Biking Around Fort Worth with the LMRA Bicycle Club

By Nick Olivier, communications intern

Lockheed Martin employs thousands in the Fort Worth area. Many of these employees stay fit by taking part in various opportunities provided by the Lockheed Martin Recreation Association (LMRA), such as adult softball leagues and water aerobics. About 75 LMRA members have chosen cycling as their preferred path to recreation, relaxation and exercise. The LMRA Bicycle Club began in late 2004 and is geared toward road cycling. Think skinny tires and form-fitting jerseys.

I tagged along as the club went out on its Saturday Morning Breakfast Ride. The ride takes place every weekend all year long, unless it’s under 40 degrees or raining. It’s a social ride, open to anyone, and it’s accommodating to riders of all skill levels. Rather than all ride as one, or all ride independently, the group splits up into three subgroups – swifties, pacers and cruisers. The swifties travel longer distances and at faster speeds than the cruisers. But all end up at the same location at the same time. The groups meet up for breakfast at a different location each Saturday, before then biking back to the LMRA site on Bryant Irvin Road. The breakfast stop splits up the long-distance ride quite nicely and adds to the social nature of the club.

I took to the road on my mountain bike, which is not ideal for the distance I would be travelling that day. I managed to keep up with the pack, the cruisers of course, as we traversed 25.5 miles at 11.6 miles per hour. This week there were 15 riders in all, split into just two groups, but as many as 30 will show up on cooler weekends. My fellow cruisers each took turns riding alongside me, telling me about the club they had grown to love. Each was passionate about cycling and it provided me the energy to keep pace. The group boasts members of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels, including those with no affiliation to Lockheed Martin. This Saturday, 14-year-old Chandler joined the ride and was warmly welcomed by the group. Another past member, Imari Miller, has gone on to become an elite junior national cyclist.

It all started with Jim Wilson. As founder and president of the bicycle club, he has somewhat unintentionally become a prominent voice for cycling advocacy in North Texas. Jim is a F-16 product support engineer with Lockheed after spending 20 years working with F-16s in the Air Force. When he’s not working with jets or cycling around town, Jim takes his elected seat on the Benbrook city council. His path to city councilman began through cycling advocacy. He was instrumental in gathering the various cycling groups across Fort Worth and encouraging them en masse at town hall meetings to ensure that cycling was placed on the agenda. He’s worked with the cities of Benbrook, Fort Worth and Arlington to become more bike-friendly by building trails and including bike lanes in urban areas.

Visit LMRAbicycleclub.com to learn more about this great organization. The group puts on Wednesday night and Friday morning/night rides as well. Annual Dues: $15 individual or $25 family annual dues. There is an annual $20 LMRA guest fee if you are not a Lockheed Martin employee.

Click HERE to see photos from my excursion. Click HERE to watch Jim cycling through Trinity Park.

Did you know about the bike lanes on West 7th, 10th and Texas streets? Didn’t think it was possible to safely traverse the city on bike? Looking for other cyclists to ride with? Leave a comment to let us know.