Cruising the Countryside: Texas Bicycling Action

Texbiker.net Posted on by

How going off path at Austin’s Hike and Bike Trail is causing erosion

by: Sally Hernandez | www.kxan.com

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The popular 10-mile-long Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail that wraps around Lady Bird Lake and attracts 5 million people a year is showing signs of erosion.

“The water is one of the biggest draws that we have in the city, right? said Grady Reed with The Trail Conservancy. “It’s hot, people want to get out, they want to get on the water.”

But it’s how some people are getting to the water that has eroded parts of the trail said Grady.

“We don’t think it’s intentional, right? You’re on the trail, you see the water you want to get in, or …

‘We have a place for all of them.’ On Fort Worth’s new mountain bike trails, inclusivity is key

by Marcheta Fornoff | fortworthreport.org

Fort Worth mountain bikers have a new reason to celebrate.

Four miles of new trails will open to the public at 10 a.m. April 1 at North Z Boaz Park.

The project is a partnership between the city, which owns the land, and the Fort Worth Mountain Bikers Association, whose members built and will maintain the trails. …

Stampede 200 Fredericksburg, Texas

Kenneth Petersen | strava.com

Fast pace throughout. Strong group. A rate bout of cramps the last 30 miles. Pleased w/4th place

Downtown Family Ride Houston, Texas

Michael St.Dizier Sr. | strava.com

TriM San Antonio, Texas

Michael Eichman MTCCSA | strava.com

Afternoon Ride San Antonio, Texas

Steve Gutierrez | strava.com

Morning Ride Bluebonnets Galore Washington County, Texas

J. Ramsey | strava.com

Wildflowers /Tire Plugs /Cattle Drive / Happy Horses / and Great Gravel Roads on a Perfect Day

Castell grind “workin for the boss” Llano County, Texas

Mike Aguayo | strava.com

Texas Biking from Twitter

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/1642290119884386304

FBISD Zuhne Education Expedition. Some Fog And Wind

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I waited until yesterday to register for the FISD Zuhne Education Expedition bike ride in Rosharon. Last year I made the decision earlier, drove to Alvin the evening before to not get up so early. Today I left home around 5:45 AM and drove to Freedom field in Iowa colony where the ride started. I got there about 6:40 AM with the start rolling out at 7:30. This gave me time to walk around handing out Texbiker.net business cards. I gave out all that I brought with me. It was warmer this year compared to last year but foggy. I got my number and pins, attached it to my Texbiker jersey and got the Cervelo Caledonia bike out of the Jeep.

Riding to the start area about 5 minutes before the start I found a spot to wait. The riders were going to start in groups of about 100. When I got my number I asked how many registered and the lady said a little less than 500. I was in the second group to roll out when the time came. It was 73 degrees so I wore shorts, arm sleeves, and a short sleeve Texbiker jersey. I hit the start button when we rolled up to wait our turn but the actual ride didn’t happen until 7:32.

Weather conditions: start 73 degrees, 94% humidity, dew point 71, fog, wind calm; finish 85 degrees, 21% humidity, dew point 42, partly cloudy, wind NE 10 mph.

(Update 4/3/2023) After registering for the ride on Friday I went to RideWithGPS.com and downloaded the route map to sync with my Wahoo Bolt computer. Prior to the start I selected the route and followed the turn-by-turn directions. I think there was only one time when the turn-by-turn got confused on some turns in Liverpool but was on route the rest of the ride. The route was well marked with ride signs.

The road was damp from the fog but not enough to cause a problem though later I looked at the Cervelo and knew I would need to wash it when I got home. The roads were smooth except for the first 1/2 mile which had some big cracks. The route headed southeast and the wind felt like a light tailwind making pedaling not too hard. To pace myself I used the 35×15 gears for 62.6 of the 66.16 miles. My average speed increased to 15.4 mph and I held it there until the route turned into the wind. Then my average speed slowly went down to 14.4 mph at the 12:41 PM finish. Link to my AXS.SRAM.com ride report.

Around halfway into the ride the roads dried off as the sun peeked out and the fog lifted. Sadly this was about where the route turned back towards the finish into a headwind. Sometimes my speed was around 12 mph but improved to 13 mph when the road curved away from the full headwind. I pedaled steady sometimes passing other riders and sometimes getting passed by faster ones.

The only climb was on FM 523 over railroad tracks and a road. To add to the misery the climb was into a headwind. The other bumps were over some irrigation canal bridges.

I got Strava top results on all but two of the segments in the ride. The image is below.

Last year I rode 65.18 miles and this year I rode 66.17 miles. I’m not sure where the extra mile came from.

4-1-2023 SportTracks Bike Ride Overview
4-1-2023 SportTracks Bike Ride Overview
4-2-2022 SportTracks Ride Overview
4-2-2022 SportTracks Ride Overview

I stopped at the rest stops except for the first around 7.2 miles into the ride. They were well stoked with food and the volunteers were friendly. I ate 2 ubar cookies at 2 different rest stops. I had not seen them before and they were good. The last rest stop was about 5 miles from the finish and I drank 2 cups of orange sport drink to get me to the finish.

4-1-2023 Strava Ride Summary Zuhne Education Expedition
4-1-2023 Strava Ride Summary Zuhne Education Expedition
4-1-2023 Strava Ride Segment Results Zuhne Education Expedition
4-1-2023 Strava Ride Segment Results Zuhne Education Expedition

Texas Bicycling Action – March 31, 2023

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Southern Tier 2023

By Sharon Greenwood | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 26: Sanderson to Seminole Canyon, TX: Headwind Hell

Thursday March 30, 2023, 82 miles (132 km) – Total so far: 1,316 miles (2,118 km) It was nice to wake up in a church classroom and not have to break camp. Kathy made breakfast of bacon and fresh eggs from the pastor’s chickens. Delicious! That would be the best part of this day. On bikes at 8:15 to try to get ahead of the anticipated 20mph afternoon headwinds. The first 30 miles to the van water stop was pleasant even with the mild 7mph headwind. Inhaled a PB&J and back on route in 14 minutes. And then the wind gods spoke to us. The terrain was not all that bad with undulating sections of Hwy 90, but each climb that might have been enjoyable was a struggle and what should have been a fun 25mph mile descent, was a fast peddle to get to 14mph. The ride was …

Day 27: Seminole Canyon to Del Rio, TX: Scrubland Relief

Friday March 31, 2023, 42 miles (68 km) – Total so far: 1,358 miles (2,185 km) Finally a warm wake-up:60° at sunup. Stopped at Visitor Center for view of canyon and inside dioramas depicting history of the area. On route at 9:00. Good fast peddling on rolling roads through canyon walls. Water fill at Comstock gas station at mile 10. Not much scenery; they call this area Scrubland. Slight headwind about 7mph. Passed through Amistad National Recreation Area and the beautiful Amistad Reservoir provided some needed relief to the dry landscape. The water looks so inviting as the full sun now is high and it’s 80°. Sailed over the two lane bridge over the reservoir. Lots of RV Parks – must be …

Afternoon Ride with Adam. Wind was brutal.. Harris County, Texas

Dave Emerson | strava.com

VIVIS Racing Team Camp Day 2 Comal County, Texas

JD Racer-X (VIVIS Racing) | strava.com

I had 2 flats. Team vibes were amazing. Missing Pops!!!!

Texas Biking from Twitter

ChatGPT Creativity Versus Reality. March’s Last Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

For my last bike ride in March I chose the new Caney – Gene Campbell Blvd. route heading north through Porter and New Caney, northwest on FM 1485, west on Gene Campbell Blvd. to FM 1314. I used to tell my wife I would try to find FM 1516 on the way back home but never found it. FM 1314 goes SE back to Porter but I turned onto Old Sorters Road before reaching Porter proper. Riding through Briar Tree, Oakhurst, and Kings Manor I returned to Kingwood.

For grins I asked ChatGPT to write a description of my ride and this what it wrote: “On a beautiful spring morning, I embarked on a bike ride through the scenic neighborhoods of Kingwood, Porter, and New Caney in Texas. The sky was clear, and the temperature was just right for a comfortable ride. As I set off on my journey, I was excited to explore the winding trails and quiet streets of this charming region, known for its picturesque scenery and friendly locals. With my helmet securely fastened and my water bottle within reach, I pedaled away, eager to experience all that this wonderful area had to offer.” Some of this is true but not all of it. The video shows the real ride.

I started the ride at 10:52 AM mounting my Cervelo Caledonia. The weather was much improved from yesterday with some sunshine and warmer temperatures but the wind was the same. Because of the warmer temperature I decided to wear a long sleeve poly T-shirt under a short sleeve jersey above my bike shorts. The strong wind propelled me to the Caney Creek u-turn north of FM 1485 in New Caney but the ride back to FM 1485 was into the strong headwind. From that point most the remaining route was into a headwind. Sometimes I was spared by trees and buildings between me and the wind. The last time I rode this route was October 12, 2022, going 39.01 miles. Today’s bike ride was slightly shorter at 38.92 miles (or 38.93 in SportTracks). I finished the ride at 1:52 PM. March biking ends with 725.5 road miles and 116.37 Zwift miles for a total of 841.87 miles. That is the most miles in a month since October 2022. My road mile goal for March was 650.

3-31-2023 SportTracks Recent Ride Histroy New Caney-Gene Campbell Blvd Route
3-31-2023 SportTracks Recent Ride Histroy New Caney-Gene Campbell Blvd Route

Weather for the bike ride: start 79 degrees, 72% humidity, dew point 69, mostly cloudy, wind S 13 mph gusts 24 mph; finish 83 degrees, 65% humidity, dew point 70, mostly cloudy, wind S 16 mph gusts 29 mph.

3-31-2023 Strava Ride Summary New Caney-Gene Campbell Blvd Route
3-31-2023 Strava Ride Summary New Caney-Gene Campbell Blvd Route