I decided to watch the Tour de Poland after today’s bike ride after checking to see how far the race had progressed. There was 114 km left at 9 AM and I didn’t want to start my bike ride too late. I chose my “Kingwood – Splendora – Kingwood” route to start this week’s biking. Rolling my Canyon Endurace bike out of the driveway at 10:20 AM the ride began. A nice tailwind from the south accompanied me to Splendora but the headwind back to Kingwood added some 18 mph gusts just to make it harder. I finished at 2:18 PM in the heat with almost all of my CamelBak water used up.
The ride went 42.31 miles, about average for the 4 times I rode the route in 2021. That’s a good start for the week. 2021 YTD jumped ahead of 2020 YTD by 27 miles at 6,085.
My Wahoo TickrFit heart rate monitor stopped reporting BPM at 21.86 miles, resumed for a couple of miles and then froze at 151 for the rest of the ride. I tried changing its position on my arm but that didn’t work. Good thing the new one will arrive this week.
On the way back to Kingwood the heat and headwind got the better of me. I stopped under TX99 Grand Parkway on Valley Ranch Parkway 25 minutes to recover. The south wind felt cooling in the shade while I ate a granola bar and a cereal bar. The water in my CamelBak was still cold as I sipped between bites. Later I debated about stopping at the 7 Eleven at FM 1314 for more ice and water. I didn’t stop but probably should have. The headwind gusts took a toll on my legs.
In the video I took a side road on the way back south that went by the Grand Texas park. No one was there but after the ride I checked their website and they are only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday now. Schools open this week.
August weather in SE Texas is hot. Today was no exception. Today’s bike ride weather: start 88 (70% humidity, 76.6 dew point), partly cloudy, wind S 9 mph; finish 94 (50% humidity, 72.8 dew point), partly cloudy, wind SW 9 mph gusts 18 mph. Those gusts were a leg killer on the way back to Kingwood. The frontage road goes to the SW, right into the wind. Tomorrow I think I will try to start an hour earlier.
Strava agreed with my calling this a hard bike ride.
