David Freeze

  A great start, then a poor ending

  I had a wonderful evening on the False River in New Roads, all except for one thing. I was concerned about the route for today and the weather forecast. I wanted a decent route to where I could cover some miles, see some things and be inside for tonight if the predicted rainy forecast came true.

    So, I tweaked the planned route and decided to finish in Amite City. That is pronounced A-meet which seemed odd to me and Siri. Anyway, I didn’t think I could do near 100 miles and was going to settle for 71, especially since some rolling climbing was set for today.

    I took SR 10 for the first 12 miles or so and crossed the Mississippi River on the beautiful Audubon Bridge. Then my route included SR’s 61, 954, 964, 412, 959, 63 and 16. That last one is where the trouble started. I had earlier had a couple of light showers and the temperature had cooled considerably. SR 16 was my final road for the day as earlier planned, but I was rolling pretty well and kicked around the idea of going to Franklinton and a 97 mile day.

    SR 16 had a wonderful asphalt road, but the bike and breakdown lane was terrible. They use a reddish brown pavement and rough is the best way to describe it. But still, I was pretty sure I could make Franklinton and still get tonight’s story in on time. I noticed a thumping on the rear tire and it became worse even on the smooth cement pavement near bridges. I stopped and saw immediately that the back tire was again going flat.

  I fixed the tire or thought I did, but then it blew again. Plus, I had struggled to get the gearing working and had trouble with it. After 90 minutes and running out of good light, I tried Uber with no luck. No taxis either, and finally I decided to see if the PD or Sheriff’s Department would get me to the nearby motel so I could work on it there.

    And they did just that. Deputy Nolan Bryant came first, but we couldn’t get the bike in his car even with the front tire off. Alex from the fire rescue brought a truck and took me and the dissembled bike to the motel. I got some food, wolfed it down and went right to work on this update.

  I am going to start on the bike in a few minutes and see what I can do. If not, I will call Eric from Skinny Wheels and discuss the problem. Either way, it looks like another late night. There are no bike shops on the route till Mobile, Alabama. Plus the gulf hurricane scenario is being discussed today, especially by Nolan and Alex. I need to be making miles to the east quickly.

    I am anxious to get started on the bike, but will take time to thank new sponsors Mindi Fires and Wayne Cobb. If things weren’t already interesting enough, several scenarios are ramping up. Let’s get together

tomorrow and see how it all works out! And send those prayers! They are always appreciated!