24th September

I wasn't planning on a long rude today but I needed to go into town so I decided to go on my bike then pootle around afterwards cycling here and there to eat up a few miles. Initially I emptied my spanners and puncture repair kit from my saddle bag as I was not going to be far from home but something made me put it back in - thankfully!

I went into town and locked the bike up and had a coffee and a wrap then cycled down to the golf club to see if Dad had finished his game - no sign of him. I then planned on cycling the railway path all the way from the golf club to Lysander Road but just as I passed the swimming pool I got a puncture in my rear tyre! I took the wheel off and eventually found the hole and the sharp stone that was sticking through the tyre! The puncture repair patches I carry are self adhesive and are supposed to be great for roadside repairs. I roughed up the area and stuck the patch on then put the wheel back on and inflated the tyre. As I was close to Morrisons petrol station I cycled there with the intention of using the air line to put the correct pressure in but whilst waiting for someone to finish using it I felt the tyre and it was had gone down somewhat so the repair had obviously not taken! I pushed the bike to the supermarket car park and took the wheel off again and on inspection I realised that air was escaping from the edge of the patch. I think it is because the hole was right on the ridge of where the tube was moulded or maybe I just did it wrong?!? Anyway, I put a second and third patch overlapping the first one and reassembled everything. By the time I'd been in to the shop to wash my hands and got back to my bike the tyre was going down again so I walked home.

So in the end although I was right to put my spanners and repair kit back into my saddle bag it didn't make any difference as I still ended up walking home! I'm just about to drive down to Tri-UK to talk about how I fixed the puncture to see if I did anything wrong and to buy a new inner tube!

Thankfully this has happened on a day when I was less than a mile away from home and not when I was on one of my longer rides!

Just 6.4 miles done until I had to abort the ride but it all adds up in the end.

Mum completed 60 lengths this morning which leaves her with 180 left to do. Three more swims of 60 lengths and she will have reached France!!!