Texas Bicycling News – January 6, 2023

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Man riding bike injured after apparent hit-and-run in Port Arthur Thursday night

www.12newsnow.com

Our 12News crew at the scene says it appears the driver left the scene. The condition of the victim is unknown.

TxDOT seeks response in bicycle survey

Laura B. Martinez | news.yahoo.com

The Brownsville Herald, Texas Jan. 5—The Texas Department of Transportation encourages residents living in its Pharr District, which includes Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr, Willacy and Zapata counties, to participate in a survey pertaining to bicycle needs in the area.

According to TxDOT, it wants to identify opportunities to develop bikeway networks integrated with the state system to improve safety, connectivity and access within and between districts.

The Pharr District is one of four in the state chosen to be part of the pilot program. The other districts are Bryan, Laredo and San Antonio.

"The district bike plans will analyze needs on the highway system, prioritize routes, …

Men’s 50+ Race NOW COMBINED with Men’s 40+

Cedar Hill Race Festival | www.cedarhillracefestival.org

The men’s 50+ race has been moved FROM the Elite Women’s race TO the men’s 40+ race at the upcoming Cedar Hill Road Race. The men’s 60+ race is still combined with the Elite Women’s race. The races will race combined but be scored separately.

For Men 40+ racers this change means you no longer have your own race as the 50+ will be combined with you.

For Men 50+ racers this change means your race now starts at 10:55a instead of 9:32a, will be 19 laps & 36.1 miles instead of 13 laps & 24.7 miles, and will not be racing combined with the Elite Women nor the 60+ men.

For Men 60+ racers this …

Next Leg of San Jacinto West Fork Greenway Now Hike- and Bikeable

by Bob Rehak | reduceflooding.com

The second leg of the Houston Parks Board’s San Jacinto River West Fork Greenway is taking shape nicely. Contractors have apparently finished concrete work and landscaping. It can now be hiked and biked. Route of San Jacinto West Fork Greenway

The first leg of the three-mile route starts near the entrance to River Grove Park at the south end of Woodland Hills Drive in Kingwood. It used existing residential streets and new trails to snake its way to the Forest Cove Community Center. Then construction paused until demolition of the flooded townhomes on Aqua Vista, Timberline, and Marina Drives finished.

The second leg (dark purple below) follows existing streets through the old townhome site. However, contractors narrowed the streets to one lane. That accommodates bicycle and foot traffic, but limits most vehicle access. …

Texas Biking from Twitter

Flipped Chain = Crisp Quiet Shifting. Revisited Route

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Last night I was thinking of possible routes for today’s bike ride and thought the Community Drive – Valley Ranch – Forest Cove one would be good. Then today as I got ready I went over the potential roads to ride. Looking in SportTracks I found 7 previous rides with the same route name. The most recent was December 17, 2021, and then there was a large time gap back to 2013 when I rode my Motobecane Le Champion LTD bike. The roads I rode today were similar thus I used the same route name but included some different ones. Leaving Kingwood I rode through Woodridge Forest and Brooklyn Trails which did not exist in 2013. Biking through Valley Ranch on side streets that I only began using in the last couple of years. In Forest Cove today I rode the San Jacinto Bayou Greenway which is relatively new, especially the portion from Hamblen Road to Marina Drive. Today’s ride covered 32.25 miles which is longer than the previous rides by about 2 miles, reflecting the different streets on the ride.

1-16-2023 SportTracks All Rides Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove

The maps below show the difference in the routes from 7/25/2013 and today. Most of the POI in the 2013 map did not exist in 2013.

Map from 7/25/2013 ride
Map from 7/25/2013 Bike Ride
Map from today's ride
Map from 1/06/2023 Bike ride

The ride began at 11:11 AM and finished at 1:42 PM. The wind increased significantly making the return to Forest Cove hard on my legs. On the way to Community Drive a tailwind helped but I didn’t realize how strong the wind became. The temperature ranged from 70 to 76 and some clouds moved in but the sun still commanded the sky. I wore shorts, a long sleeve jersey, and the new white Voler jacket from Wednesday’s ride. Weather for the ride: start 70 (humidity 70%, dew point 59), fair, wind SE 9 mph; finish 76 (humidity 64%, dew point 63), a few clouds, wind S 10 mph gusts 25 mph.

I rode my Cervelo Caledonia bike so I could check the gear noise and shifting from Wednesday. I’m happy to say putting the flat side of the chain on the outside instead of the inside fixed the problem. Shifting today was crisp and quiet. Hopefully I don’t make that mistake again. With the shifting fixed below is how I used the gears and applied the power. A couple of times on the ride south to Forest Cove I should’ve shifted from the 35×13 gears to 35×15 to help my legs. I did shift prior to stop signs and traffic lights to save my legs some.

1-06-2023 SRAM Component Summary Gear Usage by Time
1-06-2023 SRAM Component Summary Gear Usage by Time
1-06-2023 SRAM Component Summary Gear Usage by Distance
1-06-2023 SRAM Component Summary Gear Usage by Distance
1-06-2023 SRAM Component Summary Avg Power in Gear
1-06-2023 SRAM Component Summary Avg Power in Gear
1-06-2023 Strava Ride Overview Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove
1-06-2023 Strava Ride Overview Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove
1-06-2023 Strava Ride Route Map Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove
1-06-2023 Strava Ride Route Map Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove
1-06-2023 Strava Relative Effort Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove
1-06-2023 Strava Relative Effort Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove
1-06-2023 Strava Analysis Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove
1-06-2023 Strava Analysis Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Forest Cove

Texas Bicycling Action – January 5, 2023

Texbiker.net Posted on by

San Juan PD Bike Patrol to return after five years

by: Joe De Leon | www.valleycentral.com

SAN JUAN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — After five years the city of San Juan Police Department is bringing back its bike patrol division.

It is something the community has been asking the department to bring back for some time now.

Patrol officers on bicycles offer many advantages, such as allowing them to navigate where patrol cars can’t and giving the officers a deeper perspective on crime activity in any given area while interacting with the community. …

The Man Behind The Loop, a 50-Mile Trail Coming Soon to Dallas

By Tim Rogers | www.dmagazine.com

Phillip Hiatt Haigh, the executive director of the Circuit Trail Conservancy, tells all about the newest bike trail that will be winding its way through Dallas in 2026. Plus, a little bit of relationship advice.

As the executive director of the Circuit Trail Conservancy, Philip Hiatt Haigh (aka P2H) is working with public and private partners to build The LOOP, a 50-mile paved trail around the heart of Dallas that will fully open in 2026. This month, one important part was slated to be approved, a leg of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail through the new Creekside Park, 1 mile south of White Rock Lake. …

LPGS Houston Texas

Nate Eguia | strava.com

Thursday San Antonio Texas

Eduardo Salas | strava.com

I’ve been Sandbagging!!! Houston Texas

John Yoder | strava.com

Came across Anne et Vincent who started their ride in Canada and finishing in South America

PW getting miles Fort Bend County, Texas

Nicole Volek | strava.com

Man riding bike injured after apparent hit-and-run in Port Arthur Thursday night

Author: Lupita Villarreal | www.12newsnow.com

Our 12News crew at the scene says it appears the driver left the scene. The condition of the victim is unknown.

PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A man is being treated for his injuries after being hit while riding his bike in Port Arthur Thursday night.

It happened before 8 p.m. on 39th Street near Memorial Boulevard in Port Arthur.

Our 12News crew at the scene says it appears the driver left the scene.

The condition of the victim is unknown.

This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Back After Almost 2 Years. Zwift Watopia Sand and Sequoias

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I thought I would ride on the road but after working on a bunch of paperwork the temperature was in the low 60’s so I decided Zwift was where I would ride. The upcoming events were on routes I rode recently or too fast paced. Another free ride was in order. I’m not sure why I landed on the Watopia Sand and Sequoias route. In SportTracks I saw the last time I rode this route was January 21, 2021, almost 2 years ago and only once before that. Both of those rides were less than 17 miles but I wanted to ride 20 miles. ZwiftInsider.com’s map showed one KOM, Titans Grove, and I hoped riding 20 miles didn’t put me climbing up twice. I got close to the second time up Titans Grove but ended the ride on the approaching hilly section.

Fuego Flats allowed me to ride around 20 mph with a few bursts up to 23 mph until the rolling hills slowed me down before going up Titans Grove KOM. Several large groups passed me in both directions. My last Zwift ride I was in the rain for part of the ride. No rain but some low hanging clouds in the hills.

I wasn’t the only person Zwifting this morning. Over 25,000 when I started and a little over 24,000 when I ended the ride. I rode the Cannondale Evo frame with the Shimano C40 wheels. I listened to Pandora’s Contemporary Christian Radio station while I pedaled.

The Wahoo Kickr Core smart trainer felt like it wasn’t adjusting the resistance to match the terrain. Maybe I need another spin down. Or maybe the route didn’t require adjustments because I have the effort set to 50% in Zwift.

My weekly effort in Strava was below the week’s range.

1-5-2023 Strava Weekly Effort to Date
1-5-2023 Strava Weekly Effort to Date
1-5-2023 Strava Zwift Ride Overview Watopia Sand and Sequoias
1-5-2023 Strava Zwift Ride Overview Watopia Sand and Sequoias
1-5-2023 Strava Zwift Ride Map Watopia Sand and Sequoias
1-5-2023 Strava Zwift Ride Map Watopia Sand and Sequoias