This morning’s ride ended pretty suddenly… About 20 km short of the intended finish, and as one could assume, equally far from home.
Luckily, I could make a phone call and arrange a ride (straight to work!)
As prepared as you can be with tools, air, spare tubes, patches and the like… there is always the possibility….
This was a sad day for my bike… which until today was a “crash-free” ride without so much as a scratch on it. A sudden swerve to miss an obstacle though is really all it takes… And very suddenly, all of that changes.
Expert bike handler or not, it doesn’t take a lot for a carbon front fork to submit under some sudden unwarranted pressure / torque.
Likewise, if your bike has quite a few years and miles on it, your front fork might be worth an inspection… there are some good indicators of wear and tear that can set off some alarm bells, and these are definitely worth paying attention to.
Today, I was lucky.
With wounds healing quickly I still intend to race in Peterborough this weekend. I also intend to keep the old front fork, if for nothing else than a small and powerful message for youth I train / coach….
“Wear your helmets kids!”
