I went back to Splendora today turning east of US59 versus west on Saturday. I went back and forth on whether to go to Splendora first and return through Roman Forest or go through Roman Forest first and come back on the south bound US59 service road. I finally decided to ride to Splendora because biking on the service road would put me into the wind for 18 miles without a break. Riding to Splendora and then Roman Forest put me amongst trees protecting me from the 7 mph south breeze. Coming out Roman Forest I would ride west instead of only south.

The biking north enabled me to set a solid pace all the way to Splendora aided by the tailwind. There was a problem as I crossed over Peach Creek on the service road. All of a sudden I heard a clicking sound coming from one of my wheels. I stopped hoping to fix the problem before it caused a flat. First I looked at the front tire and nothing there. Switching to the rear wheel I spun it around and spotted the culprit, a 1 1/2″ long metal nail about 1/32″ diameter. The unusual thing was how this was stuck in the tire. Rather than into the tube it went diagonally across the tread not puncturing the tire to cause a flat. I pulled the thing out and the tire stayed aired up. I took off to finish the ride.

Reaching FM2090 I turned east biking to Tram Road. My understanding about Tram Road is that this was where the tracks for the trams that ran from Houston to Cleveland, TX back in the 1920’s and 1930’s. This took into Roman Forest. I was impressed when I got to Roman Forest Blvd. It had a new asphalt surface all the way to US59 (well it stopped short a few hundred yards but who is counting). Previously the street was showing traffic wear. From Tram Road to the Peach Creek bridge they changed the two lanes to one lane with a nice lane for something. I thought a bike lane would be nice but there were no markings.

I wasn’t sure how long this route would be. It turned out to be 40.5 miles at a 16.5 mph average speed. My legs felt powerful today and I was able to keep the cadence around 90 rpm most of the time. My right knee road rash is healing up. It is a little stiff but does not inhibit pedaling. Getting up from sitting on the concrete is a different story. I stopped at McDonalds in Porter to eat my snacks and drink a Diet Coke. I sat on the concrete facing FM1314. The normal movement is to turn to the right and put my knee down to get up. This places the road rash on the concrete and can be painful but I put some napkins down as cushion. Once the knee was on the apkin I got up in a hurry to minimize the contact.

Overcast sky moved in as I started biking at 11:48 and stayed for the whole ride. With my sunglasses it looked darker than it really was. The temperature steady at 77 to 78 during the ride. I was glad I chose a short and long sleeve jersey combination. The wind was cool and the jerseys kept me comfortable.

After today’s ride: 571.99 miles for April (206 miles to reach my goal), 40.5 miles for the week, 1832 miles year to date.

87 degrees and partly cloudy for tomorrow. Biking should take place.

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