As I get ready for a bike ride I put the route together in my mind. Today I decided to ride the “Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch” route and add a short loop by Porter High School. Good thing I added that loop. As I turned right onto Featheree Drive I felt a few drops of rain and by the time I got to the first entrance into a parking lot at the high school it started raining. I pulled under the metal cover over the walkway in front of the school and got up on the sidewalk. The rain increased while I walked to the bench under the cover. Up to the rain I noticed some mist a few times but nothing came of it. The rain stopped after 8 to 10 minutes and I waited for the street to dry up some. Then the sun popped out for a minute or two. At the end of 15 minutes or so I decided to head out on the original route.

Back to FM 1314 the road was wet but without puddles. I was riding at a good pace when I saw the shoulder was covered with wet dirt from trucks entering the road from a construction site. Slowing down I tried to get past the dirt without getting too muddy. The pavement dried off about a couple of hundred yards before I reached Timberland. I thought I succeeded but when I made the turn around at the Shell convenience store at Cumberland Blvd. I looked down and the bike was coated, my shoes were coated, and the handlebar had mud. Even the Elemnt computer had mud on it. Later in the ride I stopped and took these photos of the mud.

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The shoulder riding southeast away from Cumberland Blvd. was wet until I got to Lazy Lane but the water up to that point added even more grit and grime. This is why I don’t ride in the rain. I really don’t mind getting wet as long as the rain isn’t cold but the grit is too much. When I finished the ride I washed the Canyon off and now the grit and grime are gone.

Earlier when I was about a mile into the ride I stopped and took these photos of the azaleas in Hunters Ridge Village in Kingwood.

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The ride started at 11:07 AM, earlier than the last several rides. I finished at 2:07 PM also earlier.

When I rode through Briar Tree I saw a silver Chevrolet pickup angled down into a deep ditch. This must have just happened with men walking from the truck to the front of the house closest to the ditch. The driver side rear wheel was 3 or 4 feet in the air and the passenger side front tire was at the bottom of the ditch. There was a driveway entrance to the left of where the truck was pointing down into the ditch. Maybe they were trying to turn and missed it?

Around mile 26 I noticed that cadence was not showing on the Elemnt computer. Stopping at Auburn Fields Drive I removed the cadence sensor battery, reversed it to reset the sensor and then returned it to the correct side. The blue LED started flashing and cadence was back on the screen. I suspect moisture might of gotten inside. Also the chain has started slipping when I stand up to pedal. With 7,951 miles on the rear cassette I suspect the cogs may be worn and I need to install the new cassette I have.

Besides the rain the weather during the bike ride: start 79 (70% humidity), overcast, wind SW 10 mph. Finish 80 (67% humidity), overcast, wind SW 12 mph, 21 mph gusts. I could tell when I hit the headwind on the way back to Kingwood from Valley Ranch. I dressed less than yesterday with shorts, long sleeve jersey, and half finger gloves.

Making the u-turn at Northpark Drive put the wind at my right rear quarter for most the ride back home. At the end I hosed the Canyon off, my shoes, cleaned the back of my helmet.

With today’s 33.35 miles I am up to 192.66 miles or 10.19 days towards my goal. This puts me one day ahead, barely. Weather looks good for a Sunday ride to build up more miles. Some other stats:

• average heart rate: 126 (72% of max)
• max heart rate: 149 (85% of max)
• average power: 145 watts
• max power: 586 watts.

2019 miles are ahead of previous years except for 2017 and 2016. I am making progress.