I was in the mood today for a ride with a lot of variety. I decided to head to Anthony Gap, but picked a different route that was perfect for a warm mid-day ride. I headed up Upper Valley Road, took the bike path along Artcraft east to Strahan then north to Borderland and east to the Rio Grande where I rode along the River Trail north to Vinton Road. The River Trail is perfect on a weekday when there are few walkers, so I can ride at a fairly fast clip without annoying the pedestrians and casual riders.
At Vinton Road I turned east to get onto the frontage road along I-10 (aka "the rollers"). Vinton Road, which has been completely redone from Doniphan to I-10, is the easiest access to the rollers (Thorn, Redd and Transmountain all are steeper). From there I went north to Anthony Exit 0, then crossed I-10 to get onto Sandia Road, a 2-way road that runs alongside I-10 north to O'Hara Road (you have to cross over -- the frontage road enters the freeway at this point). O'Hara Road is the Anthony Gap road. I rode to the summit and turned around.
When I got to Anthony, I decided to take NM 478 back into Anthony then turn west on Washington Street and get back onto the River Trail. This is a little dicey for road bikes, since you have to ride on unpaved levee road along the east side of the river for about 1/2 mile before picking up the River Trail again.
The River Trail runs along the east side of the Rio Grande for about 2 1/2 miles north of Vinton Road then crosses over to the west side where it continues for 10 miles, ending just north of Country Club Road. Today I was running short on time, so I crossed over to Doniphan when I hit Doniphan. The route on the map gives a slightly alternate route for riders who begin and end at River Run Plaza.
I figured out how to embed the map into the blog, so here goes (when I get time, I will go back and edit the earlier posts to embed those maps as well).
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
La Union / Border Crossing
This is a typical ride for me: Head north through the Upper Valley, connecting to Hwy 28 and up to La Union, then take La Union Road to Alvarez to McNutt to Artcraft to the Border Crossing, returning via Airport Road and McNutt to Country Club. It's about 32 miles total (actually 36 from my home, but I use River Run Plaza as the starting and ending point for maps). Here's the link (map is shown below the post):
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/tx/el%20paso/168127144731919989
This is a good everyday ride because it has a lot of variety and not much traffic. I feel pretty comfortable riding while listening to my iPod on these roads.
The first 15 miles are pretty much of a warmup. Then there's the climb up Artcraft, which get the heart pumping. By the time I get to the overpass just the Airport Road intersection, I'm ready to crank up the speed for the 5-mile flat stretch to the border crossing and the five miles back. Then there's the downhill cruise on Airport and a short jaunt back to the starting point.
I always cut through the University of Phoenix parking lot 1) to avoid the stoplight at McNutt and Country Club; and 2) it makes a fun bicycle slalom course as I make my way around the speed bumps.
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/tx/el%20paso/168127144731919989
This is a good everyday ride because it has a lot of variety and not much traffic. I feel pretty comfortable riding while listening to my iPod on these roads.
The first 15 miles are pretty much of a warmup. Then there's the climb up Artcraft, which get the heart pumping. By the time I get to the overpass just the Airport Road intersection, I'm ready to crank up the speed for the 5-mile flat stretch to the border crossing and the five miles back. Then there's the downhill cruise on Airport and a short jaunt back to the starting point.
I always cut through the University of Phoenix parking lot 1) to avoid the stoplight at McNutt and Country Club; and 2) it makes a fun bicycle slalom course as I make my way around the speed bumps.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday Night Rides
The oldest biking tradition in El Paso is the Wednesday night ride during Daylight Savings Time. The ride starts at 6 p.m. from River Run Plaza on Country Club road (sometimes earlier depending on the group and whether it’s early or late in the season, when there is less daylight to work with). The usual route is a 24-mile loop that goes north along Upper Valley back roads to Washington Street in Anthony, then west to Gadsden High School, returning south on Hwy 28 to FM 259 and other roads connecting back to Upper Valley Road.
Back in an earlier biking phase in the mid-1990s, the route was shorter and more social. We would ride 10 miles up to La Union Station, have a beer and return. The only reason for going fast was to allow time for a second beer. It was a lot of fun and attracted riders of all abilities.
When I returned to riding in 2007, the Wednesday night rides had become more of training ride, with lots of fast riders leading the way. Usually there are several groups leaving River Run and riders generally find plenty of company at whatever pace they want to ride. El Paso Bicycle Club members often hang out afterwards at Hello Pizza at River Run.
La Union Station later closed down, but a couple of years ago it reopened and just this past year regained its beer and wine license. So in 2010, on the first Wednesday night of the season, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day), we re-inaugurated the traditional Pub Ride. La Union Station usually isn’t open Wednesday nights, but agreed to host the cyclists that night. It was so successful that La Union agreed to host it on a monthly basis, so upcoming Pub Rides will be May 5 (Cinco de Mayo), June 2, July 7, Aug. 4, Sept. 1 and Oct. 6. Pub Rides will start at 5:30 p.m. for those who can get there early.
Wednesday night rides are not for the faint of heart. By mid-summer, there can be as many as 75 riders taking off, and after a few miles of warmup pace, the ride turns into a race for those so inclined. Usually the fast riders wait to turn on their turbochargers until they reach Bosque Road just past Canutillo Middle School and Gallegos Park, The pace will suddenly jump to 26 to 30 mph in spurts, forming a peloton of hard-core riders in front. The pace may back off a bit afterward, especially on the bumpy, chip-sealed sections of Vinton Road and Westside Drive, then may speed up again once the riders turn south on Hwy 28. Because we have so many riders packed together at times, with many struggling to hang on to the fast pace, Wednesday night rides have been the scene of some of our worst accidents. Last summer I went down when I clipped the wheel in front of me, sending me to the asphalt at 24 mph. Not only the worst case of road rash I had ever suffered, but it also ranked among the worst my friends had seen. I was still able to get back on the bike and finish the ride (I was halfway done at the time), but decided to go to a clinic the next day for a tetanus shot and some professional bandaging.
The pace varies with the wind, which can be very strong in the spring – usually a crosswind coming from the west. Thunderstorms may hamper the ride during mid-summer and occasionally other times.
Some of the advanced riders may opt for a slightly longer route, returning via McNutt and Artcraft. Other riders can choose a shorter distance, cutting over to Hwy 28 via Vinton Road North or South instead of going all the way to Washington Street.
A map of the typical Wednesday night ride is posted at
www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/el-paso/572451579
Last night (April 14) was an unusually perfect evening for April. The temperature was in the 70s, the wind was a comfortable 10 mph from the west. I was with a group of club riders who started a few minutes before 6 p.m. Somewhere along Bosque Road a peloton of faster riders passed us and three of us managed to hang on at the rear. They dropped up on Westside Drive and the three of us hung together with vague hopes of catching back up. At the southward turn on Hwy 28, we passed some club riders who had started earlier and were taking a break at Gadsden High. I slowed a bit too much and my two colleagues, Fred (the Ironman Recumbent Rider) and Fidel dumped me. Eventually another group caught up to me and I was able to hang on long enough to catch back up with Fred and Fidel and couple of other riders. We finished the ride averaging over 21 mph, not bad for early in the season.
Back in an earlier biking phase in the mid-1990s, the route was shorter and more social. We would ride 10 miles up to La Union Station, have a beer and return. The only reason for going fast was to allow time for a second beer. It was a lot of fun and attracted riders of all abilities.
When I returned to riding in 2007, the Wednesday night rides had become more of training ride, with lots of fast riders leading the way. Usually there are several groups leaving River Run and riders generally find plenty of company at whatever pace they want to ride. El Paso Bicycle Club members often hang out afterwards at Hello Pizza at River Run.
La Union Station later closed down, but a couple of years ago it reopened and just this past year regained its beer and wine license. So in 2010, on the first Wednesday night of the season, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day), we re-inaugurated the traditional Pub Ride. La Union Station usually isn’t open Wednesday nights, but agreed to host the cyclists that night. It was so successful that La Union agreed to host it on a monthly basis, so upcoming Pub Rides will be May 5 (Cinco de Mayo), June 2, July 7, Aug. 4, Sept. 1 and Oct. 6. Pub Rides will start at 5:30 p.m. for those who can get there early.
Wednesday night rides are not for the faint of heart. By mid-summer, there can be as many as 75 riders taking off, and after a few miles of warmup pace, the ride turns into a race for those so inclined. Usually the fast riders wait to turn on their turbochargers until they reach Bosque Road just past Canutillo Middle School and Gallegos Park, The pace will suddenly jump to 26 to 30 mph in spurts, forming a peloton of hard-core riders in front. The pace may back off a bit afterward, especially on the bumpy, chip-sealed sections of Vinton Road and Westside Drive, then may speed up again once the riders turn south on Hwy 28. Because we have so many riders packed together at times, with many struggling to hang on to the fast pace, Wednesday night rides have been the scene of some of our worst accidents. Last summer I went down when I clipped the wheel in front of me, sending me to the asphalt at 24 mph. Not only the worst case of road rash I had ever suffered, but it also ranked among the worst my friends had seen. I was still able to get back on the bike and finish the ride (I was halfway done at the time), but decided to go to a clinic the next day for a tetanus shot and some professional bandaging.
The pace varies with the wind, which can be very strong in the spring – usually a crosswind coming from the west. Thunderstorms may hamper the ride during mid-summer and occasionally other times.
Some of the advanced riders may opt for a slightly longer route, returning via McNutt and Artcraft. Other riders can choose a shorter distance, cutting over to Hwy 28 via Vinton Road North or South instead of going all the way to Washington Street.
A map of the typical Wednesday night ride is posted at
www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/el-paso/572451579
Last night (April 14) was an unusually perfect evening for April. The temperature was in the 70s, the wind was a comfortable 10 mph from the west. I was with a group of club riders who started a few minutes before 6 p.m. Somewhere along Bosque Road a peloton of faster riders passed us and three of us managed to hang on at the rear. They dropped up on Westside Drive and the three of us hung together with vague hopes of catching back up. At the southward turn on Hwy 28, we passed some club riders who had started earlier and were taking a break at Gadsden High. I slowed a bit too much and my two colleagues, Fred (the Ironman Recumbent Rider) and Fidel dumped me. Eventually another group caught up to me and I was able to hang on long enough to catch back up with Fred and Fidel and couple of other riders. We finished the ride averaging over 21 mph, not bad for early in the season.
Welcome to Biking El Paso
This is a new blog I created to promote bicycling in El Paso. I won't say too much about it right now because I don't know exactly how it will evolve. My intent is to recruit some fellow cyclists to post about their favorite rides to encourage other to explore the various cycling options in the El Paso region. It will take a while to get this going, but hopefully it will benefit the area's cycling community.
-- Randy
-- Randy
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