No matter what time of day I choose to venture out it seems I'm destined for a soaking. No matter how sunny it is when I set off, I can be confident that by the time I get home I will be wet through. The weather is weird here at the moment - one minute bright, searing sun the next black and teeming with rain - or even hail.
I went out this morning - encouraged by a bright start to the day. However, just a couple of miles from home the sky was dark violet, inky, scary..... I veered off in a desperate attempt to avoid yet another dousing. It became a frantic race as the clouds loomed ever nearer....
I made my way on a round robin route back towards a glowing sky. I noticed that the recent rainfall has increased the flow of the small brook that I pass regularly. Recently the water has been reduced to a mere trickle, this morning it danced and jiggled, rippling over a bed of stones and sand, running clear as wine.
As I reach the final climb towards home the sun breaks through the branches, casting a net of shadows - Suddenly everything seems lit up. There is a mass of burning branches, of buds about to break into the first flame of summer. It is extraordinarily beautiful.
Towards the top of the climb I spot a lady pushing her bicycle - as I get closer she calls out - "Excuse me, do you have a pump?" I stop and quickly see that she has a flat back tyre. She is riding an old bike and I suspect my pump will not fit the valves on her tyres. I dismount and take a closer look - I was wrong - my pump will fit, but the effort will be in vain. Her tyre is pancake flat - a puncture for sure. She has no pump or spare tube. I valiantly attempt inflation but after 5 minutes we can both see that I'm wasting my time. Luckily she only has a couple of miles to walk - and it's not raining. Not yet.
It all started in 2011 - we decided to ride Lands End to John O Groats, since then we've completed a number of 'challenges' raising over £15,000 for various charities. You can read about our adventures here, and also our on-going efforts to keep on cycling!
Flat tires are always a morale killer. It's one good thing about living in the city though - whenever I've flatted (without a spare tube or pump), I've been able to take my bike on the bus with me, and been spared the walk home (also useful in case of sudden downpours).
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