Back it up -- I was feeling very strong on the bike today -- happily as I feel like I've been struggling the past 3-4 days. I decided I wanted a little adventure and took Sepulveda Blvd. from Redondo Beach instead of going back the beach trail (as I have every other time). It was fair enough -- some decent hills and all -- 'til I got to LAX. I stopped at a light just shy of the tunnel that runs underneath the tarmac and saw a couple of police cars with a pulled over vehicle across the road. I began to wonder if bikes could even legally ride this road at this point or not. My ego kicked in and said, "Even if it's not legal, you're a GOOD rider at this point. They only post those signs to keep less experienced riders and idiots out. You'll be fine."
Aaaahh, the ego.
So I roll into the tunnel and everything goes a little crazy: the lighting conditions are weird -- those dirty yellow lights reflecting orange nightmare onto the road are really something. Then my sense of hearing, which I had no idea I used so much of until it was taken away from me, was shot. There were sounds bouncing off of sounds, and every engine sounded mic'd and amped.
My heart started going pretty good. I do as I do in these situations -- remembering to breathe as much as possible. The air in the tunnel, though...
The one thing I didn't account for (or react well to, it turns out) was a large metal grate near the right hand edge (which I was clinging to). Up ahead I knew I would have to merge left to get out of the "left turn only" lane I was currently in (difficult in any traffic-heavy situation, much more so when hearing and seeing are impaired).
By the by, I'm cruising at about 25 mph. I see the first grate and notice that the right side of it is missing the necessary "teeth" to properly be called a grate. In other words, it's more like a pit. I do a quick swerve (VERY dicey as I have no idea if there's a car on my ass doing 50+) and avoid it. More noise. Heart's beating faster. Here comes the next grate. This one has teeth -- meaning I should be able to ride across it.
Just as I get up to it, these teeth have a little more space than I realized between them. Too late though -- I'm committed. I pull up the front wheel and clear but the back wheel -- THUNK! It felt bad right away. I was still riding but there was the familiar repetetive rubber slapping the road of a flat tire going on behind me. I hit the brakes when perhaps I should have "gently depressed" them and nearly slid out into the road. Nice.
Off the bike quickly. Onto the two foot "sidewalk" hugging the wall and let's scramble out of here.
Turns out I tweaked the rim to the point of no return. Also turns out shops around here don't sell just one rim -- you have to buy the set (even though the front one's fine). D'oh. $405 later...I was able to get a shop to turn around the repair today so I won't lose any road time. Thankfully I have a wonderful team in Gary and Geoff to back me up and they told me to get the repair done and the project would take care of it. They need me on the road.
It is VERY nice to have a team.
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