Texas Bicycling News Digest – April 27, 2023

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Today’s Headlines

CycleWyze Aims to Put America First by Taking Cycle Industry Manufacturing Back from China

New road project underway in Austin, Texas

Introduction to Mountain Biking Class

Downtown Tyler traffic study presents options for future growth

MS 150 Bike Ride in Houston will span 100 miles to College Station

Rolling on the streets of Austin

Multimillion dollar project will add four lanes to Miller Road bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard

MS 150 TO TRAVEL THROUGH AREA THIS WEEKEND

MS 150 Will Criss-Cross and Overnight in Fayette This Weekend

Registration for Bike The Woodlands Month events, workshops and rides now open

Arroyo trail’s third phase on hold as Harlingen officials hear residents’ concerns

CycleWyze Aims to Put America First by Taking Cycle Industry Manufacturing Back from China

www.news-journal.com

The newly launched ecommerce business was formed as a solution to supply chain instability and boost patriotism in the national cycling community

ODESSA, Texas, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Karl Menace has always been a problem solver and a bit of a risk taker. So when he saw continued challenges with the international supply chain on the heels of the pandemic and growing tensions between China and Taiwan, the entrepreneur and creator saw an opportunity to launch a cycling gear ecommerce business focused on delivering only American-made goods.

Like other industries, many of the cycling industry’s products come from China, from the bikes cyclists ride to the gear they wear. And for Menace, that’s a problem, especially in the face of continued supply chain issues and Chinese political unrest with Taiwan, which could disrupt markets further.

So instead of allowing …

New road project underway in Austin, Texas

www.worldhighways.com

Construction work is now underway on a new road project in Austin, Texas.

Construction work has started for the Interstate 35 Capital Express North project in Austin, Texas. The project is being managed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and should take five years to carry out. The aim of the project is to boost traffic flow and cut congestion.

Costing US$606 million, the project will help lower congestion. This section runs through the centre of Austin. The area currently experiences regular traffic delays for drivers. The work includes a new high-occupancy vehicle lane in each direction along I-35 from SH 45 North to US 290 East, as well as upgrade works for six bridges along the route. Ramps and intersections will also be improved, including a diverging diamond interchange at Wells Branch Parkway. In addition, pedestrian and bicycle paths will be built and there will be additional safety and mobility improvements within the project limits.

Introduction to Mountain Biking Class

www.rei.com

Sunday, May 21, 2023 9:00am–2:00pm CDT Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area Experience the thrill of mountain biking the care of our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides! You’ll learn and practice various riding techniques, including body and pedal position, shifting, braking, climbing, descending, and navigating minor obstacles on the trail. We’ll also review important communication skills and trail etiquette to keep multi-use trails safe for every user. And finally, we’ll use all these new skills on a trail ride! Bikes are provided for no additional charge. Students under 18 years of age may only attend with a registered, participating adult.

Learn techniques for effective bike handling on the trail
Practice skills in a protected environment
Enjoy a beginner-friendly trail ride with REI's expert guides

Video: Downtown Tyler traffic study presents options for future growth

Kristine Guevara | www.kltv.com

The Downtown Traffic Study was developed by Kimley-Horn and approved by the City Council on August 24, 2022. The study used recommendations from Toole Design, which has been working with the City since the beginning of 2022, to create a concept to support revitalization efforts in the Downtown area.

In analyzing Toole Design’s recommendations, which included reducing all vehicle travel on South Broadway Avenue to two lanes to improve pedestrian and bicycle travel within Downtown, it was determined that the recommended right-of-way repurposing had more impact on vehicles than was desired. …

… The analysis of the hybrid option showed Broadway Avenue maintaining roughly the same vehicular capacity compared to the existing road conditions while improving facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists and allowing businesses to extend outdoor storefronts. …

MS 150 Bike Ride in Houston will span 100 miles to College Station

Ariel Worthy | www.houstonpublicmedia.org

The ride is an effort to raise funds and awareness for those living with multiple sclerosis.

Over 5,500 cyclists will take off from Houston to ride more than 150 miles to College Station as part of the Bike MS: Texas MS 150 this weekend.

MS 150 – an effort to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis and funds for the National MS Society – will begin on Saturday at 6:45 a.m.. Starting lines will be in both Houston and Austin. In Houston, the starting point will be at the Addicks Park ‘n Ride in the Energy Corridor. That route will be 100 miles long to the end point in College Station.

Starting points will also be in Brookshire and Bellville. …

Rolling on the streets of Austin

Austin Kleon | austinkleon.com

“One of the few aspects of living in Austin that’s become less of a hassle over the last 15 years is riding a bicycle,” writes Kevin Curtin in his recent essay, “The Joy of Bicycling in Austin.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Chamberlain biked the I-35 “Hell Route” from Austin to San Antonio for Texas Monthly. (He previously rode every street in Austin and circumnavigated the entire state of Texas.) He writes: …

Multimillion dollar project will add four lanes to Miller Road bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard

By Annie Gimbel | www.cbsnews.com

ROWLETT (CBSNewsTexas) – A multimillion project will add four lanes (two lanes in each direction) to the Miller Road bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard. Pedestrian walkways and street lights are also in the works.

Saying "It’s about dang time!" on his Facebook page, Rowlett Mayor Blake Margolis shared the city council’s consensus to allocate $2.56 million for the design and engineering project.

"The bridge was built in 1969 and is not able to serve the current population of Rowlett effectively. …

… Margolis said the process will take a long time, thus "it’s important that this city council and future city council’s work diligently to ensure the city seeks funding partnerships going forward. As currently planned, upon completion there will be two bridges – a new bridge south of the existing bridge with just eastbound traffic, pedestrian walkway, and a bike lane, and then an existing short bridge with the two causeways – that bridge would carry the two westbound lanes." …

MS 150 TO TRAVEL THROUGH AREA THIS WEEKEND

Josh Blaschke | kwhi.com

The Texas MS 150 will bring thousands of bicyclists through the area this weekend.

The two-day fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will have riders traveling from the Houston or Austin region into La Grange on Saturday, then through Round Top or Carmine, Burton, and by Lake Somerville before finishing at Kyle Field in College Station on Sunday.

Starting points on the Houston route include Addicks Park & Ride in Houston’s Energy Corridor, the Royal school complex in Brookshire and the Austin County Fairgrounds in Bellville. The Austin route has starts at the Capitol and Webberville Park in Webberville. Both …

MS 150 Will Criss-Cross and Overnight in Fayette This Weekend

By Andy Behlen | www.fayettecountyrecord.com

More than 6,000 bicyclists will converge in La Grange this Saturday, April 29, for the Texas MS 150. Motorists should be on the lookout for cyclists this weekend around La Grange and the northern parts of Fayette County. La Grange serves as a half-way overnight stop for the roughly 150-mile bike ride, which raises money to find a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). Riders will depart from …

Registration for Bike The Woodlands Month events, workshops and rides now open

www.woodlandsonline.com

THE WOODLANDS, TX — The Woodlands Township, with support from Bike The Woodlands Coalition, will host several activities throughout the month of May in celebration of National Bike Month, in efforts to create a better community through bicycling.

Bike to Work Day will take place on Friday, May 19, 2023, from 6:30 to 9 a.m. at Northshore Park, 2505 Lake Woodlands Drive. Bike commuters are invited to meet for refreshments and bike commuting information. New for 2023, businesses are invited to get involved by becoming an Official Energizing Station or registering their company’s Bike to Work Day groups. We encourage bike commuters to visit your business by offering a free and/or discounted item during the morning and afternoon commute. …

Arroyo trail’s third phase on hold as Harlingen officials hear residents’ concerns

By Fernando Del Valle | myrgv.com

ARLINGEN — The project to build the Arroyo Colorado Hike and Bike Trail’s third stretch is on hold amid questions of whether the proposed route would encroach on homeowners’ properties.

At City Hall, Javier Mendez, the city’s parks director, is planning to meet Monday with Parkwood and Treasure Hills residents concerned part of the proposed stretch would cut into their backyards along the arroyo’s banks.

“The difference between this and other projects is some properties are at the arroyo’s edge,” Mendez said during an interview. “So we’re meeting with (property owners) so we …

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Patience; Starting The Bike Ride Later

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A rain storm moved through the area during the night dropping about an inch of rain according to my home weather station. I waited for the streets to dry before riding today making the start later than usual. On April 21st I rode a new route to the south and east named Atascocita – Walden – Indian Shores Road so I thought today would be a good day to repeat that route though I changed a few streets. The previous ride was 40.71 miles and today I biked 39.45 miles. I thought the changes I made today would make the rider longer but I was wrong. Next time I’ll go back to the original streets. Today’s route is a longer version of the Atascocita – Walden – Spanish Cove Drive route because Indian Shores road is passed Spanish cove Drive on FM 2100. The weather forecast for Saturday includes rain so I wanted a few extra miles for the week. The week’s mileage is 144.56 and I plan on biking tomorrow to increase that. I won’t ride enough tomorrow to reach 200 miles for the week but could be around 20 miles short. If I can’t ride Saturday then Sunday’s ride should get me over 200 miles.

Nobody went off course in today’s stage 2 at the Tour de Romandie. I watched this while waiting for the streets to dry.

With the rain gone and the wind blowing from the west the streets dried off. I started the ride at 12:15 PM on my Cervelo Caledonia bike. It was cooler than yesterday and I changed my clothes to offset the chilly wind and lack of sunshine with a long sleeve jersey and a wind jacket. Once I got warmed up I was comfortable. Weather: Start 72 degrees, humidity 77%, dew point 64, cloudy, wind W 9 mph; Finish 73 degrees, humidity 72%, dew point 64, mostly cloudy, wind NW 13 mph.

For a change I had a tailwind helping me tide to FM 2100. Biking south on FM 2100 it was mostly a tailwind which spelled trouble once I made the u-turn at Indian Shores Road heading north to Huffman and then west on FM 1960. My legs got a workout as I pedaled north and west. I kept using the 35×13 gears into the headwind but my speed went down. Biking west over Lake Houston the passing traffic sucked some of the wind away which helped. From my AXS.SRAM.com ride report: 35×13 gears for 1:42:06 (27 miles), 35×15 gears 44:01 (8.5 miles).

4-27-2023 Strava Ride Summary Atascocita-Walden-Indian Shores Drive
4-27-2023 Strava Ride Summary Atascocita-Walden-Indian Shores Drive

Texas Bicycling News Digest

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Today’s Headlines

Houstonian has team of 24 cyclists riding 150 miles for MS

For the Love of Texas brings back annual bike ride

65-year-old man spent entire night stuck standing in mud on Texas coast, rescuers say

Everything you need to know about the 2023 MS 150

I Biked the I-35 “Hell Route” From Austin to San Antonio So You Don’t Have To

Cyclists and Beer Lovers Unite at Breakaway Brewery

Man charged with murder in deadly shooting of bicyclist during argument in East Downtown

Laredo Chamber hosting 5k run, walk and bike to raise scholarship funds

White bike gifted to family of bicyclist killed by falling construction debris

16th Annual Jesuit Ranger Roundup Road Race • Apr 2 2023 • Celina, TX

Southern Tier CoMotion

Enjoy Spring Bike Tours on Fridays in May in Downtown Texarkana

From Twitter

New Events on the Texbiker.net calendar

Houstonian has team of 24 cyclists riding 150 miles for MS

Shafaq Patel | www.axios.com

Thousands of cyclists will ride up to 150 miles across the state this weekend to raise money for a multiple sclerosis cure.

Why it matters: MS — a central nervous system disease affecting almost 3 million people globally — has baffled doctors since it was discovered more than a century and a half ago.

The disease can advance silently for years but then attack the protective coating around nerve cells and produce lesions that can cause vision problems, muscle weakness and more.

State of play: Nearly 5,500 riders will take off from Houston on Saturday for the 39th annual Texas MS 150 while others start their ride in Austin or along the bike route. The event concludes in College Station.

Zoom in: Houstonian Audrey Blank attended her first MS 150 more than a decade ago and stood on the sidelines with a "Thanks for saving my life one pedal a time" sign after she was diagnosed with MS in 2007. …

For the Love of Texas brings back annual bike ride

www.drippingspringsnews.com

Scenic Texas’ For the Love of Texas bike ride returned to the Hill Country this past weekend, celebrating Earth Day with the annual event.

The scenic bike ride on Saturday, April 22 provided a free opportunity for cyclists to take a leisurely — if largely uphill — ride through the rolling landscape at their own pace. Beginning at the site of sponsor Dripping Springs Distilling, bikers followed a marked path down west US Highway 290, up Mc-Gregor Lane to Fitzhugh Road and back down Bell Springs Road. Following the 11-mile event, participants were welcome to a free lunch with the option of donations.

Fundraising proceeds went directly towards efforts to preserve Texas visual environments and promote leisure scenic bike rides for future generations. …

65-year-old man spent entire night stuck standing in mud on Texas coast, rescuers say

By Mark Price | www.star-telegram.com

A bicyclist spent an entire night stuck standing in mud before he could be rescued from a remote stretch of the Texas coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The rescued happened before dawn Tuesday, April 25, and the man was immediately taken to a hospital, the Coast Guard reported in a news release. His identity was not released. “Watchstanders received a report from Galveston County Sheriff’s Office personnel at 4:17 a.m. that a 65-year-old man was stuck in the mud east of the Galveston north jetty on Bolivar Peninsula and (they) were unable to reach him,” the Coast Guard said.

Everything you need to know about the 2023 MS 150

by: Carrigan Chauvin | cw39.com

HOUSTON (CW39) – Careful on the roadways across Texas this weekend. The 2023 MS 150 will attract cyclist from across the country to participate in this massive fundraising event.

Bike MS is the largest charity cycling series in the country. Our community has raised an incredible $1.4 billion to fuel the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s mission to cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives.

If you are not used to riding and are participating in the event, you should probably catch up on the cycling lingo for your safety and the safety of those around you. …

I Biked the I-35 “Hell Route” From Austin to San Antonio So You Don’t Have To

By Aaron Chamberlain | www.texasmonthly.com

Cycling for eighty miles along a busy highway frontage road isn’t exactly a wise idea, but I found a perverse enjoyment in it.

I’ve always wanted to ride my bike to San Antonio from Austin. The cities are separated by about eighty miles—a nice distance for an adventurous cyclist—and the trip can make for a very pretty ride, if you take quiet back roads that wend through the Hill Country. That was not the case for the route I took last Saturday.

I chose to travel a much stupider way, one I’m calling the Hell Route. It’s one of many such rides I plan to do, a collection called Hell Routes. As the name implies, these are rides made miserable by traffic, weather, or lack of amenities. Some might consider my three-thousand-mile-ride around the perimeter of Texas or my ride from Brownsville to Austin Hell Routes, but those were fairly nice, actually. This particular route was Austin to SA via the …

Cyclists and Beer Lovers Unite at Breakaway Brewery

By Jeremy Banas | www.sanantoniomag.com

The owners of this Government Hill Brewery have created a community gathering place that fuses their love of craft brewing and biking

Take a gander around the new Breakaway Brewing taproom in Government Hill and the owners’ love of cycling is apparent, from posters and plaques adorning the walls to Tour de France–inspired stripes on the windows and ample bike racks outside. And then, of course, there’s the names of the beers on tap.

“The beer names are either cyclists, cyclists’ nicknames or cycling terms,” says Chris Pal-Freeman, who opened the brewery earlier this year along with his wife, Jean. “The stout that we have is the Singletrack. We made a variant of the Singletrack by adding peanut butter and banana to it, and that’s the Clydesdale, a category in mountain bike racing for …

Man charged with murder in deadly shooting of bicyclist during argument in East Downtown

abc13.com

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A suspect accused of fatally shooting a man who was riding a bicycle in Houston’s East End earlier this month has been arrested, according to police.

Erick Aguirre, 29, is charged with murder in the shooting death of 46-year-old Elliot Nix.

Houston police said Aguirre was arrested in South Texas after Crime Stoppers tips helped investigators identify him.

On April 11, officers responded to a shooting in the 1300 block of Chartres Street just before 8 p.m. At the scene, officers found Nix unresponsive with a gunshot wound. …

Laredo Chamber hosting 5k run, walk and bike to raise scholarship funds

Louis San Miguel | www.lmtonline.com

The Laredo Chamber of Commerce is set to host a 5k this week, inviting Laredoans to get active for a good cause.

The Cycle & Step for Scholarships takes place this weekend, with the Chamber hosting the event in support of Youth Leadership Laredo, an education program under the Laredo Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

The organizers of the event invite Laredoans of all skill levels to take a 5k route that will take the participants on some of Laredo’s most scenic and historic neighborhoods.

Participants will be …

White bike gifted to family of bicyclist killed by falling construction debris

www.fox7austin.com

Michael Delgado was struck and killed by falling debris from a West Campus construction site while he was biking through the neighborhood.

16th Annual Jesuit Ranger Roundup Road Race • Apr 2 2023 • Celina, TX

www.road-results.com

Categories » Men Cat 1/2/3 » Men Cat 3/4 » Men Cat 4/5 » Men Cat 5 » Men Junior 15-18 » Men Master 35+ Cat 4/5 » Men Master 40+ » Men Master 50+ » Men Master 60+ » Women Cat 1/2/3 » Women Cat 4/5 » Women Junior 15-18 » Women Junior 9-14 » Women Master 40+

Southern Tier CoMotion

By Keith Misegades | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Desert heat and elevation gain; hard day for me: Langtry to Sanderson

Wednesday April 26, 2023 Well, today the desert handed my ass to me well done. I know that I struggle in deserts due to my high level of perspiration and thought that I was prepared. Long story short, I just barely made it to the end.

I am sort of travelling west with a couple by the name of Michael and Ann are doing that as well. We see each other in the morning and then in the evening, but we ride at our own pace throughout the day. It is nice to have someone else to talk to about the day’s ride.

I was on the road by 7:30 AM from Langtry. I was up around midnight and took time to check out the stars there. The night sky was pretty good, but the moon was out so it was not really all that dark. Still much better than at home in Nashville, TN. The 61 mile day was split into a 40 mile section and a 20 mile section with a small convenience store separating them. The route today had me gaining altitude much like my …

Enjoy Spring Bike Tours on Fridays in May in Downtown Texarkana

Lisa Lindsey | kkyr.com

Get ready for some fun and a little exercise with the return of the Spring Bike Tours in downtown Texarkana.

The bike tours will take place on each Friday in May and rotate between A Cycle Through History and A Cycle Through Public Art. …

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tailwind Followed By Headwind. Where Is That News?

Texbiker.net Posted on by

With about one third of the year over it is difficult to find bike routes that I haven’t rode a number of times but today I rode a route for just the second time this year. The route is really extension of another route, Community Drive – Valley Ranch – Cumberland, going passed Cumberland Blvd. on FM 1314 to Gene Campbell blvd. and then making a u-turn. I call this route Community Drive – Valley Ranch – Gene Campbell Blvd. The last three times I rode this route it was over 37 miles long but today I rode a few different streets biking 36.48 miles, about the average for all of the rides on this route. I used four different bikes on this route since I started riding it in August 2021.

4-26-2023 SportTracks Ride History Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell Blvd
4-26-2023 SportTracks Ride History Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell Blvd

Today I rode my Cervelo Caledonia bike with wheels down at 11:17 AM and finishing at 2:20 PM. Weather conditions warmed from yesterday so I wore a long sleeve jersey instead of wind jacket with my short sleeve Texbiker.net jersey over it. Weather: Start 76 degrees, humidity 78%, dew point 69, overcast, wind SE 14 mph; Finish 82 degrees, humidity 67%, dew point 70, mostly cloudy, wind SE 17 mph.

Before the ride I watched the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland. A group at the back of the race made a wrong turn on the course and rode several km before they realized it. Even the pro’s can get off course.

The ride to Gene Campbell Blvd. going NW on FM 1314 was easy thanks to the 14 to 17 mph tailwind. After making the u-turn at Gene Campbell Blvd. it became a headwind. I thought my overall average speed would go down with the headwind but I managed to keep it at 13.9 mph all the way to Old sorters Road where I turned off of FM 1314. Riding through Briar Tree and Oakhurst I was able to maintain that average speed and beyond until I got back into Kingwood. My legs were good enough to battle the wind. I used the 35×13 gears for a longer than usual time, 2:10:41 (31 miles) out of a total moving time of 2:39:43 according to my AXS.SRAM.com ride report.

4-26-2023 Strava Ride Summary Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell Blvd
4-26-2023 Strava Ride Summary Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell Blvd