A little less sun today as I started my ride at 11:20 but by the end the sun burned some holes in the overcast sky. The mostly cloudy sky held the temperature lower than yesterday at 75 to 81 degree range during my ride. Wind from the southeast at 12 mph did not cause much of a problem.

I left earlier today so we could work in the yard in the late afternoon when the sun dropped low enough to shade our work area. This work project presents the usual challenges: pavers that showed in stock at the local building supply turned out to not be there. Because of the color and pattern of our existing pavers the problem means we must change the design. So I think I got that figured out. While we checked the yard after the tree trimming last week I found a sprinkler head broken off. It turns out the 1/2″ x 3″ nipple to connect the sprinkler head to the below grade water line are not so easy to find. But I located one after calling and/or visiting three stores. Ace Hardware to the rescue.

My ride today did not have any drama like yesterday. I did encounter two other bikers along my route which surprised me being a Tuesday and around the noon time. My tapping sound continues to vex me. I tried a suggestion from Bill Wood to loosen and adjust the front derailleur. After doing that the tapping sound continues. So I am on to the next possibility. The tapping sound only appears when I am pedaling and if I try to get the problem to sound while being in my work stand or by holding the bike up and turning the crank it does not make the noise. My two suspects: bottom bracket and pedals. If I stand up to pedal the sound still happens but I think it is not so frequent but this could be caused by my not being able to hear it. The mystery continues. I probably will take the bike to the bike shop on Friday.

Some ride statistics from today:

• 1:55:43 ride time
• 29.64 miles today
• 15.4 mph average speed
• 22.8 mph max speed
• 80.6 RPM average cadence
• 59.27 miles this week
• 523.16 miles in March
• 1159.25 miles YTD
• Garmin Connect data link

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/563537 98% 600]

3-27-2012 Home Weather Station End