Manic Monday

I was able to get out today in the fantastic weather and enjoy a little bike commute. Child #2 is staying with his grandma this week so my shuttle service is closed down for the week. The weather was a little brisk this morning when I hopped on the bike (I think it was around 45) but I warmed up quickly. Especially since I had a low back tire that I had to overcome until I got to the free air place. (I can't get over why people pay $.25 for air from an air pump. It's air people. If you are desperate, OK, but otherwise find a free place.) Then things rode a lot more nicely. On the way to work I noticed someone in front of me on their bike so I gave chase. (I thought it was my buddy from work riding in.) I couldn't catch them though. No surprise really, I'm as slow as molasses on my bike. (Turned out not to be him anyway so I don't know the mystery person was.)

It had warmed up for the ride home but it was still nice. I had to run an errand on the way home so I just went over there on my bike rather than go home and then drive. The ride home always goes more quickly than the ride to work. There are a few factors at work here:
1.) My muscles are a little more awake, and so am I.
2.) I'm usually more excited to go home than go to work.
3.) It's mostly downhill. (I think this factor is a big part of it)

Riding the trial home was a ton of fun. I was in a serious groove flying down the road and then the trail. There were tons of people to swerve around (but not so many to clog the trail down) and I was pumping hard and really moving. And on top of that I had a bunny in front of me to try to catch. It was great fun. It all came to a sudden end when I got to my destination and my tire went flat. It was kind of strange. I could hear the tire going flat when it happened and then the front tire got all squirrelly (word??) and then next thing I know it's history. After taking care of my business I head across the street to the QT for some free air hoping that I can fill it up and ride it home before it goes flat. No luck. As I'm pumping it I can feel the air leaving it as fast as it's coming in. I filled it up anyway and took off like my ass was on fire for home. I made it half a block. It was a long walk home.

I shouldn't be too upset. This is my first flat tire in the past 2 years that I've been riding a lot again. (I did one time destroy my rim that caused a flat tire but it also destroyed the entire rim, tire and tube, so I don't count that one) I think the leak is around the stem. Perhaps the stem came away from the tube. I don't know. When I got home I threw the bike in the garage. I'll deal with it later.

One of the blogs I read had a link to a story about Kent Peterson. I've read a lot about him. Check him out here. I thought this was an interesting new article about living car free, and having a family too. You can also do a Google Search for him because he has a ton of stuff on the net.

FGLB