Biker Beware

The monkeys spent the night out Friday and didn't need to be picked up until 4pm on Saturday. Warren had Kendo until noon. Me? I could clean the house...or ride my bike to the Farmer's Market. I chose the latter.

I woke up, hydrated, lathered myself in sunscreen, and hit the road around 9:30am. "Which way are you going to go?" Warren asked. "I don't know," I replied. I wanted to go down North Parkway; Warren suggested Jefferson. In the end, I just set off and let my wheels guide me.

I ended up going through the park, hitting Tucker, then riding Madison all the way downtown. Madison wasn't too bad. Most of the sidewalks sloped down at the corners and traffic was light. There were definitely some sketchy parts, but it wasn't bad. (Definitely not safe enough for the monkeys though.)

Once I hit Main Street I was so happy. There were pedestrians, other bikers, and even a guy on a skateboard. It was just so urban! The closer I got to the train station, the more alive Main Street became. I was so excited by the bustling streets, I decided to take the long way around the train station to the market. Half way down the block, I heard a sound. A swishy sound. Then I noticed that it was getting harder to peddle. I looked down and my tire was flat. I hopped off to investigate and soon discovered a nice chunk of glass in my tire.

Now what?

I actually took a bike repair class in the Peace Corps (where I had a PC issued Trek I only rode once), but that was 15 years ago, and I had no tools. "I'll just go to Midtown Bikes," I thought. I had actually planned to go there anyway and buy a basket, so no big. I walked my bike to the market so I could fill up my water bottle and maybe do some chatting, but once I was there I felt suddenly shy. And red. And hot. (Not red hot!) And thirsty. I freshened up, hydrated, and walked my bike over to the bike shop.

It was about 10:30am and the sign said the shop opened at 10am, but the "closed" sign hung in the window and the door was locked. A nice couple and their college-aged son were patiently waiting outside. They too had a flat tire. I hung out and chatted with them for a bit, went next door to Bluff City Coffee for an iced latte, then went back to waiting/chatting. In my mind I was formulating my backup plan should the shop never open. I figured I'd walk my bike to my office, take the trolley to Madison/Cleveland, then start walking or call Warren if it was after noon. Or I could just hang out in my office until Warren could fetch me. (I was sort of secretly hoping for this scenario since it was hot and I was tired!)

During the chatting, Fran, the dad/husband, insisted on giving me a ride home should the shop never open, but luckily that wasn't necessary. Daniel, the owner, rolled up on his bike at about 10:45am. By then there were at least ten people anxiously waiting to get in to buy bikes, gear, and whatnot. It was actually kind of awesome. Fran had taken me under his wing and insisted Daniel fix my bike first (which was fine by me). He also helped me pick out a basket for my bike. Once he got busy chatting with everyone else in the store, Daniel started chatting me up about Warren and the kids. (Aw, he remembered me!)

In no time I had a new tire, a new basket, and a few new friends. So what if I didn't get any produce or goat cheese this week! Reinvigorated I hopped on my bike and headed home. This time I took Vance to Cleveland, then meandered through Central Gardens, to McLean, then Madison to Tucker, and back to the park. There was debris everywhere and I was trying really hard not to get another flat, so I ended up riding in the street a lot rather than on the sidewalk. It was okay, but damn, wouldn't a bike lane be awesome?? Is it too much to ask?

I got home around 12:15pm and went right for the shower. My face was caked with street scum! Once clean, and cooled off, I realized I was famished. Warren was home by then, so we decided to go to India Palace for the buffet.

"Want to ride bikes?" he asked.

Want to guess what my response was?