The fragrance of honeysuckle was in the air as I rode through the country today. The fragrance was pushed quickly by the strong 11.5 mph north wind that the arriving cool front brought with it. I did not get as early of a start this morning because the temperature was 49 degrees when I got up at 6:30. By the time I started riding it had warmed up to 68. The skies were a clear blue and the humidity was going to be very low today, around 20% thanks to that front. This low humidity and the lack of rain has our area under a fire watch as is most of Texas. We are so far behind on rain, the drought is a real problem. We have not been this dry since the 1950’s. Some wildflowers were blooming but I still have not seen any Bluebonnets.

The first 18.28 miles were into that 1.5 mph north wind. You can see my low speed and cadence on the charts below. The prudent way to ride is start out into the wind so that you do not over ride your ability to get back. This was the case today. Once I turned west and then southerly the tailwind allowed me to ride around 18 to 20 mph with no extreme effort.

I was thinking I must be the only biker not riding in the BP MS150 until I spotted another biker on SR 242 at Old Houston Road. Other than that no other riders were seen.

When I got home I had enough time and strength to switch my tires around to even out the tread wear. With over 1500 miles on these tires this rotation should get another 1000 to 1500 miles.

April mileage update:

• April miles 347.12
• YTD miles 1173.79

4-16-2011 Ride Data and Map

4-16-2011 Home Weather Finish

Additional charts, weather and map: [nggallery id=202]