Yesterday, in McKinney, Texas (north of Dallas), I did my ninth bike rally of the year and my 455th overall. This was the first rally in which it felt like summer: hot, sunny, and humid. We started at 8:00 and I was done riding by 11:00, so we avoided the worst of it. (The official high for the day at DFW Airport was 96º Fahrenheit.) About the only thing I dislike about this rally is the short course. Instead of the typical 100-kilometer (62.1-mile) distance, the longest course is only 52.6 miles. I have no idea why.
A year ago, I averaged 20.31 miles per hour at this rally. I got soaked in the second half during a cloudburst, but it had the effect of keeping the temperature down. Yesterday, by contrast, there was no respite from the heat. Only two of my friends—Julius and his son-in-law Troy—showed up. We chatted at the start about our new cycling computers and other things. There was a good turnout of riders.
I had no plan to hammer at this rally, but I ended up riding in packs and covered 21.0 miles the first hour. I stopped only once, at about 1:40. Julius was not far behind me. We waited for Troy and then set out together. Julius, who is 62 years old but rides like a man 20 years younger, told me that he had drafted on a tandem most of the way. We later came upon this tandem as we passed a rest stop. As I went up the road, Julius and Troy waited. A couple of minutes later, on a descent, the tandem came roaring past. There was Julius, in the slipstream. I didn't see him again until the finish.
I rode 18.1 miles the second hour and averaged 17.41 miles per hour for the final 46:31. That gave me an overall average speed of 18.95 miles per hour for 52.6 miles. It's not as fast as a year ago, but I'll take it. I rode hard all day. My maximum heart rate was 156 and my average heart rate 130. Imagine having your heart beat 130 times a minute for almost three hours! I reached a top speed of 36.2 miles per hour and burned 1,782 calories.
One reason I love this rally is that we ride through cornfields. Not literally, but it feels that way, because there is corn growing on both sides of the road in certain places. Some of it was neck high. It reminded me of my home state of Michigan.
Addendum: There are two men in the second picture from the left in the top row of this page. The man in red is Julius. I hope I'm able to ride at his level 10 years from now, when I'm 62.
Addendum 2: I saw a sign reading "Squeezepenny" along the route. Evidently, it's a town. I'll bet there's a story behind the name.
Addendum 3: Here is information about the town (and its name).
