Note:
Zimmerman/Erie/Walck/Old Falls/Tonawanda Creek N/Townline/Beach Ridge/Aiken/Meahl/Saunders Settlement/Subbera/Upper Mountain/Blackman/Thrall/Green/Ridge/Irish/Chestnut/North/Nelson/Maple/Chestnut and then backtracking to Plank/Van Dusen/Green and then backtracking to Old Falls/Sweeney/Robinson. [Map]
Well, it was certainly nice to get out on my new bike again, although I'm not sure why. This was easily one of the worst rides that I can recall in several years. Here's why in order...
- My heart rate monitor stopped working because the battery was too weak.
- A strong steady wind with the bonus of some pretty good gusts that made it very hard to stay on the aerobars.
- A flat front tire at about 8 miles in.
- No tire levers in my new bag to use when it was time to change that flat! Fortunately I was able to roll it off the rim, but it wasn't the easiest task. I've got the sore thumbs to prove it.
- Realizing that the winds were shifting from Northwest to West so it was a headwind going out and a crosswind coming back.
- Another flat front tire at about 37 miles! Lather, rinse, repeat from earlier. At least my new CO2 inflator works great.
- Only having one spare tube with me I had to patch a tube on the side of the road. Thankfully prepared for that, but I can't remember if I've ever had two flats in one ride. And I can't remember the last time I patched a flat out on the road.
- Getting home dog ass tired and finding out just how poor of a ride it was. :(
But even after all of that I really wasn't in a bad mood. More disappointed than anything else. And with more cold and rainy weather coming up this week it's going to be at least several days before I'll be outside again. |
