Screw in the Road

I was going to put this on Facebook, but decided that I could do it much better justice in a blog. SO, here it goes. Here is all the embarrassing details of my lovely adventure that happened today. I hope you find it as humerus as I'm sure Josh will when I tell him we get to buy a new wheel ($200+ ) and tire ($70+) for my road bike. Sigh... I'm absolutely sure he'll adore me for this.

This week is my taper week for St George marathon and so I really have an excuse to be lazy. But the weather was so nice this weekend and supposed to be that nice all this week I couldn't resist the temptation of going for a ride in between my classes this morning to get out and enjoy the sun.

It was awesome. I left the U of U around 11 am and headed up Emigration Canyon. It was picturesque all the way up. Nice breeze, warm sun, cool 68 degrees. Loved it. I biked to the top of the hill overlooking Little Dell.

Little Dell overlook from the top of Emigration Canyon. Picturesque, right?

I have to get those awkward Selfies for your viewing pleasure.

It really was a perfect day.

Looking down the way I came. Beautiful clouds and fall colors

 I turned around with enough time to make it back (and then some) in time in order to teach cycling. The way back down was still beautiful, but a little more stressful. There was a narley head wind on the way down. Normally I'm hitting speeds of 30+ mph on the S curves and riding my brakes the whole way around turns but the winds were so strong I don't think I hit anything about 23mph. Which had its advantages on the steep turns. I ended up working quite hard to even get down the canyon with the winds and had to keep my heart from beating out of my chest every time the wind hit me from the side and almost knocked the wheels out from under me. (maybe I'm exaggerating a bit)

Anyways. I was passing the Hogle Zoo when I got an instant flat tire on my back tire. Thank goodness I still wasn't going very fast. But it happened so quickly and without even looking I knew something was stuck in my tire. So of course I pull off the road to assess.

Sorry its blurry, but my phone was dying and the screen was so dark
I couldn't see what I was taking a picture of really. 

Now I must insert here that while I typically make Josh do everything for me, I am fairly independent and typically change my own flats, and I'm pretty good at it. But when I looked at my tire I got worried I wouldn't be able to. I indeed had an object imbedded into my tire... and wheel for that matter. A SCREW! A f*ing screw! At first I was just sort of shocked and mad at the carelessness of people leaving dangerous debris in the roads. Then I became sort of panicky as I realized the screw was snug and I was having no success pulling it out.

Now, if you are smart, and not as flustered as I was at the time you might ask yourself... why didn't you try untwisting the screw? Well I did think of it. But I didn't think it would work as it was in there pretty deep, it had been forcefully compressed into the wheel, and in general I thought it would require such force that I would need a drill or something to get it out.

I sat there huffing for a second, frustrated and helpless knowing I couldn't change the tire unless I could get the screw out and that the school was not far, but too far to walk pushing a bike barefoot (I would have to take my cycling shoes off so I didn't ruin my cleats). SO I am not trying to sound like a baby... but I want you to really understand the whole situation I found myself in. My phone was on its last bar and is really old. SO of course it is frozen and I have to shut it down before I can even try calling for a ride. Then the battery power is so low the screen is on its dimmest setting so even in my shadow I could only barely see what I was doing well enough in order to call my friend (see Sadie, I think you are my friend ;)) who is sometimes hanging around the U at this time between classes to see if she could come pick me up. OF course she was at home in Park City. My phone dying I asked her to call the ESS Office (ESS department is where I work) and to let them know I may not make it back in time to teach my cycling class. Which I am grateful she did.

So still stuck on the side of the road I do what any desperate woman in spandex and a helmet would do (No Celita, Megan, and Melissa I did not do THAT) I stuck my thumb (and maybe my hip and bottom lip) out. Hoping some generous kind soul would transport me and my bike back to the U. I was only there for a few minutes when every car passed without even slowing down, oh and a really nice cyclist who was heading up the canyon yelled across the road if I needed help. Now I need you to understand that I was feeling very frustrated, and helpless and altogether stuck. If no one had stopped I had planned to cross the street to the Zoo, use their phones and call Josh, making him come get me. So maybe you know the feeling of all of sudden just losing it? Well, when the cyclist asked if I needed help I yelled yes and almost sobbed. I was sooo MAD at myself for becoming that "pathetic" person who gets emotional over such silly matters, because after all, eventually I would have found my way out of the mess. And yet I almost cried! Like how pathetic.

While the guy was very sweet and helpful I am positive I could hear his tone of voice being much softer and more consoling than what he probably would use. I am sure he was thinking. "This nutty girl, totallly doesn't know what she is doing" and "oh I must take care of the helpless weak one." Now, don't get me wrong. I do not mind someone helping me. But I was so mad at feeling helpless and then having to fight back tears that I really was almost angry with him being so helpful! Ha ha. Silly I know. Well he was helpful. He managed to un-screw... that's right he just unscrewed the Darn thing and I sat there feeling even more stupid and ridiculous. Ugh... really. It wasn't that hard now was it? Anyways. At this point my Supervisor at work calls me back and says she'll come pick me up. I tried telling this to the cyclist, but he insisted on changing my tire anyways. Don't get me wrong. I was really grateful for his help... but I was a little annoyed that he wouldn't let me change my own tire! ha granted like I said, he was just being polite and chivlarous and could tell I was really frustrated so I appreciate it. Especially since my tire is a pain in the arse to get back on once its off. But it was silly. My supervisor insisted she'd come get me and the cyclists insisted on fixing the flat so that I could ride back. Once again... I felt ridiculous and pathetic.

I did learn a cool trick though. Because I now had this great big hole in my tire if something else were to get in while riding it it would have punctured by tube leading to another flat instantly. The trick is to put a sturdy (thicker than paper) barrier between the tube and tire. Like a folded dollar bill. Cool right? The things you learn.

So my Sup picked me up and I raced off into the sunset (or the spin room) and managed to only show up 5 minutes late, without my indoor cycling shoes or my music... sigh :) the pains of being active.

It was worth it.