I got up at about 8:30, and rode my bike up and down Kent street to see if my tube was going to pop before riding all the way out to Carborro. So far, so good, but I can’t help being a little worried.
I arrived in Carborro at the Food Lion off 54 in time to ride my bike, again, this time a couple of times around the huge shopping, without incident. When Joe arrived, I gave him one of my new tubes to replace the one he’d loaned me. I asked him, if we got separated during the training ride, to please check his cell phone voice mail when he got back, before heading back to Raleigh. Because if I got a flat, I wasn’t going to put another tube in since it would probably mean that I had missed a sharp spot in the rim, which would just blow another tube.
We ended up doing the entire ride together, though, which was great. I guess, finally, probably around halfway through the route, I really stopped worrying about my tube popping. I guess those two spots were all there were, and that’s what caused the other two tubes to pop. Yippee! Now, I’m not only a cyclist, I’m a bike mechanic. 😉
THE TRAINING ROUTE
– We met at the Food Lion off Highway 54 in Carrboro, the same place we met on March 22nd. I like this route. Hopefully the road kill out here has gotten a little less big, and a little less ugly.
WHAT I LEARNED
– My repair job very well may have fixed the “root cause” of my problem. I took a “pre-ride” up and down my street before heading all the way to Carrboro to make sure my tube wasn’t going to pop. I also did a couple of loops around the shopping center parking lot when I got to Carrboro.
– The squealing noise that happened when I first applied my breaks during the ride today may have been the breaks rubbing up against that nice electrical tape on my back rims.
– It’s very comforting to have a fellow rider stay with you the entire ride once you’ve “jury-rigged” your tire. I finally stopped worrying about whether my tube was going to pop at about 20 miles into the ride.
WHAT HURT
– My thighs.
HOW I FEEL
– I was very tired after this ride today. It seemed harder than the last time we did it. We had headwinds today, and that if we have had them in the past, I hadn’t noticed them.
– Good about the possibility that I’ve repaired the damage to the rim that was causing the tube tears.
– Like I might should buy a new back tire rim, especially to use on the ride, and keep this one for a back-up.
I stopped by UNC Hospital on the way home to visit Robert at work. He had a lady with [caps lock] drama in his office. She did go on and on — about a power of attorney and someone in her family being locked up in the psych ward. Perhaps, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Robert came out of the office to check something, and he saw me sitting there, though I didn’t see him. Shortly after that, he stuck his head out another door and said, “Mr. Martin? I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Come on back.” We visited for a while, which was nice.
I stopped by work on the way back, and did Rob’s taxes, prepared Jeane’s to mail in, and copies to mail to her in Houston. I also “got organized.”
I left work at about 5:15, stopped by home and showered, and head right out to Steve’s to meet him, Brian, and Will for a cookout. It was almost all ready when I arrived. Brian was at the grill, finishing up the shrimp, the ribeyes were all cooked, and Steve was buttering the bread. It was all so delicious. I passed on the strawberry shortcake for dessert, not because I have some great willpower, but because I don’t care for fresh strawberries, and I didn’t need it. I overate at the meal.
I left at about 7:30, and straightened up and vacuumed the house before Robert arrived. We went over his taxes, and then MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMed. Life is good.