was nice but that will probably get stronger by Sunday. I was going to use my CamelBak but with the cooler temperature and lower humidity I stuck with the Polar water bottle. The Camelbak will probably be used tomorrow.

During the bike ride an officer from the City of Houston Animal Control left a message that they checked for the dogs at Rock Creek and Northpark but did not see them She said they will check again in the coming week. I’ve been avoiding that area so I didn’t know if they were there.

From the AXS.SRAM.com ride report: total moving time was 2:36:42; a whopping 53 RD shifts; I used the 35×13 gearing 1:18:16 (19.2 miles) and the 35×15 gearing 57:06 (11.3 miles).

Strava recorded a PR on Balmoral Greens eastbound (4:31). That’s good for me but Matthew Roberts’ 2:49 is the best time. I’m not the only cyclist riding there.

6-3-2022 Strava Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Data Summary
6-3-2022 Strava Atascocita-Balmoral-Walden Data Summary