DNF NA

Did Not Finish - Not Applicable?

Biking has been an Achilles heel for me so far. Today i target to do 100km+. Hopefully i can break the duck this time. Fingers crossed. I reached ECP with Fennel this morning, hopefully with her accompany can spurn me to greater height distance!

Bike out at 5:12am. We stroll along at leisure speed. It is very early with not much activities. Once we hit Coastal road, we went on our own pace. I wasn't doing much better compare to last week. I was going at 19-20km/hr. It was pretty slow, but i just couldn't understand what is the problem. Maybe yesterday run did take up alot from myself.

On 2nd loop i did much better moving around 22km/hr. Maybe engine warm up and can go at slightly faster pace. By then quite a number of cyclist are spotted on the road.

On 3rd loop. Sgrunners are spotted gathering along Changi Point Carpark 2. There are doing the demoralising run this morning. There are a few patches of uneven road during the ride, as maintenance is carrying out. During one of the stretch disaster struck! One of the pothole along this road, puncture my rear tube! Psss....i can hear the sound and the rough ride with deflated tire. I was telling myself, Heng har, i brought along spare tube! I came down the saddle and changed the tube.

I recall how the bike shop uncle change the tube yesterday and remember how i struggle the day before with the tube. I try to follow the way he did it. It seems so much easier/quicker to put it in, except the last portion that need some prying to get the tire inside the wheel. I believe i am too aggressive and cause a pinhole puncture in the new tube! I got this nasty feeling when i pump up the air. True enough after about a couple hundreds later, the tire went flat again. I try to pump in the air w/o avail. I am strangle in middle along Coastal road.

Meet up with too kia and her friends along Coastal road, just after i fix my first puncture and they mention that there is a bike shop in Changi Village. Yes, i remember that bike shop! The nearest safest option is to hit Changi point instead of trying to reach for the car. Flag down Fennel and she gamely decide to join me in pushing the bike to Changi Point which is about 5km away!

Somewhere along the way, Fennel head forward to the bike shop to get the spare tubes, while i push towards Changi Point. In this way, it will be faster, provided the shop is operating at 8am+!! Fortunately she came back with the tube and this time round, i learned from the previous experiences and manage to change the tube safely!

It was around 9:30am, when the bike is fixed. It is late and hot and i don't bother to continue the bike training. Weak mind! Or is it resign myself to fate! I hate it!

We cycle back to ECP B1, along the way meet up quite a few sgrunners going towards Changi Point.

On the odometer it reads 70km. Minus the walking portion, i assume is 65km++..

It was another disappointing ride. I only have myself to blame for the plight - weak mind. I learned a valuable lesson - I am confidence to change the tube in a short and safer manner if the situation call for.

Life is like a box of chocolate " Did Not Finish - Not Again!"