Lightweight Eats

After going out for ice cream with Dan last night, I decided today would be a great day to get in a 90+ minute bike ride.

I headed out on a familiar route, headed down towards the boathouse, but catching the San Francisco Bay Trail about a half mile before reaching it. The path follows the perimeter of the island of Alameda, and then heads down along the waterfront towards the Oakland Airport. It's a beautiful ride.

On fitness rides, I usually look for paths with few hills, fewer stop signs, and great views. I prefer loops to out and back routes, but the availability of those usually depends on how far around I'm willing to go. This ride fits all of those descriptions: hills are unheard of; there's a 3-mile stretch with one stop sign; the majority of the ride is along the waterfront; and I can choose to go out and back or return through a protected marshland with bicycle paths. Glorious.

About 40 minutes into the ride, I was getting to round the bend into the marshland, starting to work my way home, when my bike started riding strangely. I pulled off the road, already aware of what had happened.

Flat tire. Awesome! I was about as far away from home as I had planned to go, and a few solid miles from the nearest BART station.

This is why I always travel with snacks.

I called my mom, who thankfully agreed to come rescue me! Then, I managed to correct my misfortune by sitting along the waterfront and enjoying the wind and sunshine while eating snacks. Perfect!

I love my bike, but it's unfortunately incredibly difficult to take the back wheel off. It makes it really hard to fix flats on the go, but I think it may be time I start to pack the necessary tools. I will need to figure out how to finish up my workout later today, but in the meantime, time to get greasy!