This morning, in Burleson, Texas, I did my seventh bike rally of the year and my 453d overall. All but one of my home boys were in attendance. (Joe and his son Jason are spending Memorial Day weekend in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma.) It was cloudy and warm at the start, but there wasn't much wind, which was good. I've done this rally (the Honey Tour) many times and know the course well. We go south for a while, veer west through downtown Grandview, and then ride back to Burleson, which is 22.8 miles from my Fort Worth house. There is always fresh pineapple at the rest stop in Grandview. Today, in addition, there were dill pickles. Does it get any better?
I ride my bike only on Saturdays, so each week, when I do a rally, I try to get a workout that will make me stronger the following week. I like to ride with my friends as well. When we get separated, as often happens, I wait for them at a rest stop. Today I stopped twice: once in Grandview and once with about nine miles to go to the finish. I felt good, but not real good. The humid air makes me lethargic. I may have been dehydrated as well. Don't ask how I know; I just do.
I had no cycling computer a week ago, when I rode in the rain for four hours. During the week, I ordered a replacement computer from Colorado Cyclist. This one worked fine, even though it got wet early on when a few raindrops fell. As you know from reading this blog, I love keeping statistics on various things. Today, for example, I rode 20.7 miles during the first hour. I fell in with some fast riders on the way to Grandview. At one point, there must have been 40 of us, strung out in a long line on country lanes. It was right out of the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France. I made sure that I did my share of the work in whatever group I happened to be in. I do this for two reasons. First, I have self-respect. I don't ever want someone, even a stranger, to think that I'm a parasite. I'm not a parasite. If I can't share the work, I have no business benefiting from someone else's work. Second, I'm trying to get stronger. How can I get stronger if I don't work?
The second hour was almost as fast as the first, which surprised me. I figured I'd go much slower. I covered 20.3 miles. That gave me an average speed of 20.5 miles per hour after two hours of riding. (I don't count stops.) I kept a good pace during the final 57:33. I knew I was close to 20 miles per hour and wanted to get it (or keep it, as the case may be). I didn't look at my cycling computer during this time, lest it discourage me. I averaged 19.39 miles per hour, which gave me an overall average speed of 20.14 miles per hour for 59.6 miles. (Elapsed time = 2:57:33.) My hard work paid off! My maximum speed for the day was 30.9 miles per hour. Think about this. The other day, the average speed for a stage of over 100 miles in the Giro d'Italia was 28.5 miles per hour. I hate these professional cyclists! Just when I think I'm doing well, they come along to humiliate me.
The good news, besides breaking 20 miles per hour, is that I burned 1,878 calories. I always wake up famished on Sunday mornings, after a bike rally. That's a sign that I need calories to replace those I burned the previous day. Oh yes, my maximum heart rate today was 151. My average was 130, which is close to my record of 132. That, more than anything, shows how hard I worked today. Several people thanked me at the finish for pulling them the final few miles. It made me feel good. Everyone likes to be appreciated.
Addendum: Today's rally ranks 46th of my 453 rallies in terms of average speed. It is by far my fastest Honey Tour. A year ago, on the same course, I averaged 18.30 miles per hour.
Addendum 2: I mentioned the Colorado Cyclist. This company is first class in every way. If you need bike gear, please keep it in mind. (No, I don't own stock in the company.)
