back to the scene of the crime. put my spare tube on the offending wheel last night, and it went flat as soon as i pumped it up. went to the local store and bought a patch kit and roll of electrical tape. re-lined the rim, patched the tube and low and behold, it stayed inflated. the ride consisted of a gradual climb with just enough flats and downhills to let me shift out of granny once in a while. i did learn one thing new though. not only am i far from the shape i was in back in the day, but descending is not as fun. it scares the hell out of me now. i have visions of a fork breaking, killer pothole attack or being chased down by a cougar. maybe not so much the last one but i still start to freeze up above 25-mph. i guess it is just one more reason not to climb. at least that is the one i will use from now on.
involuntary biathlon - i should have taken the hint on this one. when i scouted this ride on bikely, the stretch between 2.5 and 3.5 miles showed an elevation of 10 feet below sea level. what caused this altimeter black hole? i didn't find out. i flatted at 2.4 miles. so i rode up and walked back. i even tried riding on the deflated front wheel, which i am sure damaged the tire and rim. serves them right though for leaving me stranded. when i used to mountain bike, we always had a spare tube and patch kit and didn't think it was a worthy ride if we didn't use both, but i have never been one to carry spares on my road bike. i might re-think that now. until then, my kingdom for some kind of shoe cover that makes it easier to walk in cleats. hmmm.... patent pending.
today's ride was through round valley on the south side of the lake. i have done this one before, a few years ago with peter. still one of my favorites. started out at about 8am, 65-degrees and overcast. saw four cars during the entire hour. followed a fellow biker for the first few miles, until he turned around. damn glad too, because i was feeling pressure to catch him and be social. kind of hard to make small talk when you are panting from the chase. i was paced a deer for a while, until he got bored and crossed in front of me and ran into the hills. the whole ride was smooth farm roads through pastures of baled hay and lazy cows. arrived back at the laketown post office in time to chat with the matron as she raised the flag for the day. then back to the condo for a nap.
today's ride, done after a day playing at the beach. before you scoff, there was a 15-mph wind coming from the south, and i did this lap twice. including the "climb" to the golf course clubhouse. if it is not too much to ask, could you pretend to be impressed.
ok, so i am traveling again so it is time to post. we are at bear lake with the family for a week or so. i brought the road bike, so i thought i would post my daily rides. remember i am just a wanna-be roadie, so these distances are not staggering by any stretch, but here they are. i have mapped them on a cool site called bikely where you can map rides, see elevation profiles and export them to google earth. this was yesterday's ride. first time i have ridden over a state line. first time i have ridden in a different state.
