Some days technology just loves to thumb its nose at me. I was delayed getting started on the ride because our Epson printer/scanner decided to forget the wifi password and I couldn’t get it to connect for awhile. Finally I got that fixed and got ready to ride. I left home at 12;14 and around .90 miles my Garmin Edge 520 told me my phone was disconnected. I figured it would reconnect like it did in the past but not much further on the ride I got a message on the 520 telling me the pairing code to enter on my phone to complete the Bluetooth pairing. I opened my phone settings and then the 520 said it was connected again. Off I went in an ignorant bliss thinking the problem had been fixed until I was in Woodridge Forest and I checked the 520 status screen to find my phone was not connected. I messed around trying to get Bluetooth to pair and finally powered off my phone and then powered it back up. Wow!! the 520 and Nexus 6P decided to talk to each other and I was back biking again.

Last night when I went out to move the trash can for today’s pickup I reached over and pinched the front tire for some reason. It was flat. After getting the trash positioned I took the wheel inside to fix the flat. This was a frustrating event. I had bought several patch kits from BikeTiresDirect.com. I got the one out of my saddle bag and proceeded to find the hole. At first it didn’t show up but after inflating the tube more I could feel the air escaping. I marked the spot with an ink pen ( I have a history of missing the hole with the patch) and let the air out. Next I checked the inside of the tire to try and find the cause but couldn’t find anything sticking out or in. Using the sandpaper I roughed up the tube at the hole. Putting the glue on I let it dry and positioned the patch pressing it in place. Before putting the tube back in the tire I pumped the tube up and the patch came loose. I sanded the spot again and tried another patch kit, same result. The third attempt failed as well. Switching to a Nashbar patch kit I thought this would surely fix the hole but it failed too. I think there was too much glue for the Nashbar patch to hold. Their kits have worked in the past. I gave up and put a new tube in the tire, put it in the tire and back on the wheel. Airing up the tire no problem happened and I checked it again this morning and it still was firm.

Today’s ride was great. I left the long sleeve jersey at home with the temperature in the mid 80’s. The wasn’t clear blue like yesterday with high clouds. The wind was out of the SW at 12 mph. That was great riding north to SR 242 and when I made the turn around crossing over US59 my average speed was 15.7 mph. From that point I was facing a strong headwind and my speed dropped to 12 to 13 mph and my average speed started going down. Today’s route is an extension of the “New Caney – Roman Forest – Valley Ranch” one. I took the next crossover of US59 north of Roman Forest Blvd. I don’t have any recent rides using this exact route. Normally at SR242 I go west.

This took by the New Caney ISD Stadium where the Grand Parkway Bike Ride will begin this Saturday. I expect the parking lot will be full but today it was empty.

I continued into the wind all the way to the Stripes station at FM1314 and Valley Ranch Parkway (or Blvd depending on which sign you choose). My legs needed a rest after battling the wind for 8+ miles. I bought some Gatorade and sat in shade to eat a trailmix bar and a granola bar. Before I went inside to get the Gatorade I took this picture of my 520.

The weather while I was at Stripes.

I left Stripes and headed home arriving there at 3:19. The winding roads and streets meant I was in and out of the headwind which helped.

March miles are up to 355.91. Only 275 more miles to reach my goal for the month. The weather looks favorable for biking tomorrow (Wednesday). Thursday I will take my wife to the medical center for her cancer treatment. Friday’s forecast shows some rain. Saturday I plan on riding the Grand Parkway Bike Ride in New Caney.

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