Texas Bicycling Action – February 24, 2023

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2023 Tour de Houston bike ride set for Sunday

Adam Zuvanich | www.houstonpublicmedia.org

There are 20-, 40- and 60-mile rides for participants of all ages, with proceeds benefitting a reforestation program operated by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

The Tour de Houston, an annual charity bicycle ride around the city, returns this Sunday.

There are 20-, 40- and 60-mile rides, all of which will proceed southeast from Downtown Houston, available to participants of all ages. Each route starts and ends at City Hall, 901 Bagby St.

A post-ride party will be held for participants, with music along with free food and beverages.

Proceeds from the leisurely, non-competitive event, which is sponsored by Apache Corporation and hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, will benefit Re-Plant Houston, a reforestation program of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. …

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Wind, Dog Sprints, Only 87. Rangerville – Military Highway – Harlingen

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I used RWGPS to plan today’s bike ride and I did better. I started the ride at 10:51 AM riding my Cervelo Caledonia bike. I used my CamelBak for hydration today and had cold water until the finish at 1:19 PM and 31.75 miles. The weather was cooler than yesterday ranging from 82 at the start to 87 at the finish. The wind was strong but not as much as yesterday from the south at 14 mph. I think tomorrow’s Jalapeno 100 ride will have stronger winds and I hope to be ready for that.

The route today followed the frontage road along US77/I-69E until I reached Rangerville Road where I turned left. This was the same as FM1479. I stayed on FM 1479 until I made the right turn onto FM 800. One dog sprint on FM 1479 into the wind put my legs to the test. Details are in the video. FM 800 went to the west with the wind hitting my left side not making pedaling that much easier. FM 800 went to the right but I continued straight on FM 3476 to the left turn onto another FM road that I don’t remember the number of. At Bluetown Military Highway ended the road and I turned left. Up to this point the road surfaces were chip and seal. When traffic allowed I rode in the main lane rather than the bumpy shoulder. Military Highway was smooth asphalt and the wind moved to my right side. About 4.1 miles was all of the Military Highway when I turned left onto FM 1479 and back to chip and seal roads. A little more traffic than the other FM roads. The next turn was onto FM 675 which took me to the road back to Harlingen. Another dog sprint just before I made the left turn. Thankfully the German Shepherd gave up before I had to slow and make the left turn. Back to an asphalt road surface until I reached the US77 underpass which went back to chip and seal. My butt hurt from all of the chip and seal vibrating. A short ride on Business US77 and some side streets took me to the end of the ride.

The only route planning issue was when I turned left from Military Highway onto FM 1479, the Bolt computer started beeping and giving u-turn directions but I stayed on FM 1479 and the beeping stopped. I think when I planned the route in RWGPS I entered duplicate points at that intersection.

Weather – start 82 degrees, 72% humidity, dew point 72, fair, wind S 14 mph; finish 87 degrees, 59% humidity, dew point 71, mostly cloudy, wind S 14 mph.

Texas Bicycling News – February 23, 2023

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New bike path takes you to RodeoHouston

Jay R. Jordan | www.axios.com

The new bike path to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a dream come true for cyclists who want to pedal to the annual spectacle at NRG Stadium that starts next week.

Driving the news: Construction of a mile-long off-street path along Almeda Road from Old Spanish Trail to Holly Hall Street is nearly complete.

Why it matters: The new $1.13 million path closes a major gap in Houston’s bike network by connecting to paths along Almeda Road to the north and an east-west path along Holly Hall to the west, which dead-ends at NRG Park.

To the north of the new path, it’s easy enough to pedal to and from Hermann Park, the Brays Bayou Greenway and destinations in the Texas Medical Center. …

Video: Elderly man injured in bicycle accident in downtown Laredo

www.kgns.tv

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) – An elderly resident is taken to the hospital after he was allegedly hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle.

The accident happened on Wednesday at around 7:15 a.m. at the intersection of Hidalgo and San Augustin.

Paramedics with the Laredo Fire Department arrived and found a 67-year-old man injured at the scene.

Paramedics treated the man and transported him to LMC in stable condition.

Come and Grind It returns to Gonzales County

By Vandy Van Epps | gonzalesinquirer.com

The annual Come and Grind It cycling event returns to the Gonzales County area in Leesville this Saturday, Feb. 25.

A gravel road bicycle race event that has been going on since 2017, more than 200 people compete in the race itself.

Brett Kinsey, the race director of Capital City Racing, said the event starts off together and later breaks into groups of two or three cyclists going together.

“I think what makes this event different than what people would think of as a bicycle race is that really, about 85 percent of our participants are not interested in podiums and winning and in places; they’re actually interested in experience, having a great day in the sunshine in the countryside,” Kinsey said.

During the races, Kinsey said he …

Bike memorial placed to honor victim

By Spencer R. Smith | www.newschannel6now.com

Bike Wichita Falls honors victim with ghost bike

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – A ghost bike was placed to honor the memory of Jose Guadalupe Medina Martinez on Feb. 22.

Martinez was struck and killed on Oct. 24, 2022, by an unknown motorist.

Bike Wichita Falls said on their Facebook that the ghost bike is a memorial and a reminder to the community to share the road.

Bike Wichita Falls said they will be participating in the National Ride of Silence on May 17 to honor Martinez as well as Nancy Beaver. Both were killed riding their bikes last year.

Any additional information regarding the accident can be given to the Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers.

Thumper WorK Day- This Saturday Feb 25th, 9am

By CBaron | austinmountainbiking.com

Hello my cycling friends,

I wanted to get this post out in hopes of getting a medium sized crew out to Thumper this Saturday for a morning of trail work. Ideally, it would be great to have 5-6 groups of 2-3ppl to be able to send off to locations of the trail that need work. And there are plenty of locations. In each of these 5 or 6 groups I’d like to have 1 person who is familiar with the trail and thats why you all are on this email.

If you have any tools please bring them: chainsaw, bandsaw, loppers have proven very useful. Likewise, bring appropriate PPE along with water and a snack.

Thumper Work Day- Saturday Feb 25th 9AM – Park on Fittonia Dr (or along Yaupon). Meet under the tree in the park that is used for EB rest stop. 9:15 AM – Saws down 3hr duration? Bring- chainsaw, bandsaw, loppers, PPE Water-Snack

If you have any questions or comments post them up. Thumper needs your help.

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Hot, Windy Biking Around Harlingen. Wilson Road – Combes – Loop 499

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A different setting for today’s bike ride, Harlingen, TX. I’m here early to ride the Jalapeno 100 on Saturday and to take advantage of the summer like weather for riding before then.

Earlier today I watched two bike races, the UAE Tour and the O Gran Camiño while I ate breakfast. The weather couldn’t have been more different for those two races. The UAE Tour was sunny and around 20C while the O Gran Camiño was super cold and snowing on the last climb. The O Gran Camiño was stopped with about 22km left because of heavy snow and freezing cold. I didn’t have that problem in Harlingen. When I started my ride at 11:16 AM it was 84 degrees, fair with a south wind of 18 mph and gusts of 31 mph. By the 1:53 PM finish the temperature was 94, fair sky, and the wind was from the south at 15 mph and 24 mph gusts. The wind and temperature took a lot out of me so I should’ve started earlier before it got that intense.

I looked up a route at RWGPS that I planned the last time I came to Harlingen for the Jalapeno 100 in late February 2020. I wanted to ride a few miles longer than then. I selected the route on my Bolt computer for turn-by-turn directions. The first 6+ miles I rode on that route but I didn’t update the route to add the extra miles and the Bolt had a beeping fit wanting me to turn at every side street to get back on the route. I ignored the beeping and later in the ride when I was on Loop 499 the Bolt wanted me to make u-turns which would’ve taken me away from where I finished. I called the route Wilson Road – Combes – Loop 499.

Most of the roads were chip seal on the shoulders except for TX 107 and Loop 499 which was asphalt with some patches. It wasn’t rough enough to jar fillings out but bumpy and vibrating. No climbing but there was a short slight downhill on Loop 499 over a bridge approaching Business US77 near the end of the ride.

The wind and heat took their pound of flesh so I stopped at the Road Ranger Truck Stop in Combes at US77 to recover some at 14.8 miles. Later I stopped again for ice and water at a store on Loop 499. My CamelBak would’ve been better than the water bottle I had with me.

I ended up riding less miles than I wanted to at 24.47. My legs told me to finish or they would go on strike from the wind.

Friday I plan on starting earlier.