On The Road

---

Well, finally it's happened. Properly happened that is. The singularly smugly, smirking smile that has been adorning my lips for the past 7 months has been well and truly wiped off today. And Christmas day too boot. No real punctures for 12500km you will recall the mantra. I've been basking insolently in its' almost too- good- to- be- true- warmth for far too long. Welcome down to the real world of cycling chum!

I will expound and expand on this thesis so you can fully appreciate and perhaps enjoy or even empathize depending on which side of the saddle you ride.

I changed both tyres 2 days ago from the originals. Both were infact ok but Lin had resupplied me with replacements in Istambul and Chiang Mai so I felt it would be reasonable to use them rather than continue carrying 2 extra tyres. Seemed reasonable to me. The rear tyre went on rather easily I thought but I was ultra careful after the Chiang Mai debacle. All looked ok and infact the following day, in full monsoon downpour it was ok 100 km without fault. Thismorning Dr smug started out at 06.00. Nice weather. No rain. Lovely scenery. Smiles and waves from other early movers and shakers (like me?) Then at 50km: BANG! It was infact much louder than that. I knew something was badly wrong. And it was. The beautiful, expensive ,revered and 5 months folded into rear panniered' Schwalbe marathon plus tour had blown off the rim and shredded the inner tube whilst it was about it. Fffff..k!!! At least it wasn't raining. Oh what great good fortune. If this had happened yesterday, arma-f...g-geddon!. The wondrous tyre would not stay on the rim. It had clearly not benefitted at all from being coiled in my pannier for 5 months.Buggery-Bollocks!. Melly Chlistmas Nick.

Fortunately a delightful Thai chap pulled up and gave me and the various bits of bike and sundered kit a lift back up the road to 2 bike shops, neither of which had the right tyres. A taxi took me the 50k down to Suran Thami ( where I was heading anyway) and dumped outside a cycle shop run by the rudest of rude Thais. He did however replace the errant tyre for 4 pounds so end of moan. It's just that all the other cycle shop people I've come across on this trip have been uniformly helpful, generous and obliging.This guy really didn't seem to give a stuff; trashed my inner tube valve but replaced it free.So twat not twunt!

When I finally got to the hotel I'd managed to lose 1 cycle glove. 1 pair sunglasses and a pair of straps to hold camping kit on. And got myself into a muck sweat whilst I was about it.

The Gods of Cycling have obviously decided they've been smiling on me too long. They're right of course.

That was my Yule. I hope yours was a lot better.

Nick/Cyclopath/SmugDocNomore

---