Rubber Hole; Nonsuch 1-o-clockers' coffee bar crawl

Having for the first time this year achieved a decent weekly mileage before the weekend, I was looking forward a pleasant Saturday spin.  The rides list said Richmond Park, and why not?  A good 45-50 Km round trip with a few inclines to keep us warm on a cold day and perhaps a new way round the park.  Left at Ladderstyle, down the hill, right at the corner up to the track to the Pen Ponds kiosk then past the Ballet School and down the hill for tea at Roehampton Gate.  Back home through Robin Hood Gate.

There were nine of us at Nonsuch and they who had not been sidelined did Richmond Park last week, so Steve led a group to Bushy Park.  That left Anna, Roger, Maggie and me to go to Richmond Park.  Ideal, with two electric bikes we could establish a good pace to combat the cold.  Richmond Park, here we come.

Somewhere on Dewsbury Gardens I heard the rhythmic hissing noise and wondered why, every revolution of my wheel, there was a ticklish draught on my leg.  Doh!  I made the announcement and stopped, but then the hissing stopped and the tyre was still very rideable.  My companions were interested in warmth, so we decided to detour to Hookey Street Cafe at New Malden where they could get their warmth and have a coffee and I could mend my puncture.  Maggie brought me a coffee.  My tyre had in it two holes each large enough to accommodate a thick nail but we found nothing inside the tyre.

The puncture repair could not have gone better; ten minutes at most and the tyre went on without too much hand pain and in I went to announce that we were rejoining the route and resuming our ride as planned.  We had just gone under the A3 and were still on South Lane when the steering became difficult  and I looked down to see my new inner tube flat as a Beddington Park Beginners ride.

This time it was Woodies, where you can sit inside in the warm with your coffee and watch your leader through the window as he repairs his puncture.  As before, Roger stayed with me at least until the analysis stage.  There was no inner tube puncture and it seemed to be a faulty valve.  My easy repair luck had run out and the tyre resisted being removed.  My electric pump was running out of juice and Anna's did not seem to pump air in properly (set for a schroeder valve!) and boy, did the tyre resist being put back on.  

When I had done I just decided that someone up there was determined to stop me getting my ride, and I knew from committee meetings that I was within ten yards of a pint of Youngs Ordinary.  So I had a beer and we went home to Wallington Cycles, where I left the bike and asked them to fit a new tyre for Monday.

Lesson.  Electric pumps are great but they only do two inflations, so in future I will always carry a hand pump for back-up.