Crusty Cassette

After last Sunday's five flats in a group of 10 riders, I've been watching the shoulders and edges of the bike path more closely than usual.

I did get one flat this week but it was a piece of glass I picked up somewhere between the Casino and the weigh stations. It had rained pretty good in the morning and may have stirred up some debris.

With high winds during the week, I was concerned that we'd have a poor turn oujt for our Sunday ride, but instead we had as many as 11 cyclists, though we didn't all go the same way.

Mike, the Callahans, Linda and I, Scott Whitely, Lee Bauer, Tamara, and Helen showed up at the boat launch. Jim McCracken called to say he was meeting Roy at Swallows Nest at 1:30.

I agreed to push the group around the blue bridge to meet them. Roy and Jim were early and ready when we arrived. We decided to use the west wind to blow us up Tammany but Roy begged off saying his hip was bothering him again--he wanted to stay flat.

Linda, Helen, and Tamara joined Jim and Roy to ride out to 10 mile. Jim and Roy also spun up Asotin Creek.

The rest of us enjoyed a tail wind all the way to McIntosh. Donna and Gary had never ridden it. I told Donna it was fine to walk it which took some of the pressure off. She made it 3/4s of the way up before getting off "before I fell off.""

Mike lead us down Lindsay Creek. Once past the steepest descents Scott and I tried to catch him. It was all we could do taking turns pulling downhill. Mike said, "I should have put it in gear."

Lee points out that the Sunday rides end on the calendar with October, but we'll be out so long as the weather allows

Doug, Scott and Jen, and Sean did a fat tire ride from Bogan's to Flora and back on Sunday.

Lots of cyclists out on a fairly warm November afternoon. We didn't have a single flat which kind of makes up for last week.

Corrie

"I followed you," Jennifer said. She was still smiling. 6 or seven little green oozes showed on her cruiser tire but it wasn't flat.

Our Sunday Cycling Society had a surprise turnout for a cold Sunday. Linda and I, Gary and Donna, Helen, Sherry, Bill Arnold, Lee Bauer, Jennifer, and Scott Whitely showed up for a casual ride. Debbie came prepared to walk.

From the start we had trouble staying together. Donna took off like a shot and suddenly we were two groups. Helen, Sherry, Linda and Scott got left behind. Scott soon closed the gap. We regrouped at Red Wolf and again at the top of Evans.

After Jennifer complained we checked our tires. Mine seemed fine but Linda rolled up with a big goat head hanging out of the side of her tire. The whssh of air told us we'd be changing a flat but she opted to ride the two miles home. She had to quite early anyway.

Helen also had a prominent goat head which also gave us a satisfying whssh. I changed that flat and we were off.

Someewhere on Critchfield Bill decided that extra sponginess in his ride neeed some attention. He stopped and gave me a call. "My spare tube's shrader," he said. "I'll meet you somewhere on the way up Asotin Creek," he said.

"I can bring you a tube," I offered, "but it'll likely take me five minutes to get it to you." He figured he'd have his tube nearly patched by then.

Bur Gary said he'd go back and so the two of us climbed Critchfield to find Bill still fiddling with his tube. I gave him a presta tube and just as we were ready to start rolling again, I noticed my rear tire had softened. Not certain that it wasn't just lost air, I pumped it upu and we set out to catch the group.

I needed to refill that tube at Asotin and again at the end of the pavement. Air seemed to be escaping faster. Another pump-up at the Y and finally a new tube (I carry two) at the park and I was good to the boat launch.

I ride Evans nearly every day and haven't had a flat for months. Suddenly we managed five in one day.

Brother can you spare a tube?

Corrie, Doug, & I checked out the Weiser River Trail in the fall of ‘07 riding from New Meadows to Council, Idaho and back, and gave it our recommendation Weiser River 07. The fall colors had been great, so in ‘08 we went for bicycling the entire trail, but of all the TRCer’s interested, none showed up. Three of us National Guardsmen did most of the ride until a puncture weed episode stopped the ride near Midvale Weiser River 08. We had a great time, and immediately planned doing the entire ride with the fall colors of ‘09 though we had to sacrifice the LT’s company to helicopter flight school. Several Twin Rivers Cyclists again expressed interest for the ‘09 ride, but none showed up. This year Chief Winn has dropped to his fighting weight and between that and his regular mountain biking, he’s confident he’ll be able to do the entire route, so we made no provision for ending the ride before Weiser as we had done last year.

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