John Lennon was right

"Instant karma's gonna get you"

Wednesday afternoon when Wingman got home we got the bikes out and went for a ride. We were about 9 miles in and cruising along (with an awesome tailwind) when I noticed a rock in my path. I got the front wheel out of the way but the back wheel went over the rock. Next thing I hear is that god-awful hissing sound. Yep, another flat. I got off the bike and started swearing like a sailor. This is my 3rd flat this season. I am getting to be quite good at changing flats. I was prepared to do it blindfolded. I pulled my spare tube out and took one look and started swearing again. The valve stem was too short!! I was riding my deeper rim wheel (60mm) and the spare tube I had on me was a 60mm stem. I needed an 80mm. Crap!! At this point Wingman rode home to get the car and come back to get me. I had to kill time at the side of the road. I knew it would take him 30 minutes to get home and another 10 to drive back.

For Wingman it was a brutal ride back because he had a headwind. So I took out my blackberry and surfed the web and sent some text messages. I was near the old Grumman facility so there is nothing around to do. So I picked up some rocks and threw them at a sign on the fence. My aim was improving so I don't think I lost much of my throwing arm over the years ;-)

I did notice one thing, of all the cars that passed by, only two stopped to see if I was OK. I didn't really care because I wasn't trying to flag them down. But the one that disturbed me the most was the Riverhead Police car that drove right by. You could clearly see that my bike was in two pieces (bike and wheel) on the shoulder of the road and I am standing around. So from now on, if Riverhead Police send any fundraising PAL stuff to the house, right into the shredder it goes. I could understand the cop not stopping if his lights were flashing or if he was driving really fast to give the illusion of going somewhere important. Nope, none of the above.

Wingman finally arrived and we loaded up the bike into the back. We drove straight to the bike shop to pick up a spare tube. When I got home I took care of the wheel.

I must have done something in a previous life to warrant this barrage of flat tires. Yep, "instant karma's gonna get you, gonna knock you right in the head.........."

But the good news is, the Tour de France starts today. We've become addicted to watching cycling on TV.