It's possible the failure on the first ride was caused by the armband on the jersey or the Cervelo you were riding at the time. Did you have tire noodles on the first ride? It could have been the weight of the tire noodles. I'm guessing you were running 3" tires with negative air pressure for aero/smoothness advantages on the first ride. The noodles that go in those tires are heavy. The exposure to the harsh chemical fumes at the pool equipment outlet store could have had something to do with it also.
The real failure though, was making up a story just to insult another BF member.