I was dripping with sweat when I stopped at the Huffman Chevron for a break on the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route. The sky was threatening to the southeast with some thunder and occasional lightning. I wondered if it was a good idea to stop but my legs said I better. I had been pedaling fast since I turned onto Stroker Road at the southern most point of the route and saw the dark clouds to the south. Riding west on Stroker kept me parallel to the front of the clouds and once I got to FM1960 then I rode north to Huffman. Glancing at my Elemnt computer I saw 18 to 19 mph which I hoped would keep me in front of the approaching rain until I got to Huffman and the shelter at the Chevron station pump canopy. It was 1:53 when I pulled under the canopy 30.3 miles into what ended up being a 42.69 mile ride.

Earlier while I was riding east on Old Atascocita Road I passed two other bikers and then east of FM2100 I passed another. They were going away from the changing weather while I was getting closer though at that point I didn’t realize it yet. I did ride on some damp pavement on Pinehurst Trail and felt a few rain drops but my sweating made me wetter than that.

Resting under the canopy at the Chevron station I used a bunch of paper towels to soak up the sweat on my arms and legs but the high humidity didn’t help any. I bought a large blue PowerAde and sat down to eat and rest for the final leg. As I sat there the thunder and dark clouds approached from the south but were east of Huffman. A few lightning strikes emphasized the strength of what I was missing.  The wind picked up and the temperature dropped a few degrees making my wet jersey a little chilly. After finishing the drink and snacks I refilled my water bottle and got ready to leave. Looking to the west the sky was not as dark and I hoped that meant no rain. I left the station at 2:26 and as soon as I picked up speed I could really feel the coolness from the wind moving through my wet jersey. When I started the ride (11:48) it was 84 degrees and when I finished (3:18) it was down to 80 degrees but I think the humidity increased.

AS I was riding west on FM1960 I stopped at the red light at E. Lake Houston Road. After it changed I started up but as I rode across the intersection out of the corner of my eye I saw a BMX size bike painted white leaning against a pole. I rode into the Exxon station and circled back to see more. I took these pictures of the second Ghost Bike on FM1960. This one is on the east side of Lake Houston and the other one is on the west side. Not good.

I remember the news report of the accident but I don’t think the person was identified. As you can see there is no name.

From there the ride went quickly as I rode home. I built my overall average speed up to 15.2 mph and held it there until I crossed Kingwood Drive and the slow part of the ride with stops and starts. I made it without getting rained on but that didn’t mean I was dry. Sweat and humidity are brothers. Some streets were damp from rain that fell before my arrival.

August miles inched up to 493 with today’s ride. I hope to ride tomorrow if the rain will hold off. Now I need to catch up on the Vuelta a Espana stage 1 team time trial.

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