Adventures in Pittsburgh Continue

Due to an early morning commitment yesterday, a ride was not possible.

This morning, the alarm rang much too early, only between 4-5 hours after I went to bed.  Nevertheless, I rolled out of bed and pulled on long fingered gloves, knee and arm warmers as it was just over 50° F.  It was absolutely gorgeous out.  

I decided to keep my route very simple.  I took Penn Avenue east and simply planned to go about 10 miles, then turn around and come back.  This is a busy road, but my experience on Tuesday said that it would work well enough.  On the outbound leg I encountered only very courteous drivers, including bus drivers.  There were some long gentle climbs, and I took them at a steady pace.  

Then, at about 8 miles into the ride, I noticed that my rear tire was soft.  I rode it to a wide driveway with lights and since it was a slow leak, I first tried to simply add air to the tire.  That wasn’t successful.  So, I pulled out the tube and replaced it.  I didn’t find the sharpie.  That repair took enough time that I needed to turn around and head back to the hotel.  Traffic was increasing, especially headed downtown, the direction I was now heading.

Within moments of the return ride, tragedy was averted by quick application of brakes and swerving hard.  The two right lanes led to a ramp to the freeway (where bikes are not permitted).  A car driver crossed ahead of me on a quick dash to get to the freeway.  I was going about 20 mph at that point, and missed the car by about a foot.  The near collision simply increased my alertness.

The trip back into downtown was a lot of fun.  I maintained the same speed/pace as the cars, reaching 34 mph at some points.  Some of that was interrupted by traffic lights and rough pavement, but a lot of speed and keeping pace was well worth being out this morning.

This Ride: 16.5 miles
Malaria Campaign: 1,530.4 miles
Funds Pledged: $765.20
Contributed in support: $1,903.60

Total = $2,668.80