Yesterday (Sunday) we drove home from Fredericksburg. This time I didn’t get off the best route. We even took time to stop at the Buc-ee’s in Bastrop. This is a superstore with more stuff and gas pumps than you can imagine. After roaming the aisles for a while we gathered a few items to snack on. The cars and RV’s flowing in and out is non-stop. Getting into the parking lot was not easy. On SR 71 the traffic was backed up for a mile to turn left on to SR21 where Buc-ee’s entrance was. We had a pleasant drive home looking at the bluebonnets and other wildflowers. In many places people were out of the vehicles taking pictures. My wife was concerned they did not know if snakes were lurking amongst the flowers. I didn’t see anyone running out of the flowers but we were speeding by.

Today the weather was beautiful for biking. The partly cloudy sky allowed the sun to run in and out from behind the clouds keeping it cool. When I left home at 1:33 it was 77 degrees and when I got back at 4:47 it was 79. The downside was the wind: 15 mph from the south with 23 mph gusts at the start and 13mph with 22 mph gusts at the end. The route went south and east through the grass farms east of FM2100. Whenever I was in the open the wind was brutal until I reached Stroker Road off FM2100. Once I turned left onto Stroker Road the wind was from right or a tailwind back to Huffman. I was able to make up for the lost speed from there to home. Riding south on FM2100 for 2 miles or so was a slow section with my speed about 12 to 13 mph as the wind wanted to push back. The route totaled 39.32 miles and I averaged 15.8 mph overall. This was a fitting end to March rides. March totaled 555.12 miles, 50 over my goal. I stand at 1260 miles year to date.

I am not sure if March is leaving like a lamb weather wise.

March statistics:

• 36 hours riding
• elevation gain 8002 ft. (much of this at the LBJ100)
• average speed 15.4 mph
• 15 rides
• average pace 3:53 minutes per mile

The wind does try to move the high profile wheels on my Stradalli. Riding west on the FM1960 causeway over Lake Houston where there is no cover and two places where the wind goes under the causeway as well as over I had to keep a firm grip on the handlebars to fight the wind. I noticed I leaned into the wind to offset the gusts putting we left of perpendicular.

Tomorrow is forecast to be 80 degrees and partly cloudy. The wind is supposed to be less than today.

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS maps and metrics.

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