The Morning Flat

I pulled the bike down from its hook and it landed on the basement floor with a sound I know all too well.  The rear tire was flat as a pancake. I hate when that happens in the morning.  With no time to change tubes I swapped it out for a race wheel and Danielle and I headed out on the wet streets to meet the Tulane group for an easy coffee ride. A little front had moved through overnight, and judging by all the puddles in the road, the rain must have ended only a couple of hours earlier. On the plus side, the temperature was in the mid-50s.

We were heading north on Marconi under an overcast but brightening sky when I felt my front tire go flat. It was completely flat within a minute, but I nursed it the last could hundred yards to the corner at Robert E. Lee so I could stop and change it on the sidewalk. I sent the rest of the group ahead since it would easy to meet them on their way back down Lakeshore Drive. A quick swipe of the tire with my gloved hand immediately found the offending piece of sharp glass, so a few minutes later I was back on the road.

Coming back into town from the lake on Marconi, the traffic was pretty bad. Marconi is picking up all of the commuter traffic that used to take Wisner, and the corner where it meets the Harrison Avenue traffic is now getting awful. Just as we were approaching it and contemplating whether to try for the difficult left turn or stay in the right lane amidst the impatient rush hour drivers, Katie flatted. Nothing like freshly wet streets to guarantee a couple of flats!

We ended waiting out two light cycles to make the left onto Harrison and then cut through the park to Esplanade and, finally, Fair Grinds and a cup of coffee.

This afternoon the sun is out and I guess the temperature is near 70, but it's supposed to be back down to 50 by tomorrow morning, and then in the 40s for the weekend mornings. There's an NOBC northshore ride on Sunday that I'll probably do, although the Tulane crew is doing a ride that day up around Independence. Things are finally moving on the Tulane Cycling Classic race preparations, so that's good.  On Saturday I have the annual LAMBRA meeting. I hope people show up for it. Things have kind of been on autopilot for the last year or so and it's time for maybe some new enthusiastic officers.  We have to decide whether to make some changes in the bylaws to have an elected Board or stick with the status quo where the Board is composed of one representative from each member club.  It's not really a problem as it is, but I can see some possible issues down the road.