It was a normal day. I was getting ready for my bike ride. But this time I was meeting my partner on the trail, because she had driven her car to the gym and was riding back to get me, and then we'd ride back to the gym together on our bikes. Easy enough. Getting ready to go for a ride for me was beginning to become a process in itself. There's the sports bra, the padded undies, the helmet, the gloves, the water bottle preparation, turning on the rear light that blinks, my sunglasses, getting my music situated and finally my new toe clipped shoes.
A word about the toe clipped pedals and shoes. I finally gave in and upgraded myself and what a difference it makes, I go so much faster, and it's so much more efficient riding with toe clips. Of course that being said, there is a learning curve. Not only getting clipped in, but getting yourself out of the clips. First getting in, it's like blindly putting puzzle pieces in with your feet, while riding a bike. But after doing it a few times, it's almost second nature and you can find the sweet spot almost immediately. Getting out can be a little trickier. Sometimes you might even forget your clipped in, and just try to instinctively put your foot down, only to realize too late that you're attached to the pedal. It's a quick heel swing out, to get out, but sometimes remembering this can come too late, as you're laying on the ground, still one with your bike.
Anyway, back to the ride, I was dressed. Music was ready. Water bottled filled. Gloves, shoes, and helmet on. I was ready to pack the bike down the stairs and start the route to meet my partner and head to the gym. Nothing out of the ordinary until I actually got on the bike, I was even immediately able to clip into the pedals. And this would later be my downfall. Or at least part of my problem.
As I tried to pedal, the wheels wouldn't rotate. It felt like I was riding in several feet of mud. I suddenly realized my front tire was flat and I needed to get off my bike. No problem. I went to put my foot down, but (you see what's happening here?) I realized too late I am clipped into my pedals. I start going down and it feels like slow motion. As I meet the decorative bark in front of the main office to our condos, I thought, "Of all the times to be perfectly clipped in, why when I have a flat?" I hit the ground hard. Tiny pieces of bark were stuck in my shorts, my shirt and my knee. I sat there for a moment, plucking my feet out of the pedals. I cursed myself. I cursed the bike. I cursed the decorative bark I was lying in.
I drove to the rendezvous point, bleeding and extracting debris from my clothes and my leg. My partner rides up, "What happened?" I rolled my eyes, "I had a flat tire and couldn't get out of my pedals." She stared at my knee for a moment and said, "Are you ok?" Yeah. Great. "I'm fine," I grumbled. I could tell she had something else to say to me. I waited impatiently. Finally she came out with it, "You know you should always pinch your tires before a ride." And there it was. I could have killed her right there on the trail. It was so obvious and yet it completely escaped me. Pinch your tires before a ride. Yes. Incredibly helpful advice coming from someone with two inflated tires.
I learned a few things that day, including the need to pinch my tires in my daily life. I mean that we have to be ready for all the flat tires that might come our way and then be able to laugh if we can't get out of our clips fast enough to not land in dirt. And if we do land in dirt? Get up, dust off, and roll on down the trail. Or in my case, have your partner fix the flat and ride the next day after your ego has recovered.
