Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup November 18th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Swimming vs. Biking vs. Walking for Fat Burning
by William McCoy, Demand Media        livehealthy.chron.com

Losing your excess body fat can not only help you feel better about yourself, but it can also lead to notable health improvements. Losing even 10 percent of your weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can greatly reduce your risk of weight-associated ailments. But before you can burn fat to improve your health, you must choose an exercise to adopt. Swimming, biking and walking burn calories at different rates, but each can play a helpful role in your quest to burn fat.
Understanding Calorie Deficits
Deficit is an unpleasant word when you use it discuss your finances, but you have reason to smile when you link the word to your body’s calorie situation. The term “calorie deficit” characterizes…

J.A. Hicks Photography: Colonel's CX &emdash;
J.A. Hicks Photography: Colonel's CX &emdash;

Teen dreams of sharing sport with peers
by Melissa Crowe        victoriaadvocate.com

Phillip Romo kicked his leg across his red and white Specialized bike, pushing off toward the tree-lined path at the eastern end of Riverside Park.

The heavy rain, having fallen several days before, delayed his plans for an afternoon ride. The unspoken rule among cyclists is you don’t ride when the trail is wet.

The state-ranked 15-year-old hadn’t been on a “real” trail since moving to Victoria from Laredo several months ago – settling instead for…

Cyclist Fatalities Increase by More Than 6% in 2012
by Krista Carlson        urbanvelo.org

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released it’s annual crash stats report and the news is rather bleak. Following six consecutive years of decline in traffic fatalities that trend was broken in 2012, when the number of fatalities rose 3.3%, an increase of more than a thousand additional casualties from motor vehicle crashes, from 32,479 in 2011 to 33,561 in 2012.

The bad news get worse, as the greatest increase in fatality rates is among…

Jester King Brewery All Clubs Ride
violetcrown.org

It was a great day for the Jester King All Clubs Ride last Saturday, an out-and-back along Fitzhugh Road from Jester King Brewery to Johnson City. The ride was organized by the Steiner Ranch Cycling Club. Although windy, the temperature was ideal for a scenic ride in the hill country, if that’s what your were looking for. Of course, some were feeling a bit more spirited and knowing the first 3 riders back to the brewery got a free Jester King t-shirt set a pace less conducive to sightseeing.

There was free pizza for most of the 70 riders who returned before free was gone. And of course, …

November 23rd and 24th Rides!
steinerranchcycling.com
RECAP LAST WEEKEND
Saturday we had about 70 riders for the Jester King Brewery Ride.  Overall the event was a complete success.  The weather was perfect but it was a little windy.  There was a small crash involving a dead raccoon and vultures.  A bunch of SRCC riders were hauling and there was a group of vultures feeding on a dead animal in the road and as they came up on the birds they expected them to fly away.  Well the vultures did not fly away as expected and the first rider (Stuart S.) managed to swerve and…

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

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Tweets

Shake Up Some Streets, Out Comes the Route

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I freelanced today on the route. I started with the destination of Huffman and about everything between my home and there I decided almost turn by turn. The only required point was the Kingwood Post office. Even getting there I mixed up the streets I usually ride. Once I got home and looked at the route map I think this combination is unique. Because of the street selection I expected to go past Kingwood High school on the way back home but I changed that due to school letting out. To make up for this change I took some side streets not taken for quite some time. With all of this mixture the route totaled 33.15 miles.

The 12 to 15 mph ENE wind tried to slow me down but when I turned to the west at Huffman I made up the lost time and got my average speed up to 15.4 mph. There is supposed to be a mild cool front moving through this afternoon and when I first started the ride it felt cool but there was enough sun and generated body heat to stay comfortable. The temperature stayed at 77 according to my home weather station although the Action Sign message board in Huffman showed 73 while my phone app said 79.

When I ride on Old Atascocita Road there are some construction warning signs for FM2100 going north. They warn of loose gravel and uneven lanes but so far there is no work. Probably at some point I will need to alter this part of the route until the construction clears up.

Tomorrow the weather looks cooler with a high of 68. I will see how that affects biking. Sunday set a record high of 85. November is a little warmer than normal.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup November 17th

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What in the world do enchiladas have to do with mountain biking? In Austin…everything!
Austin Ridge Riders
The Enchilada Buffet is the annual measuring stick for Austin mountain biking. The EB is a self supported ride covering five local trails and ~85 miles of awesome Austin mountain biking. You read that correctly….roughly 85 miles!

We are always impressed by those who take on such a challenge and we’d like to give a shout out to some of our members who earned the coveted Finishers T-Shirt.   http://www.enchiladabuffet.com/content/

Shane Wolfe – Many members know Shane as a frequent leader of the heart pounding, fast paced Advanced Group  at the Sunday Walnut Creek rides.  Shane completed the challenge in…

DORBA Beginner Clinic
Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association
Saturday, December 14, 2013        1:00 PM
River Legacy Park
703 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd, Arlington, TX (map)
There will be a beginner clinic on Saturday the 14th of December at 1pm at River Legacy Park in Arlington.
There is a “classroom” for about an hour or so, a mini-skills workshop for 30 minutes, and then a ride of an hour or more. So count on approximately 2.5 to 3 hours.
The clinic is recommended for riders new to the sport. If you have never ridden a mountain bike before or have just started out riding, then this is for you. Beginner Clinics will consist of basic instruction including…

ATX100k sponsors a 50k bonus ride at Rocky Hill Ranch! Camp and Ride!
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Saturday, November 23, 2013 3:00 PM to Sunday, November 24, 2013, 8:00 PM
Rocky Hill Ranch
578 FM 153, Smithville, TX (map)
If you arrive on the 23rd, go set up your tent and then hang at the Pavilion. If you arrive on the 24th, park and meet at the Pavilion. MAKE SURE YOU SIGN IN AND PAY THE LAND FEES WITH THE RANCH STAFF!!
This is an organized race/ride at Rocky Hill Ranch with the option of camping the night before.  Bring your kids! Bring your bikes!
It is a bonus ride on the ATX100K Endurance Race Series (six-pack series). The distance will be a timed 50k on the ranch’s most technical trails.  You can of course, just show up and ride for fun as well. All are welcome.
How it will work: …

Comfort-Lady Bird Loop
San Antonio Wheelmen
Date:     11/24/2013
Time:     09:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location:     Comfort City Park
Comfort, TX
Details:
Comfort Ladybird Loop (NW) [R to H]. Routes of 22, 32, 41 and 56 miles.
Ride some of the very best roads within easy access of San Antonio. Try the super “traditional” options to the west of Comfort or travel north to the land of the Hell’s Angels and Waylon Jennings on the 56-mile “Ladybird Loop,” which heads north past the Bat Tunnel toward Fredericksburg. There are limited store stops, so please carry…

DONATE TOYS SOON To Make The Richardson Christmas Parade Awesome!

Bike Friendly Richardson will be participating in this year’s Christmas Parade, on December 7. We will post more details on that later.

What makes this year’s event even more amazing is that the city is accepting toy donations for each group’s entry fee. Let’s show how awesome Richardson cyclists are by helping us give a large donation.

Please contact us at…

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Short North Routes Hard to Come By

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Losing the Community Drive overpass limits the shorter routes going north. I needed a shorter route today because of a time restriction so I put together a combination of roads not going further north than FM1314. I ended up riding north on Loop 494 to Porter. Once I reached Porter I took FM1314 west to Old Sorters Road. From there I turned to the south going through Briar Tree and Oakhurst. The wind provided some stiff resistance whenever I headed south or southwest. That also accounted for the nice 84 degree temperature. The wind was 12 mph with 23 mph gusts. The sky moved from cloudy to partly cloudy. Because of the warmth and sun I put on sunscreen but no extra jersey.

This route did not include any long uninterrupted road so getting my average speed up proved difficult and the wind did not help. Going this way came to 22.44 miles at a 15.0 mph average speed. For the week I biked 133.08 miles helping November to be 348.75 miles. November 2012 I biked 338.2 miles so I passed that point with 13 days to go this year. Year to date stands at 5895 miles. Today was the shortest

My body did not suffer any hangover from riding in Livingston yesterday. My legs had power despite the wind resistance. The warm weather is greatly appreciated but I know it will not stay for long.

On November 23rd my wife and I will be at the BBVA Compass Bank Stadium in downtown Houston for the University of Cincinnati vs. University of Houston football game. This is the first live football game we have attended since Earl Campbell and the Houston Oilers played the Miami Dolphins on a Monday night many years ago. The last time I attended a UC football game was in 1969 at Nippert Stadium on the UC campus. UC and U of H are in the American Athletic Conference opening up the opportunity to do this. The basketball season brings them together in Houston at least once and maybe we can see the Bearcats play. Hopefully the weather will be warm and dry on the 23rd.

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