Broken Axle & Washington DC

Broken Axle & Washington DC

As I was heading down to Yorktown, VA, I broke my front Quick Release axle tonight.  It took just a second.  One of my red bungee cords unhooked from its position and wrapped itself around the front axle as I crossed the road.  It was so fast.  And I should mention that those axles are special as they are meant to handle a lot of weight.

I am thankful that Peter and his wife, from Warmshowers.org, were able to come out and get me.  They will host me tonight and help me out in the morning.  I will either get the part at the bike shop or rig something up from Home Depot.

Other than that, I had to fix seven to eight spokes on my bike this morning. As I was riding around Washington, DC, last night, it sounded like I had weeds stuck in my tires. It turned out that one spoke completely came undone. How I didn’t blow the rear tire is a miracle. Anyway, I tightened all the loose spokes this morning. 

It is unlikely that this bike will last the entire trip, but I will make every effort to do so. I can’t see spending thousands on a new bike when I have something that works.

As for DC,  I ended up on a nature path in Needlewood / Rock Creek, Maryland, which took me straight to the city. As usual, I hit all the sites after midnight. I have that habit when it comes to DC. Even when I had an office there, the same thing happened. I would show up after hours. Regardless of my bad timing, I did ride my bike around the Abraham Lincoln and George Washington Monuments. I even took a lap around the reflecting pool. 

One thing did seem new.  Thirty-two years ago, I would be the only person walking around DC at that time of night.  Last night, the area was filled with tourists doing touristy things.  The newest thing was all the rented scooters and bicycles everyone used to get around. 

One other cool fact about this trip:  I have stayed on dedicated trails since I started on that natural trail yesterday. I have not had to ride on the road at all. I love that.