Raketmensch

Had a pretty spectacular flat today... 47 miles into a solo century I ran over a nail. In one side of my rear tire and out the other. Whap-whap-whap-whap-hisssss. It was ugly, and it tore up the sidwall pretty good. But I used the old dollar-bill-inside-the-tire trick, and it worked like a charm.

(Not sure the dollar bill was such a good idea, though. Friend of mine says you should use a twenty, so you won't forget it's in there!)

Except for the nail, good ride. The time came in at 5:37, not including the time it took me to change the tire. The first 50 miles was pretty hilly, including two laps over the killer hill that was on the Eastern Collegiate Championships road race course awhile back. (I love that hill. 12% or so for about a mile, which is tough for me, but about 3/4 of the way up, just where I'm starting to feel really gassed, somebody has painted "Allez! Allez!" in the road. Gives me a boost every time. ) With all the climbing, the time for the first 50 miles was 2:57. The second 50 miles was gently rolling, and came in at 2:40. This was my second century, and the time was almost 45 minutes faster than my first one... it felt good.

The only other major excitement came somewhere around mile 90, in pouring rain, when I very nearly collided with a snapping turtle. Big sucker, right there on the side of the road. You know you're tired when your reaction time is so bad you can barely avoid hitting a turtle.

jppe

Great great ride. Doing that kind of time solo is simply amazing. Your 50/34-12/27 is just the ticket for you.

HopedaleHills

Rak,

Great ride, hats off to you. Where in upstate are you? I grew up in Ilion.

Tim

pastorbobnlnh 

Hitting a Snapper would be about the same as colliding with 40 lb. sack of hardened concrete that could take a bite out of your front tire that not even a $20 would fix! Glad you missed it! By 90 miles my reaction ability would have been a whole lot slower than the fastest turtle!

NOS88

"You know you're tired when your reaction time is so bad you can barely avoid hitting a turtle."


Sounds like a very memorable ride!

I always carry a three inch portion of an old inner tube with me to use for situations just like the one you described. I'm way too frugal to consider using money! I'd probably walk it to the end before I'd use a $20.

DnvrFox

Tyvek available free at your local post office. Lightweight and strong.

p8rider

Nice ride report! Congrats on such a good time for the ride!

Raketmensch

Sounds like a good idea. I also like Denver's Tyvek idea. Beyond that, I obviously oughta add a patch kit to my jersey-pocket gear, at least for longish rides. If I'd had another flat anywhere during the last half of that ride, the only option would have been to whip out the "electronic repair kit" and call the missus for a ride home.

stapfam

I know it is always adding to the overall weight carried, but Our tandem has a habit of shredding tyres. We always seem to pick up punctures at speed and by the time we have stopped- one tyre in tatters. We now carry a spare folding tyre as part of our repair kit on the damn thing. The folder along with the spare chains and chain tool- 2 spare tubes and repair kit- Rear quick release- as these have a habit of bending and a full complement of tools- means that if it would save us carrying that lot- I would use $50 as long as I could recover it after the ride. Mind you- the final resort is the "Electronic screwdriver" (For Dr. Who fans out there) to eliminate all these problems. Then there is the box of chocolates to placate the driver after recovery.