Should have stayed home. Since both team members are in the same county, it seemed a good idea to go for a ride together. I picked up Steve on Sunday morning, with my car, for the short drive to Nantwich. Upon getting to my house Steve found he was one cycling shoe short and one training shoe too many. He blames his cheeky granddaughter for the mix-up; I’m thinking that ‘vino tinto’ might be the cause. So, quick drive back to Steve’s to pick up his shoe. A less than auspicious start, the first sign we should have stayed home.
We finally set off by late morning, making sure we had all our gear. I even had a spare tube, just in case. As we pulled out of the drive, the rain was persisting down. It was that light yet determined rain which seemed to fill your shoes with water then work its way up until you are as wet as some really wet thing. Another sign!
We managed to get a few miles out of Nantwich when “Pttttisssss”. Puncture, oh bugger. With the cold rain now falling directly down my back, I managed to find a finger sized hole in my tube. “No problemo” I thought. I’ll put my spare tube on. That went great until the Presta Valve broke off, Nooooo! Now I had to patch the original tube with the hole from hell. After fitting a very big patch (can’t feel my fingers at this point) we managed to get the wheel back on the bike and pumped up. We were off! Managed to go maybe another mile or two when “Ptttisssss”. Steve saw that puncture happen from behind and remarked at how dramatic it looked. Dramatic my ass, I was thoroughly pissed off by this point! Do we send someone back for the car or try yet another repair. I was so wet and cold at this point I though, “let’s just get it fixed and head straight for home”. Another duvet sized patch was fitted and the tube inflated to a point with just enough pressure to make it home.
We limped into Nantwich Canal Basin and stopped at the Waterside café for a coffee and scone. The coffee there is top stuff. I enjoyed the snack, even with the small lake forming at my feet as my shoes emptied themselves of rainwater onto the floor. I won’t tell you how far we managed to cycle but let’s just say it was longer than a stones throw. It was only when I was washing the five pounds of mud off my bike when I found the cause of my problems. I must have hit a very sharp stone which punctured my Continental Ultra Gator Duraskin sidewall that, according to the manufacturer, has “a reinforced form and external protective shield over the entire casing to prevent cuts, punctures and abrasions”. Yeah right.
Better luck next time, I hope.
-Chuck
