This was a memorable ride but, unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons!
Six of us set off from Guildford and tackled the stiff climb up The Mount in steady rain with water gushing and gurgling downhill on either side of us! Yet more water, in the form of giant puddles the full width of the track, awaited us on the cycle route from Compton to Puttenham. Despite the deluge we still made it to lunch at Wetherspoons in Aldershot in good time.
Richard had had a tyre problem en route and the natural thing to do was to lend him my spare tyre - I always have a spare with me but haven't actually used one in anger for several years. He soon had it fitted and we set off for Guildford. Imagine my surprise and dismay, then, when, a few miles later, my own front tyre exploded with a loud report leaving a gaping hole in the sidewall! What are the chances of that happening! All was not completely lost as I did still have an emergency tyre boot (a piece of toothpaste tube) with me, but the position of the hole on the sidewall was very close to the bead, and it was only possible to just about contain a new inner tube at very low pressure inside the damaged tyre. It was that bad that the bulge struck the forks every time the wheel rotated!
After a brief deliberation I led the others towards a short distance towards Ash and pointed them towards Guildford, then turned back myself and rode very gingerly (and with no front brake) a mile or so towards Ash Vale station, from where I was able to get a train home. What a thing to happen on what an awful day! That's the joy of cycling!
Anyway, thanks to Tim, John, Richard and the other two Daves for your company, and I look forward to hearing about the rest of your ride, and thanks to Tim for the map.
1 comment:
Very magnanimous of you Dave, to give over your spare tyre to Richard, thanks also for leading us to the Guildford road, with a lame wheel. Nothing else untoward happened during the
ride back to Guildford, or on the rest of the cycle journey home.
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