Just a short entry to note our longish ride last Saturday — 60 miles and change.  Experienced a tire miracle: my front tire was flat in the morning, before the ride; I inflated it and hoped for the best; it stayed inflated through the whole ride, whereas like a dozen members of our team had flats; and then, after I got back home, it went flat again.  I’ve now replaced the outer tire (not just the flattened inner tube), as the woman at Mike’s Bikes thought that the holes in the previous one were allowing the flats somehow (there had been many unwanted deflations in that front wheel, none — knock wood — so far in the rear).  The old me (circa a few months ago) would have asked her to change the tire for me; but the current me, grizzled several-month cycling veteran that I am, calmly rode home with it slung over my shoulder and put it on myself.

Other than the tire magic, the ride confirmed for me that I am a slow but steady rider, whom most everyone else passes but who so far has gotten to the end eventually.  I see the other riders as they pass me — strong, usually happy, despite their lifely concerns.  I don’t feel left behind — rather, I feel that I am behind them all the way.  I guess that’s what teamwork can do for you.

You can support my upcoming century ride — and thus join the fight against blood cancers — by making a contribution on my TNT fundraising page.