It was a beautiful evening for a bike ride.  I decided I would head north and visit Butler County Airport.

The ride up to the airport is a regular route for me.  The roads are usually quiet,  passing through farmland and small communities.  The ride also has a good variety of terrain; some nice hills to climb and some rolling flats, where you can really fly.

My ride tonight was going really well, and on one of those fast sections, when I was rolling along at 30mph, I hit a ridge in the road.  It was just a small ridge, at the start of a bridge over a stream.  After hitting that ridge however, my front tire instantly deflated.  Classic ‘pinch flat’.  Luckily, I was able to control my bike and come to a controlled stop.

A ‘pinch flat’ happens when the tire is severely compressed, the inner tube gets pinched against the wheel rim and punctures.  It’s been a good while since I have had a puncture, so I looked at the situation in a positive way.  It was an opportunity to practice changing a flat.  I took my time and the whole process went very smoothly.  It’s quite satisfying to inflate the tire with a CO2 canister, and see it restored to working order.

With the bike all fixed up, I continued on my way and had a great ride.  I was able to push decent power, at a relatively low effort and heart rate.  Both good signs that I am getting fitter.