Luke_in_Houston

Hey guys! My wife and I just bought bikes and are starting to train for a triathlon . We live near Gessner and Westheimer and do not feel comfortable training (we have no problem just commuting) in this heavy traffic area. I noticed the Terry Hershey park bike trail is close by and was wondering if it was too congested with foot traffic to ride our road bikes. Also, is there anywhere else near us to ride? Any help would be appreciated!!

texbiker

Check out the Houston Cycling Club on Meetup.com. They have rides in your area. Bike Barn may be another source.
For bicycling news and events visit Texbiker.net

George

West park toll road right into Fulshear. You can pick up some group rides or ride by yourself. There is a park and ride just across from the Shell station. You have to turn left at the light and turn left right into the lot, in about 50 yards. Have fun.

the sci guy 

Hey Luke. You're in my neck of the woods.
Yes, Terry Hershey Park is a good place to ride. It can, and will, have a lot of foot traffic, but it depends on the time of day. You're best bet is to get over to George Bush Park, where you can ride roughly 30+ miles on protected paved bike path. (THP connects to it)
Check out this post: https://www.bikeforums.net/texas/9366...l#post16787028
I made those maps, sharing some info about some extensions for the GBP path that a lot of people don't know about.

Basically, if you do Terry Hershey and George Bush tip to tip it's roughly 50 miles. And I just discovered another paved path that leads from the south side of GBP out into the Cinco Ranch area. It's not probably built for triathlon speed training, but I'm told it's nice (a coworker lives out there and rides it). Oh, and there's gators there too. Wee!

I'm no tri-athlete so you'd probably smoke me, but I'd be happy to meet up with you and your wife sometime and show you the paths (if you don't mind chilling at around 15-18mph depending on the wind lol). My wife may come too.

Luke_in_Houston

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!! @the sci guy, the maps are very helpful! I should have said we are training for our FIRST sprint triathlon, we just bought the bikes a month ago. We have always ran together but we wanted to try something different. We have never really biked before so its a learning experience! Thanks for the offer to meet up but I am afraid you, your wife, and every grandma on the trail would leave us behind !!

the sci guy 

Ha don't be silly.
There isn't a rule that says "thou must maintain quickest speed possible at all times." A casual slower pace is fine. Though I bet you'd be surprised how easily you can reach 13-15mph. Into the wind my max is anywhere from 11-13mph lol.

Did you buy actual Tri-bikes, or just some nice road/racing bikes? I have a Surly Cross-Check, which is a 30 pound steel beast, so I don't worry about speed and time.

I like to meet new people and people to ride with so if you want to meet up and show you the greenways, let me know.

Luke_in_Houston

Thanks for the encouragement! We bought old road bikes first to make sure we actually enjoy it. She has an '88 Schwinn World Sport and I have a mid 80's Fuji Sagres .

rpecot

+1
I'm in Katy/Cinco Ranch area, so I don't pick up the rides coming from Grand Parkway. But there are tons of riders every weekend riding out to Fulshear. Here is a heat map from Garmin Connect:

As you can see, the Winner-Foster and Bois d'Arc Rds are pretty popular. There can be 50+ cyclists at the Fulshear Shell station on Saturday morning.

jtolive

There are rides that start at West Oaks Mall and Krogers at 99/West Belfort and at 6/West Airport. 7 or 7:30 are the usual start times. These are fairly fast groups - generally well over 20 mph. SWCC starts at 7:30 at Kroger on Highway 6/West Airport and has a B group that runs a little slower pace. Generally they all head to Fulshear and back or do a loop.

txags92

We do a lot of riding out in the Katy/Fulshear/Simonton/Brookshire area. You can usually park and start at any one of several schools (Katy High School or Royal High School are a couple of good ones) or at the Metro Park and Ride lot in Fulshear. From there, ride the roads posted above on that heat map from Garmin. The Bois d arc/Winner Foster loop out of Fulshear is about 20 miles if you go down to Beadle Rd and back up. There is a shell station about 10 miles in that make a convenient stop. There is also a gas station on the corner in Fulshear that is always packed with riders. The other loop shown on there that is popular is the Hunt Road/Hunt Ln loop. It is about 15 miles of mostly quiet roads. If you aren't up for exploring on your own, there are a bunch of different shop rides out of the Katy area (Bike Barn on Mason Road and Sun and Ski at Katy Mills both have rides).

waitforme

As other people have suggested, go West towards Fulshear, there are mostly country roads and if you start reasonably early the traffic is tolerable. If you want to do serious training then stay away from the crowds on the MUP's, which are really intended for; families, walkers, dogs, casual cyclists, etc. It never ceases to amaze me that people think they can go 20+ mph on the MUP's, constantly scream at people and expect them to get out of the way. If you want to ride fast, go on the road.

// end of rant!

Monkey D.Luffy

What does MUP stand for?

Dalai

Multi Use Path.

the sci guy 

this is true for Terry Hershey, but you can open up and fly in George Bush.

Monkey D.Luffy

Anyone bike near the more southwest area near Sugar Land?

George

Look up the SWCC or Sugar cycles in Missouri City.

waitforme

Foot traffic is lighter in the Eastern section but once you get South/West of the police depot there are more walkers, etc. my wife walks our dog there every morning and constantly complains about speeding cyclists. I standby my previous comment; if you're training for a triathlon or riding fast, go on the road. There are some pretty nice (for Houston area) roads out to the West, go and try them.

txags92

South and west of the Constable annex is wide open trail with a nice gravel path beside the paved path. I almost never see anybody walking on that stretch that isn't over on the gravel portion. If you mean out to the west of the parking lot down by the *** range, then yes, I agree there are more walkers over there. It really is a balancing act. Yes, I agree that people who are really hell bent on going as fast as possible should probably head out to Fulshear and Katy roads, but people walking the paths also need to recognize that the MU in MUP stands for "Multi-use". If you are walking on the path, be predictable, leave room for cyclists to pass, and where possible, use the gravel or grass (the dog would rather be there anyway) alongside the concrete. I try to slow down and be predictable as well when I pass walkers, but it drives me crazy when they have their headphones on walking down the very center of the path and their multiple dog leashes stretched out across the path to both sides and they are obvlivious to the world as if they are the only person on the path. Then they get all offended when I end up stopped behind them saying "Excuse me!" loud enough to penetrate their headphones. Or if I brush by closely in the only gap they have left after making multiple attempts to let them know I am approaching to pass. I rarely ride Bush Park anymore anyway, but the walkers out there and especially in Terry Hershey Park always struck me as the type that were offended by having to even allow bikes on the path at all. Meanwhile the rest of the drivers in Houston, Katy, Fulshear, Waller and every community within 100 miles of Houston are offended that we ride on "their" roads and thinks we should all be riding the "bike path" in the park.

txags92

Seriously? The word spelled Gee You In is censored? WTF is happening to this country? Wow...