Dean's Story - 20070510
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Today, as I rode to tennis practice, I took the same dirt road I have taken
for the last 3 months. I found out that after a few good days' rain, the
road did not just go to mud, which I am fine riding through, but rather it
turned into soft, elastic, sticky, clingy Oklahoma Red Clay. I made it
about 10 feet before my back tire slid out. I almost dropped the bike but I
caught it before it hit the ground. I made it about another 30 feet at a
crawling pace before my bike stalled out. Couldn't figure out why until I
hopped off and saw that my entire back end was covered in clay, literally. I
couldn't see spokes, brakes, or my swingarm. I pulled off a 25 pound brick
of clay from each side and off I went. I made it another 15 feet before the
bike stalled out and I had to dig it out again. I repeated this another 2
times thinking that the road had to dry out ahead--it did not. Now I was in
a pickle. A 15' deep drainage ditch to my left and a 4' fence to my right.
I couldn't push the bike; for one, i could barely stand without slipping and
falling, and there was so much clay on the bike, I couldn't have pushed it
if I had traction. I thought...Then I saw a weak bit of the fence just
ahead without a support bar so I leaned the bike against a tree and
investigated. With only a few clips of my wire cutters, I was through to
pavement....and salvation. It took me another 10 minutes to get my bike
those 5 feet to the fence but once there, I was home free. The aftermath--I
was covered head-to-toe in red clay, somehow my new control switch for my
lights and horn was not working(just a bad connection) and there was more
mud on my boots than I have ever seen before. I stopped off at the car wash
and after about 20 minutes and 20 quarters, I was back in business. (My
boots took 3 of those quarters to clean.) Thus ended today's adventure. My
only regret--I left my camera at home.