Let me tell you a story:
The "Gab Brothers" indicated interest in doing Bahama Beach on Sunday.
They inquired as to my opinion on a "weather window".
I checked the weather forecasts:
- WRAL showed 60 to 70% chance of precip for all hours on Sunday,
- weather dot gov showed 50% on the day, but I could find no hour-by-hour info,
- weather dot com showed 10% for the morning, rising to 20 & 30% later in the day.
I'd informed Ricochet a few days earlier that I intended BB @ 0800 on Sunday.
0800 seemed as good or better than any other options, so
That is what I suggested to the "Gab Brothers".
Then I retired early for the night.
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At 0600 this morning, I could see stars.
Seemed weather dot com had been correct.
(Jumping ahead -- as I type this, it still appears that weather dot com was correct.)
With the weather dot com forecast, and the stars visible at 0600,
I was sure at least some would be at Bay Leaf at 0800.
I did NOT check my e-mail.
Why bother?
We're "talking" randonnuers here.
They'll certainly be there.
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I decided to change my rear tyre since the profile on same was so incredibly FLAT.
Did that this morning since I had plenty of time.
But when I went to throw a leg-over, I realized that I had forgotten to pump up the tube.
Put a little air in, I could hear the tube "crinkling" and moving about.
I let the air out. Then started pumping up again.
Got to around 50 lbs pressure and heard the tube "crinkling" and adjusting inside the tyre again.
Went to let the air out and BANG !! -- sounded like a gunshot.
RATS !!
Not enough time to change tyre again, and make it to Bay Leaf by 0800.
So ... I drove to the CVS at Bay Leaf, arriving at 0750.
No one there.
Deep sigh.
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Drove the 2-kms to PUE so I'd have a better situation in which to change the flat.
As expected, the gunshot tube is WAY beyond patching.
The spare tube I've been carrying -- I confirmed that it had a hole.
Patched with one of those postage-stamp sized temp-patches.
(Since I'm out of permanent patches.)
Using the flat of the rear bumper of my CRV as a bench to get the patch near perfect.
Inserting the patched tube into the tyre,
Suddenly LT says "hello" from two feet away.
In my concentration, I had heard neither him nor Red Rocket ride up.
LT thought I was going to have a coronary on the spot.
(Well, if I had, at least he is a trained / certified EMT.)
Chatted for a moment or two while I continued to insert tube in tyre.
They invited me to ride with,
But I wasn't sure I was in the mood to ride with anyone, and
I didn't want anyone else to be effected if the temp-patch failed.
LT and RR left.
Must have left PUE at about 8:51 am
(based on how long it took me to do the ride I did and when I finished).
Rode past the CVS at Bay Leaf at 8:54 (I was fast from PUE to the CVS); still no one there.
I rode west on Norwood, and at some point decided to do a modified "TT" / cadence route.
20.3 miles in 1h08 (and change).
Rounds to 17.8 mph -- fastest ride since Jun-30-2010.
Lemon-aid.
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Mar-25:
PUE: Norwood-Hickory-CP-Panoramic-U-turn-CP-MVC; 20.3 m.; 1h08 in-motion; 17.8 mph.
Jan tot: __6 rides; __426.2 m.; _28 h, 52 m; 14.8 mph.
Feb tot: __6 rides; __591.0 m.; _40 h, 15 m; 14.7 mph.
Mar tot: _10 rides; __593.1 m.; _39 h, 35 m; 15.0 mph.
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[edit Mar-26: By 8 pm, i.e., 10 hours after completion of the above ride, the tyre / tube in question was completely flat. Aargh.]
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