New Jersey No Match For 22 MPH Wind
I thought today would be a great day to ride in a new jersey. The weather was warm and the Lynskey R300 Titanium bike was willing. Wheels rolled at 11:05 AM as I set off to bike the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route. I altered the early part of the route to add some distance and the ride ended up at 32.98 miles. March now totals 648.57 miles, 11.5 miles from my 660 mile goal. I think the goal is in sight.
The new Primal Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon jersey. Prior to the ride I wrote the date on the inside of the jersey so I can keep up with when I first wore the jersey.
I bought the jersey a while back and held off wearing it until the weather improved. Weather during the bike ride: start 81 (77% humidity, 73.2 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind S 12 mph gusts 22 mph. Finish 88 (59% humidity, 71.8 dew point), partly cloudy, wind SW 10 mph gusts 20 mph.
Notice the wind gusts above 20 mph. The only times the wind wasn’t holding me back were few. The most punishing came biking west over Lake Houston. It took a long time to cover the 2 miles when the best I could pedal was 9 to 10 mph. With nothing blocking the wind it shoved me to the guard rail, made my legs feel like lead, and showed no mercy when traffic buzzed by which normally provides a brief relief. On the west side of the lake turning onto Atascocita Shores Drive switched the direction some but the houses didn’t block it either.
When I rode into Walden I saw a church member out power washing his driveway so I stopped to chat. We kept our “social distance” for a nice visit catching up since worship services moved to online only.
After fighting the wind to get back on the west side of the lake I made my way to W. Lake Houston Parkway. Numerous people walked and biked on the trail over the river as I headed north. With the schools closed and people working from home I see more people outside. It doesn’t hurt that the warm weather arrived. I finished the bike ride at 1:59 PM.
It could be warmer on Wednesday and no rain. I should be able to ride those last miles to reach my goal.
