Today was what January weather should be like. Clear sky, 71 degrees and 10 mph NW breeze. Even with a fairly light breeze I struggled whenever I rode into it. Going north on Loop 494 it took a lot of effort to go 13 to 14 mph and sometimes all I managed was 11 mph. Once I turned left onto FM1485 the wind was not in my face so much. Going west on Gene Campbell Road allowed me to pick up speed to recoup the time lost and increase my average speed. The left dog leg on Gene Campbell moved the wind more to my back and the effort dropped down.

Riding southeast on FM1314 put the wind almost directly behind me and helped my winter-weakened leg muscles get my speed up to 21 mph almost all the way to the Stripes station at Old Sorters Road where I took a break to refuel and drink a Diet Pepsi. When I got to Stripes I noticed perspiration running down my arm soaking my gloves. They were wet enough to wring out. This was probably caused by the new windbreaker jacket I wore. It did not have any vents so the sweat built up. Hanging the gloves on the handlebar in the sun dried them out while I took my break. After all of the cold and dampness this week sitting in the sun was very pleasant. The humidity today was a very low 24%, a big change from yesterday with 79%.

With today’s 35.21 mile ride I reached 103.43 miles for January. This is the longest ride of the year but I’ve only rode 4 times.

I spotted another rider in Oakhurst but that was all.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to repeat today and I plan on biking but not as far.

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