'Twas a beautiful, if brisk day here on the coast of Maine. It was about 20 degrees in the early AM, and I rode my fixed '72 Raleigh International up the coast about 20 miles to Freeport. I tooled around LL Bean for an hour to warm up (their bike department was closed for modernisation !) buying chocolate covered Blueberries, a mini salt and pepper shaker, and a hammock. Believe it or not, all this easily fit into my fanny pack.
On the way home the front tire started going soft. I pulled over and pumped it, but in the process of doing that my hands pretty much froze, as did I. On days like this it is pretty easy to dress for the ride, but not for stopping. Sweatty bodies chill very fast when there's a 15mph breeze blowing from the ocean. I got riding again, getting to about level with the European Bakery before the tire went too soft to ride again. Too cold to be a pumping a second time, and still 10 miles to home. At this rate I would need to pump the damned time at least 3 more times. I had a tube with me, but trying to wrestle that in with frozen fingers, after digging out tiny glass shards would have finished me.
I put the bike down on the shoulder, and went to put out my thumb. Literally just as I raised my arm to beckon a ride a cop stopped in the opposite lane, did a U-turn, beckoned me inside, turned his heater on full, then got on the radio for a ride for me and my bike. Less than a minute later a Squad car pulled up from the Portland area, and he gave me a ride about 6 miles to my LBS where I fixed the flat. Of course, the motto on the side of the car, was "Protect and Serve". Guess they certainly did that for me today. Thanks guys, now I owe you one!!
Neill Currie, Portland, Me 04102, USA.
The Mountain Goat website is at:
http://www.geocities.com/
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more