Yesterday, in Denton, Texas, I did my 22d bike rally of the year and my 494th overall. I've been doing the Turkey Roll since 1989. I missed four Turkey Rolls during that time, two because of abysmal weather and two because I opted for a 30K footrace instead, so I've done 18 of the past 22. This is always the final rally of the season, which makes it festive. It's my last chance to see friends and acquaintances before the spring rallies begin. Joe, Mike, Julius, Marc, and Troy showed up, along with friends Don and Donna. The weather was fine except for a strong southerly wind.
The first 40 miles of the rally were easy and fun, largely because of a tailwind. At one point, as we cruised along effortlessly at 23 miles per hour, I said, "We're going to pay for this." I was right. I had an average speed of 18.4 miles per hour at 40 miles. I ended up with 16.12 miles per hour for 64.17 miles. (Elapsed time = 3:58:46.) It was depressing to see my average speed dwindle (I squandered it!), but there was nothing I could do to stop it. There were stretches of road in which we were barely able to sustain 13 miles per hour. I'm not too proud to admit that I saw "11" a few times. By the time I finished, I was fried. I hadn't been on the bike in four weeks.
The average wind speed for the day was 13.6 miles per hour. The maximum was 24. I consider it windy if the average is 10 or higher. I burned 3,541 calories. My average heart rate was 111 and my maximum 147. My maximum speed was 32.5 miles per hour. All told, I stopped for 39 minutes. It was great to see Terrell and Nancy King again. This retired couple use their motor home as a rest stop. I always give them hugs and chat about their beloved Texas A&M Aggies. They know that I taught for a year at A&M, where their grandson is now a senior.
A year ago, I did 26 rallies. I fell four short of that total this year. I missed one rally (Italy) in June because of my vacation to Michigan and one (Weatherford) in July because my back was hurt. There were a few open dates during the summer because rally organizers didn't coordinate. I would do a rally every Saturday from late March to late November if I could. For the next four months, with the exception of a ride on Super Bowl Sunday, I will run footraces on weekends. It's been a good year for cycling, not because I went particularly fast, but because I had no flat tires or accidents during the rallies.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 