Burleson Honey Tour

Just got back from the Burleson Honey Tour bike ride. This was supposed to be my second ride back in May, but it got rained out. Big kudos to the organizers for rescheduling and letting every who paid back in May ride this one without additional fee!

I did the 100KM/62 mile route and my bike computer confirms that distance. Since I was doing this ride by myself (most of the team had vacation or other commitments due to the Labor Day weekend) I tried to keep the rest stops to a minimum and get in a faster ride. I completed the route in 3 hrs and 37 mins, with 3 hrs and 27 mins of ride time - for an overall pace of 17.14 mph (17.97 mph not counting the breaks). So it was a pretty decent workout.

The course wasn't flat - it was hillier than last week's HHH - but still not too bad. Looking at the Garmin splits, I averaged almost 20 mph for the first 20 miles and about 19 mph for the next 10 miles, but the speeds were closer to 16 mph for the second half of the ride. The Garmin's altitude sensor is not the best (uses GPS instead of barometric pressure) but its elevation stats correlate well with the speeds (overall climb from 30 miles onward). [Note: Garmin distance axis is messed up because I accidentally stopped the timer/GPS for about 8 minutes/2.5 miles at one hour mark - hit "start/stop" instead of "lap" - d'oh!]

This ride didn't seem crowded - this is partly perception after last weekend's 10,000+ riders at HHH, but I also think the turnout wasn't spectacular since it was Labor Day weekend. I saw a lot of extra/leftover T-shirts (both rider and volunteer flavors). I rode by myself for a good chunk of the second half of the ride (after leaving the 30 mile rest stop).


Ride Review:

• Course: 3/5 - fast concrete roads in Burleson, decent conditions on country roads - some chip seal; rolling hills; course markings need improvement - a big pack of riders missed a turn very early in the race, near the end there were several intersections that were only marked by faded arrows painted on the road, there were volunteers directing traffic and riders at many/most of the key intersections so a thumbs-up for that; at least two major intersections had no traffic control and riders had to wait for a traffic light cycle with cars and trucks; there were 10, 25, 55, and 62 mile routes - I would think instead of 55 miles should be something more midway between 25 and 62 for the intermediate riders.
• Rest Stops: 4/5 - good refreshments and drinks - no complaints. I stopped at the 30-mile and had cold water and Gatorade, fruit, and Soy Joy bars and crackers. I wasn't planning on stopping any more, but there was a train at around 50 miles with a line of cars and bikes waiting for it to pass - luckily, there was a rest-stop right there so it was perfect(ly planned?) - more of the same with pickles as well. Rest stops were not marked on the map - not a huge deal for me, but could be for others.
• Logistics: 3.5/5 - again, big kudos for being able to reschedule the rainout!; no online registration; very reasonable entry fee; decent parking around Kerr Middle School; decent post-race refreshments (hot dog, chips, fruit, drinks); some post-race entertainment with a band, but I missed it (not sure if I was too early or too late); starting line not marked (riders rode around confused from 7:30-7:55 until a volunteer got on the PA system; riders could have been better staged (100K-ers were "suggested" to be in the front) - a staggered start would have been safer.
• Overall: 3.5/5 - pretty good ride; the organizers just need to focus on the route and related logistics a bit more