Well, drag. flat tire, broken spoke. The beginning of reasons for buying something new. I have much to do today now.

I rode nearly twenty miles yesterday. It's cool in the mornings, but my evening rides average about 85-90°. Been wearing heavy denim since as far back as I can remember. I bought cargo shorts for canoeing, first shorts in over twenty years. I still paddle in jeans most of the time. My only other pair of shoes are for use on the water. I'll come around... one day.

Ruidoso is not high elevation, but it is somewhat cooler around 7500'. The start will be around 45° or so, warming up to the high 80s or low 90s in the afternoon. I'd be entering for the first twenty five miles, as I'm still a beginner.

I don't see the spokes in this wheel coming quietly, or being reuseable. At this point, I suppose I should take the discussion to the proper technical forum. Perhaps somebody can bring my hard headedness to the surface and convince me to upgrade.

Otherwise, it just started raining, so perhaps it wasn't such bad luck at all.