A week ago this past Saturday, in Mineral Wells, Texas, I did my 20th bike rally of the year and my 492d overall. The rally is known as the Crazy Kicker. My friends and I rode the course three times this year for training, so this was my fourth ascent of Cherry Pie Hill in 2010. Only Randy showed up for the rally. It was chilly at the start, but we warmed up in the first half hour or so while climbing the hills into Graford. The sun shone brightly the entire way, which made for pleasant riding. My average speed for the 66.86 miles was 15.51 miles per hour. (Elapsed time = 4:18:32.) Randy and I were in no hurry. This would be our final rally together in 2010, so we took it easy, talking about football, baseball, and politics and stopping twice for refreshments. My average heart rate was 103 and my maximum 147. My maximum speed for the day was 37.4 miles per hour.
This past Saturday, in Ennis, Texas, I did my 21st bike rally of the year and my 493d overall. The weather was quite different. Instead of bright sunshine, it was cloudy. Instead of calm air, it was windy. Instead of chilly air at the start, it was warm. My plan was to ride 66 miles, but it sprinkled on and off and threatened rain. The sky was dark and foreboding. I decided to do a shorter course. This meant I could ride harder. I pedaled 17.90 miles the first hour (much of it with a headwind) and 19.30 the second. I averaged 21.00 miles per hour for the final 16:12 of the ride, which gave me an overall average speed of 18.88 miles per hour for 42.87 miles. (Elapsed time = 2:16:12.) Had I done the long course, my average speed would have been closer to 18 miles per hour, since I would have had more headwind to contend with. My average heart rate was 121 and my maximum 151. I reached a top speed of 33.6 miles per hour.
I've had a good year on the bike. The rally season, which began more than six months ago on 10 April, is winding down. I'll be doing footraces during the fall, winter, and spring.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 