As it turns out, I cycled 44.6 miles this morning.  This is according to my old, outdated Garmin GPS device.  Recording the same ride simultaneously on my iPhone GPS application, the grand total came to 41.2 miles.  My conclusion:  I trust Garmin and I’m going with Garmin’s number.  The iPhone is subject, of course, to AT&T’s spotty signals.  When riding through mountainous, wooded areas, these signals are sure to fail, as is revealed by this morning’s route map.

I certainly did not ride in a perfectly straight line from Alpine Road to Hwy 92.  This indicates that my iPhone was not logging exact GPS data during this time.  The application did, however, “catch up” to my updated location when I pulled the phone out of my pocket to check on it.  My second conclusion:  The iPhone GPS application is smart, but unfortunately at the mercy of AT&T’s poor signals.  Garmin, it seems, is still the way to go.

Technology aside, the morning was beautiful, the weather was clear, the pavement was smooth and dry, and the pace lines of cyclists were steady and strong.  More days like this on a regular basis, and I’ll be back in top cycling form in no time!