Evening Ride Cut Short

Went out tonight for a ride after dinner (my homemade Mexican Soup). I didn't want to go far so decided to do a circuit of Shinfield & Ryeish Green - route HERE. The trip took me over the M4 which is via a footbridge. On the way up its steps so no chance of cycling up those, but the other side is just a ramp...with a sharp 90 degree at the bottom to be aware of.

Then its a slog up Brooker's Hill because for some reason the lowest gear I could select was 15th - in fact I seemed to only be able to go from 15th to 21st! Bloody crap bike shop work! Then cut onto Hollow Lane for a few yards and take a path through trees into the old Ministry of Agriculture site and then through a church graveyard, across a road into an estate and then across the fields to Ryeish Green.

However just as I got to the field I felt the back end was a little wobbly. I looked down to see the rear tyre almost flat. Couldn't see anything in it but hadn't got a pump with me (doh!) so I mulled over whether it was a "slowie" or a "quickie" and decided to risk it a bit further. I then saw a side path which I figured would be the right direction for a short cut back home and took that. Well all I can say is I wish I'd had some suspension because the baked ground was rough as an old woman's barnacles, especially the speed I was going.

Anyway I headed home from there. Just pumped up the wheel & will see in the morning if its gone down.

Stats:
Distance: 3.43 miles
Time: 23 minutes 49 seconds
Average Speed: 8.6 mph
Maximum Speed: 17.1 mph