Tour de Houston clashes with Montgomery bike ride
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The 2025 Tour de Houston. Photo: Courtesy of Houston First Corporation
Cycling advocates say this year's Tour de Houston and Gran Fondo Texas bike rides may have fewer participants because they're being held the same day.
Why it matters: Avid Houston-area cyclists often utilize the rides to build stamina and camaraderie as they train for the annual Texas MS 150, the state's premier 96-mile trek between Houston and Austin that fundraises for multiple sclerosis research.
Driving the news: Registration for the Tour de Houston, slated for April 12, opened this week.
- The tour features three rides lengths: 10 miles, 20 miles and 45 miles. It costs $50 for adults and $35 for kids 12 and under.
- Proceeds from the ride, organized by Houston First Corporation, will help fund tree planting efforts throughout the city.
The intrigue: Registration for the Gran Fondo Texas, a 32-mile ride through the Sam Houston National Forest in Montgomery, opened in September.
Zoom out: This year's Texas MS 150 is scheduled to start April 25.
What they're saying: "Many of the riders I know love to hit as many of these [smaller bike rides] as they can because it's such a great time," Dan Phelps, a Houston cyclist, tells Axios.
- Phelps said with the loss of several annual bike rides in Greater Houston, like Pedaling the Prairie in Hempstead, he fears this year's Tour de Houston timing could spell doom for the future of Gran Fondo Texas.
- "It's utterly absurd, given the few remaining ride events left, that Houston First couldn't check the already scheduled dates for those and not schedule the Tour de Houston on the same day."
Zoom in: Joe Cutrufo, executive director of BikeHouston, tells Axios the move might mean fewer registrants for both rides.
- "Unfortunately for folks who'd like to do both Gran Fondo and Tour de Houston, they'll have to choose one or the other," Cutrufo says.
The other side: Houston First organizers worked around the city's events calendar to determine the race date "months ago," according to a statement from the corporation shared with Axios. Tour de Houston typically happens two Sundays before the MS 150.
- "We understand that there may be other training rides that weekend," the statement read. "Ours is not just a training ride for the MS 150 but also a fun event for families and riders of all ages and abilities and a major fundraiser."