Started my morning off with trying to tune my front der that wouldn't shift into the higher gear, took off for the 14mi ride to school and still couldn't get the thing into the big boy gear. Finally did but the chain was rubbing so I shifted down and threw the chain! Stopping to put it back on, I frustratedly cursed as I had just greased and cleaned the front der...shouldn't be doing this I thought. Thought about turning around but pressed on, only to realize the full extent of my problem-the left crank arm had come loose! Because of this the chain ring on the other side was sliding outward and making the shift impossible.

I stopped, cursed a few times, then went to work with my allen key (thank GOD I brought it today!). Some guy with a SWEET moustache riding one of the nicest trek's I've ever seen stopped by and asked if I had all the tools I needed, I confirmed but he stayed to hold my bike up while I worked on it anyway. It was really nice to have someone there to reaffirm that I was fixing my bike (and not just making things worse) and to chat with to keep my grounded and not get all pissy about it. Once I had everything back in working order we parted ways and I hauled serious butt to make it to class on time (was only 2 min late!). Overall a mentally and physically challenging ride but I'm glad I didn't just stop and call someone to pick me up, plus the weather was gorgeous!