Happy New Year! When I started walking the Hershey Park Trail in Houston’s Energy Corridor last fall, I noticed cyclists of all ages, shapes and sizes on the trail and the bug bit. I told my wife I wanted a bicycle for Christmas and, being the wonderful person she is, she came through with a brand new Schwinn!

Fortunately, it was rather easy to assemble. I took my first test ride around our neighborhood December 26 and my first venture onto the Hershey Park Trail December 28. The bike is easy to ride, gears shift smoothly out of the box, and I really appreciate the disk brakes and front fork suspension. For this novice, the Schwinn was a very good choice.

My goal for 2019 is to ride the trails round trip from my home in the Energy Corridor to downtown Houston by the end of the year. To keep myself moving forward and to track my progress, I’m trying the Strava app on my iPhone. I like that it maps my ride while showing me other Strava users in the vicinity. I also invested in a bell and a water bottle in preparation for crowded trails and need for hydration along the way.

Today, New Year’s Day, I rode 15 miles round trip, turning around at the Sam Houston Tollway. The sun was shining, providing a very nice temperature in the low 60’s. The breeze was a bit brisk, and the trail was fairly crowded with walkers, joggers and cyclists. My bell got a decent workout and I felt good about my effort upon returning home.

Thank you for joining me on my 2019 cycling adventure. I plan to chronicle my rides here as I make progress towards achieving my 2019 goal. As mentioned above I’m a novice rider. I welcome advice from experienced cyclists.

Happy New Year!

Tagged: bicycles, Buffalo Bayou, cycling, Cycling Houston, cycling journal, Houston, Schwinn