Jinxed

As a bicycle commuter you have to bring whatever you need with you on your bike. If you bike comes with a luggage rack then you can attach some saddle bags which can hold a lot of stuff but most commuters go for the classic backpack.
I you ever wondered what we’re carrying around like that, here’s my list;

- A set of dry cycling shorts + a pair of long cycling leggings (shorts are not warm enough in the winter) if I have no dry clothes left for the ride home in the evening.
- A pair of gloves, and a warm hat that I can wear under my helmet. One needs to keep ears and hands warm when temperatures drop.
- My clothes to wear in the office. I know that the IT crowd has a more easygoing dress code, but I think that cycling jersey and shorts are part of that dress code.
- Bicycle lock (duh)
- Some breakfast (cookie + raisins) cycling on a full stomach is just not ideal for me, especially not that early in the morning
- Wallet + cell phone (with charged batteries!!)
- Spare batteries for the lights
- Last but not least: A spare tube + bicycle tool + pump.

All these items are indispensable for the serious commuter so I keep ‘em all packed in separate plastic bags to make sure it all stays dry. Did I mention a rain jacket?

You might think that I’m exaggerating, but let me tell you a story.

I left work last night and went into the parking garage, clicked computer and lights on the bike unlocked it, put lock in the backpack put on helmet, zipped up jacket and picked up the bike to take of, only to realize that my front tire had gone flat. When I say flat I mean flat as in no air in the tube not as in the tire has gone a bit soft. It’s in moments like these that you’re happy to have a pump in the backpack. Despite knowing better I pulled out the pump and inflated the tire and rode of. Alas only 3 streets further and my front wheel started wobbling due to the deflating tire. So this time I pulled over took out my bike tool and the spare tire, parked the bike, took out the front wheel (quick release are the best thing since sliced bread) lifted the tire of took out the tube, checked the inside of the tire for traces of tube-shredding gutter debris and installed the spare tube. All this while the rain was pouring down, I tell you I never felt further away from home.
And on top of that I got lost in the forest, the singletrack I normally ride was completely covered up by dead leaves. I only realized I was lost when I almost drove into a ditch filled with water, a ditch that surely wasn’t there when I rode the track in the morning. The situation reminded me a bit of The Blair Witch Project; there you are in a pitch black forest and your bike light is your only source of light and all those trees look the same. Anyway by the time I got home I was soaking wet and covered in mud.
What did I learn from this? Always make sure to have a spare tube (you really don't want to repair a flat tube in the pouring rain by the side of the road) your bike tool a good bicycle pump and a serious headlight on your bike, and don’t underestimate the bike gods. This morning I sacrificed an worn out tube and an old pair of cycle shorts in the backyard; the ride into work went flawless.