Yesterday, in Burleson, Texas, I did my 17th bike rally of the year and my 413th overall. Although it was just as hot and humid as it was the previous week, there was a different feel to the rally, since it’s now September. The weather will change this month. There will be hot, humid stretches, to be sure; but there will also be cool, dry air coming in from the north every now and then. By October, you never know what you’ll get. It could be sweltering one week and frigid the next. I love autumn. It reminds me of Michigan, where I grew up. The difference is that Michigan’s autumns are followed by several months of cold, snow, and ice. We rarely get snow or ice in Texas, and it’s never as cold.

This was a rescheduling of the rally that was rained out in late May. You may recall that I drove to Burleson, stood in the rain with my friends for a few minutes, and decided to go home. I felt guilty about doing this, so, when I got home, I ran 6.6 miles. Later, I learned that the rally had been canceled and rescheduled for fall. I was delighted to hear it, because otherwise yesterday would have been an open day, as far as rallies are concerned. Since I paid in May, I didn’t have to pay yesterday. The rally organizer simply gave me a new number to pin to my jersey. I thought the turnout might be small, given the circumstances, but in fact it was quite large. Many people who did the Hotter ’n Hell Hundred a week ago are in good shape, and don’t want to lose it too quickly. Just about everyone I asked as I rode had done the 100-mile course in Wichita Falls. Cycling is flourishing in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Only two of my home boys showed up: Phil and Randy. Joe and Julius wimped out. I saw four other friends (Kevin, Pat, Don, and Don’s wife Donna) at the start, and as usual invited them to ride with us, but they prefer to ride at their own pace. None of us felt like hammering. I think we’re all still feeling the effects of the Hotter ’n Hell Hundred. It takes a few weeks to recover from the toll it takes on the body. I’ve noticed the same thing when I return from week-long Western tours. You think you’ll be in great shape for the rallies when you get back, but you don’t go any faster. I’m sure the riders who complete the Tour de France go through the same recovery process. Perhaps that’s why so many riders use performance-enhancing drugs. It’s not so much to help them perform as to help them recover.

Phil, Randy, and I rode in packs early on, which was fun. We covered 19.5 miles the first hour and 18.5 the second, for an average speed of 19 miles per hour after two hours. Our first stop (of three) was in Grandview, at the southernmost point of the course. The rest stop is on main street. Grandview is a typical Texas town, with brick streets, red brick buildings, and friendly people. This is the only rally in which riders are offered pineapple, which is one of my favorite fruits (raspberries are my favorite). I ate a big chunk of pineapple as well as a slice of watermelon and two soft chocolate-chip cookies. Mmm! Riders milled about, filling their bottles, talking, eating, using the porta-potty, and stretching. After about 10 minutes of down time, we mounted our steeds and galloped out of town (just ahead of the sheriff).

The route back to Burleson was scenic, but there were many small hills, which slowed our pace. We also had a light headwind. Some of the roads were little more than country lanes. At one point, we came upon a CareFlite helicopter in a meadow. Farther up the road, we saw an ambulance and rescue workers. Cyclists clogged the road, so we had to come to a stop. As I squeezed through, I noticed a bridge with concrete abutments. Rescue workers were hauling gear up from the stream below. Later, I learned that five bicyclists had crashed on the bridge, some falling into the stream. One had to be evacuated by helicopter. It was a somber occasion. These were bicyclists just like us. I don’t know what caused the crash. Someone must have done something wrong, for crashes don’t just happen. Perhaps someone touched the wheel of the rider in front of him or her, which brought trailing riders down. Perhaps there were too many riders in the group to allow all of them to squeeze through the narrow passage at the same time. I’m sure many people who passed through were saying, “There but for the grace of God go I.” I’m an atheist, so I said, “There but for the grace of the cycling gods go I.”

We averaged only 15.94 miles per hour for the final 1:29:34, which gave us an average speed of 17.69 miles per hour for 61.8 miles. Compare that to the 18.26 miles per hour I had a week ago for 102.6 miles. That’s the difference hills make. My maximum heart rate for the day was 158. My average heart rate was 119. I burned 1,907 calories. My maximum speed was 29.4 miles per hour, which is less than the average speed of professional time-trialists on courses of about 40 miles. I think I speak for Phil and Randy when I say that it was a pleasant late-summer rally. I’m glad the organizers rescheduled it.