This one I really have to post it on this site, if not for your pleasure but for the fact that it can be saved for the rest of time. Sarah’s birthday is coming up next week and she had been talking about how she wanted a bike, so I ended up getting her a bike (I promised that is what she wanted!!).

We were gone for the weekend so we didn’t have a chance to “break” them in, so last night we talked about going for a short ride. We just wanted to get out for a while and the weather was great. We did not want some cardio workout or anything of the sort.

We went down the street onto a street that had a bike lane marked out, this seemed perfect since it was dark an all. We went on this street for a few minutes when all of the sudden the bike path is gone, so we are left riding on the sidewalk (Sarah) and on the street (me). There was little traffic so that was ok. We came up to a street that we both knew (Cactus) and since we were going away from the apartment we thought we could start making our way somewhat home. Sarah decided to go south and it appeared like a smart decision since going north it looked a bit too dark and keep in mind the traffic was pretty heavy on this street.

We took Cactus, again for a while, and due to the fact that there is no sidewalk or bike path on the southbound side of the street, we rode on the opposite sidewalk. I heard today that people have been stopped in the past by the cops for riding against the traffic but we weren’t about to lose our lives due to the fact that the city did not enforce the other side’s sidewalk.

Our next known street was Hayden, we knew if we took this to the east, we would be starting to make a rectangle that would soon take us back to the apartment. Again, Hayden only had a sidewalk on the left side of the street so we were riding against traffic. A few blocks into our Hayden path, here we go again, the sidewalk ends and we are left with a dirt trail and oncoming traffic.

Given the fact that we had brand new mountain bikes this did not seem like a bad thing at all. I was thinking how good everything was going until certain events took place that will make sure I always remember this night.

First, we are crossing a street (now we are traveling on the dirt path) and neither sides of the street have the little ramp to get on and off onto the sidewalk. Sarah and I, both manage to jump off onto the pavement and we are approaching the opposite side. Since there was only room for one of us, I go first and had to stop once I got onto the “dirtwalk” since I lost my momentum. I manage to look over my shoulder just to see Sarah halfway over the handlebars and on her way back down :o( I was worried there for a second. She gets her breath back and we start going again. Now I am a little worried about her and want to just go home and relax.

We had been going for almost and hour by now when all of the sudden, Sarah realizes that her back tire is flat. I check the tire and it was full of those little “stickers” and sure enough a couple of them where stuck onto the tire. We now have to start walking all the way home. From driving this area quite a bit since we moved here, it did not seem like too hard thing to do and it is not like we had any other options (“no Sarah, we are not going to leave it behind those bushes”).

To make this long story short, I will let you know that soon enough the front tire also goes flat, thanx again to those little stickers. Going along the lines that fortunately we only have to fix one bike, Sarah realizes that the back tire of my bike is also going flat. Now we are 3 out of 4 tires that are flat. Feeling left out that I was dragging the bike with 2 bad tires, I pull a “sticker” from the front tire of my bike to finalize the 4 out 4 flat tires!!!!!

Here is a map of the trip we ended up making in more or less 2 hours. Our short and fun bike ride turned into, what it seemed to be, a small version of a bi-athlon. We could’ve gone into the pool once we got the apartment to make it a tri-athlon but I think I would’ve drown!!!!

This will be a bike ride that we will always remember that is for sure. Now, this weekend I think we are going to go buy some of those solid rubber tires to prevent from this happening all over again!!!!!