I can’t believe how much the cyclists around here seem to obsess over their stats. Every conversation I have with local riders either begins or ends with a personal statistic. Frankly, it makes me a little curious, and since I had this wonderful Friday off from school today I thought I might conduct a little research into this phenomena by tracking all of my own statistics today on the KATY Trail. As skeptical as I’ve been about such numbers, it turns out they are incredibly informative.

Distance – 97 km
Hours on the bike – approximately four…hmmm… or maybe it was more like five?
Perceived enjoyment – 100%
Other cyclists encountered – 1
Groundhogs encountered – 2
Turkey vultures encountered – about a dozen
Squirrels encountered – dozens, possibly scores
Bluejays encountered – Let’s be honest: several hundred
Perspiration – Yes
Average speed –ummm… Not sure… is…