Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

This morning, in Burleson, Texas, I did my seventh bike rally of the year and my 501st overall. This is the 13th year of the Honey Tour, and I've done 12 of them. I always enjoy this rally, in part because it's not far from my home (22.8 miles) and in part because the course is pleasant. There are many country roads, lightly trafficked; few pugnacious dogs; and lots of rustic scenes. At this time of year, everything is green and lush. Halfway through the ride, we stop in downtown Grandview for refreshments. The downtown area is paved with brown brick, which, needless to say, is rough. It felt like Paris-Roubaix.

All of my friends are on vacation (the bums), so it was just me and several hundred acquaintances and strangers. I did see an old friend, Pat, at the start. This is his home rally, so I always see him here. Another friend, Bryce, was supposed to attend, but I never saw him. It's possible that he lined up near the back and never caught me. I believe he was riding 51 miles, so he would have turned off along the way and gotten back to the finish before I did.

The first half of the course was in a southerly direction, into a stiff wind. I knew that it was in my interest to ride in packs on this stretch, so I did. You may wonder why this helps. It helps because a rider in a slipstream uses only 70% of the energy of a rider who is in the wind. I did my share of the work in these packs, but I still used significantly less energy than if I had ridden alone. It was a relief to get to Grandview at the 32-mile mark, for that meant 27 miles of tailwind riding on the way back. Unfortunately, the return trip has many small hills, which kept my speed down. By this time, also, the heat was increasing. Right now, at my Fort Worth house, it's 94.1º Fahrenheit in the shade. It may be spring, but it feels like summer.

I rode 17.21 miles in the first hour, 15.79 the second, and 17.21 the third. I averaged 18.78 miles per hour for the final 28:54 (with the tailwind). Overall, I averaged 17.02 miles per hour for 59.26 miles. (Elapsed time = 3:28:54.) A year ago, on the same course, I averaged 18.34 miles per hour, but there was not as much wind. I probably worked as hard this year as I did a year ago, so I don't feel bad about the decrease in speed.

The ride was for the most part uneventful. On the way back to Burleson, two riders and I had to stop to allow a fire truck, an ambulance, and a police vehicle to turn in front of us. They were turning into a private driveway, so I doubt that it had anything to do with a bicyclist. I was disappointed to find no pineapple at the Grandview rest stop. This has always made the Burleson rally special to me, since I love pineapple. I did, however, eat two large pieces of watermelon. Is there anything better than cold, juicy, sweet watermelon on a hot day? Okay, anything better than cold, juicy, sweet pineapple?

Statistically, I burned 3,408 calories during the ride. My average heart rate was 117 and my maximum 145. My top speed was 31.1 miles per hour. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the purchase of my Douglas titanium bike from Colorado Cyclist. It's hard to believe that I've been riding it for a decade. It seems like only yesterday that my friend Joe put it together in his garage. I blame Joe for all the bike's defects. He is my scapejoe.

Now for some photographs (made with my BlackBerry). Here is the Grandview rest stop (click to enlarge):

Here is what's called an Ordinary bike, as I rode past:

Here is a second Ordinary from the front, after I passed:

The two men on Ordinaries were riding together, paced by a woman on a scooter. According to the woman, with whom I spoke at a stop light, the men were riding 51 miles today and are in training for the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred in August. Imagine riding one of these beasts 100 miles!

I hope you're having as enjoyable a day (and weekend) as I am. Are we not blessed to live in such a free, prosperous country? As I am fond of telling people, I live in the best place at the best time.

Addendum: The official high temperature was 97º Fahrenheit. The average wind speed was 23.5 miles per hour. The maximum wind speed was 32 miles per hour. I consider it a windy day when the average is 10 miles per hour or higher.