April 9, 2017
Arctic Cycles (AC) is an Anchorage based bike club that focuses on road riding and racing. AC offers training rides in the spring, inviting non-club members to participate, specifically advertising to the Clean Air Challenge (CAC) riders. I am a CAC rider. So of course, I feel I must participate. It is in my best interest, after all. I also convinced my friend Diana that it was in her best interest, too.
Today, Sunday April 10, was the second AC training ride of the 2017 season, affectionately called “Tom’s Tax Day Ride”. Tom confessed he has not yet done his taxes. Maybe he will get them done tonight. This ride takes place in Palmer; about 1 hour north of my home in Anchorage, where snow tends to disappear from the roads a little faster. Start time is set for 11:00am. So, my Saturday evening focused on preparing for my first road ride of the year with my cyclocross, Joe Black. This means trying to determine:
- What clothing will be appropriate for the day?
- Palmer = wind; Temperature range = ice at the start of the ride, and puddles at the end
- Should I use the bar mitts? What shoes, helmet, and lenses for glasses? What jacket?
- While being cold is miserable, overheating on a ride can be beyond miserable.
- Sustenance?
- Length of ride = what fuel to bring, if any
- 25 miles = 2 hrs = bring something
- Is the kit packed for Joe?
- Tire levers, tool kit, pump, spare tube, patch kit, lock
- What tires should be on this ride? I have 4 different types of tires for Joe
- Studs
- Knobbies
- Slicks
- Trainer
Which brings me to the fact that Joe has been on the trainer, with the trainer tire, an extra skinny slick. This is not something to take out on the road, and definitely not on Alaska roads at this time of year. See photo showing typical condition of rocks and snowmelt run off. In the morning I am grateful for the rocks providing traction, but by afternoon I wonder why it hasn’t been swept already as rocks are flung by bike tires. Single file biking is necessary along a road, and if the person in front of you has fenders everything is ok. If not, well, no drafting with the bike in front of you.
Having readied everything from my clothing layers, snacks, and the kit, I enjoy a new SNL and head to bed. I mean, I change tires, that will take me about a half an hour. I’ll get up at 7:00, finish changing the tires, and Diana will pick me up at 9:30.
Sunday morning I am working on the tire change over to knobbies, hoping there won’t be any ice by the time we are underway. It was strangely easy to get the trainer tire off. I managed to get one side of the new tire on the rim, tube in, and I am not able to get the second side on. I mean, I’m really not able to get the second side on. I’m red in the face, sweat is running down my forehead and dripping off my nose. I have changed these tires before, what is the problem? Diana arrives, it is already 9:30. I only have half of the rear tire changed. She jumps in to help with the last 3-4” on one wheel, and I look at just pumping up the front and keeping the slick on. As soon as I touch the valve stem the core jumped out and landed 3 feet away. Now there is no going back, I have to at least change the tube. Same story as the first tire, I got the knobby seated on one side of the rim, but can’t get the last 3-4” on the second side. We decide it is best to play damsel in distress and see if someone else participating in “Tom’s Tax Day Ride” can get these tires on. To get to the ride we now had to unload Diana’s bike to put Joe inside her car, because you need a rear tire in place to load a bike in her rack. We shove Joe, his two wheels with almost-mounted tires and my gear into the back, reload the rear rack, and are on the road to Palmer.
At the gathering point for the ride I ask the first gentleman I see if he could help with these darn tires. Generously, he proceeded to work on the rear tire. I brought out my tire levers, and he asked “Are these new tires?”. “No, they are at least 5 years old” I replied. He tried taking the entire side off and start it over again, and still was not able to get the last 3-4” of bead on the right side of the wheel rim. Now a second gentleman joins in the fun and tackles the front tire, while the first is still working over the rear tire. And that is when my tire lever broke. More bikers are participating now, offering tire levers, all while asking “are these new tires?”. Somehow the front tire is in place, and it is handed to me with a comment “I don’t know, I might have pinched the tube”. I try to pump it up, while 3 people are now working on the rear tire. 3 people, and one tire. I’m starting to feel a little better about the fact that I was not able to get these tires on myself. And that is when I realize that the front tube will not hold any air. I turned down offers of spare tubes knowing how painful it would be to get that tire off and reseated, again. I thought about going to the local bike store to have them finish the tire change over. If that was successful, would I be able to meet up with the other 20 riders on the road? It’s cold and windy, I don’t want to delay anyone’s ride.
It slowly set in. I simply was not going to be able to ride my first road ride of the season today. Instead: I met wonderful, generous, bikers, and I am humbled by the community that exists here in Southcentral Alaska.
Please support my ride in the Clean Air Challenge by making a donation, via this link to my site: http://action.lung.org/site/TR/Bike/ALAMP_Mountain_Pacific?px=4659966&pg=personal&fr_id=14890
Neither Diana or I had driven down Knik River Road, and we were enjoying watching the daylight come up. The drive was about 1-1/2 hrs north, and we were the first ones to be at the parking lot. Just for fun we drove to the end of the road and learned there is a beautiful lodge and individual cabins, Knik River Lodge. It did not appear open at 7:30 in the morning, so we made a note to check it out on the way back.
