I think I can...! Tour de Cure

[Owlie]

Woohoo!
If it makes you feel better, I tipped over right next to my car last week because I'd fiddled with the pedals on my CX bike and couldn't get out. I didn't actually fall (they released), but I did tip the bike on its right side (go figure!)and my left ankle and right hand caught the top tube. I have a lovely bruise on my ankle to show for it. And of course, I did this in front of three guys.

[gocard]

Whew! I finished my first 50 mile ride at the Napa Tour de Cure yesterday. What a great experience in a beautiful location! It was windier and cooler than I had expected and the last 5 miles were the toughest for me. At that point, I felt like my pedaling wasn't getting me anywhere but eventually I finished! I'm going to do another TdC ride in a month.

It was a big relief that the only issue I had during the ride was leg fatigue - I was pumping my tires and I discovered that there were two small cuts/gouges on my back tire but thankfully it didn't penetrate into the tube. I had extra tubes but no tires. I guess it's time to start looking into a replacement even though the tires have only been ridden about 500 miles so far. What is the difference between folding and wire bead tires? Any recommendations for a tougher tire? My friend recommended the Continental Gatorskin Hardshell. Tires are yet one more thing for me to learn as a cyclist!

[ny biker]

Congrats on the 50-miler. I hate flat tires. I've been happy with Continental Gatorskins and was also pleasantly surprised by the Bontrager Race Lite tires that came on my road bike. Also, a tip if you're mid-ride and have a hole in your tire that's large enough to cause problems -- American paper money is made from linen and is very durable. You can put a dollar bill inside the tire between the hole and the tube and it should get you home without problems. Note that the bill might stick to the tube and tear when you go to remove it later, so don't use a larger denomination if you can avoid it. I've also heard you can use an empty gel packet or granola/energy bar wrapper to boot a tire, though I've never tried either of them.

[Elphaba]

Whew! I finished my first 50 mile ride at the Napa Tour de Cure yesterday. What a great experience in a beautiful location! It was windier and cooler than I had expected and the last 5 miles were the toughest for me. At that point, I felt like my pedaling wasn't getting me anywhere but eventually I finished! I'm going to do another TdC ride in a month.

Good for you! Ours is in two weeks!