Flats

The end of last week was back to the standard English weather… wet and windy.


Thursday was ok though, as it still was pretty mild. Friday although the rain stopped half way though my ride I had 3 flats and two slashed tires. Since I only had two tubes to start with, I got lucky when I found some patches in the bottom of my saddle bag. Thank god one of the earlier flats was just a regular puncture and not a big tear like the last two.
So after my final repair with a patched tube and tire in my rear , and a cliff bar rapper in the front trying to avoid the tube from bulging though I limped home, already ½ late for work .
I did end up with my highest average speed of the month though..

Saturday the weather was great. I was a bit tired from the previous week, but I had to take advantage of this. After replacing both tires and a tube, I set out a short ride.
An hour into it, about 30min from home I’m flying down a small lane, I hear a now very recognizable sound, of a tire going flat….great… oh well. I take the wheel of and find a big piece of flint, right in the center of the tread. Great another destroyed tire…but I can probably make it home….This is when I realized I have left all my spare tubes and patches at home…great.,this could be a long walk. I put the wheel back on and start the 10mile trip on the flat tire, after only about 50yards I see a farm shop… I might as well go in and see if they van help. maybe call a taxi worst case. Turns out one of the guys working is a tri-athlete and has a spare tube he gives me… now that is what I call luck… 99% of the rides I would have been out miles from anywhere, and even further from anybody with a spare tube. I thank him and head off on a very nervous ride back home, please no more flats…I’ve had enough already.