First Flat Tire

My ride to Medellín was quite an adventure. The road wound and weaved through the mountainsides, offering some incredible views, but it was also incredibly busy with traffic. A lot of transport trucks use this route, and they crawl up the hills creating long queues that are tough to pass.

What made the ride really memorable, though, was getting my first flat tire something I’ve been dreading this entire trip. I noticed the bike’s handling suddenly felt off, and when I pulled over, my rear tire was completely flat. Thankfully, I had my portable air compressor, which let me limp to the nearest hotel.

The hotel itself was an experience. It was perched on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service and a bit of a language barrier to navigate when checking in. Eventually, I got settled, but there wasn’t any WiFi so I found myself with a few hours of nothing to do but wait for morning. The only way I could get a single bar of service was by climbing to the top of the hotel’s water slide, which was pretty amusing in hindsight. I managed to download a couple of shows to keep myself entertained for the night.

The next morning, a mechanic came out to help me replace the tire and tube, and I was back on the road. Now I’ve got about three hours left before I roll into Medellín.Read more