Yesterday, in beautiful Lancaster, Texas, I did my first bike rally of the year and my 473d overall. This rally is usually the first or second of the season, and the weather has rarely cooperated. I have suffered as much in this rally as I have in any other, including the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls. But yesterday, as though rewarding us for some bit of good behavior, the weather gods blessed us: It was warm at the start (rising to 75º by afternoon) and mostly sunny. The fields were resplendent with bluebonnets. The turnout, perhaps because of the good weather, was huge. I had to park on the grass instead of in the lot, though I arrived at the same time as in previous years.
This was the 12th annual Lancaster Country Ride. I've done 10 of them. I missed one of them to do another rally (in Farmersville) and just plain skipped one. Several of my friends showed up, which was nice. Besides my springtime riding companions Phil, Randy, and Bryce, I rode with Joe, Julius, Marc, and Troy. We weren't together the entire way. Early on, Troy flatted, so three of us stopped to help him. ("How many cyclists does it take to replace a tube?") The others went on, waiting for us at a rest stop. Later, we broke up again, the result of differences in fitness. Julius was by far the strongest of the lot. It didn't help that he had a new bike, a $4,000 Trek. Julius is in his early 60s now and seems to get stronger rather than weaker by the year. I hope I can ride at his level when I'm his age.
Though the course was hilly, and though there was a brisk southerly wind (average = 13.1 miles per hour), I kept a steady pace throughout the rally. I rode 17.2 miles the first hour, 17.8 the second, and 17.7 the third. I averaged 16.48 miles per hour for the final 37:30, which gave me an overall average speed (for 63.0 miles) of 17.37 miles per hour. (Elapsed time = 3:37:30.) Please keep in mind that this is riding time. I do not count the time spent at rest stops or at intersections (some of the latter of which were uncontrolled). The fastest I had gone in Lancaster prior to yesterday was 17.00 miles per hour (a year ago), so I'm pleased with 17.37. I hope to get stronger and faster with each rally. Yesterday's ride was my longest since 17 October, nearly half a year ago.
After the rally, four of us ate lunch at On the Border. The baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners was on the television screen overhead. Does it get any better?
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 