Yesterday, in Weatherford, Texas, I did my 12th bike rally of the year and my 506th overall. The rally is known as the Peach Pedal. I've done 21 of the past 22 Peach Pedals. The one I missed was a year ago. I had injured my back the previous day doing yard work and didn't want to risk making it worse. As it turned out, my back was fine; but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Four of my friends showed up for yesterday's rally: Joe, Phil, Julius, and Troy. We lined up near the front so as to avoid crashes and slowdowns. Luckily for us, we fell in with the Texas Irish early on. This is either a bike club or a group of friends. They wear similar jerseys and travel at a congenial speed. Despite rolling hills and a headwind, I covered 20.27 miles in the first hour. One of the Irish eventually flatted, so the rest of them pulled over to wait. My friends and I, together with other interlopers, continued.
The second hour was nearly as fast as the first. I covered 19.09 miles. This gave me an average speed of 19.68 miles per hour for two hours of riding. The goal at this point was not to get back up to 20, but simply to stay above 19. There were more hills to come, and it was starting to get hot. (The rally began at 7:30.) After making a second stop with 12 miles to go, my friends and I cruised to the finish. I averaged 17.42 miles per hour for the final 1:12:31. Overall, I averaged 18.83 miles per hour for 60.42 miles. (Elapsed time = 3:12:31.)
My highest speed ever at a Peach Pedal is 20.85 miles per hour, set in 1995 when I was 38 years old. Believe it or not, yesterday's speed was my sixth fastest of 21 Peach Pedals and my fastest since 1995! See what a little pack riding will do?
The official high temperature for the day at DFW Airport was 101º Fahrenheit. It was in the 90s when we finished at 11:21. My top speed for the day was 38.2 miles per hour. My average heart rate was 115 and my maximum 153. I burned 3,766 calories. The wind didn't seem bad while we were riding, but the average wind speed for the day was 11.8 miles per hour, which I consider windy. I was shielded from the wind during the pack riding and when there were trees alongside the road. I might add that the road surfaces were excellent in this rally. Some of them were smooth as glass. I also enjoyed the many country lanes.
After the rally, my friends and I sat in the high-school gym sipping cold drinks, eating, and talking. What could be better than riding with your friends on a beautiful day?
