Fixing a puncture in the rain

Rain was forecast for the afternoon and for once it kept to the schedule. I carry two tubes, a pump and a small multitool, and so far that has always been enough. There was a headwind for the whole second half, so I stopped looking at the speed.

I left before the town woke up, which is the only way to have the road to yourself. Wider tyres at lower pressure changed the bike more than any other part I have bought. The saddle needed a few millimetres of adjustment and then it disappeared, as a good one should. I got home with the lights on, later than I had promised.

The descent on the far side is narrow, with one blind corner that I always take too carefully. The climb is not steep, but it goes on for longer than the map suggests.

The cafe at the halfway point was closed, as it has been every time I counted on it. I took the gravel track along the river instead, and did not regret the extra hour. My legs were fine; it was my hands that complained by the end.