This past weekend we went to Cape Coral with a friend for the Tour de Cape. We were all just doing a metric. The Tour de Cape is a pleasant ride. Low traffic roads, a surprisingly large number of rest stops, good police support, and excellent road marking.
We weren't trying to set any personal best speed records. We set out at a pace that worked for all of us and planned to just enjoy the ride. Shortly after the start, Al struck up a conversation with a guy who was riding near us and invited him to join our little paceline. There was a bit of a headwind. It was good to have another person in the rotation.
A third of the ride in, our friend called out a mechanical. Her rear tire was flat. We'd all just cleared off the road and started taking off the wheel when a van marked "Hollywood Bicycles" pulled up behind us. A guy hopped out removed the wheel and disappeared with it into the back of the van. Moments later he reappeared, popped the repaired wheel back on the bike, waved, and drove off. "How lucky is that?" we said to one another as we continued our ride.
Two thirds of the ride in, our friend called another mechanical. It was her back wheel again. It was flat. Seconds later a woman pulled up on her bike. "Need help? I'm a bike mechanic, by the way." We couldn't believe our friend's luck. Once again her tire was fixed in record time. She gets a flat twice on one ride, and both times a bike mechanic is there to help within a minute!
I'm going to have to ride more with this friend. She's definitely lucky.
