Living/cycling in a big city

Triathlon Forum
1

big question for the urban folks. how do you fit in training if you live in a major city? i moved to houston 3 years ago from asheville,n.c and have been absolutely miserable adopting my life as a triathlete here. im on the verge of “running only” or just dealing with it. i know a lot of people that can get rides in that live here,but they grew up here and thats all they know. any tips for those in the major cities?triathlon is one thing,but the overall quality of life here is a negative. ive been racing almost 10 years and dont want to quit because of the logistics of where i live, plus im 35 and feel like ive got a few pr’s left in me…

john

2

Its a houston thing
Need to drive to the country to get your rides in
Otherwise, love your trainer
.

3

we bought a computrainer,but the novelty wore off after about 1000 miles…funny thing is that i gave my trainer up when i moved here,cuz i knew the winters would be mild. didnt take into consideration the mass amounts of people,traffic,etc…

john

4

At least where I live (the very middle of Metro Detroit) all it took was doing some of the local group rides. These groups rode routes that had clearly been developed over years and they had put together all the tricky ways to get from here to there while avoiding all the busy dangerous roads. We’d zip along then, it seemed at first, randomly dive into a subdivision but in the end it was to avoid a certain intersection. These moves added up to almost unlimited safe cycling. All I could come up with on my own was a 4 mile loop I did endlessly. Once I hooked up with the groups, I quickly learned the secrets and now can do a 100 mile out and back ride from my house.

Also, it really isn’t as bad as it sounds if all you can do is 3 or 4 mile loops. You may have been spoiled riding endless country roads but it is not the only way to get a workout in. Ride the neighborhood during the week and put the bike on the car and drive a bit on the weekends.

5

we drive out of town on the weekends,but man that gets old. 1 hour in the car sucks on a day off…i think the only solution is take off from here,but the economy is so bad right now,that might be the wrong answer…thanks for the tips though…i know a bunch of guys that do group rides from in town and seems like an accident waiting to happen, as well as doing 1-2 mile loops over and over…

john

6

What part of Houston are you in? I’ve got suggestions…

7

Wow, you went from Asheville, NC to Houston?

Man - what a change (on many levels). Some damn fine riding in western NC, eastern TN. South TX - ah, not so much …

8

I live in the city of Chicago. During the season, I do long rides early in the mornings on the weekends – basically I’m out the door at sunrise and ride out of the city, riding back into the city is somewhat dangerous but I figure it enhances my handling skills. Find a group or some friends to ride with, makes a huge difference.

Sometimes I’ll drive out to the suburbs and ride, but I agree, it sucks driving somewhere to ride – I always feel like it’s wasted time – waste 2 hours driving that I could be riding.

Another thing – try some spinning classes, riding inside is rough, but if you can find a good class (with some roadies/triathletes) and good music it’s doable. Riding hard inside for 1-1.5 hours per session can really improve your fitness. Weather here is crap for the whole winter/spring so I’m doing lots of spinning.

I hate trainer rides, too boring.

I think the key is to mix it up.

9

Dood, there are a MILLION places to ride in Houston. I don’t even understand. What local races are you doing this year?

10

we bought a computrainer,but the novelty wore off after about 1000 miles…funny thing is that i gave my trainer up when i moved here,cuz i knew the winters would be mild. didnt take into consideration the mass amounts of people,traffic,etc…

john
Wait, you think that what they have in North Carolina is “winter”? You need to move to NY or Boston and then tell me that :stuck_out_tongue:

11

Dude, you have a lot of questions packed into little space! And yes, it does suck, but you WILL get used to it - I’ve lived in Ausin, Nevada, CA bay area and Houston, among others. First suggestion, have you tried searching on houston bike riding on this forum? Several threads over the last couple years on this. If you live in the city, like I do, and not the burbs, then you’re right, it’s a 30-60 minute ride to good riding, depending on where you live in town. If in the burbs, you’ve probably got many more options than you might be aware of.

My favorite loops - one is south of town, can be done on weekend from my door, and includes a “hill”, well, a double overpass with ~5% grade for 1/4 mile, which counts as a hill in these parts. That one is off Belfort south of 610 and east of Main. It can be a series ~7 mile loops with the hill, or continue south all the way to Brazos Bend SP, or to the gulf, if you feel like a really long ride. Like I said, its a weekend morning ride only.

Another starts at Katy HS, ~35 minutes from my garage to parking lot. Head west to Brookshire, then north & west to Bellville for some rollers, or continue north to Hempstead for a mostly flat ride on great roads with wide shoulders and few cars. You’ll see lots of other bikers in this area.

Do the Memorial loop day after day until you think there’s no way you could ride it again, then do it some more. It does kind of grow on you, if you can stand the large packs that inevitably grow, then interfere with your interval work…

I used to get in ~40mi a day commuting, but stopped after I hit another biker who was riding at night without lights on the bike path. AVOID HOUSTON BIKE PATHS AFTER DARK!

BTW, Houston (and environs) drivers are way better than Austin area for bikers, surprising, but its the truth, I’ve experience both over several years.

12

Do the Memorial loop day after day until you think there’s no way you could ride it again, then do it some more. It does kind of grow on you, if you can stand the large packs that inevitably grow, then interfere with your interval work…

BTW, Houston (and environs) drivers are way better than Austin area for bikers, surprising, but its the truth, I’ve experience both over several years.
Some other suggestions - Bear Creek park, Tom Bass (of course, if you’re at Tom Bass, just head down Cullen for more wide open riding), and other city parks. Sure you may go number after awhile doing loops, but it’s better than nothing…

Have to agree about Houston being better than Austin. Not so much for the drivers for me, but the terrain. Houston, with completely flat terrain, is ideal for intervals. My in-laws are in Austin, and while the rolling hills are a nice break, they suck IMO for training. My ideal location would be flatlands with a mountain range within 10-20 miles. Rolling hills are a distraction.

13

I live in the city of Chicago. During the season, I do long rides early in the mornings on the weekends – basically I’m out the door at sunrise and ride out of the city, riding back into the city is somewhat dangerous but I figure it enhances my handling skills. Find a group or some friends to ride with, makes a huge difference.

Sometimes I’ll drive out to the suburbs and ride, but I agree, it sucks driving somewhere to ride – I always feel like it’s wasted time – waste 2 hours driving that I could be riding.

Another thing – try some spinning classes, riding inside is rough, but if you can find a good class (with some roadies/triathletes) and good music it’s doable. Riding hard inside for 1-1.5 hours per session can really improve your fitness. Weather here is crap for the whole winter/spring so I’m doing lots of spinning.

I hate trainer rides, too boring.

I think the key is to mix it up.
x2, in DC if I get out at first light I tend to have most of the roads to myself.

14

we live on kirby/west u area…where do i ride? i mean seriously,without getting killed?..the picnic loop is a joke…races im def doing are lonestar half,gulf coast,lubbock. prob throw in a few local races…i think the main thing is that i cant adapt to city life here.on the weekends we drive to katy,coldspring,conroe,etc. i just dont know how it gets done here on a timely/convenient basis. really thinking about dropping the bike until we move from here…

john robertson

15

we live on kirby/west u area…where do i ride?

You’re in withdrawal. This feeling of depression will pass. Its not that bad in absolute sense, just get used to idea of driving with the bike. You could be in Jakarta (where I’m writing this from).

Get a slowbike and ride on the Braes Bayou path eastbound, but not at night!

Slowbike: heavy steel fixed gear with 28mm+ heavy stiff tires on box rims. Add some goo-filled tubes and rubber flat-protector strips. Ride with loose clothing and stay upright. With any luck all this will keep you well below 20mph at threshold, so you can get a good threshold ride on the bike trail W. of Kirby where few walkers go.

I’m not joking, get the fixed slowbike, worked for me and made the cyling tolerable again.

16

we live on kirby/west u area…where do i ride? i mean seriously,without getting killed?..the picnic loop is a joke…races im def doing are lonestar half,gulf coast,lubbock. prob throw in a few local races…i think the main thing is that i cant adapt to city life here.on the weekends we drive to katy,coldspring,conroe,etc. i just dont know how it gets done here on a timely/convenient basis. really thinking about dropping the bike until we move from here…

john robertson
You’re in a perfect spot. Just drive south (or even ride down 521) to get to the NW Pearland area. I don’t know why you drive to Conroe, Katy, or Coldspring. I live only ~10 miles from your area (288/518 area) and can literally walk out my front door and hit rural roads on my bike in 2 miles. I can do a route out my front door that gives me an hour of uninterrupted threshold work. My team’s typical Saturday route is 62 miles long. Hardly any cars to be seen. You can get to some parts of Brazoria County where you won’t see a car for hours. There’s plenty of open riding south of 518 in Brazoria County. Flat? You bet. But if you know how to train, you don’t need hills. Stoplights? Hardly any. I can do 100+ miles and only go through 2 lights.

Some of my rides in the area

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/pearland/134957771865
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/pearland/504725671
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/pearland/427865349166

For “hills” on a long day you could even head down towards Angleton and the coast for some big bridges. But trust me, ride these roads, which are open to the winds, and you won’t need hills. Just keep the cities Manvel, Alvin, Liverpool, Danbury, Angleton, West Columbia, Rosharon, and Damon in mind when plotting routes. You’ll find more than enough safe roads doing so.

Personally I probably wouldn’t do the rides on the SW side of town (e.g., Fulshear). Too much traffic and too many lights these days. The closest, open riding to downtown Houston these days really is down 288.

In town there’s the 1x or 2x a week weekday ride out of Planetary near you. I even know someone who lives in Manvel (he’s smack dab in the middle of farm country with perfect roads) who does that ride each week.