I didn’t get started as early as I planned. I went out o the garage to open the door and drop some trash off. I went to the Stradalli to check the tires with a pinch and the rear tire was flat. I check the tire surface for some object but couldn’t see anything. Taking the wheel off the bike I moved to the patio chair and removed the tire and tube. Pumping up the tube I could feel some air escaping but couldn’t tell where. Pulling the tube out of the tire it didn’t take long to find the hole. It was in the center of an old patch where the patch had worn away exposing the hole it was over. I never had this before. The tube had several patches and I didn’t think putting a patch over the leaking one was a good idea so a new tube was in order.  Good thing I ordered some spares a few weeks ago.

Now that the tire was fixed I left home at 9:30 to ride the “Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch” route. I haven’t been north for several days and variety was in order. I wanted to ride about 32 miles and ended up at 33.04 miles averaging 15.0 at the end but I was as high as 15.3 mph. The wind seemed to be coming from all directions and I had trouble getting to 20 mph and staying there for any length of time or distance. Riding to the southeast seemed to have the least wind resistance. I was trying to get back home by noon so that I could ride MTB’s with my son-in-law before they had to leave today. I made it back 12:08 and after a half hour rest we hit the trails.

No change in the Grand Parkway FM1314 overpass construction. The lanes are constricted and no shoulder to get through the work area.

Yesterday we went for a ride and were good until about 11.3 miles when he had a flat on the front tire. The bike is new and this was the second flat. Each one was on the inside of the tube where a spoke opening is in the rim. We walked home (about 1/2 mile) and I worked on the front rim putting duct tape as a first line rim tape with the original rubber one. today we had no flats. His bike also had a clicking sound. I tried several items but the solution was greasing the pedal threads and inserting them back on the cranks. Clicking gone. Today we rode 10.1 miles.

This helps me reach the 968 mile goal for June but I prefer the road bike for long rides.

Today’s weather:

Home weather at the start

Porter weather while stopped at Stripes

Home weather at the end of the long ride

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