I rode a 50-mile bicycle ride this past Saturday, another notch on my way to 100 miles in late August. The ride started at the Texas Motor Speedway, with us lined up on Pit Road and then unleashed on the 1.5-mile oval where race cars usually tread.
I have been to the speedway for five car events, including the first major NASCAR race, three others and also an INDY race. During that inaugural event, I had press passes that let me hang in the pit area, garages and RV-infested infield. I paid twice to sit in the stands, on either side of the track, and had a free pass to a luxury suite the final time. For the INDY race, the Petite Filet scored tickets that led us up to a luxury condo owned by one of the vendors she used to work with.
After all that, though, I had never actually been ON the track until Saturday. I can tell you, it looks a lot smaller when you're on it (at least while riding a bike). Not to mention it rained for the first third of my ride and I got totally filthy and damp. Other than that, it was an uneventful and satisfying journey. No major technical woes except that my seatpost clamp seems to have given up its ghost (so the seat kept lowering itself and swaying from side to side) and my spoke protector on the rear wheel has decided to dig into the chain when its in low gear.
The chocolate-chip cookies at the second rest stop made me forget about any "problems" I was having. Pedaling like mad is, after all, a temporary license to eat.
Distance: 55.04 miles
Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes, 55 seconds
Average speed: 15.2 mph
Max speed: 37.4 mph (on my 40-mile ride; I hit about 29 on this ride)
Next up is either a 55-miler on June 9 or a 75-miler on June 23. Or both!
Wow..bicycling 55 miles? I'm pretty impressed. You go, Lance Armstrong!
dang impressive!