Of Duct Tape & Beer

I’m more of a Safeway kind of guy, but this morning I did make a stop at Whole Foods. I could have bought a 6 pack of some nice IPA for what I ended up paying for that one bottle of Orval Trappist Ale. Somehow I knew it would taste right after today’s mountain bike ride. In retrospect I had no conception of just how good it would really taste!!!!

The hard technical climb was well behind me, just as I neared Buick Meadow up in the flats. That’s when I heard the explosion! My bike grinded to an immediate halt! The shrapnel that had been my rim’s sidewall was lodged in my v-brakes. The tube was shredded. Clearly getting back down would be a schlep.

On this busy Sunday in Annadel, a small crowd of hard core bikers was assembled there at the meadow. Needless to say, my bike was suddenly the main topic of conversation. Too bad I was in no mood to bask in my new found celebrity status. I was ready for a chopper to airlift me home; but that wasn’t gonna happen.

We reasoned that since the rim was trashed, I could ride back on that alone, sans tire. That’s when Dean came to the rescue. His funky fix was as brilliant as it was resourceful and artful. A little duct tape and some zip ties and badabing!

I wasn’t able to hold much air in the tube, but somehow made my way in a hunkered down survival mode, half rolling and half bike hiking. The will to survive and the prospect of that Trappist Ale got me through....... with some moral support from Charlotte and Joel too.

When I finally popped that Orval, I was in need indeed and the beer didn’t disappoint.