Today has been such a hodgepodge I can only hit the highlights in a plus/minus system:
+5 points: second consecutive day bike commuting – and I was on time today!
+5 points: the weather was phenomenal – like 60*F when I left at 6:28am!
-10 points: get call from school nurse in the afternoon. Daughter needs to be picked up.
-10 points: Flat back tire when I get my bike from the rack.
+5 points: I’m a pro at fixing flats. Like it only took 15 minutes. Woot!
-5 points: hands covered in grease, blood, and sweat by the end of this particular flat repair.
-5 points: three spoke have poked through the rim tape! Wondering how the hell shitty tires AND pokey spokes got past the LBS when I sent the bike in to be overhauled. Did they even LOOK at my bike?
+100 points: ingeniously deciding to use tube patches to temporarily seal the pokey spokes away from my new tube.
– 1,000 points: CO2 inflates cold, quickly, and if you slightly overinflate on a hot day – BOOM.
(yeah, I did hang my head there and felt slightly defeated – burned through my only spare tube!)
+100 points: commuter friend has a spare in my tube size! hooray!
+100 points: AND he has a hand pump with a pressure gauge!
And we’re off …
+100 points: detouring up Rex Avenue after viewing two hidden statues in the park
-200 points: 10% grade, no climbing gears, big rocks. Had to throw in the towel only a 1/10th of the way up the half-mile. Walked my bike a boss.
Feeling beat cycling home. Backpack feels heavy and legs feel shredded.
Take daughter to the local urgent care – sure enough, she broke her arm.
Finally getting dinner at 9:30pm. Hate to admit I’m taking the train tomorrow – today was just too much excitement.
As a parting image, here’s a snapshot from yesterday’s commute. I’m wearing my very favorite jersey (Twin Six Grand Prix) which just so happens to match my commuter bike. I couldn’t resist being all matchy-matchy. Jersey came first, just for the record. 😀
See you on the road …. just not tomorrow.
