I decided to take the Litespeed out and tackle the winds yesterday. Turns out the wind was a bit more brisk than I had expected.
There are two decent hills heading east on CR486 toward Hernando. The wind was in my face so I decided to take it easy on the first climb. When I got to the second climb (sign says its a 6% grade) the wind had picked up a bit (I'm guessing 20+ mph) and before I got to the top I was out of gears so struggled to the rest of the way with the 39x23 combo. I managed to maintain ~6-7 mph.
Finally got to the Hernando trailhead and headed north. Not many riders out.
I ride home was much easier.
Rode 36 miles.

The old tires on the bike (Vittoria Rubino Pro Tech) were worn out so I put on new GP4000s. That's what I rode on in Atlanta but had to give up a few years ago after having so many flats riding thru the glass and trash in the roads. I don't have that problem now so went back to the GP4000. I was going to compare them to the Vittoria (ride's not as smooth) but with the wind an honest comparison was impossible. Maybe next time.