It's hard to believe, but I've been doing bike rallies for 20 years as of today. On 30 September 1989, having lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex for a month and a half, I drove to Seagoville (southeast of Dallas) to do a 100-kilometer rally. I was nervous. I had ridden thousands of miles by myself, many of them in the Sonoran Desert, but was inexperienced when it came to riding in fast-moving packs or pacelines. I stayed in the lead pack for 10 miles or so and then dropped out to ride on my own (or with one or two other riders). Either I got off course or the course was longer than advertised, because I ended up with 70.98 miles. My average speed for the day was 18.65 miles per hour. Although there were rest stops, I stayed on the bike the entire way.
I've now done 467 rallies. That's an average of 23.35 rallies per year. The Seagoville rally ranks 127th of 467 in terms of average speed, which puts it in the top 27.1%. I remember the wonderful feeling I had after the rally. All I could think about was doing more rallies. I still love them, obviously, or else I would have stopped long ago. It's a great way to get out into the countryside, see small towns, meet people, and stay in shape. With any luck, I'll celebrate my 30th and 40th years of rally riding before hanging up my bike for good. By the way, the image in this post was made at the Seagoville rally (before the start). As you can see, I had not yet accommodated myself to the attire.
Addendum: I weigh the same today as I weighed then.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 