Dear Friendly Strangers,

Thank you first to the woman who pulled over to see if I was okay out there on Barton Springs Road. I was just sitting on the ground changing my lenses, but you pulled over in front of me, backed up, then looked through your rear window giving me a thumbs up to ask if I was okay. I was. I'm still glad you stopped.

And thanks to the two cars and the runner who stopped to check on me while I fumbled around fixing my flat tire (why is it always on the rear?). I haven't had many flats in my life, and I've usually had an eager guy around to change the ones I have had, so I'm not too quick with the procedure. I could have gotten help from the runner guy, but knew I needed to figure out how to get the bead seated for my ownself. Thanks to all of you.

However...now for the four cyclists who rode on by while I fixed the flat, I'm frankly a little disappointed. A simple "Got everything you need?" would have been nice. Oh well, just makes me resolved to make sure I extend that kindness to every flatted-out, mechanical-experiencing cyclist I encounter. Especially the cute ones .