As I began today’s bike ride I felt some concern about the patched tube and boot in the rear tire of the Lynskey R300 bike from Tuesday flat but after a few minutes of riding those disappeared. The rear tire turned smoothly without a flat spot like Tuesday after I patched the tube and used the patch foil as a boot on the cut sidewall. I aired up the front tire before the ride because it felt a little soft when I squeezed it hard. After the ride the front tire felt firm.

The bike ride began at 9:39 AM as I and the Lynskey R300 bike rolled onto the street to begin riding the “New Caney – Gene Campbell Road” route for the 9th time this year. The ride finished at 12:37 PM after biking 37.41 miles. With those miles the week now totals 191.14 miles and July at 105.5 miles. I am in good position to bike 200+ miles this week. After 3 days of biking in July I am at 13% of my 800 mile goal. Below is a summary of the rides on today’s route so far this year.

July weather is in full force. Getting on the road before the heat hits is a good idea. I stopped a couple of times in the shade and felt the coolness as the breeze blew around me. Conditions at the start and finish of the ride: start 86 (83% humidity, 79.8 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind SW 6 mph. Finish 92 (62% humidity, 77.5 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind SW 7 mph. I added some extra ice to the CamelBak before leaving home and the cold water lasted until the end. After the ride I sat on the patio cover letting the breeze cool me down before going inside. Wind wasn’t too strong today letting my legs turn a higher gear. I built my overall average speed to 14.0 mph and held it there until I got back to Kingwood.

Strava reports that today’s bike ride was consistent with my usual effort.

I like to include the PowerPod charts when I ride the Lynskey R300 because it shows different data in the chart format. Wind is important to biking because of the resistance or assistance it provides. Today the wind impact on the ride shows in the second chart from the top. With the blue area below the white line I enjoy a tailwind and a headwind when the blue is above the white line. Biking on FM 1314 to the SE starting around mile 21 the wind does not show a big difference from the road speed, reflecting low to no headwind.