Pickin' up right where I left off!

I've had, like, ten flat tires in my bikin' life. Seven of them were in 2006. So, on my first ride on Ruby the WonderBike (a whopping 24 miles), it should come as no surprise that I also had my first flat of the season. I got way good at swapping tubes last year, so it was no problem, but the new tube started losing air, too - my quick inspection by the side of the road didn't find anything sharp in the tire, but once at home, I found a teensy little sharp-edged stone buried in the tread. Under pressure and flexing around while riding, it poked a wee hole in two tubes, in exactly the same place. I'll pretend that it's a Death Valley stone.

Naturally, my flat first showed up right by the rodeo cowboy part of the Double J Ranch. Naturally, I'm dressed like a freaky bumblebee - black leg warmers, black shorts, black arm warmers, yellow (2006 JDRF) jersey; heck, even my bike's black, and my shoes are black and yellow. And the truck people? They're all about offering help - tools, air, you name it. I love truck people. Cars and minivans lock their doors and avert their eyes in my presence. Trucks? "'Sup, man? You doin' OK? Need anything?" Cool.

And my laminate stuck down eventually. Hooray for clamps. Lots and lots of clamps.