Texas Biking News May 7th 2021

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El Paso takes #1 spot for safest city for cyclists

www.yourbasin.com

EL PASO, Texas (Nexstar) – Grab a bike, your helmet, and other protective gear and make your way to El Paso for a bike stroll.

May is a busy month filled with different national days and one of those is National Bike Month.

YourLocalSecurity, has compiled a list of all the cities across the United States that are doing both the best and worst duties in keeping cyclist safe.

According to their latest annual Safest Cities for Cyclist in America, El Paso came …

Colin Strickland Pushes His Body To The Limit On Infamous Road To Nowhere

By James Stout | www.redbull.com

One of the world’s top gravel cyclists, Colin Strickland, teamed up with Red Bull to tell the story about the rise in gravel cycling, why it’s continuing to grow and how he is training his body to reach a goal that no other athlete has ever accomplished – win the prestigious 200-mile Unbound Gravel racing competition in back-to-back efforts. Following an evaluation by the team at Red Bull’s Athletic Performance Center, Strickland put his body through the ultimate physical stress test on West Texas’ “Road To Nowhere.” With gravel bike in tow, he hit the road for over 100 miles in 98-degree heat, against 25mph winds and above 8,000 feet of elevation to optimize his athletic performance in preparation for the upcoming competition. Journalist and former Unbound 200 competitor, James Stout, caught up with Colin over coffee and double helpings of breakfast tacos the day after he …

Land of Fire and Wind

By David Goodrich | www.crazyguyonabike.com

Orla – Kermit: Cheating Death Highway

Wednesday May 5, 2021, 70 miles (112 km) – Total so far: 461 miles (742 km) So for the second time, I heard that Rt. 285 north of Pecos, TX, is known as “Death Highway,” largely because of the volume of truck traffic and the condition of the road; see …

Reporting On Deadly Collision Leads To Legal Threats Against Journalist

By Paul Flahive | www.tpr.org

When TPR started asking questions about a deadly accident involving Martin Phipps’ executive assistant, the firm accused the reporter of harassment and of catfishing employees on the hookup app Grindr. As TPR has reported, Phipps and the firm have been in the news following a group of resignations from the firm and Phipps’ arrest.

Samantha Castillo, 24, has been accused of hitting and killing a cyclist on the evening of April 7 while intoxicated. She is a paralegal and executive assistant to Martin Phipps — founder and owner of Phipps Ortiz Talafuse PLLC and of Paramour bar.

The law firm represents Bexar county in its lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Shortly after 8 p.m. on that night, Beatrice Gonzalez was standing over her bicycle with …

DFW paths & trails

tcs | www.bikeforums.net

Updates: Things are happening…at a glacial pace, but they are happening.

Construction has started on a bike/pedestrian bridge over US75/Central Expressway to connect the Northaven Trail to the White Rock Creek Trail.

Note: the SOPAC Trail extension is ‘proposed’, and for the foreseeable future it will remain ending in the liquor store parking lot on Greenville.

Fort Worth’s Trinity Trail has pushed east to River Trails Park. However, two of the three times I’ve tried to ride out that far the low water bridge across the West Fork of the Trinity River @ Handley Ederville was under quite a bit of fast flowing water. Might need to pony up for …

San Antonio lands international cycling event affiliated with Tour de France

by Brendan Gibbons | sanantonioreport.org

An international cycling event sponsored by the organization that runs the Tour de France is coming to San Antonio next year.

The event is the first announced in the U.S. by L’Etape, a global cycling series sponsored by the same group that runs the world’s most famous cycling race. L’Etape is holding races in 14 different countries in 2021, including three in Mexico and one in Canada.

Expected to draw thousands of people, the San Antonio event is scheduled for April 8-10, 2022, the last weekend of Fiesta, San Antonio Sports CEO Russ Bookbinder said Friday. It will include …

Safe Routes for Road Cycling in South Austin? from BikingATX

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Apple Fritter Reward While Biking New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch

Texbiker.net Posted on by

After three 41+ mile long bike rides this week I backed off slightly on today’s bike ride going 36.03 miles. Starting at 10:07 AM I rode my Lynskey R300 bike on what I call the”New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route. The week now totals 164.68 miles positioning me for a 200+ mile week with 2 biking days left. May totals 221.98 miles towards my 660 mile goal. I finished at 1:14 PM.

Another picture perfect biking day with sunny weather and temperatures in the low 80’s. Starting and ending weather conditions: start 79 (53% humidity, 60.5 dew point), fair, wind SE 3 mph; finish 84 (37% humidity, 54.9 dew point), fair, wind E 8 mph. Light wind meant my legs had an opportunity to not be stressed as much.

A different video today showcasing Tavola flowers and the Lynskey R300. I reached Pat’s Donuts in time for an apple fritter. Tasted great.

Texas Biking News May 6th 2021

Texbiker.net Posted on by

New agreement keeps wheels spinning for city bike-share program, but riders will pay more

by Jackie Wang | sanantonioreport.org

San Antonio’s bike-sharing program will now be in the hands of a private company.

City Council voted Thursday to transfer operation of the city’s bike-share program to Wisconsin-based BCycle. The program was formerly operated by the nonprofit organization San Antonio Bike Share, but the group ran out of funding to support the bicycle-sharing program after Steward Health Care finished paying its sponsorship commitment in early 2020.

San Antonio Bike Share had established 65 docking stations and 650 bikes across the city as of January 2020. Currently, members of the bike-share program pay $11 for a day pass, $22 for a monthly pass, $100 for an annual pass, or $2.25 for every 30 minutes. Non-members can use the …

Hike and bike trails to connect Mesquite, Garland and Richardson by next year

By Francesca D’Annunzio | www.dallasnews.com

Three Dallas County cities will soon be connected by hike and bike trails.

The Mesquite-Garland-Richardson Bikeway Connectors is a collaborative project between Garland and Mesquite, which are both working on connecting and extending trails in their respective cities to make a continuous path from Mesquite to Richardson through Garland.

Once completed, the MGR Bikeway Connectors will have connected bicycle and pedestrian pathways between Garland, Richardson and Mesquite from Jupiter Road to beyond Interstate 30, according to city officials. These paved paths will be a …

Pop A – full ride – 5/4/2021

Honest Tree | www.youtube.com

We did have a crash on Parker Road (not on video). Rider was okay. Bike maybe wasn’t.

City working to decrease barriers students face in walking or biking to school

by Sameera Ali | cbsaustin.com

AUSTIN, Texas — The City is working to decrease barriers that students face in walking or biking to school.

May 5 is National Bike to School Day, which is when schools nationwide celebrate the fun of biking to and from school.

During the school closures last year due to the pandemic, Austin Public Works’ Safe Routes to School (SRTS) completed 64 …

Safe Routes to School Provides Ways for Students to Bike to School

City of Austin | austintexas.gov

National Bike to School Day 2021 is May 5, a day when schools across the country celebrate the fun of biking to and from school. Austin Public Works’ Safe Routes to School (SRTS) staff focus on decreasing the barriers students face in walking or biking to school.

During last year’s pandemic school closures, SRTS completed 64 infrastructure improvements at 19 different schools across the city. SRTS first received funding to build pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure through the 2016 Bond. The program aims to complete all 2016 Bond funded projects at 137 elementary and middle schools by 2024.

Safety concerns are often the main reason families choose not to walk or bike to school. The City has addressed …

Police explain why a bicyclist was arrested Wednesday near campus

www.kbtx.com

College Station police are providing more details and context of an arrest near campus Wednesday that was caught on a cell phone camera and shared on several social media sites.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – College Station police are providing more details and context of an arrest near campus Wednesday that was caught on a cell phone camera and shared on several social media sites.

In the 2-minute video, College Station and Texas A&M police are seen chasing after a man on a bicycle along University Drive near Northgate in the middle of the afternoon. When they finally get to him, a police officer forcibly removed the man from the bike and onto the sidewalk where he’s warned by the officers to stop resisting arrest.

A College Station police officer warned the …

Gravel cycling champion Colin Strickland tests his limits on West Texas’ infamous ‘Road to Nowhere’

www.yourbasin.com

MARFA, Texas (Nexstar)- In celebration of National Bike Month, and in preparation to ride into the Unbound 2021 challenge this June, gravel cyclist Colin Strickland teamed up with Red Bull to put his body through the “ultimate physical stress test” on West Texas’ infamous Road to Nowhere.

The world-renowned stretch of land reaches across Marfa to Ruidoso, New Mexico. …

How is the Cottonwood Creek trail these days? from dfwbike

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Revisiting Coldspring to Bike Through The Forest and Hills

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I left home before 8:30 AM to drive to Coldspring. As I came to the stop sign in my Jeep at FM 2025 and SH 150 in Coldspring three cyclists rode towards me. I wasn’t the only cyclist wanting to ride in the Coldspring area. The last time I biked this route was January 21st, 2017. Previously I rode this route in 2013 and 2011. Held in January the weather can be chilly keeping me home. I didn’t know if the roads got better or worse. I soon found out the hills didn’t flatten.

Parking near the San Jacinto County Courthouse I unpacked the Canyon Endurace CF SLX bike. Weather was a little chilly at 68 degrees but the sun was out and the wind was only 5 mph as I started the ride at 9:33 AM. When I returned to the courthouse at 12:55 PM ending the ride with 46.34 miles it had warmed up to 81 and the wind was still light at 6 mph. The distance was a few tenths of mile less than 2017. I thought the distance would close the difference between 2020 YTD miles and 2021 but it so happens I biked 46.1 miles on May 6th, 2020. I didn’t reduce the 62 mile shortage of 2021.

The roads were not so rough chip seal surface with the biggest improvement on FM 222. It was marked by rough pavement and potholes in 2017. SH 150 was supposed to have construction according to a warning sign in Shepherd but I see any though several places had orange barrels in the grass. Traffic was light on all of the roads and SH 150 had a wide shoulder in both directions.

As if the hills weren’t enough I encountered three dog sprints. One on SH 150 around the 16 mile point but not on the return but I heard a dog in the yard of a house in the area. The dog came across the road in front of me forcing me to slow. He stayed on the shoulder and grass barking when I moved to the main lane. I think he knew the main lane was dangerous. The second was on the return leg on FM 222 not long after I passed the Shepherd United Methodist Church. It was a big growling dog who looked mean and hungry. I rode faster and he didn’t keep up. I don’t know if he couldn’t chase longer or I rode away. The third dog sprint also was on FM 222 later on the return to Coldspring. A medium large white dog ran along side in the grass but didn’t come to the pavement. Thankfully he lost interest because it was on an incline and my speed was maxed out.

Some photos I took.

  • 5-6-2021 Bike Ride Canyon Endurace at Shepherd-1
    On SH 150 2 miles west of Shepherd
  • 5-6-2021 Bike Ride Canyon Endurace FM 222-1
    FM 222
  • 5-6-2021 Bike Ride Canyon Endurace FM 222-2
    FM 222

I racked up some Strava medals but not as many as in 2017.

  • 5-6-2021 Strava Bike Ride Summary-1
  • 5-6-2021 Strava Bike Ride Summary-2