Distance ridden 25km
Well it was a character building day. The night up on Richmans Gap was good, didn’t see anyone. I got going at 8am. The ride down was a bit sandy like the ride up, so a bit difficult to stay stable. I got onto a better road, which went up and down. I got about 13 km when I broke another spoke. It had been more than 150km since the last one, so no big deal. I stripped the tyre off to find there were bead wires sticking out of the tyre. This was very ominous. One wire was sticking inside the tyre, potentially stabbing the inner tube. I tried to cut the wires off cleanly. Fixed the spoke and went onwards for about 500m. The tyre was flat, the bead wire had holed the tube. I pulled the tyre off again, and made a protective layer from the old inner tube, and put it all together again. I got 300m, this time the tyre bulged off the rim. The tyre bead was broken, and not containing the inner tube. I try again with a lower pressure. I get about 500m and the tyre bulged off again. I stop for lunch and try wiring it on with wire I find nearby, but the wire is too thick. I put it all together again and realise that I will have to push the bike 20km to Wilmington. I get about 12km pushing, it’s about 4pm, and a ute with a couple of guys stop. They offer to take me to Wilmington, and we get to the Wilmington caravan park but no vacancies. So they very kindly take me 20km to Melrose, where there’s a bike shop. They drop me off, and I go round to the bike shop which is closed, but the lights are on. He opens up for me and sells me the one tyre that might fit, which is really too big, plus some more tubes.
I wheel the bike to the Caravan park and thankfully they have room for me, it’s a huge park, with lots of families camped. I put up the tent and I work on the bike. I stuff around for an hour or so and find I have to remove the rear mudguard to fit the new big tyre. Eventually I have it fixed, and reward myself with the first shower for several days. I think I will be mobile again tomorrow.
