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The Eagle's Cry Summit Christian Academy Of Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX

Issue Date: Monday, April 02, 2012 Issue: 2011-2011 4th Quarter Last Update: Friday, May 18, 2012

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Why EVERYONE Should Mountain Bike

Thursday, December 15, 2011 By David Hannah

A mountain biker on the Barton Creek Greenbelt trail, Austin's classic 14 mile ride. -

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        We all know Austin as the home of bicyclists. You don’t have to look hard to find neon-colored cyclists creeping down the middle of the road, holding up traffic. To most, this is the only form of biking, but there is another more exciting, more dangerous, and more active form of biking; mountain biking!
         Mountain biking is a fairly new sport, as the first official mountain bike wasn’t produced until 1985. Although only 26 years old (compared to the NFL who is 91), it is incredibly popular. Its popularity is due to its sense of adventure and excitement.
Have you ever climbed up a mountain? Or run down a hill to see how fast you’d go? Well, mountain biking combines them. When people think of mountain biking, they think of the usual cross country form – where they start at point A and bike down a trail to point B. However, there are many other types. Downhill mountain biking is where you start at the top of a mountain and race down a particularly steep slope. This is usually the most dangerous form.
         For those of you who are not interested in adventure, mountain biking is also an excellent workout. For every hour of mountain biking, you burn an average of 1,000 calories. For those who are not intrigued by mere calorie burning, the pure adrenaline rush of avoiding trees, drop-offs, and crazy turns is addictive.
         When avid mountain biker, Nathan Schami was asked if they have any helpful hints for those new to mountain biking, he said, “Never ride in the mud, its miserable. One time, we went mountain biking after it rained. We got stuck in the mud and had to carry our bikes most of the way. It was like ‘ride for two feet, stop, carry bike for two hundred feet, try again, ride for two feet, stop…’” Riding in mud has also been proven to corrode the trail and damage your bike.
     Considering this, everyone should mountain bike. It burns calories and is an adventerous sport. There are many different trails for you to bike in Austin.

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The boys embark on an adventure, or perhaps return.

By Schami

3 COMMENTS - add your comment below

4/9/2012 2:38:23 PM by THE CONQUISTADOR
Mr. Vandeman.....i plan to take 100 people mountain biking just because of what you said!

12/18/2011 7:40:48 PM by THE CONQUISTADOR
Gold star to anyone that finds the squirrel! Tip: Click on the picture to get a closer look. Hint: Ask yourself, "where would a squirrel be?" THE CONQUISTADOR

12/15/2011 8:34:12 PM by Mike Vandeman
Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1994: http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtb10 . It's dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don't have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else -- ON FOOT! Why isn't that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking.... A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it's not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/scb7 ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions. Those were all experimental studies. Two other studies (by White et al and by Jeff Marion) used a survey design, which is inherently incapable of answering that question (comparing hiking with mountain biking). I only mention them because mountain bikers often cite them, but scientifically, they are worthless. Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and (worst of all) teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it's NOT!). What's good about THAT? For more information: http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/mtbfaq .