Houston: Need some advice on Rides and Routes

[Raccoon]

I need some help on a couple of locations, I am fairly new to Houston and routes here.

1. I have gotten my brother to start riding with me, he currently can do about 15mph for a 30 mile ride usually on Terry Hershey/George Bush park bike path. I want to get him to do a Saturday morning group ride that is near his pace.

Location either near memorial park inner loop area OR in the Sugar Land area. I have ridden with the SWCC and even their "slow" ride would KILL him.

2. I am trying to find a relativly safe route to do weekday afternoon/evenings that is closer to home and not where I will be run over. I moved from Lubbock and was used to 6' wide shoulders that I could ride next to highways, I know that isn't available but something safe would be nice. It would be great to start near Hwy 6 and W. Airport in Sugar Land (the SWCC start location).

I am comfortable riding on tight roads for short periods but not the entire route, but to get to a good location.

I have tried looking over rides on mapmyride.com but the routes I have tried have been in my opinion closer to trying to get myself killed.

One thing I have not ridden much of yet is Hwy 90 past Hwy 6, what is anyones opinion on that road? Is there a shoulder that is rideable?

Thanks for all your help!

Philip

[Rex G]

Welcome to the area! :) Bike shops should have the bike route map distributed by the city of Houston, which displays various types of designated trails and routes. If you can't find one near you, I can get one from Boone Cycles and mail it to you. It doesn't shows routes far outside the Houston city limits, however, but it shows the Braes Bayou trail working up to near Sugarland, with parts incomplete as of the 2006 printing date. Other dashed lines along streets indicate incomplete routes following streets, which of course are shared with motorists, extended into your general area, to the edge of the map.

Briar Forest is a solid blue line out to Highway 6; this route is described in another thread here in the Texas forum by Dr. Nate. I will try to find that post and bump it to the top.