45 Min Bike (AA) --168.5--

LOS ANGELES RIVER -- So there's that.

Pulled up my skirt and set out for a real bike. The second actual ride of any consequence on the mean streets.

The LA River Path is awesome. Miles of open blacktop with surprisingly good scenery...the hills of Burbank, Griffith Park and Glendale/Pasadena all around. And the downtown skyline on the return trip south.

The bikers on the path even give a friendly nod and wave. Love it. Felt great the whole time. Just flying (compared to running, that is) along and enjoying it. Started south from Los Feliz and warmed up. Funny thing about the path during that time of day is there are a handful of cyclists, some city workers and some vagrants with bikes. A great mix of folks all enjoying the day.

One of these folks was an ex-con doing his community service by hacking up weeds along the path. So I come flying by him at speed in my little helmet and shorts and my brand new bike and see the glimmer in his eye as he considers lopping my head off with the machete he's carrying.

So I hit the end and head back north, enjoying what must have been 20 minutes of nonstop movement. Awesome. Hit the north end (past the 134, practically in Burbank) and start back.


Anywho, as the love cycling and all things wheeled is seeping in and my underlying dread of bike-related catastrophe is fading...I notice the ride south is considerably harder than the ride north. The wind seems to be stiffer...so I hunker down. But this seems silly. It's much, much harder. Then I notice it's more bumpy. Then I notice, my back tire is flattening. Then I get off and see it's completely flat.

Then I attempt to use all the tools that I don't know how to use (pump, tire tool, inner tube) and laugh as I realize this is the back tire. I have no idea (even if I could use these tools) how to remove the tire.

So I grab my cell phone, which I brilliantly took with...and called the Beckster for help. Walk back to a spot near the zoo, put the bike in the car. It's almost unbelievable that this tiny, stupid like sand-burr thing flattened a tire. Ugh.
Just about to learn how to change tires. Knew it would happen...wished it wasn't today. The problem with starting new things after you've done another such thing for a long time is knowing how many tough lessons you'll be learning in the days, weeks and months to come. Lesson two (first was how much drivers suck) is under my belt. A few hundred more (hopefully none involve crashing) and I'll be a real biker.

At least my knees are happy.