5 routes bicycle riders should try around Ciudad Juarez

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Although cycling is not one of the most popular of sports in the Ciudad Juarez area (not even close to being one), there are great spaces in this border community for people to go out on their bikes and have a good time. Whether just for pleasure or as a way to train for a cycling race, our Mexican sister city has different zones where this sport, for both road and mountain bikes, can be practiced on a daily or regular basis. Here are five places in or near Juarez for a cycling enthusiast. Valle de Juárez

According to cyclist Juan Carlos Salayandia, Valle de Juárez is a 90 kilometer route that cyclists can really enjoy due to the great views, especially with the green landscapes abound during the spring and summer. Dunas de Samalayuca

This is a mountain bike training trail.

A giant rattlesnake bike risen by six volunteers from Austin Bike Zoo participated in a bicycle ride from Cleveland Square into Downtown Juarez last October. (Lucia Quinonez/Borderzine.com)

Cycling in El Paso/Juarez is still a ‘green idea’

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EL PASO — Methods of transportation are constantly evolving, in hopes of improving air quality and congestion. One increasingly popular alternative to driving in many urban centers across the country is cycling, and El Paso is embracing the trend in fits and starts. Recently, the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Office (MPO) approved a budget to help partly fund phase one of a citywide Bike Share program. The city’s tentative commitment to making El Paso a bike-friendly community comes at a time when cycling races or challenges have risen in popularity and cycling meet-ups such as Critical Mass are taking off. Sem Gallegos, 25, service manager of Crazy Cat Cyclery, attests to the growing popularity of cycling in El Paso.

At my new, sometimes dangerous, passion. (Courtesy of Javier E Delacruz)

Cyclists find the streets of El Paso unfriendly

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EL PASO — Multitasking is a part of our daily commute no matter what mode of transportation you choose. We watch out that we don’t hit anyone or that others don’t run us off the road. We look to the left, look right, stop, go, brake suddenly and try to keep up our pace. This is what most cyclists experience daily, on a good day. I became a cyclist about two months ago just for fitness, so I can go ahead and avoid the daunting gym visits.

El Paso cyclists respond to city bike ordinance

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El Paso cyclists respond to city bike ordinance

TRANSCRIPT

(Soundbite of chains whirring)

BEATRIZ CASTAÑEDA (Reporter): It’s not often that you see cyclists in the car-centric city of El Paso. That’s not to say that El Pasoans haven’t tried to nurture different cycling groups. Groups like the Cycling Club of El Paso and the Miner Cycling Club. But that’s about to change. The city of El Paso recently passed an ordinance allowing the addition of bike lanes.

Chupacabras sobre ruedas en Ciudad Juárez

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CIUDAD  JUÁREZ, México — Más de dos mil personas se unieron al reto de una carrera ciclista de 100km donde a pesar de caídas, raspones, fracturas e insolaciones, vivieron experiencias que cambiaron su vida. “Como dice el lema, es un reto que te cambia y terminar el Chupacabras es el reto principal de casi todos los participantes,” dijo David Olivas de 26 años quien recorre la pista de Chupacabras desde hace tres años. El sábado 10 de Octubre, como cada año, se llevó a cabo una carrera ciclista de 100km en el lado mexicano de la frontera con Estados Unidos a lo largo del Río Bravo y la sierra de Juárez bajo condiciones extremas de terreno y clima. En 1994, Jorge Urías Cantú junto con su compadre Luis Villarreal compartían el sueño de llevar acabo el ciclismo de una manera formal, por lo que junto con varios amigos salían a recorrer la sierra de Ciudad Juárez en  busca de nuevas pistas. Durante uno de los recorridos por la sierra, según cuenta Luis Gabriel Sosa, director de mercadotecnia de la organización, alguien mencionó la posibilidad de que el chupacabras (leyenda sobre un misterioso animal que chupa la sangre de los animales hasta matarlos) se apareciera por ahí, por lo que el recorrido comenzó a adoptar ese nombre y cuando se formaliza la carrera, obtiene oficialmente el nombre de Chupacabras.