Yesterday, in beautiful Midlothian, Texas, I did my 11th bike rally of the year and my 483d overall. The weather was typical for late July in North Texas: hot, humid, and windy. Actually, the wind wasn't that bad (an average of 8.3 miles per hour), so I won't whine about it. Four of my friends showed up: Phil, Bryce, Julius, and Marc. It would have been nice to have Joe and Randy there, but Randy was working and Joe was probably off hiking somewhere.
This was the first year for this rally, and it was amazingly well organized. There was plenty of parking at the high school; there were rows of portable toilets; registration was fast and courteous; the course was reasonably well marked and controlled; and the rest stops were well stocked with food and drinks. Afterward, there were catered boxes of food, which riders ate under tents with misty air being blown on them by fans. I hope this rally is held every year from now on, if only because it's close to my house (26.3 miles, or one marathon).
Remember all the dogs Randy and I saw in Grandview on 3 July? There were at least 50. Yesterday, by contrast, there were none. None! I'm still at a loss to account for the discrepancy. Maybe it's a class thing. Grandview appears to be composed of poor or working-class people, while Midlothian is a yuppified suburb (or exurb) of Dallas. Do the latter have fewer dogs? Perhaps they have just as many dogs, but constrain them. What do you think?
The first few miles of the course were hard. The organizer had us climb several hills in a residential area. One was a slog, while another was short and steep. I used my smallest gear to climb the latter, and barely made it. A rider fell down to my right, and the rider behind him did the same. Let's just say that I was glad to reach the top. My heart rate reached 158, which is the highest I've seen on the bike in quite a while. (I get higher readings while running than while cycling, because running is harder.)
I rode the entire way with Phil. The other three got ahead of us when Phil and I missed a turn, and we never saw them until the finish. Also, Phil and I were forced to take a shortcut because of an accident on a dangerous bridge. That shortened our route to 62.63 miles (from about 67). Julius, Marc, and Bryce got to the intersection in time to get through, so they got more miles than we did. I hope the injured rider is all right. Apparently, the bridge was decrepit.
I ended up with an average speed of 16.16 miles per hour. (Elapsed time = 3:52:25.) My Garmin Forerunner 305 says that I burned 3,518 calories. I reached a top speed of 34.8 miles per hour. Despite the heat, humidity, and hills, I had a great time. It's always fun to get out with friends. I hope you are having as nice a weekend as I am.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 