Let There Be Light

This morning I got an entire ride in the light for the first time this year.

I still had lights on my bike, but they were the flashing type that enabled me to be seen instead of the high-lumen shiners that all me to see.

It was lovely to be able to see the faces of people using the Tamagawa Cycling Road at the same time.

We’ve only been silhouettes to each other for an interminably long time until now.

There’s a chance to smile and greet instead of furtive glances while trying to stay safe in the dark.

Today was noticeably lighter because it was my first morning ride in about a week.

A series of events had kept me off the bike.

First, there was the lousy weather.

It started raining last Thursday and barely stopped.

I’m scared to ride in the rain after losing my nerve in a crash last year that broke my leg.

That fear was exacerbated by by plagued by punctures.

I’m not a great bike mechanic, but can handle basic field repairs.

Unfortunately, I got too much practice in the past week or so.

I couldn’t find the source of the puncture, with the tires and inner rims coming up clean and each tube seemingly leaking from a different place.

But I went through six tubes last week.

I finally found the culprit, which was a tiny stone that had torn a hole in the tire.

The tires were old, so I replaced them with the more durable Gatorskins that I had put on Belladonna before her untimely demise last spring.

The tires felt shaky and I was unsure of whether I’d tightened the quick release levers probably as La Cangura felt wobbly.

But it was good to be out there again on what shapes as a shoddy kind of day with a wake for my father-in-law tonight.