This is what might be called an ultra-distance ride. Just as the marathon is the signature distance event for runners, the century (100-mile) ride is the signature distance ride for cyclists. And just as there are runners who push the envelope with ultra-marathon events of 50 to 100 miles, there are cyclists who routinely go far beyond 100 miles.
The organized form of this kind of riding is the brevet, also known as randonneuring. The shortest brevet ride is 200K (125 miles) with longer rides of 300K, 400K, 600K and the granddaddy of them all, the 1200K Paris-Brest-Paris Brevet, held every four years and which dates back, in various formats, to 1891.
Enough about that – I just wanted to give you some background to understand why I rode such an insane distance in the middle of summer. It happens that I know some brevet fans, and two of them – Margaret O’Kelley and Bob Lynn – invited me to join them on their favorite training ride: a 150-mile ride from the northwest edge of El Paso to Hatch, NM and back.
A map of our route is embedded below. I won’t go over too many of the route details but will highlight some and also our stopping points. Stopping points are crucial on a ride like this – there are stretches of up to 20 miles without easy access to water.
Also – I don’t recommend doing this alone, and definitely do not recommend it for anyone who has not done some distance riding. I ride 100-200 miles a week, and in the past have ridden many centuries, including two official brevets of 200K. I had not done a century for almost two years, so I wanted to get in a distance ride – hence my invitation from Margaret and Bob to join them. I thought I might just tag along for 100 to 110 miles of their ride, but felt good enough after 55 miles to keep going. As it turned out, I did OK and kept up with my friends for the duration – although I was fighting an overheated body at times.
We started at Crazy Cat Cyclery at 5:15 a.m. (Margaret and Bob had headlights and we all had taillights – I have a headlight but left it behind on this ride since it would be light within a few miles).
We took the I-10 frontage roads all the way to Berino, NM, crossed over to NM 478 and then made our way to Mesilla via Mesilla Park. Our traditional stop — The Bean in Mesilla — wasn’t open yet so we rode up to a nearby McDonalds for breakfast. Back to Mesilla, then took NM 292 to Roadrunner and eventually got on NM 185, which took us all the way into Hatch (with a stop at Fort Selden to refill water bottles).
NM 185 is the old U.S. 85 – one of the byways of Southern New Mexico. It runs along the Rio Grande, skirts the Robledo Mountains and passes through chile fields. There are quite a few rolling sections between Radium Springs (where Fort Selden is) and Hatch. In general, this is a pretty flat ride.
We got to Hatch just after 10:30 and had an early lunch at Sparky’s – a great eatery full of nostalgia collectibles. The green chile cheeseburger was fantastic. They also let us refill our water bottles with ice.
From Hatch, we took a slightly different route on NM 154, paralleling the railroad tracks and the river, and NM 140 before reconnecting on NM 185.
At Radium Springs, we opted for a beer and water break at the Blue Moon Bar. This bar has been around for years, is particularly popular among motorcyclists, and is the only stop between Hatch and Las Cruces where you can get a cold beverage (Fort Selden just has water and their water fountain was out of order, so all we could get there was lukewarm tap water).
There is one other unofficial place to get water and even a soda – the border patrol checkpoint between Hatch and Fort Selden, which has a Coke machine for employees and if you’re nice to them, for thirsty bicyclists.
When we got back to Mesilla, we took a break at Shorty’s convenience store. By this time, the 100-degree heat was really taking its toll. We bought a gallon of cold water for our water bottles and used about half of it just to splash on ourselves. We also got some Gatorade.
From Mesilla, we took NM 28 all the way back to Canutillo.
We were fighting a headwind much of the way back as well, so we made an extra stop at La Mesa for more water and ice.
The whole ride took about 13 hours. Our actual distance was a little over 150 miles, since all of us had ridden to the start from our homes.
This was the longest ride of my life (I had done one of about 135 miles a few years ago) and to be honest, I was pretty happy to survive the ride and to manage to keep up with my friends (they told me I was the first person they had invited along who actually completed the whole 150 miles!).
Nevertheless… I am still not a convert to the ways of the brevet. I like the challenge of an extra-long ride – but not that often!!! But at least a century ride won’t seem quite so bad!
Here’s the map of the ride:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/39769254
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Ditches to Mesilla
My ambition for a while has been to ride the ditches to Mesilla, and today was the day. The general plan was to ride the main westside Mesilla Valley ditch to the Mesilla Dam and return via the main eastside ditch. All the major canals in this area have reasonably good truck paths running alongside them. The dirt paths get sandy in spots, but generally are easy to ride with a mountain bike.
I parked my truck at Gallegos Park on Bosque Road in Canutillo and started riding on the canal that runs north-south on the west side of the park. This is known as the Canutillo Canal. I followed it north and west. This becomes the La Union East Canal and it follows Westside Road. Westside Road (at least the paved part) ends at Washington Street in Anthony, but the canal keeps going north. About a mile or so later is the junction of the La Union East and West Canals (the La Union West will take you southwest through the valley). I kept going north. Just past Berino Road the canal -- I think at this point it is known as the West Side Canal -- crosses NM 28 and continues north on the west edge of the valley. One fascinating point of interest was an old "Drain Check Structure" that has a marker stating that "EBID (Elephant Butte Irrigation District) has preserved this site for its historic value." The purpose of the structure, the marker adds, was to slow down the water going through the canal.
The canal is blocked by a gate and no trespassing signs where the Stahmann Farms pecan orchards begin. Too bad -- this is the most scenic part of the canal. You get a great view of the "Black Mesa" just ahead to the northwest -- it's the edge of the volcanic field that continues west along the mesa. It got the name "Black Mesa" because of the volcanic rock.
At that point I decided not to press my luck by going around the fence, and doubled back on the canal to the first road going east. I hooked up to NM 28 and took the paved road to Mesilla and lunch at The Bean.
Then I headed west on Calle del Norte to pick up the river levee road as far as the Mesilla Diversion Dam. This is the main dam that diverts water from the Rio Grande into the West Side and East Side canals. The West Side canal (the much bigger of the two) is the one that also delivers water to the El Paso Upper Valley.
Today was the first day water was running in the Rio Grande, having been released a few days earlier from Elephant Butte and Caballo dams. But none of the water was being put into the canals just yet. Along my ride, however, several farms were pumping water from the ground to irrigate their crops.
I goofed at this point and took a smaller canal instead of the East Side Canal. The smaller canal followed the river then curved east. At Hwy 28 I turned north for about a mile to pick up the East Side Canal at Snow Road.
On Snow Road and a few other places along this ride, I "cheated" and rode on the pavement instead of the canal path. The canal follows Snow Road to NM 478, then continues running south along East Side Road, paralleling 478 most of the way. Eventually it runs along Three Saints Road until it hits O'Hara Road. At some point before I got to Three Saints, I biked through a pecan orchard that had a fenced entrance -- but the entrance gates were wide open and there were no "No Trespassing" signs, so I kept on going. Even if those gates were closed I probably would have just gone around them.
Just before Washington Street in Anthony, the canal ends, flowing back into the Rio Grande. I followed the levee road for about a mile and then picked up the paved River Trail that runs along the east side of the river for 2.5 miles until it hits Vinton Road (the River Trail then picks up again on the west side of the river and continues 10 more miles, ending just north of Country Club Road). I turned west on Vinton Road past the river, turned right on Bosque and returned to Gallegos Park.
Total distance for this ride was about 65 miles. It took me a little over 7 hours, including various stops and lunch along the way. On the way up, my only rest stop was at the Stahmann Farms store on NM 28. On the way back, I was getting a bit tired and dehydrated, so I stopped at a convenience store in Mesquite (about 1/4 mile west of the canal where it crosses Mesquite Road) and stopped again at Anthony Country Club (about 1/2 mile west of where the canal crosses O'Hara Road).
I'm glad I did this ride just to become more familiar with these routes. I would love to do this again, but in shorter segments. I only average 9-12 mph on the dirt paths. It's also a lot more fun to ride when the ditches are running with water -- which should begin in a week or two.
If you're interested in exploring the irrigation system between El Paso and Mesilla, make sure you have good thorn protection (slimed tubes, good tires, spare tubes, etc) and plenty of water and snacks. There are no convenience stores along the ditches! It also helps if you are familiar with the major roads crossing the canals, so you know where you can detour to get to a rest stop.
The payoff is riding without worrying about cars or trucks, seeing the cotton and chile fields and pecan orchards up close, and just exploring parts of the region you can't see any other way.
I parked my truck at Gallegos Park on Bosque Road in Canutillo and started riding on the canal that runs north-south on the west side of the park. This is known as the Canutillo Canal. I followed it north and west. This becomes the La Union East Canal and it follows Westside Road. Westside Road (at least the paved part) ends at Washington Street in Anthony, but the canal keeps going north. About a mile or so later is the junction of the La Union East and West Canals (the La Union West will take you southwest through the valley). I kept going north. Just past Berino Road the canal -- I think at this point it is known as the West Side Canal -- crosses NM 28 and continues north on the west edge of the valley. One fascinating point of interest was an old "Drain Check Structure" that has a marker stating that "EBID (Elephant Butte Irrigation District) has preserved this site for its historic value." The purpose of the structure, the marker adds, was to slow down the water going through the canal.
The canal is blocked by a gate and no trespassing signs where the Stahmann Farms pecan orchards begin. Too bad -- this is the most scenic part of the canal. You get a great view of the "Black Mesa" just ahead to the northwest -- it's the edge of the volcanic field that continues west along the mesa. It got the name "Black Mesa" because of the volcanic rock.
At that point I decided not to press my luck by going around the fence, and doubled back on the canal to the first road going east. I hooked up to NM 28 and took the paved road to Mesilla and lunch at The Bean.
Then I headed west on Calle del Norte to pick up the river levee road as far as the Mesilla Diversion Dam. This is the main dam that diverts water from the Rio Grande into the West Side and East Side canals. The West Side canal (the much bigger of the two) is the one that also delivers water to the El Paso Upper Valley.
Today was the first day water was running in the Rio Grande, having been released a few days earlier from Elephant Butte and Caballo dams. But none of the water was being put into the canals just yet. Along my ride, however, several farms were pumping water from the ground to irrigate their crops.
I goofed at this point and took a smaller canal instead of the East Side Canal. The smaller canal followed the river then curved east. At Hwy 28 I turned north for about a mile to pick up the East Side Canal at Snow Road.
On Snow Road and a few other places along this ride, I "cheated" and rode on the pavement instead of the canal path. The canal follows Snow Road to NM 478, then continues running south along East Side Road, paralleling 478 most of the way. Eventually it runs along Three Saints Road until it hits O'Hara Road. At some point before I got to Three Saints, I biked through a pecan orchard that had a fenced entrance -- but the entrance gates were wide open and there were no "No Trespassing" signs, so I kept on going. Even if those gates were closed I probably would have just gone around them.
Just before Washington Street in Anthony, the canal ends, flowing back into the Rio Grande. I followed the levee road for about a mile and then picked up the paved River Trail that runs along the east side of the river for 2.5 miles until it hits Vinton Road (the River Trail then picks up again on the west side of the river and continues 10 more miles, ending just north of Country Club Road). I turned west on Vinton Road past the river, turned right on Bosque and returned to Gallegos Park.
Total distance for this ride was about 65 miles. It took me a little over 7 hours, including various stops and lunch along the way. On the way up, my only rest stop was at the Stahmann Farms store on NM 28. On the way back, I was getting a bit tired and dehydrated, so I stopped at a convenience store in Mesquite (about 1/4 mile west of the canal where it crosses Mesquite Road) and stopped again at Anthony Country Club (about 1/2 mile west of where the canal crosses O'Hara Road).
I'm glad I did this ride just to become more familiar with these routes. I would love to do this again, but in shorter segments. I only average 9-12 mph on the dirt paths. It's also a lot more fun to ride when the ditches are running with water -- which should begin in a week or two.
If you're interested in exploring the irrigation system between El Paso and Mesilla, make sure you have good thorn protection (slimed tubes, good tires, spare tubes, etc) and plenty of water and snacks. There are no convenience stores along the ditches! It also helps if you are familiar with the major roads crossing the canals, so you know where you can detour to get to a rest stop.
The payoff is riding without worrying about cars or trucks, seeing the cotton and chile fields and pecan orchards up close, and just exploring parts of the region you can't see any other way.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Mountain Biking El Paso
Lately I've been expanding my horizons, bicycling-wise, and trying out some of the Franklin Mountain trails on a used mountain bike I bought late last year.
I'm not going to go into particular trails in this post. The Borderland Mountain Bike Association has lots of information at http://bmba.wordpress.com/
I just want to post a few words of warning to fellow roadies, especially middle-aged ones like me, who aspire to go off-road.
The mountain trails around here are not for the faint of heart. I've been venturing out from where Redd Road ends, just past Helen of Troy, following the old jeep paths and single-track trails uphill toward Transmountain Road.
One of the trails ends with what is called "Ten Minutes of Hell," maybe 1,000 yards of pure, vicious rock surrounded by cactus that steeply ascends to a bluff next to Transmountain Road. In my case it was more like 15 or 20 minutes of hell since I had to walk quite a bit.
At least when I went out on my own, I tended to ride slow. The other day I asked a friend to show me some of his favorite trails. Of course they included TMOH. Just after we turned back to go downhill a further north on another trail, I fell and landed precariously atop a lechuguilla and prickly pear cactus. Fortunately I avoided catastophe and was able to pick out most of the cactus spines without much pain.
This kind of bicycling is a whole other sport. Road bicycling, except at a competitive level, actually doesn't require a lot of coordination. You sit on the bike and pedal. Mountain biking on trails like these requires a lot of coordination, great balance and reflexes, constant focus on the trail ahead, and tolerance for pain. While occasionally I will max out my heart rate on the road bike, I found myself consistently running out of juice climbing the steep sections of rocky road.
I'm not sure I will ever convert to mountain biking, but I hope to make it an occasional part of my cycling diet. If nothing else, it keeps me humble about road biking. Riding 20+ mph on the road is nothing compared to 5 mph on a rocky uphill trail.
I'm not going to go into particular trails in this post. The Borderland Mountain Bike Association has lots of information at http://bmba.wordpress.com/
I just want to post a few words of warning to fellow roadies, especially middle-aged ones like me, who aspire to go off-road.
The mountain trails around here are not for the faint of heart. I've been venturing out from where Redd Road ends, just past Helen of Troy, following the old jeep paths and single-track trails uphill toward Transmountain Road.
One of the trails ends with what is called "Ten Minutes of Hell," maybe 1,000 yards of pure, vicious rock surrounded by cactus that steeply ascends to a bluff next to Transmountain Road. In my case it was more like 15 or 20 minutes of hell since I had to walk quite a bit.
At least when I went out on my own, I tended to ride slow. The other day I asked a friend to show me some of his favorite trails. Of course they included TMOH. Just after we turned back to go downhill a further north on another trail, I fell and landed precariously atop a lechuguilla and prickly pear cactus. Fortunately I avoided catastophe and was able to pick out most of the cactus spines without much pain.
This kind of bicycling is a whole other sport. Road bicycling, except at a competitive level, actually doesn't require a lot of coordination. You sit on the bike and pedal. Mountain biking on trails like these requires a lot of coordination, great balance and reflexes, constant focus on the trail ahead, and tolerance for pain. While occasionally I will max out my heart rate on the road bike, I found myself consistently running out of juice climbing the steep sections of rocky road.
I'm not sure I will ever convert to mountain biking, but I hope to make it an occasional part of my cycling diet. If nothing else, it keeps me humble about road biking. Riding 20+ mph on the road is nothing compared to 5 mph on a rocky uphill trail.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Santa Teresa Time Trial
Every once in a while you need to work on speed. One way is interval training -- occasional blasts of speed during a ride. We did this a few times this year on the Tuesday night Beginner Intermediate Group (BIG) rides. We would ride on some low-traffic rides as a group and every so often go at maximum speed for 45-60 seconds.
Another way is to talk your friends into a time trial event. We did this on an El Paso Bicycle Club ride last Saturday. The ride offered two time trials -- a 2 1/2 mile climbing segment and a 10K flat segment.
We rode up to the intersection of Artcraft and McNutt Road (Artcraft actually is called something else at that point -- I think it's Pete Domenici Hwy. McNutt is also known as NM 273). There's an area just west of the intersection where we regrouped. Riders were sent off one by one at 30 second intervals for the 2 mile climb, with the finish line another 1/2 mile away. Most of us did this in 9-11 minutes.
Then we rode south on Artcraft (Pete Domenici) to Columbus Road (it's 2 1/2 miles south of the intersection with Airport Road. About 1/2 mile or so west on Columbus there's a start line marked on the roadway. The road also has 2.5K, 5K and 10K markings. We did another time trial to the 10K line, using the same procedure. It took most of us between just under 16 minutes to just under 18 minutes on this very flat course with very little traffic.
Afterwards, we rode back to Pete Domenici Hwy and rode to the border crossing to get a few more miles in.
For an unofficial time trial like this, the easiest way is to just let each rider keep track of his or her own time. If you get a volunteer with a car, you can have that person synchronize a stopwatch (most cell phones and iPods have that feature) with a volunteer at the start line. The volunteer in the car can drive ahead to the finish line and record when people finish. This also has the advantage that the car can carry any extra gear (water bottles, saddle bags, clothing) that riders want to dump to lighten their load on the time trial.
Doing something like this every so often helps monitor how you're doing as far as speed and encourages you to keep doing intervals occasionally on other rides.
The map below just shows the two time trial segments.
Another way is to talk your friends into a time trial event. We did this on an El Paso Bicycle Club ride last Saturday. The ride offered two time trials -- a 2 1/2 mile climbing segment and a 10K flat segment.
We rode up to the intersection of Artcraft and McNutt Road (Artcraft actually is called something else at that point -- I think it's Pete Domenici Hwy. McNutt is also known as NM 273). There's an area just west of the intersection where we regrouped. Riders were sent off one by one at 30 second intervals for the 2 mile climb, with the finish line another 1/2 mile away. Most of us did this in 9-11 minutes.
Then we rode south on Artcraft (Pete Domenici) to Columbus Road (it's 2 1/2 miles south of the intersection with Airport Road. About 1/2 mile or so west on Columbus there's a start line marked on the roadway. The road also has 2.5K, 5K and 10K markings. We did another time trial to the 10K line, using the same procedure. It took most of us between just under 16 minutes to just under 18 minutes on this very flat course with very little traffic.
Afterwards, we rode back to Pete Domenici Hwy and rode to the border crossing to get a few more miles in.
For an unofficial time trial like this, the easiest way is to just let each rider keep track of his or her own time. If you get a volunteer with a car, you can have that person synchronize a stopwatch (most cell phones and iPods have that feature) with a volunteer at the start line. The volunteer in the car can drive ahead to the finish line and record when people finish. This also has the advantage that the car can carry any extra gear (water bottles, saddle bags, clothing) that riders want to dump to lighten their load on the time trial.
Doing something like this every so often helps monitor how you're doing as far as speed and encourages you to keep doing intervals occasionally on other rides.
The map below just shows the two time trial segments.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Ditch ride to Vinton
Ditch riding is a cross between road cycling and mountain biking. You ride a bit slower than on the road, but it's still offers a much smoother and consistent pace than riding mountain trails. There's also the advantage that the area's network of ditches offers miles and miles of traffic-free riding but you're always close to local roads in case you need a quicker way home.
On the first Sunday of October, three of us ventured out to Vinton via the Montoya, Canutillo and La Union East canals. We were lucky that this coincided with the last irrigation of the season, so the canals were running full. Riding along a canal brimming with water adds a special feel to the ride. We spotted ducks, egrets, a heron and roadrunner along the way.
We picked up a branch of the Montoya Canal at Country Club and the Rio Grande, and followed it to the Montoya Main at Montoya and Mulberry, then followed the main canal along Montoya until it met back up with the river levee. Between Artcraft and Borderland, the Montoya Canal goes underneath the river and joins the Canutillo Canal. We rode the levee road to Borderland, crossed the river and got on the Canutillo Canal just west of the river. From there, the canal runs north through farmland. North of FM 259 it enters the residential neighborhoods of Canutillo, passing by Canutillo Middle School and Gallegos Park.
The canal eventually merges with the La Union East canal, which travels through more farms and orchards. At South Vinton Road it was time to turn back, so we opted to take S. Vinton east to the river and ride the paved river trail back to Country Club.
This added up to a little over 20 miles, which takes nearly two hours. One of my goals is to do some segments along the canals going north, just to see if it's feasible to ride them all the way to Mesilla and beyond.
One word of caution about ditch riding: Make sure you are riding the most puncture-resistant tires you can get. At a couple of points we ran through weeds that covered our tires with goatheads. I had just changed the tubes on my bike to the thickest ones I could buy, and they held up well. One of my riding buddies ran out of luck with about a mile to go. It's a good idea to carry a patch kit, pump and extra tube in case of emergencies. Carry plenty of water, also -- it's a long way between places where you can refill a water bottle.
On the first Sunday of October, three of us ventured out to Vinton via the Montoya, Canutillo and La Union East canals. We were lucky that this coincided with the last irrigation of the season, so the canals were running full. Riding along a canal brimming with water adds a special feel to the ride. We spotted ducks, egrets, a heron and roadrunner along the way.
We picked up a branch of the Montoya Canal at Country Club and the Rio Grande, and followed it to the Montoya Main at Montoya and Mulberry, then followed the main canal along Montoya until it met back up with the river levee. Between Artcraft and Borderland, the Montoya Canal goes underneath the river and joins the Canutillo Canal. We rode the levee road to Borderland, crossed the river and got on the Canutillo Canal just west of the river. From there, the canal runs north through farmland. North of FM 259 it enters the residential neighborhoods of Canutillo, passing by Canutillo Middle School and Gallegos Park.
The canal eventually merges with the La Union East canal, which travels through more farms and orchards. At South Vinton Road it was time to turn back, so we opted to take S. Vinton east to the river and ride the paved river trail back to Country Club.
This added up to a little over 20 miles, which takes nearly two hours. One of my goals is to do some segments along the canals going north, just to see if it's feasible to ride them all the way to Mesilla and beyond.
One word of caution about ditch riding: Make sure you are riding the most puncture-resistant tires you can get. At a couple of points we ran through weeds that covered our tires with goatheads. I had just changed the tubes on my bike to the thickest ones I could buy, and they held up well. One of my riding buddies ran out of luck with about a mile to go. It's a good idea to carry a patch kit, pump and extra tube in case of emergencies. Carry plenty of water, also -- it's a long way between places where you can refill a water bottle.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
RIding across El Paso
I was asked recently to offer my favorite cross-town route in El Paso. This is a difficult ride no matter what the options, because we lack bike-friendly routes in many areas.
Since I live in the Upper Valley, I occasionally take the long way to the far East Side: Transmountain to Loop 375. This is about 30 miles and involves climbing. It's also not very practical for most West Side-East Side trips.
I've attached a map of my most common route to the East Side. I take Doniphan to West Paisano to Delta to North Loop to North Carolina to Yarbrough. The part of this ride that scares some people is West Paisano. The traffic is fast, but a bicycle is fairly visible as you're going toward Downtown. There are bike lanes/routes designated most of the rest of the ride.
If you're going from east to west, West Paisano is trickier because the street curves in such a way that makes bicyclists less visible. One suggestion is to cut up to Yandell through Sunset Heights and then enter Paisano from Yandell. This involves a steep climb as you go into Sunset Heights, but avoid some of the riskier traffic as Paisano leaves Downtown.
If you are coming from the West Side, there are no good routes. Mesa is the only option for much of the way. At Brentwood you can head over to Stanton and take Stanton to Downtown. Or you can take Executive Center to West Paisano then to Downtown.
Occasionally I've taken Montana from Downtown to the East Side. I don't like it much because there are so many stoplights and so many side streets. It's very easy for a car NOT to see you.
No matter which route you take, cross-town riding is not for the faint of heart. Be as visible as you can be. Use a rear-view mirror if you can.
Since I live in the Upper Valley, I occasionally take the long way to the far East Side: Transmountain to Loop 375. This is about 30 miles and involves climbing. It's also not very practical for most West Side-East Side trips.
I've attached a map of my most common route to the East Side. I take Doniphan to West Paisano to Delta to North Loop to North Carolina to Yarbrough. The part of this ride that scares some people is West Paisano. The traffic is fast, but a bicycle is fairly visible as you're going toward Downtown. There are bike lanes/routes designated most of the rest of the ride.
If you're going from east to west, West Paisano is trickier because the street curves in such a way that makes bicyclists less visible. One suggestion is to cut up to Yandell through Sunset Heights and then enter Paisano from Yandell. This involves a steep climb as you go into Sunset Heights, but avoid some of the riskier traffic as Paisano leaves Downtown.
If you are coming from the West Side, there are no good routes. Mesa is the only option for much of the way. At Brentwood you can head over to Stanton and take Stanton to Downtown. Or you can take Executive Center to West Paisano then to Downtown.
Occasionally I've taken Montana from Downtown to the East Side. I don't like it much because there are so many stoplights and so many side streets. It's very easy for a car NOT to see you.
No matter which route you take, cross-town riding is not for the faint of heart. Be as visible as you can be. Use a rear-view mirror if you can.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Levee and Ditch Ride
If riding the levee road all the way from El Paso to Mesilla (see previous post) is a bit over the top, there are plenty of easy scenic rides along the local levee roads and irrigation ditches.
Recently (Sept. 6) I led a small group on an El Paso Bicycle Club-sponsored ride of about 13 miles that featured the levee road and ditches in the Upper Valley.
We started at River Run Plaza and rode over to the levee road that goes along the east side of the Rio Grande from Country Club Road. Note: You have the option of both the ditch road and the levee road at this point; the ditch road has better shade and slighter softer surface than the hard-packed gravelly dirt of the levee.
We turned east where the ditch heads towards Camino Real, then south on the ditch that dead-ends (with a fence barring the way) at the drainage ditch. Before we got to the dead-end, we turned east on Woodland, rode a block on pavement then continued south on the Montoya Drive ditch. Where Montoya hits Meadowlark, we jogged over to the canal that runs parallel to Portsmouth (not to be confused with the drainage ditch that runs slightly to the east of that canal). This branch of the Montoya canal took us back to the Rio Grande levee, where we kept going southeast until we hit the Sunland Park bridge.
At the bridge, you can cut down to the left across some vacant land and then ride the sidewalk a few blocks until you hit the main Montoya canal after crossing the drainage ditch and before you get to Emory Road.
The Montoya canal took us all the way past Mulberry to Montoya Drive, where we turned south then west on the lateral canal that begins where Mulberry intersects Montoya. This canal took us back to the Rio Grande, where we turned south and got back to Country Club Road and River Run Plaza.
This was intended just as an introduction to the levee/ditch network. Once you become familiar with the major elements, you should feel free to explore various ditches and see where they lead.
Ditch riding to me is pure enjoyment, free of the need for speed I feel on a road bike or the danger of crashing that deters me from technical mountain biking.
Here's a map to get you started.
Recently (Sept. 6) I led a small group on an El Paso Bicycle Club-sponsored ride of about 13 miles that featured the levee road and ditches in the Upper Valley.
We started at River Run Plaza and rode over to the levee road that goes along the east side of the Rio Grande from Country Club Road. Note: You have the option of both the ditch road and the levee road at this point; the ditch road has better shade and slighter softer surface than the hard-packed gravelly dirt of the levee.
We turned east where the ditch heads towards Camino Real, then south on the ditch that dead-ends (with a fence barring the way) at the drainage ditch. Before we got to the dead-end, we turned east on Woodland, rode a block on pavement then continued south on the Montoya Drive ditch. Where Montoya hits Meadowlark, we jogged over to the canal that runs parallel to Portsmouth (not to be confused with the drainage ditch that runs slightly to the east of that canal). This branch of the Montoya canal took us back to the Rio Grande levee, where we kept going southeast until we hit the Sunland Park bridge.
At the bridge, you can cut down to the left across some vacant land and then ride the sidewalk a few blocks until you hit the main Montoya canal after crossing the drainage ditch and before you get to Emory Road.
The Montoya canal took us all the way past Mulberry to Montoya Drive, where we turned south then west on the lateral canal that begins where Mulberry intersects Montoya. This canal took us back to the Rio Grande, where we turned south and got back to Country Club Road and River Run Plaza.
This was intended just as an introduction to the levee/ditch network. Once you become familiar with the major elements, you should feel free to explore various ditches and see where they lead.
Ditch riding to me is pure enjoyment, free of the need for speed I feel on a road bike or the danger of crashing that deters me from technical mountain biking.
Here's a map to get you started.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
