This morning’s bike ride was three rides in one, a 3.4-mile escort ride (riding alongside my wife while she ran) at an average pace of 5.7 mph, a 12-mile ride to the coffee shop at an average speed of 13.3 mph, and a 16-mile ride from the coffee shop to home at an average speed of 16.2.
Can you guess which ride I enjoyed the most?
While riding from the coffee shop to home, which would be the third ride and the fastest ride, I hit a large rock that was in the middle of the bike lane. Being biker number four in a five-man pace line, I could not see the rock. I wish I had, because my front tire (new Continental Gatorskins) flattened almost immediately. We figured out that it was a pinch-flat.
Fortunately, there was an experienced rider behind me, Sandy S., so I felt comfortable yelling back to him that I had a flat, and that I was coming to a stop. At the time, we were traveling somewhere between 18-20 mph on a main thoroughfare with a high volume of traffic.
Because of safety concerns, I could not take my hands off of my handle bar to give a hand signal. All I could do was to yell back to Sandy that I was slowing and then stopping. As it was, with the front tire being 100% flat, it felt like I had very little control of the steering.
Five minutes later, we were back in the lane again ready to cross one of the most dangerous intersections/bridges in South Broward County – Griffin Road and Interstate 75. With a deceleration-ramp and an on-ramp adjacent to the bike lane, you have to know that it took nerves of steel and a great deal of alertness to make it across that bridge in one piece.
Who led us across that bridge, anyway?
Anyhow, if you selected the first ride as my favorite, the one where I was riding alongside my wife while she ran, you guessed correctly. Sorry, no prize!
Have a happy Wednesday!
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