I took off from Arlington at 7:30 this morning and rode my Peachy Keene 200k permanent route. It was a small crew on the ride, with just John and Susan on their tandem, Mark M, and me. This route goes south out to Cleburne, then on south to just west of Covington, turns east and goes through Covington, then on to Itasca before finally turning back north and going through Maypearl and Alvarado on the way back.

The south wind wasn’t that bad early, but was really blowing by late morning. Those last few miles to Itasca were really tough. But we kept a fairly easy pace much of the ride, and I finished still feeling pretty good. I always have trouble keeping up on the stretch from Maypearl to Alvarado, and today was no exception, but John, Susan, and Mark slowed down before Alvarado, and I rejoined them for the rest of the ride.

Though a bit windy, it was a beautiful day, with all the spring blooming wildflower fragrances to take in along the way. Add good company to that, and it reminds why I like these rides so much. I ended up with 125 miles and finished the ride in 9:38.

The Peachy Keene route.