Today’s bike ride was the longest so far this year coming at 48.46 miles but also I suffered the first flat on the Canyon Endurace CF SLX. I biked the “SR242 – FM1314” route for the first time since October 2nd, 2017. I started the ride at 11:30 am and finished at 3:48 pm. If the flat had not happened I probably would have finished a half hour earlier.
Weather during the bike ride: start 80 (74% humidity), partly cloudy, wind S 8 mph. Finish 81 (75% humidity) partly cloudy, wind S 13 mph, gusts 22 mph. The wind was tough when I made the turn back towards Porter from SH 242 onto FM 1314. Home weather at the start followed by airport weather at end of the bike ride.
The puncture came after I crossed FM 1485 riding north on the I-69/US59 service road. I felt the rear tire go soft and started looking for a place to work on the tire. I rode a hundred feet or so into the FoodTown grocery store parking lot and found a tree near the back loading dock with some shade. Inspecting the tire before removing it from the bike I didn’t find the problem but once I removed the tire and looked closer I found a tiny piece of rock stuck in the tire. Getting the tube out of the tire wasn’t too hard and then I aired it up to find the hole. It didn’t take long to find the hole with white powder coming out of the tube. I put a screw in the hole so I wouldn’t lose it, roughed it up with the sandpaper and applied the glue. I was concerned about the patch kit glue being old but it came out of the tube and held the patch. I made a mental note to get a new patch kit when I got home and put it in my seat bag. I aired up the tube before putting it back in the tire to see if I got the hole fixed. After checking the tube I let the air out and inserted the tube into the tire and mounted the tire on the rim. As I was doing this I saw a label about registering the wheels and will check that out. Pumping up the tire I put all the stuff back and got ready to resume the ride.
The first picture shows the parts after the repair. The photo of the Wahoo Elemnt is after I finished the repair and getting ready to leave. This was 12.5 miles into the bike ride.
With the tire fixed and rolling I headed to SH 242. So far the wind was at my back helping me along. riding west of SH 242 the wind was still helpful enabling me to bike at 18 to 20 mph most of the time. I stopped to take these photos of the emerging windflowers along SH 242. I should’ve got closer to them. (click on the image to enlarge it)
When I got to FM 1485 I made a quick stop at the Chevron station for ice and water. Back on the bike I continued biking to FM 1314 turning to the southeast. At that point my average speed was 15.7 mph. I was able to hold this for awhile but the wind started to take a toll on my legs and the average speed slowly went down.
Thanks to the time spent fixing the flat I was concerned about the Briar Tree school traffic but when I got to Old Sorters Road the school buses were lined up to make the left turn onto Old Sorters Road but held up by the traffic light. I made the turn to get in front of them and rode to the schools with the buses following me once they got through the traffic light. My legs were tired and the timing meant I would get caught in the Kings Manor school traffic if I kept riding so I stopped at the Oakhurst pool and park for a rest stop. Eating a snack and drinking water I checked email and when I finished got on the bike and headed to Kingwood.
The school traffic was gone and I made good time even though the wind was still blowing among the houses and trees. The next school was Bear Branch Elementary and by the time I got there only a few cars remained and I rode by without any problems.
Glad to finish the long ride I pumped up the tires, replaced the patch kit and went inside.
Tuesday’s weather forecast includes some late afternoon rain so I will need to ride earlier and not as far as today.
April’s mileage goal is 600.
SportTracks Bike Ride Summary
