Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Teacher of philosophy for 40 years. In an earlier life, I was a practicing attorney.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

I got to wondering how often I've ridden my bike in the past five years (2021 through 2025, inclusive). I've ridden at least 20 miles on 1,689 of the past 1,826 days. That's 92.4%.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

The Bears will remain in Chicago. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn’t understand negotiation.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Donald Trump was inaugurated as president one year ago today. That means that, three years from today, we will have a new president. Who will it be? I’ll go out on a limb and say Gavin Newsom.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

The United States will buy Greenland, just as it bought Alaska. Write it down.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Some of you may not know this, but I’ve been a cyclist since 1981, when I was 24. (My first bike was a blue Sears Free Spirit 10-speed that cost a little over $100.) I got serious about cycling in 1985, while living in Tucson (where I attended graduate school for five years).

As of today, the start of a new year, I’ve pedaled 155,018.5 miles, which is the equivalent of 6.2 times around the Earth at the equator. Believe it or not, 2025, during which I turned 68 years old, was my best year ever, in terms of mileage. I pedaled 8,017 miles, which breaks my personal record of the year before (7,555 miles). I rode at least 20 miles on 356 of the year’s 365 days. (Yesterday’s ride was my 100th straight day of riding.) The only days I missed were two days in January (when the roads and trails were ice-covered and slippery), one day in February (when the temperature was 13 degrees and the wind chill minus 5), and six days in September, when I visited Michigan with Katherine. If you saw me in Michigan, you saw a disconsolate man. Without my bike, I didn’t know what to do with myself.

My longest ride of 2025 was 76.3 miles, at the Hotter ’n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls. (There were two other rides of 70 miles or more, plus many of 60 or more.) I rode when the wind chill was 22 degrees and when the heat index was 109 degrees. I rode in rain and when the wind was at gale force. Riding is simply something I do—every day. Don’t ask me whether I rode on a given day. You may as well ask me whether I ate, slept, or breathed that day. As for inclement weather, my slogan is, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” Take my word for it: I have lots of excellent (and expensive) clothing.

I rode an average of 21.96 miles per day in 2025. That’s 153.7 miles per week. As for my bike, I’ve come a long way since the Free Spirit in 1981. My newest bike, a Trek Madone purchased this past September, cost $9,700. (I also have a $5,000 Trek Emonda.) The Madone is the same bike that many professionals ride. I won’t try to explain what it feels like to ride this bike. Suffice it to say that when I’m pedaling, it feels like I’m floating (or flying) over the ground. I also won’t try to explain what I get out of cycling. Let’s just say that I need to ride every day for my physical and mental health. You can call it an addiction if you want, as long as you add that it’s a healthy addiction. There are times, while riding, when I think to myself, “If there’s a heaven, this is what it’s like.”

I ride, therefore I am.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Bobcat on the trail today.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

@EdWhelanEPPC Wanna wager $1,000, Ed? Put your money where your mouth is.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Today in North Texas.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

New wheels. Trek Madone.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Today is my 200th consecutive day of riding at least 20 miles. I rode 62.24 miles in Waco at an average speed of 16.17 mph. I’m 68 years old.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

From my blog of 10 years ago today. @realDonaldTrump

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

I bought my first bicycle (a Sears Free Spirit) 44 years ago today, when I was 24 years old. Since then, I have pedaled 151,942.9 miles. That's an average of 9.45 miles per day. I picked up the pace about 10 years ago. Since then, I have pedaled 69,610.7 miles. That's an average of 19.05 miles per day. Today is my 171st consecutive day of riding at least 20 miles. (A week ago today, I rode 76.) The heat index was 103 degrees when I left the house today and 105 degrees when I returned. Texas summers do get hot.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

From my journal of almost 38 years ago. (Bracketed item inserted 18 years ago.)

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Isle of Skye, Scotland.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Today in North Texas.

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

How lucky am I to be able to ride on this trail every day?

[Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. @KBurgessJackson]

Just completed my collection of 31 Saga albums on compact disc (22 studio albums and nine live albums). What a great band! I've been there with them from the beginning (1978).

@saga_rocks #SAGA