Draft Of Houston Bike Plan Released

The other day I passed a group of cyclists who were stopped at the end of George Bush Park and I heard one of them say, "I've heard that from the last 4 mayors".  I'm sure they were talking about the newly released draft of the Houston Bike Plan and the new mayor stating he wanted to make Houston a more bike friendly city.  The release of the plan has generated a good amount of publicity.  Bike Houston had their annual meeting last night and the release of the draft was a major part of the agenda.   You can read more at the following links:

The plan has it's own web site:  Houstonbikeplan.org

Bike Houston is a major driver of the plan: Bikehouston.org

Local papers have written about it:
Houston Press

Houston Chronicle February 23 article

Houston Chronicle  February 22 article

Houston Chronicle  February 21 article

Tribune.com

Local TV:

KHOU TV

And here is a report from January on PBS News Hour

Bike Houston "Why I Bike Houston" Campaign

Bike Houston has short video "Why I Bike Houston" where people discuss why they ride. They are encouraging everyone to add a video or photo of why they ride to their social media accounts.  I'm gonna have to think on what I post...check it out.


Why I BikeHouston from BikeHouston on Vimeo.

Houston Bike Fest Cancelled Due to Rain

This is the second cancellation due to rain.  They are now working on a date in the Spring.  Here are some photos from last years bike fest:

Karbach's name and beer stands were everywhere

New Bike Shop In Katy

Houston has some great bike shops- Blue Line Bike Lab, West End Bikes, Urban Bike Gallery, Daniel Boone Bikes- to name a few, but out in the burbs of Katy we are stuck with chain store Sun & Ski, assholes at Bike Barn, and tiny Bicycle World Express.  But starting with a soft launch this Wednesday November 18th Bicycle World is opening a new full service bike shop on the I-10 Freeway in the strip mall next to Main Event & Guitar Center.  If they keep the customer service of their small express store then Katy will finally have a top flight local bike shop.

Vote With Cycling In MInd

With tomorrow's election you have the option to consider cycling into your decision.  Bike Houston has sent a candidate questionnaire to mayoral and city council candidates.  You can review there responses here.  One candidate who has bicycling as a central aspect of their lives is Tom McCasland running for the City Council At Large #1.  McCasland has commuted in Houston exclusively by bike and public transit, he wrote the grant to turn utility easements into shared use paths, and was critical in the three foot safe passing law getting passed in Houston.  So go read up on the candidates at Bike Houston's web site and don't forget to vote tomorrow.

Now this is how you lock your bike!

Got to love New Orleans.

Cyclocross Season In Houston Starts

I first heard about cyclocross back in the  Eighties when I rode with a high school friend who was far more advanced in bike riding than me.  I honestly couldn't get his enthusiasm for taking your road bike and pounding it through the forest.  But now I get the appeal in particular in a place like Houston where we ride miles and miles of flat roads.  The switch to going over a course that changes from pavement, to grass, to sand, to running over barriers sounds like fun.  And now there is easy access to specialized bikes just for cyclocross.  What more $$ to spend on bikes? Shocking.

The Houston Grand Prix Of Cyclocross starts September 26th and spans five races ending on November 21st.  The locations of the races move from park to park.  My old butt is too slow to race but I plan on taking the family to watch a couple the races.  Here is the series schedule and pasted below is the flyer for the first race in Sugarland.  Now I need to go find a cowbell.