I thought I was going to ride today

There are days that the Gods of cycling smile upon the Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance. The clouds part and sun shines down upon us and it seems that the roads are all downhill, the traffic is low and the only worry is ensuring your front tire stays between the lines.

Today was not one of those days.

I was more than stoked about getting a ride in on my way to work, meaning I wanted to take the long way. Wind around the trails, take things easy and put some miles on the new tires. My plan was to leave around 9:30, drop down my road to the bike path and then wander as far as I could so I would arrive at the shop with just enough time to hit the shower and be there at 11.

I started gathering my things a little before 9 had ticked by. Food into the backpack, warmer gloves just in case, the normal things just started to stack in nicely. Then I remembered I hadn’t washed my pan from breakfast. No worries, I still had plenty of time. Ended up washing all the dishes. Started looking for my shoes, found those. I got everything gathered and I realized I didn’t have my beanie. Seeing that I had recently shaved my head, this was kind of a big deal.

For those of you cursed with a full head of hair, you have no idea what it is like to be without. Sure when it’s warm it’s nice to not have any insulation up there, but as soon as the temperature drops it sucks. I’ve actually gotten brain freezes from riding my bike without a skull cap in the winter, in St. George. Yup, it’s serious.

So not finding my beanie was a big deal. It was really starting to piss me off because I had also just purchased a new one because my last three had gone missing. I won’t point any fingers…

My 9:30 start time came. And went and I still hadn’t found my beanie. I was getting perplexed. My brain was struggling to comprehend how much cycling gear was in the house and I couldn’t find a fucking hat. I’m sure I was stamping my feet as I began to dig down through my closet, when I pulled out a skull cap that I had never used. It was given to me by the Q at Frostbike and I have never even put it on. Score!

I checked the clock and it was now 9:50. I guess I won’t be doing that much wandering.

Out the door I went stoked that I would finally be pedaling. I coasted down the hill to the dog pound and cut through the driveway which is my super secret way to access the bike path. There was still a little snow on the ground and the sky was grey. But I didn’t care, I was riding.

Seeing that I ride doesn’t actually happen until it is properly documented on social media, I took a break to snap a photo. Feeling pretty high about my ride. I pulled back onto the path standing up to get some moment. And then it happened, all the air was let out of my sail and also out my rear tire.

Seeing that I am a professional mechanic, I grabbed the tube (wrong size) out of my saddle bag, put a little air noticing the valve was way too short. I pulled the old tube out and inspected for thorns, couldn’t find any. Using my one Co2 cartridge I inflated the tire and put it back on my bike. Then I checked my watch. It was now 10:15 and I was 1.5 miles from my house. I could risk the rest of the ride without a spare tube or turn around and go home.

I was feeling pretty deflated at this point, so I went home.