Sat, 10/17/2025; 64 miles, 1424 feet of climb
Wow, what a day! It was the longest day of this trip so far, and almost the most feet of climb, but the biking part was super easy with the blasting tailwind all day. However, tire problems continued to put a big damper on the day. But in the end, I think they finally might be solved.
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My day started with a blissfully perfect night of sleep –– 8.5 hours! This is the first time I’ve slept over six hours on this trip, so it felt really good to be that well rested. It must’ve been because of the complete absence of Wi-Fi or TV or traffic or any other sounds in the little 1950s trailer that I was sleeping in.
When I pumped up my front tire, I was concerned that it had depleted from 80 to 45 psi overnight. And this is with the brand new tube I installed yesterday! 🙁
The morning was very pleasant, and the winds were not too strong yet. I had 35 miles to go to Marfa, where I hope to fix some problems. I had discovered that there is indeed a bike shop in the 430 miles between El Paso and Del Rio, and it is in Marfa. However, I had been texting with the owner of the bike shop, and he said he was out of town and was closed for the weekend.
The good news is that he said there’s a big bike race going on today –– the “Marfa 100”! He was confident that I could get some mechanics to help me diagnose the problem, and to sell me some extra tires and tubes.
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I sent up my drone very early to get some aerial videos, because I knew it would be impossible once the winds picked up. It turns out that even before 10 am, the winds were too strong, and I had to land the drone after just a few shots.
There’s literally nothing in the 35 miles between Valentine and Marfa, except for one ranch. When I got to the Ryan Ranch, I saw a big sign. But despite the fact that the terrain was flat there, and you could see for miles in every direction, there were still no sign of any building or house. It must be a very big ranch.
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The slow leak in my front tire seemed to be getting faster and faster. I noticed that hitting bumps was more jolting than usual. Even though I was getting close to Marfa, I knew I couldn’t keep riding like that for a fear of damaging the rims. So I stopped to pump it up again,. This time it was down to 8 psi! Horrifying.
I ended up having to pump it up more and more often. When I was 10 miles out of Martha, it got to the point where I had to stop every five minutes to pump it up. I did not want to try and fix it when I was that close to what I thought would be a big chance of permanent help.
I’m so glad I did not bring CO2 cartridges. I would’ve run out days ago. I have a new mini electric pump, because my frame pump I’ve used for 45 years was getting to be too much hassle by falling off and not letting me swing my leg up over because the tool bag had to go on top of the top tube.
The downside of the electric pump is that it must be charged, but I ended up charging it in my handlebar bag with my USB power brick while I rode, so it was always ready.
Another advantage of the electric pump is that I could actually pump my front tire while I was straddling the bike without having to get off. I did this several times before getting to Marfa.
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I grilled into Marfa right about noon, which surprised me. I actually averaged over 15 mph for the entire 35 miles! That is unheard of for me, at 65 years old, carrying 92 pounds of gear. But the winds were amazing all day, as predicted. There were several stretches where I was going 20 – 22 mph for miles at a time. So exhilarating!
It took me a while, but I finally found the Marfa 100 gathering, thanks to the text from the owner of Andy’s bike shop the previous day. If he hadn’t texted me the exact location, I would not have found it: a USO building two blocks south of the main intersection of town.
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I did not find any mechanics when I got there. But a very friendly woman named Jane, who was volunteering at the merchandise stand, jumped up to help me out. She said we might as well get started before mechanics start to come back from the race.
So she put my bike up in the stand, took off the front tire, and removed the front tire and tube. She said that everyone around here uses sealant to protect their tires against all the thorns in the area. I’ve never used sealant before, except on my tubeless tires that I use on my lighter bike for RAGBRAI.
Here’s the miracle –– after putting sealant in my tube and pumping it up, we could quickly spot the small leak, and the sealant fixed it! No patches needed. And the great news is that it will continue to do this while I ride, if new leaks pop up. Ingenious!
We then put the tube back in the tire, spent 45 minutes trying to get the tire back on the rim, and then it was good to go.
I was so grateful for her helping, but I still wanted to wait for mechanics to come back so I could buy some more tubes and sealant. I really would like to get four new tubes, throw away the two damaged tubes I have, and have two or three spare tubes for the rest of the trip. I wouldn’t mind a new tire in addition.
However, the mechanics were not coming back. I waited and waited. Jane offered to let me go through the food line if I bought a ticket. It’s supposed to be only for the riders, but she had mercy on me. It was not cheap, but it was very tasty –– beef brisket, beans, rice, vegetables, sparkling water. They did have beer, too, but I don’t didn’t want to drink that while still having a lot of biking ahead of me today.
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So I finished my meal, and waited some more. I was getting pretty antsy, because I had to make it 27 miles before dark to Alpine.
Then I happened to meet the race director, Zeke. He was very helpful and told me to grab some sealant out of this pickup! Very generous, but when I got to his truck, all three bottles of sealant were complete empty.
Zeke then told me that a mechanic named Manu was at the finish line, along with a van of supplies from Crazy Cat Cyclery, the same shop where I had my bike shipped to when I started this leg in El Paso last Monday. I know these guys!
So I very excitedly rode two miles back west against the headwinds to get to the race finish line.
But I was faced with another disappointment –– the bikers I talked to at the end said that Manu had already left the finish line and was headed back toward the USO. Furthermore, the Crazy Cat van was at least 30 miles out on the race route, and would not be coming back anytime soon as long as they were riders on the road.
There was one woman named Mary who heard my plight, and she actually gave me her new tube! She would not even take money for it. It will only fit my front tire, but at least I have a back up now for the front tire if it goes flat again.
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I rode back to the USO again, but there was no sign of Manu. However, after a while, somebody pointed him out as he was in the food line. So I ran over to talk to him, but was disappointed when he told me that he had completely run out of sealant because of all the problems they were having that day.
But another stranger to the rescue -– a guy at his table heard my predicament, and offered to go to his truck and sell me his bottle of sealant!
So that’s all I need to get going –– I now have a spare tube, extra sealant, and two tires that appear to be holding air for the first time in days.
Oh, and by some miracle, my saddle sores were not an issue today! I don’t know if it’s because of getting more sleep, or the Benzoyl Peroxode I applied last night, or because I’m wearing my bibs for the first time this trip. In any case, that was very encouraging.
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Now the race was on: me versus sunset. I buckled down and pushed hard, and with a tailwind helping me immensely, made it the 27 miles to Alpine in record time. I actually had a little bit of headwind as the highway curved northwest for a bit, but I pushed through because that part was only a couple of miles.
I was so relieved when I got to Alpine ant only 5:15! Better yet, the Hampton Inn I was staying at was right across the street from a restaurant called Spicewood. I decided to take the bird in the hand, and eat there before I check in. (The main part of town was still two miles away.) I’ve learned that once I get to the hotel room after a long and grueling day, it is really hard to leave the room.
Spicewood would turn out to be great! I devoured beef tips, vegetables, and a beer, and it was one of the best meals ever. This place reminds me of Texas Roadhouse: good food at a decent price. As I was leaving, the place was packed, and I heard someone say a 45-minute wait. So I’m really glad I got there early and was able to walk right in and sit down and order immediately.
I got to the hotel, checked in, and went into my room and plopped on the bed. I have not been this relieved in a long time.
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But I still had a little bit of work to do. Fortunately, there’s a laundromat right in this hotel, only a few rooms down from me. So to take advantage of my day off tomorrow for drying all the clothes, I did my all my laundry right away. And while my clothes were in the washer, I went down to the hot tub and soaked away all my troubles for the day.
So now I have a rest day tomorrow! I plan to go to church tomorrow morning, buy some food and supplies, and then just spend the day indoors, not biking. It will be much needed.
Oh, one more cool tidbit — this morning I woke up in Valentine, Texas, and here in Alpine, 64 miles away, they assigned me Room 214 — Valentine’s Day! You can’t make this stuff up.
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “TEXBIRD” = Texas Bike Ride, my own nickname for the 800 miles in the middle of Southern Tier Bicycle Route, from El Paso to Austin, using maps from ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). This will complete my ride of the Southern Tier from the Pacific Ocean (San Diego) to the Atlantic Ocean (Jacksonville). (I biked the 1500 miles from Austin to Jacksonville in March 2024, and the 1000 miles from San Diego to El Paso in February 2025.)
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