How long did it take you to get home on that?
Amazed this morning to awake just on time after nine glorious hours of uninterrupted sleep - can't remember the last time that happened
Temperatures higher and sky bright I opted for the full journey today for the first time this year; leaving on-time-ish and heading into town on the road. Seems my optimism about the state of the roads due to the higher temperatures was mis-placed and as others have found it's still very slippy out there.
The roads / routes seem potentially more treacherous than past days as the ice is a lot less visible and manifest in new areas; the dusting of crushed snow on the drive having disappeared and been replaced by a much less obvious but far more treacherous coating of ice.
Still… the roads were deliciously quiet, the air temp far less biting than it’s been and all was fine as I plodded on carefully; mindful that the areas I’d previously learned to be safe were now very likely not.
While I’d made good time as I reached town I felt that miserable feeling of the rear tyre getting soft, and sure enough I’d picked up another f*cking puncture.
Fortunately I was pretty close to the covered market so pushed the bike the rest of the way, scored some sausages and set about sorting the situation in the relative warmth of the largely deserted shopping area.
While punctures are never fun I was really lucky with the timing of this one – the higher temps meaning I could actually feel my fingers, the shelter and conspicuously clean floor of the market making the job tolerable and my preparedness allowing for as fast-a-turnaround as possible.
Bike flipped and hoods / saddle protected by the emergency towel and placcy bag always carried in the panniers, tyre off easily (thanks Schwalbe!) and puncture identified pretty quickly by inflating the tube and listening for leaks whilst rotating it past my ear.
The corresponding area of the tyre was inspected to reveal a thorn poking through the carcass; removed cleanly with my ever-useful pocket knife.
Replacement tube in, rear wheel reassembled and fitted after several-hundred lashes from the mini pump, everything slung back on the bike and I was on my way again – now about fifteen minutes late.
I'd brought the camera in the hope of getting some nice shots on the tow path, however I took the most direct route through town in the interest of time; arriving predictably late but it could have been worse.
While frustrating I find the thorn easier to deal with since it can be dismissed more as an “act of god” than the result of someone else’s selfishness / stupidity (as with the broken beer bottle that got me last month). We’ll not think too hard about the council’s hedge-trimming policy...
Sausage consumed and having nearly ended up on my arse on fresh ice at work (ironically when off the bike), I suppose I’d best get the tube patched. Finger’s crossed a “warm” day bins off most of the ice before it’s time to go home…
EDIT: Today the cycling gods evidently took pity on me with a need to see a client in the city, so after a run out into a brutal headwind I got a bit of time on the tow path on the return leg for a welcome six extra miles to add to the day's total
