Exercising Her Power & A Newbie Lesson Learned





[WARNING: This has turned out to be a longer post than I anticipated however it is worth reading]

My wife has been given the VETO! stamp in our relationship and has had it since before we got married.  When we were looking for our first home, a condo, I gave the the power and she has retained it ever since.  She is a great woman and only uses her ability when she feels strongly about something.  She has never abused it and I have come to learn that she is right more often than I am (she is going to love this post!). 

Yesterday after posting my plans for today we spoke on the phone and she mentioned that she did not feel comfortable with me taking Bush Highway from the Beeline.  There is no bike lane, it is on route to a lake, and there are a lot of hills and turns to hide me from traffic.  We talked about it and ultimately she vetoed the plans.  Instead I rode from our house (A) and headed for Usery Pass. 

I will point out just a couple other of points of interest on the map. 

At point (C) is where I got my third ever flat tire (the second flat I had just last night!)  It is also just after this point that I finally reached the top of a very long, but not very steep, hill.  FYI point (C) is also where the picture of the rising sun was taken.

From point (C) to (D) was one of the most thrilling rides ever! 

Now at point (E) is where I was tempted to drive myself into oncoming traffic to put me out of my misery.  This hill was the nastiest, gnarliest that I had ever experienced.  I was passed by a number of skilled cyclist and I think even laughed at by some people on the side of the road.

Now skipping to point (H) This is where I had my fourth flat.  I was at Tempe Town Lake and had just stopped to get a drink and make a phone call to check in.  When I remounted and began to ride is when I discovered the flat.  I got back on the phone and arranged a ride home (I had only taken one extra tube - my last one too). 

I am going to jump back to point (C) for a moment to let you in on a very important lesson that was learned today.  This is where I got the flat and changed the inner tube.  To do so you have to disengage the brake, loosen the quick release, and remove the tire.  I had done so and took my time to make sure all was done right and to rest a bit after the long ride up the hill.  I put everything back together (so I thought) and continued again to the top of the hill.  The cress of the hill was very much welcomed and I began the very fast ride down the other side.  I got going so fast in fact that I decided it was too fast and went to apply the brake only to discover I had not re-engaged the brake after putting the tire back on!  All ended well and it was enough of a scare to remind me to always check the brake after removing the wheel.