This morning, in beautiful Hillsboro, Texas (about 30 miles north of Waco, along Interstate Highway 35), I did my fourth bike rally of the year and my 450th overall. My friend Phil and I did the inaugural edition of this rally a year ago. It was cold and windy. The long course was advertised as 68 miles (as I recall) but ended up being 75. It tired us out, but it did us good in the long run, since it toughened us up. This morning, the weather was much different. It was warm, overcast, and humid, with a threat of rain. There was wind, but it was not nearly as stiff as a year ago, and it was out of the south this time instead of the north.
The Texas countryside is green and lush right now. The leaves on the trees are grown; the grass is long; and crops are already high in the fields. We saw many cows and horses as we rode. Only a couple of hundred people showed up to ride, which was disappointing. Phil and I talked to the rally organizer at the finish about doing a better job of publicizing the rally. We also recommended a nine o'clock starting time instead of an eight o'clock starting time. I had to rise at 5:20 to get to the starting line in time. (I'm 61.9 miles away.) It would have been nice to sleep until 6:20. People who live in the northern parts of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex would have had to rise at 5:00 or earlier to make it in time. That's insane. The only reason to start a bike rally before nine o'clock is heat, and it's not hot yet.
I felt good all day. I rode with six others for the first hour or so, taking turns keeping the speed high. Phil and I eventually reconnected and rode the rest of the 58-mile course together. We were going to do 70 miles, but decided to skip an out-and-back portion. (It was starting to sprinkle, and Phil wasn't feeling well.) I felt the effects of the difficult Muenster ride a week ago. No, it didn't set me back. It improved my performance. Fighting a brutal wind for eight miles at the end of the hilly Muenster rally strengthened my legs and increased my endurance. Today, the headwind didn't bother me at all. At one point, I was going 20.7 miles per hour into the wind, by myself. When you're in good shape, wind doesn't seem like an obstacle. When you're out of shape, it's a veritable wall.
Statistically, I averaged 17.32 miles per hour for 57.5 miles. (Elapsed time = 3:19:09.) My maximum heart rate was 153. My average was 114. I burned 1,698 calories. My maximum speed was 31.8 miles per hour, a far cry from the 48.8 I reached in Muenster on a massive hill. Afterward, before heading home, Phil and I ate lunch at a nearby Taco Bell. I'm excited about the remaining rallies of 2009. I seem to get stronger with each passing year. And yes, in case you're wondering, I love cycling as much as ever. I can't imagine life without it.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 