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Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning?
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I'm going to be visiting Dallas later this week and am considering bringing my bike.

Can someone recommend a fast paced AM group ride that I can get to from downtown Dallas (I'm staying at the Sheraton downtown on Olive st)?

Or if not, can someone recommend a route that I can load into my garmin?
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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No real group rides Friday morning. Saturday morning is the RBM South side.
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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I am assuming you will drive to said route? What time friday morning? How many miles are you looking for?
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [CB3] [ In reply to ]
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I don't know Dallas well, but I was hoping I could ride from the hotel to wherever the route starts.

Looking for 40-60 miles ideally but happy with more.
Last edited by: mvenneta: Aug 31, 15 11:36
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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Take a look at the below link. You could easily ride from downtown over to the Katy Trail and take that out to white rock lake. Lake & trail are open and easy to ride at any speed. Definitely safest option I know of in the area.

http://www.mapmyride.com/us/highland-park-tx/katy-trail-white-rock-lake-white-rock-la-route-103285253
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [CB3] [ In reply to ]
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CB3 wrote:
Take a look at the below link. You could easily ride from downtown over to the Katy Trail and take that out to white rock lake. Lake & trail are open and easy to ride at any speed. Definitely safest option I know of in the area.

http://www.mapmyride.com/us/highland-park-tx/katy-trail-white-rock-lake-white-rock-la-route-103285253

Thanks for this. The Katy Trail is full of runners.... when I get off the Katy near White Rock Lake am I back on open roads? Is it okay to ride their early in the AM or will traffic be pretty bad?
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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katy trail is fortunately only 3.25 miles long - depends on time of morning for how full of runners it is, so a good warmup. Yes, you will have a couple miles of open roads but more neighborhood so traffic shouldn't be too bad though i've never ridden it on a weekday morning. I know it's not too bad in the evening.

I live near downtown and the routes we've taken where I have ridden from my apartment I wouldn't dare take on a weekday morning aside from this katy trail route.
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [CB3] [ In reply to ]
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CB3 wrote:
Take a look at the below link. You could easily ride from downtown over to the Katy Trail and take that out to white rock lake. Lake & trail are open and easy to ride at any speed. Definitely safest option I know of in the area.

http://www.mapmyride.com/us/highland-park-tx/katy-trail-white-rock-lake-white-rock-la-route-103285253

I ran the Katy Trail while I was there a few weeks back for work....great running trail, but not really suited for high speed biking...maybe cruising along.


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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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I commute home on the Katy Trail some evenings (like tonight), but I'd actually recommend taking the Santa Fe Trail up to the lake. The Sheraton is on the east side of downtown, so its a little closer to that trailhead. Also, the Katy Trail doesn't directly connect to the lake, so you have to cut through neighborhood streets for a few miles between the trail and the lake. The ride from the Katy Trail to the lake would require a second portion of neighborhood streets and 4 bigger intersections during rush hour traffic, only 2 of which have a stoplight to help you cross. The Santa Fe Trail ties directly into the White Rock Lake roads/trails so you can ride pretty much non stop once you get on it.

The lake itself has roads looping and a few sections of bike path. If you go the Santa Fe route, then it will suddenly merge you onto the White Rock Lake trail after a bridge. After about 3/4 of a mile you will hit a parking lot where you can either stay on that trail or cut over to the road looping the lake. Most runners are on the trail and most bikes are on the road.


http://www.mapmyride.com/...-lake-route-55183758

Edit to add a link mapping the Sheraton to the T.P Hill parking lot. That may be easier to see how to get to the trailhead.
Last edited by: krull_etc: Aug 31, 15 13:36
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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I ride White Rock weekday mornings a couple of times a week, usually around 7:00am. It is very safe and generally uncrowded. There are always many cyclists riding almost anytime of the day, everyday, so you will have company.

West side of the lake you can ride on West Lawther Drive, which is open to vehicular traffic, but the traffic is usually very light and most drivers are aware that this street is heavily used by cyclists. East side of the lake you can ride a combination of the wide, paved trail or on adjacent surface streets.

One loop is a little over 9 miles if you take the pedestrian bridge at the north end of the lake adjacent to Mockingbird Lane, or a little over 10 miles if you take West Lawther all the way to Northwest Highway and around by Norbuck Park.

It's a nice ride with good surfaces and plenty of shade. Enjoy.
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [mvenneta] [ In reply to ]
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The Katy Trail and White Rock suck as riding courses
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [ccassidy] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you for your helpful comments.

I'm golfing on Friday and won't be bringing my bike, but this will be helpful for next time.
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [CB3] [ In reply to ]
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CB3 wrote:
Take a look at the below link. You could easily ride from downtown over to the Katy Trail and take that out to white rock lake. Lake & trail are open and easy to ride at any speed. Definitely safest option I know of in the area.

http://www.mapmyride.com/us/highland-park-tx/katy-trail-white-rock-lake-white-rock-la-route-103285253

As was already mentioned, just as a +1, this is terrible advice.

The Katy (probably the most popular running spot I know of in north TX) is full of recreational runners with their dogs and moms with their strollers, you want to know what doesn't belong on the same path? A biker over 15mph. The west side of the lake on the roads is great, on the east side you either have the same crowded path that nobody should be training on, or a bunch of roads not conducive to biking.
Last edited by: chris948: Sep 2, 15 9:45
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Re: Riding in Dallas..Friday Morning? [chris948] [ In reply to ]
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it's simply a means to and end which is getting to the lake or out to cedar hill or wherever he wants to ride. There are no cars. it's a warmup. I gave him a relatively safe path to get to the lake which is not too terribly confusing for someone not from Dallas.
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