During the night the wind picked up and there was a wind advisory until 1 pm today. It tried to rain but I think the wind blew it away before it could get to the ground. I figured any direction I went would be tough pedaling. I chose the “New Caney – Roman Forest – Valley Ranch” route only because I rode to the southeast on the last ride on Saturday. I took yesterday off because it was Mother’s Day and I wanted to rest. Checking the airport weather before I left at 12:18 the wind was from the S at 15 mph with 18 mph gusts. When I got to the Stripes station it was from the south at 16 mph. Riding north was not hard. When I got to the US59 north service road at E. Knox St. I took this picture.

The flags are sticking almost straight out with the strong wind. I rode quickly to Community Drive where I turned right. I got a taste for how strong the wind was pretty quickly and I was relieved when I got to Loop 494 where I had a tailwind all the way to Roman Forest Blvd. where I turned south. The wind was brutal and within a 1/4 mile of pedaling I shifted down a gear to give my legs a chance against the wind. I struggled until I made the right turn onto Valley Ranch Parkway putting the wind to my left. The road winds a little and I was in and out of the headwind a couple of times. At the Grand parkway overpass I felt a rain drop hit my arm and I could a water spot on the Edge 520 screen. Going across the access roads on the way to FM1314 more rain drops fell but not enough to get me really wet. I hoped it held off until I got to the Stripes station a little more than 2 miles away. The pavement was damp in places but my tire tread was not throwing up water. I could see the dark clouds but there were openings with lighter gray clouds giving me hope the rain would move away. I stopped at Stripes and rode under the pump canopy and waited. The concrete was damp away from the pumps. This was a good time for a rest stop. I took this picture of the Edge 520 before snacking.

Some rain drops are still on the screen. I ate and drank from my water bottle. I kept an eye on FM1314 to see if the rain stopped and the road was drying. It looked like it was dry. BEfore going inside to refill my water bottle I took these weather screenshots.

It was warm even though it was trying to rain. The wind was strong too and the picture on the right shows rain in the area. I got the bottle refilled and moved to leave. I was earlier than usual putting me in front of the Briar Tree school traffic. I passed there without a problem. I still felt a few rain drops until I almost through Oakhurst. Some of the streets looked like more rain fell there than on me. The dark clouds were to the west and southwest. The wind battled me as I made my way to Kings Manor to get back in Kingwood. The Kings Manor school was starting to let out but the left lane was getting around the cars waiting to get children. From there I made a stop at the CVS pharmacy and then headed home.

I stopped the ride at 3:08 rolling into the driveway. The ride totaled 33.35 miles. No problems on this ride except for the wind and rain drops. The Edge 520 issued one phone disconnect message but quickly reconnected. The airport weather now showed the wind from the SSW at 14 mph with 25 mph gusts.

Summer weather is almost here. Tuesday’s forecast calls for partly cloudy sky, 88 degrees and a small chance of rain. More biking is in the plan.

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