Time Trials

A time trial (TT) is arguably the most painful form of bicycle racing.

Unlike group cycling rides and races where you’ll see one or two people leading the pack with all other cyclists following “in the draft” to save energy, each racer in a time trial rides alone competing only against the clock and his/her burning leg muscles.

That’s why time trials are often referred to as “The Race of Truth” — you can’t cruise along in the slipstream of other cyclists to save energy.

Instead, you ride at maximum effort for the entire duration of the time trial race, pushing your body so hard that if your efforts are metered out correctly you’ll use every bit of available energy by the time you cross the finish line.

The only exception to one person racing alone during TT events occurs during a team time trial race.
In the team format, groups of cyclists ranging in size from two to seven will race over a time trial course competing against other teams of the same size, with team members alternating being “on the front” to set the pace and break the wind for the team’s other riders.

Time trials are conducted both on the road and on mountain bikes. In a typical TT, riders will start at 30- or 60-second intervals.  Multiple riders will be on the course at the same time as other racers but are racing individually against the clock.

Each racer’s finishing time is adjusted based on start delay; for example, if the start interval is one minute between riders and you are the second racer to start, your adjusted finishing time is the clock time (based on when the first racer started) minus one minute.

Racers will focus on going as hard as possible, pushing their bodies to the point that they’re riding at almost maximum effort but can maintain the pace for the duration of the TT event.

The traditional time trial distance for championship events is 40 kilometers (24.8 miles), but you’ll see distances ranging from very short 3-5 mile “Prolog TTs” to longer 30- and 40-mile events.

Some time trials use an out-and-back course, others are a loop or point-to-point, and you’ll occasionally see an uphill TT (“cyclist against mountain against the clock”).

In the upcoming Tour de France stage race, the professional racers will race three time trials during the 21 days of racing. They’ll do a 25-kilometer team TT during Stage 4, a 33-individual TT in Stage 11, and a 32-kilometer individual TT in Stage 17.

Although many local time trial competitors will ride their normal road bikes for TT races, the top racers use special aerodynamic bikes and equipment such as elongated aero helmets, shoe covers and tightfitting skin suits to decrease wind resistance.  Their high-tech time trial bikes have low-drag aerodynamic frames, aero bar extensions and deep-section or disc wheels that decrease wind drag.

Cycling time trials are also conducted off-road using mountain bikes on rough trails and dirt roads.
Although the level of effort is as intense as on the road, mountain bike TTs place more emphasis on technical skills — being able to ride extremely fast over rough and rocky surfaces.
 
Locally, the San Angelo Bicycle Association (SABA) holds both road and mountain bike TT events during the summer months.

The road TTs are held on the first Thursday evening of each month at 6:30 on a 12-mile course that starts near the intersection of U.S. 87 and Susan Peak Road just east of San Angelo.

Mountain bike time trials take place over a 6-mile trail course on the third Thursday evening of each month at 6:30 p.m., starting and finishing at the playground near the south gate of San Angelo State Park.

The club also puts on a spring and fall road TT on the Burma Road hills and a longer 9-mile mountain bike TT in the state park.

You must be a member of the cycling club to compete in the time trial events organized by the San Angelo Bicycle Association, but you can join the club at event registration.
For more information on the local cycling time trial events, visit sanangelobicycleassociation.com and click on the “Events” tab.

On a related note, some running clubs also hold time trials. One example of this is the twice-monthly “Towers” group run organized by the Fort Collins Trail Runners in Fort Collins, Colo. (meetup.com/running-207/events/111433412).

This time trial takes place on a 3.4-mile ascent that climbs 1,650 feet up trails and 4WD roads to near the top of Horsetooth Mountain just west of Fort Collins. Slower runners go off first, trying to improve on their past times while attempting to stay ahead of faster runners who start behind them.

Cycling or running, time trials are the Race of Truth.


 Upcoming Events

• July 4: Christoval VFD 5K, roadlizards.org
• July 11: Road bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• July 14: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
• July 18: Mountain bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• July 27: Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org
• Aug. 1: Road bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• Aug. 15: Mountain bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• Sept. 14: Run to Remember 10K, angelo.edu/asufit

Tour de San Angelo

July is Tour de France month. During the first three weeks of the month, cycling fans worldwide will plan their days around watching (and re-watching) the 21 stages of the most prestigious bike race in the world.

Office computers will be logged onto live-update websites, we’ll watch the tape-delay version of each day’s stage on the NBC Sports Network, and we’ll scan the morning paper hoping to find a blurb or two about the race.

Since most of us will never have a chance to ride the real Tour de France routes, I’ve designed an alternative “Tour de San Angelo” that lets you enjoy three consecutive weeks of hard cycling during the same dates that the big race in France is taking place.

Complete the Tour de San Angelo in July and I’ll guarantee you’ll be a much stronger cyclist come mid-August.

The Tour de San Angelo is much like the Tour de France, with 21 stages, time trials, rest days, and both flat and mountainous stages. 

It will cover 561 miles over the 21 stages, with a team time trial, an individual time trial, four “mountain” stages, and enough melted chip seal to make you wish for winter.

You may also learn to hate your bicycle seat.

Scoring will be the same as in the Tour de France (total elapsed time to complete all 21 stages), but golf rules apply meaning that you score yourself and everyone trusts you to be honest.

Ride each stage whenever you have time — morning, afternoon or night. Just grab a few friends (your team) and hit the road for each of the 21 stages.

The bottom line is that completing the Tour de San Angelo will give you bragging rights (“Yep, I rode the 2013 Tour de San Angelo and finished in X hours and X minutes”), and you’ll also get to experience the wide variety of cycling routes that exist around our community.

The complete Tour de San Angelo route is described below with a short description of each stage and MapMyRide links.

  - Stage 1, Saturday 6/29: The Knickerbocker Loop from the Mary E. Lee park swim beach to town of Knickerbocker and back, 26 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219937395.

  - Stage 2, Sunday 6/30: An out and back on Arden Road from Liquor City to County Road 411 and back, 34 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219941479.

  - Stage 3, Monday 7/1: An interesting loop that starts in Middle Concho Park with some dirt roads, 14 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219944467.

  - Stage 4, Tuesday 7/2: A team time trial on the Loop Group long course, 31 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219949563.

  - Stage 5, Wednesday 7/3: A rolling stage on FM 2288 from Liquor City to U.S. 87 at Grape Creek and back, 20 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219952185.

  - Stage 6, Thursday 7/4: A circuit race stage around the Bluffs subdivision circuit, four laps, 18 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220053265.

  - Stage 7, Friday 7/25: A flat stage that includes Jamison Road from Liquor City, 16 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219960265.

  - Stage 8, Saturday 7/6: Mountain stage No. 1, Burma Road out and back from Liquor City, 46 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219969249.

  - Stage 9, Sunday 7/7: Mountain stage No. 2, Susan Peak Road from U.S. 277 and Walling Pecan, 52 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220038655.

  - Rest day, Monday 7/8 (no ride)

  - Stage 10, Tuesday 7/9: A flat stage that circles the east side of Lake Nasworthy, 12 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/219957275.

  - Stage 11, Wednesday 7/10: A flat stage that goes from the swim beach to U.S. 277 and back via Spring Creek Park, 20 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220056721.

  - Stage 12, Thursday 7/11: An individual time trial on the San Angelo Bicycle Association TT course, Susan Peak road, 12 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220058723.

  - Stage 13, Friday 7/12: A flat stage across O.C. Fisher Dam, out and back, 14 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220061105.

  - Stage 14, Saturday 7/13: A rolling stage that goes through Knickerbocker, Tankersly and Jamison Road from Swim Beach, 41 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220068259.

  - Stage 15, Sunday 7/14: Mountain stage No. 3, the Seven Sisters loop from the Swim Beach, 39 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220071789.

  - Rest day, Monday 7/15 (no ride)

  - Stage 16, Tuesday 7/16: A flat and fast stage, Loop Group short route, 19 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220077825.

  - Stage 17, Wednesday 7/17: State Park loop, 14 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220084343.

  - Stage 18, Thursday 7/18: A flat stage that starts at Fort Concho and goes out Paint Rock Road, 27 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220049079.

  - Stage 19, Friday 7/19: Swim Beach to Door Key Road out-and-back, 20 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220087789.

  - Stage 20, Saturday 7/20: Mountain stage No. 4, The Almost-to-Bronte” loop, 58 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220090609.

  - Stage 21, Sunday 7/21: The final day will be a complete circle around San Angelo with a celebratory final cruise through downtown and along River Road, 28 miles, www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/220098001.

The Tour de San Angelo is going to be a fun three weeks of cycling, so get your team together and prepare to ride the Concho Valley roads.

Remember — July is “Ride the Tour” month.


Upcoming Events

• July 4: Christoval VFD 5K, roadlizards.org
• July 14: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
• July 27: Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org

Event Planning

BILL CULLINS: Well-planned events are successful ones

SAN ANGELO, Texas — There has been a dramatic upswing over the past several years in the number of local fitness events such as cycling, running, triathlon, walking, and variations such as adventure races and mud runs.

Many of these events have a dual purpose — they provide fun and healthy recreational activities for area residents and also raise money for good causes.

When I’m contacted by groups wanting to put on an event, there’s a consistent message that I convey to them.

Start early with your event planning, research other scheduled event dates to try and avoid conflicts, market your event using multiple forms of media, and above all — make safety a high priority.

If those key steps are followed, you’ll significantly improve the odds of your event being safe and successful.

A good overview of event planning is outlined in the “Race Director’s Handbook” available online at angelo.edu/content/files/18986-race-directors-guidebook.

The important first step is to determine where you want the event to take place (start/finish location and route). To accomplish this, your planning group will need to check with appropriate agencies to see if the specific facilities are available on the date you want.

Secondly, you’ll need to research other events to determine if there are conflicts on your planned date(s). Whenever possible, you want to select a date and venue that is open to maximize the participation in your event.

Do this by checking websites or contacting other event-promotion groups such as the local running club (roadlizards.org in San Angelo), the cycling club (sanangelobicycleassociation.com), and organizations on the ASU campus such as the ASUFit program (angelo.edu/asufit).

Once you’ve selected a date and location, the next step is to develop an event budget that includes estimated expenses and projected revenues.

Doing this will force you to think realistically about the fees, services and supplies you’ll need to conduct the event and also how many participants (at a given entry fee) you’ll need to break even or generate revenue.

To develop the budget, you’ll have to research things like facility use fees (example: city parks or other fee-for-use areas), street use permits, portable toilet rental, course marking supplies, timing equipment, safety cones, awards, race numbers, T-shirts (if applicable), medical support, and items such as water, Gatorade and after-event snacks for participants.

You’ll also need to think about liability insurance and the associated waiver form to protect you and your organization in the event that someone is injured and files a lawsuit. McKay Insurance (silentsportsinsurance.com) is a good source for event-specific insurance.

Two of the largest expenses involved in putting on an event will be awards and event T-shirts (if you choose to hand out shirts to participants).

Plan how many award categories you’ll have and what the award for each place will be, determine how many shirts will be ordered, and then get quotes from potential vendors.
There’s a fine balance between having nice awards and T-shirts for participants (increased cost) and attracting more participants (increased revenues).

Two good strategies for T-shirts are to have shirts for only preregistered participants or to simply state that shirts will be available for the first (insert number here) people to sign up.

The revenue side of your event budget will be based on two sources — the entry fees paid by participants and funding provided by sponsors.

You’ll need to approach potential sponsors well before your event and have a specific and reasonable request identified.

Keep in mind that individuals and organizations provide sponsorship support for two primary reasons — they may want to support your event’s cause and they expect a marketing or public relations return-on-investment for the sponsorship dollars they provide.

After you have a good grasp of the estimated expenses and revenues, you can do “what if” scenarios to see what happens to the net revenue based on increasing or decreasing the entry fee or having a certain number of participants.

After selecting the date, location, and creating an event budget, your next (and very important!) step is to advertise, advertise, advertise.

The marketing of your event should begin several months before the event date. Create an eye-catching and informative event flyer in PDF format, get it posted on as many websites as possible, spread the word via a Facebook page, place flyers in businesses and health clubs, and try to get the event advertised by local news media (newspaper, radio, TV).

Create excitement by posting Facebook updates or creating a video preview of the event and posting it on Facebook and websites as a YouTube video. Try to find the marketing “hook” that will attract people to your fun, unique or support-a-good-cause activity.

Your event registration method can serve a dual purpose that both makes it easy for participants to sign up and helps market the event. Consider using an online registration service in addition to day-of-event registration. Some good choices include active.com, signmeup.com and bikereg.com.

The final (very important) steps in planning your event are to develop a safety plan and obtain all applicable permits. If participants will be cycling or running on public roads, you may need a Street Use Permit from the city. Contact the San Angelo city permit office at 657-4421 for details.

Although the city charges a permit fee based on services needed, that fee will pay for police officers to stop traffic at major intersections and (in some cases) patrol the route where the event is taking place. These officers, along with your volunteer course marshals, will help ensure risks are mitigated for event participants.

If you have a good planning committee and follow the guidelines described above, you’ll have a great start toward making your event safe and successful.

The History of Cycling in San Angelo

Cyclists have been riding the roads in and around San Angelo for the past 120 or so years. The modern bicycle was invented in 1861, and by 1885 bicycles were getting to be quite common on San Angelo streets.

In May of 1888, the Standard-Times newspaper reported that bicycle fever was spreading throughout the city.

Riding a bicycle during the early days resulted in numerous incidents or questions about bicycles. The newspaper reported that on Feb. 20, 1886, a Mr. Frank Harris ran his bike into a horse-drawn phaeton owned by a Dr. Early, causing quite a bit of confusion and uproar.

The San Angelo City Council voted to ban bicycles from sidewalks in 1892, and a Mr. J. Harris suggested in August of 1892 that he felt cowboys would have a hard time rounding up cattle on bicycles.

Competition has always been a part of cycling, and that was certainly the case in the late 1800s. Activities during the Concho Valley Fair in 1891 included bicycle races, and San Angelo native Rhodes Baker won both the 5-mile and 1-mile cycling events at the Brownwood Fair in 1892.

A report in May of 1888 stated that M.N. Burgess completed a ride from San Angelo to Ballinger in seven hours, and the Standard-Times noted that in April of 1892, Rhodes Baker completed a round-trip ride from San Angelo to Knickerbocker and back in less than three hours.

Early cyclists, like those of today, were prone to take long rides that lasted several days and covered many miles. One of the most intriguing early cycling trips involved San Angelo residents Rhodes Baker and George Allen, who completed a 12-day, 425-mile bicycle trip that took them from San Angelo to Sonora, Del Rio, across into Mexico and back through Rocksprings to San Angelo.

This ride was done in hot July weather, on rough wagon roads, with all of their gear (including fly fishing rods) strapped to their bicycles.

Bicycle clubs were popular then, as clubs organized across the nation during the 1890s. The first San Angelo cycling club, the San Angelo Wheelmen, was formed in April of 1892.

A newspaper report in May 1892 noted that a Miss Itena Patch had mastered the art of riding a bike, so local ladies were considering forming their own bicycle club. The legacy of the original San Angelo Wheelmen cycling club continues today with the San Angelo Bicycling Association (SABA).

A lot has changed since the early days of San Angelo cycling, and yet — just like the early local pioneers of our sport — we still push on the pedals to make the bike go, curse the windy days and enjoy the feeling of rolling down the road as we complete another two-wheeled adventure.

Team RWB

BILL CULLINS: Team RWB connects veterans, community

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Team RWB (“Red, White and Blue”) is a new fitness community in San Angelo that’s helping to transform the way that America supports its veterans when they return from combat.

You’ll be able to recognize them by their uniform — a red Team RWB shirt with the large Eagle logo on the front.

The San Angelo Team RWB community is part of a larger national nonprofit organization that currently includes over 4,400 veteran and active duty ambassadors and 7,300 civilian athletes and advocates in 36 states.

The team’s mission is simple — to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.

Team RWB was founded in 2010 by Mike Erwin, an instructor at the West Point Military Academy. Today the regional Team RWB chapters and local communities of the team work to help veterans and the community connect through physical and social activity.

Activities in each chapter and local community include weekly fitness activities, monthly social events, and participation in local races and events together.

Nicole Vasquez, an Army veteran and organizer of the San Angelo RWB community, says “Team RWB is not just for members of the military or veterans — everyone is welcome. 

“We are about building a community and we cannot build a community of only veterans. We need friends, family, caring citizens, business owners. Everyone can fill a role.

“The Team RWB slogan ‘It’s Our Turn’ means it is our turn to serve veterans. That opportunity to serve is open to all members of our regional community.”

One of the core beliefs of Team RWB is that mental and physical benefits of exercise can greatly improve a veteran’s ability to cope with issues related to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Research such as that done by Dr. Michael Otto, professor of psychology at Boston University, indicates that many returning veterans suffer from not being part of a close-knit team after their military deployment ends.

Dr. Otto notes that “Team RWB makes use of its community and athletic members to provide information, training, and companionship to veterans who want to recharge themselves both physically and mentally.”

“It provides a team to veterans who may have left part of their sense of connection in the war zone, and it provides the same sort of team to those civilians who have been looking for a way to give back to the veterans who have served so loyally.”

Vasquez agrees, saying: “Physical fitness and sports are proven ways to bring people together and set the conditions to build meaningful relationships.

“These activities provide veterans with renewed camaraderie, a sense of purpose and shared accomplishment. In addition to being an excellent way to connect on a social level, physical activity is proven to be therapeutic and healthy for both the body and mind.” 

In addition to group workouts during the week, local Team RWB members will also be participating in multiple upcoming events such as local running events, Tour de Burma today, the Lake Nasworthy triathlon on July 14, Goodfellow triathlon on July 27, and the Wool Capitol triathlon on Aug. 18.

You can connect with or join San Angelo’s Team RWB community several ways. The group has a Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/TeamRWBSanAngelo that provides updates on local activities and events, and the local coordinator periodically sends out emails notifying members of upcoming Team RWB activities.

Full information on the national Team RWB program is available at teamrwb.org, and the local contact for the San Angelo RWB community is Timothy Masshardt, timothy.masshardt@gmail.com. 

Ride On, San Angelo, and remember — join Team RWB and ride or run to support local veterans.


Upcoming Events

June 8: Tour de Burma cycling ride, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
June 15: Flippin Sweet 5K, roadlizards.org
June 22: Stop, Drop, and Roll run, roadlizards.org
July 4: Christoval VFD 5K, roadlizards.org
July 14: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
July 27: Goodfellow Traithlon, roadlizards.org
Aug 18: Wool Capital Triathlon, ironheadrp.com

BILL CULLINS: ElectricRider can give cyclists an extra boost of speed

In 2010 Fabian Cancellara, one of the top professional cyclists in the world, was accused of having a hidden electric motor on his race bike.

He was riding so fast and with so much power that rivals asked the sport’s sanctioning body (UCI) to investigate.

 After inspecting his bike, the UCI confirmed that the Swiss rider did not have a hidden electric motor — he was simply a very fast and strong cyclist.

However, if it had been discovered that Cancellara was using a high-performance electric motor on his race bike, the odds are good that ElectricRider, a local San Angelo company, would have been the supplier.

ElectricRider, located at 1301 Pulliam Street in San Angelo, is one of the world’s largest distributors of electric motor conversion kits for bicycles and the associated lithium battery packs.

Mike Dierker, co-owner and sales manger, said “we ship conversion kits and batteries nationwide and worldwide.
“The motors, lithium cells, and associated components are imported and assembled locally into conversion kits. We build the wheels with electric motor hubs in our shop.”

Cancellara’s rivals were right to be concerned about the potential speed and power increases that could have resulted from a hidden electric motor — there’s a video on the ElectricRider website showing a test rider hitting a top speed of 52 mph on one of their electric bike conversions.

An average recreational cyclist can typically sustain a power output of between 100-200 watts for an hour, while top professional cyclists have recorded power levels of 500-600 watts for an hour.

In contrast, the Phoenix II conversion systems offered by ElectricRider have a maximum power output that ranges from 900 to 2,880 watts depending on the specific model.

Dierker says “the average customer for their electric bike conversion kits is someone who wants to supplement his/her ‘pedaling power’ with assistive electric technology that is simple, inexpensive, and emissions free for bicycle commuting or touring.”

He notes that “a converted electric bicycle is still a bike — it can be pedaled normally even with the motor installed.”

“Much of the growth in sales for our product has been for the physical therapy market. Customers purchase systems so they could recover at their own pace after surgery or a serious health issue, but still be riding their bike. Trikes (3-wheel bicycles) are generally what is used for that type of application, so you don’t have to worry about further injury or balance issues.”

ElectricRider may be well before the curve related to equipping bicycles with electric motors even though major bicycle manufactures such as Specialized are starting to manufacture electric commuter bikes.

Specialized just released their new Turbo eBike which retails for $5,900, so the conversion kits offered by ElectricRider are a much less expensive option that will yield the same “electric power or pedal” hybrid results.

ElectricRider was founded in 2002 by Dave Dierker. After purchasing an electric bike conversion kit from a company in Taiwan and seeing how difficult it was to order a good product from overseas, he decided to start his own company.

Fast forward to today and they’re selling conversion kits, battery pack generators, and related equipment to customers worldwide from their San Angelo facility.

For those of us who will never be able to produce the “pedaling power” that Cancellara does, adding an ElectricRider conversion kit to our bicycle may be the answer to mixing fitness with riding further and faster.

To learn more about ElectricRider, visit their website at www.electricrider.com.

On a related note, there’s an upcoming local cycling event scheduled for June 8 that might be perfect for an ElectricRider converted bicycle.

The event is the Tour de Burma, a bike tour event organized by the San Angelo Bicycle Association that will start and finish at Family Power Sports on the Houston Harte frontage road.

The tour starts at 8 a.m. on June 8th, and will offer four different routes covering 5, 24, 40, or 62 miles. An ElectricRider-assisted bike might be just the ticket for the 40- and 62-mile routes since they both go over the challenging hills of Burma Road.

Full information on Tour de Burma is available online at www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/events/tourdeburma.html.

Ride On, San Angelo, and remember — if you want to ride fast like Cancellara, either train really hard or go talk to the ElectricRider folks!


Upcoming events

• June 8: Tour de Burma cycling ride, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
• June 22: Stop, Drop, and Roll run, roadlizards.org
• July 4: Christoval VFD 5K, roadlizards.org
• July 14: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
• July 27: Goodfellow Traithlon, roadlizards.org

Previous newspaper columns

Several weeks ago the newspaper that I write for (San Angelo Standard Times) instituted a "Pay to View" system that requires a paid on-line subscription to read articles. That resulted in me receiving a rash of emails and phones calls from people who didn't subscribe to the paper but always read my columns online. Although I fully understand the newspaper's rational and need to generate a revenue stream, I also want all members of the community to have access to the fitness and event information that I write about.  To (hopefully) alleviate the problem, I'll be posting my columns here on this blog a few days after the each one runs in the paper.  Here's the first column post, an article that ran in the San Angelo Standard Times on May 18.

("You Can’t Outrun Your Dinner Plate")

You can’t outrun your dinner plate.

No matter how hard you exercise, what you eat (and how much) will impact how successful you are in achieving your fitness goals.

Most of us are trying to maintain a specific weight or even lose a few pounds, so it’s critical that we understand achieving a desired body weight is based on a simple formula.

To maintain our weight, calories taken in minus calories burned must equal zero.

Losing weight (which most of us need to do) requires that we burn more calories than we take in.

You’ll need to have approximately a 3,500 calorie deficient to burn a pound of fat.

The problem for most of us is we don’t really know how many calories we’re ingesting during the day or how many calories we’re burning during normal daily activities and exercise.

You can estimate the impact of calories taken in minus calories burned by weighing yourself on a regular basis, but that’s after the fact – your plate may be “outrunning” you and you don’t know why.

A more personal and scientific approach is to keep a log for a few weeks that documents calories ingested and the calories burned by physical activity. This will give you an accurate picture of why your plate is out-running you, since most people overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories from food.

Do this for several weeks and you just might find that magic formula that turns you into a lean, mean fitness machine.

I’m in the same situation that many of you are in – a few pounds heavier than I want to be. My current weight is about 185 pounds and has gradually edged upward, but I want to be at about 175 by the end of the summer.

I work out 6 days per week, with several hard bike, run, or strength sessions that total up to an average of about seven hours per week of healthy exercise.

Those workouts burn a lot of calories each week, but my plate still seems to be winning the race.

To determine why “the plate” is currently winning, I tracked all of my calories burned during exercise and calories taken in for a week using on-line calculators.

I started with my basal metabolism rate (BMR) – the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning each day when at rest. Gender, age, height and weight determine this number, and there’s a good on-line calculator for this at myfitnesspal.com/bmr-calculator.

That calculator suggests that I need about 1,700 calories per day to fuel my base metabolism needs. This number will vary for different individuals based on weight, gender, and age

For exercise, I logged each workout in minutes and then went to runnersworld.com/tools/daily-calories-calculator to determine what the “calorie burn” was for each fitness activity.

The third piece of the puzzle was tracking how many calories I ingested during the test week using the on-line calculator at webmd.com/diet/healthtool-food-calorie-counter.

All of this data was compiled in an Excel spreadsheet, although a simple paper journal would have also worked fine.

Here’s what the data showed at the end of the week. Total calories burned were about 17,500 (base metabolism plus exercise) and total calories taken in were approximately 14,500.

The bottom line – I barely out-ran my plate during the measurement week.

I’ll keep tracking calories in and calories burned for several more weeks, but it appears that the verdict is in.

To outrun my plate and reach my goal weight by September 1st, I’ll need to have an average calorie deficit of 2,300 calories per week during each of the next 15 weeks to lose 10 pounds.

That means either doing more workouts (not likely given time constraints) or eating smaller portions of foods that are less calorie-dense and more nutrient-dense.

The bottom line is that - for whatever fitness goal you’re trying to achieve - you want your food to propel you toward that goal instead of working against you.

It’s shaping up to be a long summer war between body weight and my wife’s great cooking.

More lettuce and tomatoes, less bacon, watermelon instead of ice cream, fresh foods instead of processed and good San Angelo water instead of those after-workout beers.

Ride On, San Angelo, and remember – you are what you eat, and you can’t outrun your dinner plate.

(Author's note: The ASUFit program at Angelo State University is currently using the same process described above for the summer mini-fitness challenge.  It is open to the public and details are posted at http://www.angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/fitnesschallenge/).

Bill Cullins is an old cyclist, slow runner, and former state Masters cyclocross champion. His column appears every Saturday. Contact him at bcullins@suddenlink.net.


Upcoming events

 - June 1: Run in the Sun 8K, roadlizards.org

 - June 8: Tour de Burma cycling ride, sanangelobicycleassociation.com

 - June 15: Flippin Sweet 5K and 1-mile, roadlizards.org

 - June 22: Stop, Drop, and Roll run, roadlizards.org

 - July 14: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org

 - July 27: Goodfellow Traithlon, roadlizards.org