I took yesterday off but I am back on the bike today. The plan was to ride 35+ miles going to Huffman. To get a longer distance I rode what I label the “Stroker Road – Huffman” route. Today I modified the Stroker Road portion some by not turning onto Peters Road like I usually do but stayed on Stoker Road to Ramsey Road and then turning left. I have never went this way. It brings me to the same intersection that Peters Road does going north to Old Atascocita Road and on to FM2100. There are some large homes on the Stroker Road portion I had not been on before. The ride distance totaled 40.52 miles so I met my goal and then some. Average speed was 15.5 mph. Tomorrow I plan on riding 40+ miles. This could be the first time this year I do 40+ miles two days in a row.

The ride started at 9:10. The weather had not heated up too much by then: 80 degrees, 71% humidity, partly cloudy sky, light breeze. I decided to leave earlier today and watch the Tour de Suisse ITT stage when I get back thanks to the DVR. By the time I finished at 12:44 it was 89 degrees, 40% humidity, partly cloudy sky and a 7 mph ESE breeze. I wore a new jersey today and it got a perspiration workout. A few times when I stopped I could feel the jersey dripping moisture and when I stopped at the Huffman Chevron for a snack and drink the breeze blowing felt cool going across the moisture in the jersey. It didn’t take too long for the jersey to dry, wicking moisture away from my skin like it should do.

While I was stopped at the Chevron station a Union Pacific freight train slowly came to a stop before the FM2100 crossing. The front of the engine opened up and a man emerged. He walked across the space from the tracks to FM1960, across FM1960 and to the Chevron station. After a few minutes he came out of the Chevron station and headed back to the train engine. Opening the door on the front of the engine he disappeared and not too many minutes the engines started to move gathering speed slowly. I’ve seen this before. Huffman must be a rest stop for some trains. As I left the station there was a Kansas City Southern train stopped on the tracks a little further away than the Union Pacific one. I don’t know if the crew visited the Chevron store. I wonder if the engines have a restroom.

Not long after I started riding the chain began making a noise. I think it is time to oil it. I have 2033 miles on my Stradalli RP-14 and have not oiled it yet. The recent spats of riding in the rain probably did not help. When I got home I oiled the chain with No.5 Chain-L, a thick oil I read about a couple of years ago online. I applied this to each pin a drop at a time. Then turning the chain it works into the plates and pins. I have an Ultegra chain without a master link so taking it off is not an option because it takes a special pin and tool. I have a KMC chain waiting to replace this one when it is time. The KMC uses a master link and then I can lubricate it with paraffin, my preferred lube.

No dog sprints today. The roads are in good condition except for Old Atascocita Road between Ramsey Rd. and FM2100. This section has some dips and cracked asphalt so I have move around in the west bound lane to avoid these. Traffic is light so this is not a problem.

Tomorrow’s weather forecast: 92 degrees, partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon. I should be home before then.

Mileage statistics:

• 141.4 miles this week
• 638.06 miles for June (247 miles to go to reach the 885 mile goal)
• 3042 miles year to date
• Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS

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