Ride details
We waited, along with a lot of very patient Dutch citizens for over 4 hours for the "experience" of glimpsing the breakaway and the the peloton sped by.
I have never been near such a quiet freeway. The road is absolutely smooth. The cars seem extra quiet also. The Dutch don't drive old cars, too expensive.
So I thought that would be the highlight of the day, until we encountered the developing storm, with a fierce headwind and then a downpour. I was soaked through.
Then, to top off the day, we arrived at our hotel situated in a aviary reserve and I looked down at my back tire and saw that it was totally flat! I have some pretty strong tires on my bike, (to prevent getting a flat)so changing it is an impossible task. All the bike shops are closed on Sunday and Monday, so I solicited the help of two strong Englishmen, bicyclists who had shared their enthusiasm for seeing the tour with us earlier. Of course it took all four of us to get the bloody tire off the rim, then back on...whew! (Michael, standing was the one who got it off and back on successfully with the final nudge. He waited patiently while each of us had our unsuccessful turn)
Enough adventure for one day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my bicycle
Your photo of the actual event from a closer vantage point is pretty amazing. All those years we have watched the Tour de France on television and there you are right there next to them. When they get a flat tire it only takes about 15 seconds to have a new wheel tire mechanic put it on and an actual push to get on down the road. even with 4 of you it sounds like changing the tire took considerable time.
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