Texas Bicycling News for February 12, 2024

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Washington Ave. Mess Raises Questions About Mayor Whitmire’s Commitment to Traffic Safety

Jeff Balke | www.houstonpress.com

This past week, Mayor John Whitmire, after some contentious discussions and even a small protest, gave the go ahead to the Public Works Department to remove recently added street improvements at Washington Avenue and Lubbock on Houston Street.

The upgrades at the crosswalk were designed to improve bike and pedestrian safety in a heavily trafficked area near Trinity Lutheran Church and the city courthouse. The improvements paid for by District H cost $100,000 and their city council representative Mario Castillo was caught off guard by the sudden change, wondering if they would be reimbursed for the costs.

The mayor, who just took office last month, has been making a number of changes in …

CYCLING | Downtown San Antonio

Cycling Texas | www.youtube.com

Riding from Brackenridge Park in San Antonio down through the Pearl and Downtown to Roosevelt Park and Back. It was a nice sunny Sunday morning, very windy. Check out the link below for the route on Strava

Rocky Hill Roundup round #2 Trek TX XC MTB State Championship Series Feb. 25th

Dave Bellante | www.tmbra.org

What’s in store for 2024, part two

by Rick Vosper | www.bicycleretailer.com

Last month I wrote that 2024 would be similar to 2023, just not as miserable, based on PeopleForBikes’ projected retail bicycle sales for the year. This month, I’d like to look a little deeper into the on-the-ground reality behind those numbers and what it means for dealers and suppliers.

The bottom line for the bicycle market is that there is still a huge amount of unsold inventory held by suppliers and that it will take most or all of the coming season to work through it … if not longer. Exactly how long is entirely up to cyclists, their willingness to buy that inventory, and to what effect an ongoing wave of discounts can stimulate their buying behavior. Inventory is still up, dealer sell-in is still down

As before, I reached out to PeopleForBikes’ senior research manager Patrick Hogan, to help clarify the situation. He provided the following chart, showing dealer sell-in versus supplier inventory from 2016 through the end of 2023. …

Cycling Rio Grande Valley: McAllen Texas Loop 2nd-Main-Bicentennial

Tigerholm | www.youtube.com

Cycling Rio Grande Valley McAllen Texas. Video part of a longer Bike Ride, this video showing the part from 10th Street McAllen Texas to Hobbs Drive to 2nd Street to the 2nd Street Trail south to …

Back in the Saddle: Heights bike shop reunited with missing vintage bicycle

Stefanie Thomas | www.theleadernews.com

A vintage bicycle taken from Blue Line Bicycle Laboratory in the Heights more than a year ago has been returned to its rightful owner in a series of chance happenings.

Fred Zapalac, co-owner of Blue Line Bicycle Laboratory at 1504 Yale St., said his brother Dave’s prized possession, a 1950s Columbia, held significant sentimental value for the shop owners. The bicycle’s monetary value is hard to estimate, he said, but he guessed the Columbia’s worth between $1,000 and $1,500.

“We’ve had the bike for almost 20 years now,” Fred said. "It was really kind of a centerpiece in our original store on White Oak Drive. Everybody knew this bike. We’ve been meaning to …

Chasing Watts – Upcoming Rides

Chasing Watts | chasingwatts.com

UBG 26 mile Wednesday Night Wednesday, February 14, 2024 @ 6:30 PM

The Boot ReBooted Wednesday, February 14, 2024 @ 6:30 PM

Hump day Ride with NWCC Wednesday, February 14, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

MCC THURSDAY MORNING RIDE Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 6:30 AM

TREK WEST U | Beginners (THU) Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 6:15 PM

Bridgeland Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 6:30 PM

Look Pro Go Kind of Slow Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 7:00 PM

Trek West U Bridges Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 6:30 PM

New Magnolia Brewing Bikes & Beers Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 6:30 PM

JL Thursday Night Ride Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 6:30 PM

Woodlands Coffee & Love Ride Friday, February 16, 2024 @ 9:00 AM

RRR Pre Loop 17 Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

CCC Saturday’24 Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 7:30 AM

NWCC Zube Saturday Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

TREK WEST U | GROUP C (SAT) Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 8:15 AM

Bike Medicine Saturday Training Ride Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

R3-Saturday 50 Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 9:00 AM

SCN Saturday Morning Ride Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

Trek Kingwood // Tour du Rouge Intro Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 7:30 AM

CCC Beginner / Party Pace Road Ride Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 11:00 AM

Trek Kingwood // Tour du Rouge Intro Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 7:30 AM

UBG Saturday – 23 miles Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

Trek Kingwood // Tour du Rouge Intro Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 7:30 AM

Trek Kingwood // Tour du Rouge Intro Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 7:30 AM

Trek Kingwood // Tour du Rouge Intro Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 7:30 AM

Saturday Miles 3.0 – Gamma (NEW START LOCATIOIN) Saturday, February 17, 2024 @ 7:00 AM

JL Sunday Ride thru Pearland Sunday, February 18, 2024 @ 7:00 AM

Farewell Texas Sunday, February 18, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

UBG Sunday – 35-50 miles Sunday, February 18, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

Bike Medicine Sunday Training Ride Sunday, February 18, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

Sienna Sunday 36 | New Pearland Bicycles Sunday, February 18, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

Sunday Starbucks Ride Sunday, February 18, 2024 @ 8:00 AM

Cedar Hill Race Festival • Feb 4 2024 • Cedar Hill, TX

www.road-results.com

Categories » Men Cat 1/2/3 » Men Cat 3/4 » Men Cat 4/5 » Men Junior 15-18 Cat 3/4/5 » Men Junior 9-14 Cat 3/4/5 » Men Master 50+ » Men Master 60+ » Women Cat 3/4 » Women Cat 5 » Women Junior 9-14 Cat 3/4/5 » Women Master 40+ » Women Master 50+ » Women Master 60+

Southern Tier El Paso to New Orleans

By Cortney O. | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 32:Conroe to Shepherd Sanctuary: Strong winds, too many dogs, and the best place to chill after a ride Monday February 12, 2024, 48 miles (77 km) – Total so far: 995 miles (1,601 km) Today when we finally left Conroe. The wind was nuts this morning. From the NW, the first half of our ride was either headwinds or crosswinds, 30 mph gusts, and of course most of the climbing for the day.

We rejoined the ACA route in Punkin and rode on 150 for a while past Evergreen and into Coldsprings. Ate fried chicken from the market in the wind on a random curb. Coldsprings doesn’t have much but the little downtown has some charm.

We then deviated from the ACA route to ride to Shepherd, TX on Hwy 150. The traffic was light and the wind was now at our backs. And it was mostly downhill. Total opposite of our morning.

We rode into one of the entrances of the …

Brutal Route, 16% Gradients: Stage 6 Tour de Zwift Watopia Mountain 8

Texbiker.net Posted on by

This is a “make up” ride since I missed the original day. There will be a whole lot suffering as I climb 2271 feet over t20.3 miles. Maybe the virtual shifting gears will go low enough that I can “tractor” my Blue Norcross up and over the reverse Epic KOM and the radio tower climb. Group B ride.

A brutal route maybe to offset some of the easier stages. A long slow climb up to the radio tower. Gradients hit 16% but I kept pedaling away. My legs held up as I used the virtual shifting to ease the effort. I was out of the saddle numerous times. Strava shows I’ve done the Radio Tower climb segment 3 times dating back to December 18th, 2019, which was my best time. This was my second ride on the Strava Mountain 8 Forward from Start Pier segment. The first time was also on December 18th, 2019. Strava results from today:

2-12-2024 Strava Ride Map Tour de Zwift Watopia Mountain 8
2-12-2024 Strava Ride Map Tour de Zwift Watopia Mountain 8
2-12-2024 Strava Ride Summary Tour de Zwift Watopia Mountain 8
2-12-2024 Strava Ride Summary Tour de Zwift Watopia Mountain 8

Texas Bicycling Adventures for February 11, 2024

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Austin, Texas

Michael Pincus | strava.com

Topic: Southern Tier – Austin to New Orleans

kenw | forums.adventurecycling.org

Greetings. I biked from San Diego to Austin a few years ago (and it was fantastic) and I may have a week to ten days in March to do Austin to New Orleans. Understood the scenery and hills will be more modest. Any thoughts on what this stretch is like? Thanks. Logged Offline John Nettles

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I ride for smiles, not miles.
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Re: Southern Tier – Austin to New Orleans « Reply #1 on: February 10, 2024, 11:52:12 pm » Check out the various journals over on CrazyGuyonaBike.com and search journals for ACA’s Southern Tier Route. Should be a ton of journals to view to see what to expect.

Tailwinds, John Logged Offline Westinghouse

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Re: Southern Tier – Austin to New Orleans « Reply #2 on: Today at 07:08:44 pm » About the lower, closer to level hills, it is true once you are out of hill country. Coastal gulf land in NO, LS, Miss and AL is about as hill-less as it gets and stays that way until HWY 90 in north Florida. Inland LA and Miss and AL will have hills, but nothing daunting.

Southern Tier El Paso to New Orleans

By Cortney O. | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 30:Rain keeps us in Conroe, TX ?: Day catching up on work and sleep with a beer thrown in for good measure Saturday February 10, 2024 We are staying in Conroe this weekend, waiting out rain, thunderstorms, and general gloominess. We’ve built in these rest days into our schedule because we don’t need to be in New Orleans until 2/24 to meet our son.

And we have a year on the road, so no crazy hard end dates.

It rained a lot this morning but …

STN Coffee Ride and extra Sunday therapy… Pasadena, Texas

Rick Hernandez | strava.com

One flat, one bike change, and getting after it to catch the group at mid-point. Then, the rain on the therapy miles with two crazy near-misses due to very slick road paint. Luckily, it was the rear tire that slid out both times, or else i would have been eating pavement. Good times…

Trek Southside Shop Ride San Antonio, Texas

Evan Baines | strava.com

Sugar Cycles SB Ride Houston, Texas

T Perry | strava.com

Sunday Fun Houston, Texas

Sarah F | strava.com

Kingwood Streets, Greenbelt Trails, San Jacinto Bayou Greenway

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Driving home from church the sky looked threatening and a tornado warning was about to expire. That all changed by the time I started today’s bike ride at 2:24 PM. Starting later than planned I rode on Kingwood streets, greenbelts, Forest Cove, and the San Jacinto Bayou Greenway aboard the Lynskey Helix bike. I thought the ride would be 15 to 18 miles but turned out to be 24.29 miles finishing the week with 205.33 miles. I’m making progress on my month goal with 257.1 road miles, the goal is 445 road miles. A strong NE wind (10 mph gusts 21 mph) at the start calmed to 10 mph by the 4:18 PM finish. The wind heralded the coming of a cool front and the temperature dropped 75 to 72 by the end of the ride. I felt the cooling because I wore a long sleeve jersey under a short sleeve jersey, no wind jacket. Pedaling into the wind was hard but my legs relished when the road turned with a tailwind.

A bunch of Strava results: 2nd fastest time on North Shore Sunrise (3:37), 2nd fastest time on Uphill to Dagobah (2:32), 3rd fastest time on Lost Cove (12:44), and Local Legend on Kris Spraggins Memorial Route (2:24)

2-11-2024 Strava Ride Summary Kingwood-San Jacinto Bayou Greenway
2-11-2024 Strava Ride Summary Kingwood-San Jacinto Bayou Greenway