When I went to the kitchen this morning to check on the temperature a little after 7:00 AM I was surprised to see 60 degrees. The forecast actually was close this time. I wondered how long it take to warm up so that I could ride comfortably. I prefer to ride when it is a few degrees warmer but 60 is within my tolerance range. By 10:40 when I rolled out the driveway it got up to 76 but I thought it might be cooler in the shade so I wore a long sleeve jersey for the first time in many months. I was a little warmer than I would like in the sun but in the shade the long sleeves were appreciated. When I got back home the temperature was 88 with 30% humidity. This weather should be here for a couple of days.

The clear blue sky and calm breeze made for a fast ride. I chose the New Caney – Gene Campbell Road route mostly for the distance since wind was not a factor. The 37.25 miles was just right. My average speed was around 16.0 mph at the 32 mile point and ended up at 15.7 mph. Max speed surprised me at 27.4 mph and average cadence was 81.0 RPM, higher than normal. One of the reasons I enjoy this route is the smooth pavement and wide shoulders on FM1485 and FM1314. Gene Campbell Road doesn’t have shoulders but is wide enough for the traffic to go around me easily. Most of the traffic is 18 wheelers going to the WalMart Distribution Center. They always give me a wide berth.

The ride went great until I stopped at the Valero station on FM1314 and Sorters Road. While I was eating a banana and drinking a Diet Pepsi my left foot started to cramp. I ended up taking my shoe off and massaging my foot but this didn’t do any good. Finally I stood up and pressure on the foot and the cramp went away. Not sure what cause the cramp since I was sitting on the sidewalk with my legs stretched out relaxing. I waited a few minutes before getting back on the road. Glad I didn’t have to call my wife to come get me.

Ride data:

• 2:21:59 riding time, 37:48 time stopped
• 88.0 miles this week
• 394.88 miles for September
• 5112.14 miles YTD
• link to Garmin Connect metrics and map
• Link to RideWithGPS.com metrics and map

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