Hangups

I'm not quite ready to call it quits but it's not looking good.

The last time I rode my bicycle was on Saturday, October 23. I had planned a 53-kilometre circuit that would take me from Barrhaven to Manotick, down to Kars, west to North Gower, and then back to Barrhaven by roads that are west of Highway 416. It was cool in the late afternoon but I was dressed properly for the ride and, as long as I kept moving, I was warm.

Century Rd.

It's quite the coincidence that my tire blew out almost exactly where I had stopped, only a few days earlier, to take a photo of the long shadow that I had cast as I cycled the same route at approximately the same time of day. On both rides, I came to a stop on the side of Century Road, not far from the wedding and events hall seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

Unlike the stop from before, I was unable to continue my journey on this cool October day.

I don't know how long I had been able to travel from the time I rolled over the glass shard until the pressure in my tube was low enough to alert me. But as soon as I knew I had a flat, I pulled over. On a quick inspection of the tread, I discovered that the glass was sizable and had cut a wide slash across the tire.

I always carry a spare tube but I don't have room for a spare tire, and this tire was no longer usable. To simply replace the tube wouldn't have helped me. Shortly after rolling again, the new tube would push its way through the slit and I would again be with another flat.

As far as I got.

I called DW and told her where I was. For the third time this cycling season, she'd have to come and rescue me. I told her where I was and from our previous rides, she knew where the events hall was. She was 15 to 20 minutes away from me.

"Please hurry," I said, before we hung up. "I'm sweaty and now that I'm not moving, I'm already feeling cold." The sun was fast-approaching the horizon and dipping behind some distant clouds. It was doing nothing to help warm me.

I walked the hundred metres or so to the events hall and leaned by bike against a bollard in the parking lot, which was filled with vehicles. Obviously, an event was underway. A member of the kitchen staff was standing at the side of the building, next to a door that was slightly ajar, enjoying a smoke break. I felt for the N95 mask that was sealed in a package in one of my back pockets, which I kept on me for emergency purposes. If I got too cold, perhaps the staff would let me come in to warm myself.

But that was an action of last resort, I told myself.

DW called me back. "I'm on the road," she said. "I have a jacket for you and the heat is turned up in the car. What's the fastest way to you?"

"Longfields to Prince of Wales, and then right onto Century Road after you cross over the 416."

"That's what I thought," she said. I'm about 10 minutes or so away."

Already, I was doing jumping jacks and marching on the spot to stay warm. I had leg warmers and toe covers, and a thin-wool, long-sleeved sweater under my cycle jersey. I remembered my gloves but had forgotten to put a toque under my helmet, and my head was cold, which seemed to wick the warmth from me. My sweaty clothes were starting to chill me.

I looked back to the smoking guy but he had gone back inside. Looking toward the main doors, I could see a uniformed staff member looking out at me. Would she let me stand in the vestibule if need be?

Century Road is not a busy farm road, with a few houses close to Prince of Wales Drive. During my wait, only three cars passed by the event hall, the occupants looking at me and my bike, seemingly wondering why I was jumping up and down.

DW was the fourth car to approach the hall. As soon as she stopped next to me, she jumped out of the car with my jacket in hand. "Put this on. I've had the heater blowing on it."

My teeth were already chattering. I removed the front tire and mounted the front fork of the bike onto an assembly that we had built for the cargo area of our CR-V. With all of my equipment loaded, I hopped into the front passenger seat. DW had already set the seat warmer to high. "Drink your water," she said, "you need to stay hydrated."

This ride had me thinking that it might be my last of the season. We still had some nice days ahead, but I wondered about any further problems that might stop me part-way through a ride. Would I be too cold to change a tire? How much light would I have left after a stop? I told myself that I would fix the blowout and play it by ear for the rest of the week.

I didn't try to change the tire until Friday, and the tire was so stubborn in coming off that I had to take it to a shop for them to repair it. Afterward, I was psyched to go riding but the wind was gusting up to 40 kph, and I wasn't feeling it.

Instead, I rode for 34 kms on my spin bike.

I'd love to ride again but I don't know if that option is in the cards. Rain and blustery wind are predicted for most of this week and there's even the possibility of flurries. This weekend, Daylight Savings ends, which means that the sun sets around the time that I finish work, and there could be frost on the roads in the morning, making conditions hazardous.

I've hung our bikes onto the ceiling in our garage. Our kayaks are also hung up (as they always are when they're not in use) and I've removed the roof racks from our Niro. It appears that our outdoor activities are wrapping up for the year. It'll be back to pedalling indoors and swimming (although, DW has been swimming for weeks already).

Lots of clutter, yet plenty of room for our SUV.

I'm hopeful that I get one last good day, this week, for riding outdoors. Maybe, we'll even have a weekend where I can sneak in an afternoon ride. But for now, the bikes and kayaks remain indefinitely hung up.