Early this morning I put our U S flag out in memory of the people who died 9/11/2001. I still remember what I was doing that morning at work when the planes hit.
I chose the “New Caney – Roman Forest – Valley Ranch” route to ride today leaving home at 10:39 AM (early for me now that the Vuelta is over). This is the first time I been through Roman Forest since Hurricane Harvey. Peach Creek crosses under Roman Forest Blvd. and has been know to flood in heavy rains. Now there is a permanent gate they close when there is high water. With Harvey I think the gate was under water based on the homes north of Roman Forest Blvd. and west of the creek. Riding west on the way back to I-69/US59 fences were on the ground or washed into trees and brush. Looking into the exposed yards I saw things laying out maybe to dry or just get out of the house. On the east side several businesses had debris piled up by the street waiting to be picked up.
Fall weather continue with the temperature 78 degrees at the start and 83 at the finish (1:58 PM). The blue sky started clear but by the end clouds moved in making it a little chilly in the shade thanks to the 14 mph north wind. When I stopped for a rest break at Stripes on FM 1314 I was going to sit in the shade under the pump canopy but the wind and damp jersey were too cool so I moved to the sun at the front of the store. Even though I was sheltered by two pallets of drinks the wind still managed to get to me. This dried out my jersey since the humidity was 50%. I was at 29.4 miles into the ride and stayed there less than 15 minutes.
With the cooler weather and strong tailwind I biked faster getting my overall average speed to 15.1 mph for several miles before starting back into Kingwood.
No rain or high temperature in the forecast for a couple more days when the wind shifts from the north to the SW. Rain remains out of the forecast for a week or so. A chance to get more rides in and improve my YTD miles.
Strava Ride Summary (click on the image to go to Strava)
