It was hot today. The heat index was over 100 and depending on where I looked it varied from 103 (on my phone at Huffman) to 117 at my home weather station. I started later than I should have because I watched the Tour de Swiss and it didn’t finish until after 11 am. I rolled out the driveway and pressed the start button on the Wahoo Elemnt at 12:19. For 1/10 of a mile the cadence did not show on the screen but after I stopped and restarted riding it popped up. The Elemnt performed perfectly again. My wife checked LiveTrack at 1:50 as I rode east on FM1960 toward FM686.
I wanted to ride at least 40 miles and the “FM1960 to FM686 – Back” route did that for a total of 42.77 miles. Other than the heat the weather was not bad for biking. The mostly cloudy sky kept the sun at bay and the wind was around 8 mph from the SE or south. To be sure I got over the 40 miles I added a few side streets from the normal ones on this route. I could feel the difference when I rode under the trees over the streets. I took my large CamelBak Podium Chill bottle to have plenty of cold water. I stopped at the Chevron on the west side of Lake Houston on FM1960 and filled the bottle and it was enough for the ride to FM686 and back to FM2100. When I got to the Huffman Chevron I checked the bottle and there was still ice inside along with a small amount of water. At the FM686 turn around I pulled into the Shell station (there are stations besides Chevron) for a few minutes to rest before heading back. Almost immediately the sweat rolled down my arms while I stood in the shade. I took a few paper towels and soaked up some of it. Riding to FM686 the wind aggravated my efforts so I thought on the way back to Huffman it would be better. It was a little better but the wind still slowed me down.
One feature on the Elemnt screen is the grade percent. riding east up the railroad overpass it briefly showed 4.7% but on the return leg it didn’t register than high.
After yesterday’s ride my hips were hurting so last night before going to sleep I did leg stretches and hip turns. That made a difference today with my hips and legs moving much better. It’s tough when you get older.
I made it to the Huffman Chevron at 2:37 for a longer than usual rest break. The Elemnt screen and the weather while I was there.
The 32 oz PowerAde helped me to cool off and get my energy back along with a Clif bar and Kashi granola bar. I soaked the Greensheet newspaper I sat on and I went through two sets of paper towels where I rest my forearms. My gloves were so wet I took them off and laid them on paper towels too. Before I left I rinsed them at the water hose. I started back home around 3:18 with a full water bottle and with a good amount of ice. The breeze blowing through the pump canopy slowly dried my jersey but my shorts were still wet when I left.
The wind continued to buffet me riding across until I turned onto Atascocita Shores riding with the wind and among houses and trees. I stopped at the bank before getting to Kingwood Drive. I waited a couple of minutes for traffic to break on Kingwood Drive and rode across for the last 2 miles home arriving at 4:12 pm.
I am pleased with the Wahoo Elemnt performance. Other than the delay in the cadence sensor it performed perfectly.
Wednesday’s weather forecast is a repeat of today’s but it would help if I started earlier. Maybe the Tour de Swiss will end sooner.
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