Not far from the bustling city streets of the Metroplex, a welcome refuge awaits cyclists. Dallas has maintained a deservedly poor cycling reputation, and while that may be improving with new paved trail extensions and future planned connections, the facts remain there is a pitiful amount of bike lanes, the roads are littered with cracks and potholes, and the general commuting population doesn’t embrace sharing the road with cyclists.
Sure, there’s White Rock Lake which provides an accessible urban outlet for times in need, but it can be dangerously crowded on days when fair-weather riding is optimal. There are the group rides to Duncanville and the locally infamous South Loop, though both feature plenty of highway access road and the same sketchy conditions with traffic and surface hazards. (Those can do wonders for bike handling skills, however...)
The best attributes Dallas has to offer a cyclist is the sunshine and mild weather that make riding outdoors year-round very appealing, if you don’t mind bundling up in the winter and hydrating in the summer. Proper apparel selection and the ability to effectively layer garments are also highly underestimated skills, in my opinion.
So while that picture seams bleak, there is one distinct and redeeming quality to the offerings of the area: GRAVEL. With the recent boon in gravel cycling, North Texas can boast as much as anyone about the abundance and quality of gravel roads.
From the Trinity River levee roads that are immediately accessible from downtown to Rowlett Creek Preserve singletrack to the endless white gravel road routes all around the outskirts of the area, it's a dream for any cyclist willing to hop on knobby tires. Spinistry has been organizing top notch, grassroots events for years which highlight all the area has to offer in and around the Metroplex, ranging from 20-mile fun rides to 300-miles stage races and a route across the entire state of Texas.
One of the most varied routes on the scene is the Northeast Texas Trail (NETT), a 130-mile long trail stretching from Farmersville to Paris, segmented by small East Texas towns along the way. It's not for every gravel cyclist as the terrain alternates between pavement, crushed gravel and dirt, grassy, muddy, rocky and technical sections, long slotted wooden bridge crossings, abundant branches from the tightly enclosed trees and shrubs and the occasional dog chase. The NETT epitomizes adventure cycling in North Texas and is undoubtedly worth the drive to the quaint and charming town of Farmersville where the trail's entry point is as unassuming as the cows and horses looking on.
With an open mind and a love for open spaces, there's nothing better than a sunny North Texas day on a bike. See you out there!
Sure, there’s White Rock Lake which provides an accessible urban outlet for times in need, but it can be dangerously crowded on days when fair-weather riding is optimal. There are the group rides to Duncanville and the locally infamous South Loop, though both feature plenty of highway access road and the same sketchy conditions with traffic and surface hazards. (Those can do wonders for bike handling skills, however...)
The best attributes Dallas has to offer a cyclist is the sunshine and mild weather that make riding outdoors year-round very appealing, if you don’t mind bundling up in the winter and hydrating in the summer. Proper apparel selection and the ability to effectively layer garments are also highly underestimated skills, in my opinion.
So while that picture seams bleak, there is one distinct and redeeming quality to the offerings of the area: GRAVEL. With the recent boon in gravel cycling, North Texas can boast as much as anyone about the abundance and quality of gravel roads.
From the Trinity River levee roads that are immediately accessible from downtown to Rowlett Creek Preserve singletrack to the endless white gravel road routes all around the outskirts of the area, it's a dream for any cyclist willing to hop on knobby tires. Spinistry has been organizing top notch, grassroots events for years which highlight all the area has to offer in and around the Metroplex, ranging from 20-mile fun rides to 300-miles stage races and a route across the entire state of Texas.
One of the most varied routes on the scene is the Northeast Texas Trail (NETT), a 130-mile long trail stretching from Farmersville to Paris, segmented by small East Texas towns along the way. It's not for every gravel cyclist as the terrain alternates between pavement, crushed gravel and dirt, grassy, muddy, rocky and technical sections, long slotted wooden bridge crossings, abundant branches from the tightly enclosed trees and shrubs and the occasional dog chase. The NETT epitomizes adventure cycling in North Texas and is undoubtedly worth the drive to the quaint and charming town of Farmersville where the trail's entry point is as unassuming as the cows and horses looking on.
With an open mind and a love for open spaces, there's nothing better than a sunny North Texas day on a bike. See you out there!
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