Yes, I am hard on myself. But I am beyond frustrated!
For the last month, I have flatted nearly every ride. I have gone through two tubulars, and several tubes and two bike remain 'unrideable'. today was NO different!
Oh.... so pissed! Saturday mornings are humilating enough. I get a GOOD warm up before I meet the boys at the bridge. The Dane & Dutch seem to come regularily now. They seem to push the speed a little higher then Alex and I have yet to 'stick' for a reasonable amount of time. Today's strategy was to get in the front 1/3 of the pack before it speeds up. This way I can speed gradually rather then have them come from behind me and fail to get on. They ride super slow out past the red bridge intersection. We pick up Saigon Velo and Tu Probike clubs. Once they join and we go to the main road, the attacks start. I gain speed with the pack, but there isn't a pack, it is a very long line... I try and try to catch a wheel, but continuously fail. I manage to hold onto the back for a bit, and through scarey intersection. A group of6 or 7 start to fall out. I am already going 49 and solo... no wheel, but try to get on to the group of riders that didn't give up. I catch the back of their wheel and after the red bridge and through the toll booth,
POP!
I was SO mad! SO SO SO MAD! The boys were out of my reach by then, but I never stop trying!
Well, because I have high rimmed wheels, I have to have either a tube extender OR extra long nozzled tubes. I have NEITHER with me as we have NO extra long nozzles (wonder how many times I ask for these but reassurred we don't need them) and of course, our extender is broken....
I am SCREWED!
Its a long walk home, a solid 10km. I guess the beauty of our small riding area is I am at most 15km from home. I cross the Nguyen Van Linh and have banked a whopping 19km! Hey!
Thanks to the awesome guys, many stopped to see if I was okay. I shoo'd them away as I know the riding is bad and, I knew this could happen, just get a taxi, go home.
Eventually, one guy stopped. He INSISTED to try... he flagged down several others... between the efforts of three, and someone who had the correct tube, I got my flat changed!
THANK YOU! I proceed to finish my 90km ride.
Average speed was quite slow as it accounted for 15 minutes of walking my bike. When I took that out of the equation, it wasn't horrible, but all of a sudden Gjermund got faster. Great for him, but being an expat wife... he's got the life... I am the wife! My career is... well, NOT flourishing... cycling was the ONE thing I had....
I have to figure out how to stay int eh group (or the scattered line when it speeds beyond 50)....
Coming home from break, I stepped ont he scale, a whopping 135pounds! OMG, I haven't been this heavy for YEARS... (62kg). Those damn pills I have to take to keep my period under control seem to want to keep me plump!
So, I am really frustrated. I need some encouragement... and liquid isn't the kind I am after.
1 comment:
What a sport you are! Keep it up! Just think about what if you didn't even ride? The weight that would show on the scale because of the meds would have been worse. You are doing great. Hanging on a single profile that was going bryand 50 kph? I think only Cat 3 women, probably Cat 2 could do that. I would have been thrilled if I could!
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