It Had To Happen.....
My first puncture on the trail and on my own, about 7 miles away from home. I'm not going to use that word again as I am told that it holds the same jinx power for cyclists as MacBeth holds for actors.
So! I'm on the North Downs Link on Sunday morning heading to Bramley with my usual package of tomatoes and evisaging a nice quiet run there and back before heading home to wake my other half and go out somewhere for the rest of the day. And so it was until I was about 3 miles the other side of Cranleigh. Coming towards me fairly constantly was a stream of cyclists wearing numbers and going at quite a pace.
I pulled over repeatedly as I thought they might be racing and I didn't want to slow them down as I was only pootling along, and some of their kids were going somewhat faster than was entirely safe! I was getting quite peeved after one of these junior cyclists literally ran me off the track as he was going too fast to be able to avoid me.
Shortly after that (possibly because of my repeated trips off the track and into the brambles, but maybe not) my rear tyre flattened with spectacular speed. I cursed. I was all alone and miles from home, also over a mile away from the closest legal route off the Downs Link.
Still, I had food, water, and as it was early in the day, all the time in the world to get myself sorted out. I pushed the bike until I found a nice patch of fairly flat ground off the main track, removed pannier, and turned bike upside down. After sitting for a while with the bike's manual and having a drink, I resolved to give it a go! I am always equipped with spare tube, patching kit, pump ect so I set to.
I then found out what probably most of you are familiar with, but is no particular issue until either you get home, or need to take a wheel off - a significant portion of it was liberally coated in dog poo. Not the rims or brake shoes though, thank god. It had also managed to get onto the part of the brake mechanism that I needed to use to open the brakes though. Praise be for Wet Wipes!! Quite a selection of these get carried in my First Aid Kit, and boy, were they welcome in this situation!
The (now clean) brakes were simple to open and the quick-release wheel came off easily. I was a little concerned as to how to remember how the chain went back on, but I had instructions, and was confident in being able to follow them.
So. I'm sat on the edge of the Downs Link and in the time it's taken me to get the wheel off maybe 50 cyclists have gone past me. I don't think to say anything as I still think they're racing, but I must say I was feeling apprehensive and a bit sorry for myself. Think how extreme was my thankfulness when a very sweet cycling couple pull up next to me and ask if I need any help. My face must have given the answer!
The rest is a lovely story of an obviously very experienced cyclist showing me how to patch and making it all look so easy. The hole patched well first time and there was nothing obvious in the tyre, or it had already come out when removing the tube. Both of our pairs of hands were liberally coated in mud and worse by the time we'd finished, and this super chap was delighted to hear I had Wet Wipes to hand, and we both managed to wash up very well. With a cheery wave, they then resumed their ride.
To think, he would have been prepared to ride all the way to Shorham and back covered in mud and poo. What a saint. As my Mother says, I have a unnatural amount of luck. My first p*ncture, and it just happens to be on the day that there is a Bramley-Shorham-Bramley charity ride.
This p*ncture was tiny, and would not have been an issue at all if I'd had sealant in my tubes. Almost as soon as I'd got home, 4oz of Slime sealant were injected into both tubes. I'm not having that happen again in a hurry!!!
So! I'm on the North Downs Link on Sunday morning heading to Bramley with my usual package of tomatoes and evisaging a nice quiet run there and back before heading home to wake my other half and go out somewhere for the rest of the day. And so it was until I was about 3 miles the other side of Cranleigh. Coming towards me fairly constantly was a stream of cyclists wearing numbers and going at quite a pace.
I pulled over repeatedly as I thought they might be racing and I didn't want to slow them down as I was only pootling along, and some of their kids were going somewhat faster than was entirely safe! I was getting quite peeved after one of these junior cyclists literally ran me off the track as he was going too fast to be able to avoid me.
Shortly after that (possibly because of my repeated trips off the track and into the brambles, but maybe not) my rear tyre flattened with spectacular speed. I cursed. I was all alone and miles from home, also over a mile away from the closest legal route off the Downs Link.
Still, I had food, water, and as it was early in the day, all the time in the world to get myself sorted out. I pushed the bike until I found a nice patch of fairly flat ground off the main track, removed pannier, and turned bike upside down. After sitting for a while with the bike's manual and having a drink, I resolved to give it a go! I am always equipped with spare tube, patching kit, pump ect so I set to.
I then found out what probably most of you are familiar with, but is no particular issue until either you get home, or need to take a wheel off - a significant portion of it was liberally coated in dog poo. Not the rims or brake shoes though, thank god. It had also managed to get onto the part of the brake mechanism that I needed to use to open the brakes though. Praise be for Wet Wipes!! Quite a selection of these get carried in my First Aid Kit, and boy, were they welcome in this situation!
The (now clean) brakes were simple to open and the quick-release wheel came off easily. I was a little concerned as to how to remember how the chain went back on, but I had instructions, and was confident in being able to follow them.
So. I'm sat on the edge of the Downs Link and in the time it's taken me to get the wheel off maybe 50 cyclists have gone past me. I don't think to say anything as I still think they're racing, but I must say I was feeling apprehensive and a bit sorry for myself. Think how extreme was my thankfulness when a very sweet cycling couple pull up next to me and ask if I need any help. My face must have given the answer!
The rest is a lovely story of an obviously very experienced cyclist showing me how to patch and making it all look so easy. The hole patched well first time and there was nothing obvious in the tyre, or it had already come out when removing the tube. Both of our pairs of hands were liberally coated in mud and worse by the time we'd finished, and this super chap was delighted to hear I had Wet Wipes to hand, and we both managed to wash up very well. With a cheery wave, they then resumed their ride.
To think, he would have been prepared to ride all the way to Shorham and back covered in mud and poo. What a saint. As my Mother says, I have a unnatural amount of luck. My first p*ncture, and it just happens to be on the day that there is a Bramley-Shorham-Bramley charity ride.
This p*ncture was tiny, and would not have been an issue at all if I'd had sealant in my tubes. Almost as soon as I'd got home, 4oz of Slime sealant were injected into both tubes. I'm not having that happen again in a hurry!!!
posted by Catherine at 18:30
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