Another ride on the new Blue Norcross AL bike. This bike is about 8 pounds heavier than my Stradalli Red Pro 14 carbon bike and getting it in motion from a stop can take a big effort especially if the wind is like it was during today’s bike ride. I started late for a Saturday (12:45 pm) because I ran a couple of errands taking my niece home. Once I got finished and got ready I hit the road. The first thing I noticed was the humidity. If had been any higher I suppose it would be rain. With spring in full force the temperature has edged up (83 degrees at the start) but the very strong SSE wind brought lots of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico ashore.

With the heavier bike under me the headwind slowed me down while riding south on the “Atascocita – Walden – E. Lake Houston Parkway” route. That wind put white caps on Lake Houston as I rode over it on FM 1960. Steady 15 mph wind is not super bad but the 32 mph gusts are stiff. Even with the wind I biked 26.75 miles putting me over my April goal of 772 miles for a total of 781.32 miles. I might get to add to that total if the weather forecast is correct and the rain passes through during the night.

Opting for a slightly shorter ride than usual I wanted to be sure and ride at least 14 miles to reach my goal. Bicycling east over Lake Houston wasn’t too bad for the wind but the return trip west the wind tried to get me. Several times I found myself leaning left into the wind to offset the force it put on me. The tall rims/tires caught the wind enough to push me to the side. Off the causeway I rode north and the wind was a big boost to my speed.

The overcast sky looked threatening the entire ride but I only felt a few sprinkles. By the time I finished (2:47 pm) I was glad I made it before any rain fell on the new bike. Sooner or later it will happen though.

Links to Strava.com and RideWithGPS.com.

Strava extended statistics

Golden Cheetah April Ride Summary to Date