Kyle Wagenshutz and I left early Friday morning for a three day bicycle adventure. The Plan: To ride 89 miles to Fort Pillow State Park on Friday, bask in the beautiful weather and camp on the riverbluff, ride 60 miles back to Shelby Forest State Park on Saturday for a final night of camping, and pedal the last 30 miles back to Midtown on Sunday morning. 40 miles north of the city, Kyle got a flat. No problem. Quick innertube swap and we’re back on the road. Well, no. Kyle’s tire ripped as we inflated the tube, a non-reparable problem and fatal blow to our cycling vacation. With no cell phone reception and a stray dog we named “Bandit” in tow, Kyle and I began the long walk down Tennessee Highway 59.
Kyle chimed in: “You know, Burt Reynolds is actually a pretty good looking guy.” I looked at him skeptically. “Hear me out on this,” he replied. You have to understand we had a lot of time on our hands. After arguing for awhile about whether Burt Reynolds sans mustache was a handsome man, we decided to take a risk and air up Kyle’s tire enough to ride. Before we knew it, we were rolling into the Gulf station 15 miles west of Covington on Highway 59. You know the one. After socializing with the locals (they insisted we check out some freshly downloaded pictures of crude rock formations shaped like human body parts), Kyle’s wife arrived to cart us home: a great adventure lost to a bad tire.
On Saturday, the Memphis Hightailers hosted the “Bluff City Blues 100″ century ride. My roommate Zac Holford rode the 100 miles and stopped in at the Gulf station 15 miles west of Covington on Highway 59. Kyle and I had gained a reputation in those parts. “One of those boys had a colorful tattoo,” the Gulf attendant told Zac. “They were having some problems.” Indeed.
Though neither Kyle nor I rode the Hightailers century on Saturday, we had our very own Bluff City Blues cycling experience this weekend.
Cycling mishaps? Bluff City Blues Stories? Tell us about it!
October 15th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Embrace kevlar beaded folding tires. They are the must have companions for far out rides. Find them at http://www.midtownbikeco.com
October 15th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
The real question is if Burt Reynolds, sans toupee is a handsome man.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I rode 1200 miles from the coast of VA to Louisville , Ky sans any flats at all. I am the bomb. Panaracer
T-Servs “Serv’d” me well. They are a great folding kevlar tire. They also make a really great skidding
sound. I have never been stranded on a bike due to mechanical problems, maybe because I am a great bike mechanic. There was one time though, i was a small
frail child who rode my bike too far and mommy had to come pick me up. I guess the nature of the cyclist determines whether he will get a flat; and
that of Kyle’s and Anthony’s must be like a small frail child. Man, I am a way better cyclist than
them…..and Dennis from Midtown bikes.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I have to admit, Zac’s skills are difficult to overestimate. Zac’z performance at this past weeks Cyclo-Crunk race is an excellent example. I’ve never seen someone so gifted at passing water bottles to racers as they speed past on their way to glory. Zac’s seamless hand-offs and astute posture are a testament to his ability to stand around during a passionate test of cycling endurance. Way to go Holford!
October 19th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
My moustache is the Burt Reynolds of the Co-op.