That Broken Wheel May Have Saved My Life

Wednesday evening I joined the Neworld Cycle Club for the weekly Need for Speed ride.  We start with an easy 15km warm-up, stop quickly to chat about the coming workout, then ride a fast pace-line for about 40kms.  We finish with a 15km cool-down back to the store.  It had been a few weeks since I’d been out for one of these fun little suffer-fests, so I was a little anxious about getting hammered.  Oh well, that’s what these rides are for!

Working hard and riding smoothly, I was feeling good as I lead the group up the first of the Two Sisters; two climbs heading east along Cambellville Road.  Regrettably, the second Sister took no mercy on me, nor did the group.  Not sufficiently recovered from the first Sister, I couldn’t stay with the group on the second and fell off the back.  I rejoined the pack a couple of kms later–Jeff doing circles, waiting to bring me back up.  I regained my form and continued to ride well the rest of the way.  Yup, a bit of an ego-bustin’ ass-whoopin’!

Thursday morning, I was up and at it again.  On the bike at 6:23am, I made my way east and north until I hit one of the toughest climbs in the area; up Appleby Line to Rattlesnake Point.  As I approached this little monster, I noticed my rear wheel was out of true.  Stopping quickly to make sure the spoke tension was okay, I continued on and up Rattlesnake.  The rear wheel groaned and protested, but I kept on to the top.  Checking the wheel again to ensure no broken spokes, I resolved to keep an ear open for any other noises, then rolled back down the hill for take two.

Climbing back up Rattlesnake, that rear wheel continued to make peculiar sounds.  Again, at the top, I checked the wheel; other than that side-to-side wobble, it seemed okay; one more repeat.

Climbing, grunting and groaning up that triple switch-back climb for the third time, I was about to crest the summit when it happened.  “Pop” went a spoke and “thud” went the tire as it hit my frame’s chain-stay.  I came to an abrupt halt as my wheel would no longer roll without hitting the frame.

At the side of the road, I called my house-mate, MaryAnne, who was kind enough to come and get me; there was no way I could ride home.  Sitting at the side of the road for 20mins or so, the folks who live in the house at the top of that climb came out to see if I needed any help.  As it turns out, Roger and Denise are avid cyclists; he even owns a custom-made True North just like Irene, my touring bike!  Since these Bontrager/Hed aero wheels require a special tool for adjusting the spokes, there was nothing we could do to get me back on the bike.

Back at home, I swapped out my rear wheel for a spare, then rode to work with the broken wheel strapped to my back-pack.  Taking the wheel apart later that day, it turns out it wasn’t a spoke that broke, but the eyelet in the rim where the spoke-nipple sits had collapsed!  A little disappointed at this happening just before the upcoming two day Tour de Norfolk this weekend, I emailed our Trek/Bontrager rep, Mike, in hopes the wheel will be replaced under warranty.

I could be bummed out at Thursday’s ride being cut short.  I could be disappointed in my wheel for collapsing and not having it for this weekend’s back-to-back rides[160kms Saturday, 100kms Sunday]  But instead, I am mindful of a very wise piece of advice from the Buddha; who really knows what is good or bad?

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After all, maybe the wheel breaking when it did prevented me from being involved in some sort of collision with a car later in the ride, or even ten years from now.  Or perhaps, had it broken as I rode back down that hill, I would have crashed and really hurt myself.  Instead, I accomplished my goal of three repeats up Rattlesnake and met a very kind couple of fellow cyclists who I would otherwise have never met.  Yup, you never can tell what really is good or bad, everything just is.