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I've Got Something to Say
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| Ride Stats |
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Time: 01:41:14
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Distance:
30.00 miles
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Max Speed:
24.00 mph
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Avg Speed:
17.70 mph
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Altitude Gain:
0 ft
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Route:
Monday Night Ride in St Charles
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Weight:
234
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Category: training: general -
solo
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Terrain: Road: Flat
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Bike: Fuji Roubaix RC Road
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Club: None |
| Weather Conditions: 85 degrees (feels like 92)
Wind: NW15G21
Humidity: 67%
Mostly cloudy
Sunset: 8:28 PM |
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I've seen this happen a time or two before. I load my bike into my truck before I leave the house to go to work, and everything is fine. After working all day I get in my truck to head out to a bike ride start area, and the rear tire of my bike is flat. Now it did get up into the 90's today, so may be the heat had something to do with it - increasing the air pressure in the tire. The puncture in the tube is in the side that lies against the rim.
So, upon arriving at Mueller Soccer Partk, I patch the tube and finish preping the bike and myself for the night's ride. I roll out around 5:40. A couple of miles down the road, right after turning onto Hwy B, the rear tire feels gooshie. Turns out the patch wasn't holding, so I decide to swap out with my spare tube. As I pump up the tire and get it mounted back on my bike, it sounds like my pump is leaking some air when extended to its full range of the stoke. This would only compound the fact that the pump does good to get the tire up to 90 psi. I ride my tires at 120, but this is sufficient to get me down the road. On top of that, my pressure gauge is not in the saddle bag, so now I get to use the ol' 'thumb squeeze' to test the pressure.
About that time another (the first & only) cyclist rolls up and inquires if I'm OK. I ask if he has a pump or gauge. He replies he has a CO2 cartridge. We go with that & the thumb squeeze to get the tire to a perceived acceptable level, and we roll down the road together. The tire feels good and I am able to complete the route without futher incident.
As RJ & I continue to roll, the peleton (of about 25-30 riders) passes us going just under 20 mph - they aren't going to stay that slow much longer I'm sure. After they pass, we continue working together, and another rider pulls up and asks to hang on our wheel - sure, why not? The more the merrier. Bill, hangs with us the rest of the ride and we do a good job taking turns pulling our little pace line.
So, I'm kind of glad for my second flat, otherwise I don't know that I would have met RJ or Bill, and our ride wouldn't have taken a lot more work to complete at such a pace.
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