Date: Saturday, June 23, 2007
Distance: 82.04 miles*
Time: 5 hours, 30 minutes, 27 seconds
Average speed: 14.8 mph
Maximum speed: 37.4 mph (ride in late April)
*I think I need a new bicycle computer, although most rides I've been on are at least a wee bit longer than advertised. I usually set it so that my speed and the time of day are visible so that I don't psyche myself out near the end or get frustrated that it isn't over. Even if it was closer to an actual 75 miles, that's farther than I drove from home to get to the starting line.
The ride was a great experience, from start to finish. Even though past the halfway mark I was starting to hurt in places I didn't know I had. It rolled through beautiful, rural countryside in a sweeping loop, through several little towns, pulling us through historic downtown Waxahachie at the end. On a long, flat and hot stretch, I was so happy to see a sign that said W-town was a mere 20 miles away.
Me and about six other riders got stopped by a long, slow-moving train about a mile from the finish. They kicked it into high gear after it passed, but I slowed to look at the pretty houses (mostly Victorians and some Craftsman-style homes). I wasn't out to set a personal-best time, my goal is fun and fitness. Fun? Check. Feeling good? Check. Looser pants? Check. All's good.
To the four loose farm dogs at the crest of that big hill, thanks for the motivation to kick it up a notch. At the next rest stop, a fellow rider said the dogs were barking at her and she freaked out, pulling out a can of pepper spray that had no effect on the cavorting canines. The best rule of thumb (or rule of ankle preservation) is to just to keep riding ... eventually you'll leave the dogs' turf and they'll schlep back to terrorize people behind you.
This was the first ride I participated in where there were no other mountain bikes. Mine was an odd duck, a mountain bike with thinner, no-knobby road tires among the sleek road-specific bikes and even racing machines. But I kept up and passed many of them, proving that ultimately it's the engine that matters. Now I've just got to keep tuning my engine in preparation for 100 miles in August.
Next up is the Peach Pedal on July 14 in Weatherford, Texas. Fewer miles, but probably more hills. And peaches!
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