Two Wheel Blogs

I have a lot of random thoughts to cover here, so hold on tight.

First off, I managed to seize claims to my 6th flat tire for 2010. It was again an indoor flat I am happy to say. This flat that occured while riding the rollers hopefully puts me well in the lead for most flats in 2010. Perhaps there is not really a contest, but I figure if you get this many flats, you (I) ought to win a prize right?

In response to the flat, I changed out my front tire. Actually, the front tire was destroyed in the incident. Hard to imagine, but the otherwise new-looking tire is now junk as the result of a seam that seems to have broken or become de-laminated exposing rough edges that cut tubes in short order. I guess this tire is not happy with the amount of flexure induced by small diameter roller drums?

So now with my Vittoria EVO racing tire on front, I faced the oncoming weekend that brought with it the invite to a "no-nonsense, butt-kicking, long ride" or so the invitation promised. I planned to sit it out since I have no business on a long ride, getting my butt kicked, or participating in anything that prohibits nonsense. I am well steeped in nonsense and have no intentions of changing...even for a great ride among the best of friends.

They agreed to lift the ban on nonsense on my behalf and assured me that my butt would not suffer great damage, so I joined in. Reluctantly, I suited up fearing the worst in terms of weather. The forcast claimed a 50% chance of snow, but sunny conditions in the low 30s. This typically translates to a wintery mix that begins precipitating as we near the most distal point from the start. Followed by me shivering and suffering the rest of the ride due to my poor ability to wear adequate clothing.

As luck would have it, I somehow remained very comfortable for the entire ride. In spite of my huge lack of experience in dressing for the weather this year (I am riding indoors almost exclusively), I managed to select the perfect wardrobe for the day.

Speaking of wardrobe, I was also able to take my new team kit for a test run...though it was buried under outer layers of warmer stuff. The bibs, in spite of their low MSRP fit and performed as well as some much more expensive bibs I have tried. I guess I should give props to Champion for seemingly defying the logic that bibs need to cost a lot to be any good. I will keep you posted though since one ride is hardly a comprehensive test.

So we rolled out to a nice loop that put us somewhere between 40 and 50 miles total (once completed). Not amazing, but quite a bit farther than I have ridden in recent weeks. We encountered lots of debris on the roads laid down by the various municipalities to combat the predicted harsh weather. One third of the riders on this ride experienced at least one flat tire (actually one guy had to stop twice, another had a slow leak toward the end, and I would bet that more riders woke to find flat tires that slowly flatted over night). I am happy to report that I had no tire problems yesterday and they are still holding air this morning!

The only bad news I have to share deals with the fumbling I did with my gloved fingers in my jersey pocket. I hate wearing gloves for a list of reasons. Not least of which is the inability to extract what I want from my pockets as I ride. I was successful in extracting my sawbuck accidentally. Probably at some point when I was reaching for a gel, I managed to free my fiver and send it fluttering to the ground on the roadside. So anyone in need, there is a free five bucks somewhere out on the loop we rode yesterday. Enjoy!

Even if I manage to not get a flat, I still manage to drop the five bucks a tube would have cost me!