No longer waiting
By Alison Colavecchia
5.15.01 (www.slowtwitch.com)

I'm no longer waiting to flat out, fall over or get blown off the road. In the process, though am not 100% certain of what a "sag" is, I think I may've just had my first one.

Honest, I wasn't bragging or taking for granted my status as a "never flatted, crashed, fallen over-still clipped in, or been blown off the road by the wind" cyclist. I didn’t for a moment think these things would never happen to me….I just wasn’t sure when they would happen to me.…

Today my mission was to go for my longest ride ever, to hit somewhere around 80km (48 miles). At the 4km mark heading out of town I had my first flat, my new bike is 4 weeks old. I was ill prepared and therefore more than a little surprised at the flat. I was confident that such a new steed couldn't, wouldn't cause me any grief! I had not yet replaced the tube in my pouch with the 650 size nor had I replaced the pump that I'd lost during a ride last year. A gentleman who I had just passed on his bike, took pity on me, stopped and showed me how to change my first flat. Luckily, I did have a patch kit and the tube was easily fixed. We reassembled the bike and agreed to ride together paces permitting. Despite the winds we rode uneventfully for over 40km.

The crosswinds were brutal and the "fancy" wheels and aero fork made handling the new bike very different. I felt as though the bike was going to get blown out from under me at any moment. Kinda spooky. All went well, though––despite the wind––until we came roughly to our midpoint. Approaching a light and coming to an abrupt stop, without thinking I tried to put my still-clipped-in foot out to stop, and down I went. Humbled and with legs a little shaky we ploughed on again back into the crosswinds. A moment later, a big gust blew me off the road. Having a short learning curve for the falling-over thing, I quickly unclipped my right foot and managed not to head down the embankment. Just a tad shakier and less than 10 minutes later, I heard a funny noise coming from my tire and knew it was gone… again. My first thought was there goes my 80km ride! Then I thought ….this guy, who I don't even know, must think I am an absolute ditz!

With patience and increased speed compared to the first go-round, we got the tire off and the tube out. It was split. No fixing this baby! Game over. It was a holiday, and no shops were open––therefore no chance of repairing it so as to continue the ride home. I didn't even have a spare 650c tube at home. My new cycling buddy patiently waited with me. We agreed that I would flag a car down in the hope that someone would have a cell phone

Do you know it was a while before anyone would stop? I was amazed! I am all of 5'2" decked out in full cycling gear and holding a tube in my hand! I don't think I was the picture of menace! Eventually, one of the neighbourhood folks brought me to their home and let me use their phone to connect with home. I sheepishly asked my husband to come and pick me up, hating that I needed a "Mommy rescue" as the kids called it! Ugh!

Today did not work out the way I planned, but I believe I learned what I was supposed to from the day.

I now know: how to change a flat tire; that my tubes require 110 psi (pounds per square inch) of air; that when the tires are properly inflated my thumb should not be able to press down on the tire; that the tires may lose as much as 10-15 pounds of air just sitting still waiting for the next ride, even if it's the next day; and that I need to pump them up every time I head out the door; that if I am falling, unclip my RIGHT foot first; and that my pride can indeed survive falling over in public

I learned that cyclists are a helpful bunch and that I am now capable of cycling for hours, not minutes, even when the winds are blowing the cars around. I have now learned the major difference between riding in wicked headwinds versus crosswinds. In a head wind, I feel added effort, in a crosswind, I feel added fear!

As if all this learning wasn’t enough I now have a new, dog-free, lengthier route, and a cycling partner who has a high tolerance for misadventure! Not a bad day’s ride.

So I guess the only thing left to wait for is the crash. For––as Scott Tinley has said––"there are two kinds of cyclists. Those who have crashed and those who are going to crash" (www.scotttinley.com). Let's hope I have met my quota for adventures in this single day and that the rest of my cycling season is uneventful!

POSTSCRIPT FROM HOME

The first tube I now know was underinflated when I went out. The tell-tale sign is a set of vampire or snakebite puncture marks (two marks side by side) on the tube. This happens when you go over something hard causing the rim to puncture the underinflated tube. The second flat was due to not having reinstalled the tube and tire correctly. The tube takes a bit of work to position properly into the tire and rim. It has been suggested that at home I have a bag with talcum powder to––shake and bake style––coat the tire before trying to insert it. Once the tube is into the tire, I then need to check the `bead' (a line of dots at the base of the tire) to ensure that it is falling evenly just above the rim all the way around. This will let me know that I have the tube properly into the tire and the tire properly into the rim. Ensuring this reduces the chance that the tube will get `pinched’. While on this ride, the improper installation caused the tube to creep out between the rim and the tire and POP!!

Now added to my equipment arsenal:

• 1 new pump with both the cartridge and manual pump options
• 3 new tubes, size 650cc (1 in pouch)
• extra money for food in case I have to wait for a pick-up, rescue (sag ??)
• extra quarters for more than 1 call

Still tri’n