Day 4 – Towson to Annapolis

(Finally catching up on the blog after a few late nights…)

When things go wrong, you sometimes get lucky.

I headed out of Towson with two other riders. One had checked his tire pressure that morning and it was really low. So he pumped up the tires to the maximum amount listed on the tire sidewalls.

Bad idea. The tires, it turned out, were old and cracking (but somehow not spotted by the bike shop that did the pre-ride check). We were just a couple of miles into the ride when one blew. Not badly, but there was a cut on the sidewall, and the inner tube had a puncture.

So we pulled over and were just starting to haul out the tools when a guy biked by in the other direction. And as many cyclists do when they see someone pulled over, he called out to see if we were OK or needed anything.

Amazingly, the two guys said we’re not sure. (First clue that I probably have more experience fixing flats than this pair.)

So Ross hit the brakes, came over and took charge. Turns out he’s a bike mechanic (and full-time student and on a local racing team), and he diagnosed the problem behind the flat in an instant. This bike clearly needed new tires if it was going to get its rider to Fredericksburg. Ross got the bike rideable and we headed to the shop where he works (which wasn’t supposed to open for at least another 90 minutes). Between him and Mike, we were back in business pretty quickly. Better yet, we were only a few blocks off the East Coast Greenway route.

So thanks, Twenty20 Cycling!

Author: alliumstozinnias

A gardener (along with the Brit) who has discovered there is more than hybrid tomatoes. And a cyclist. View all posts by alliumstozinnias