I had been barely out for 15 minutes or so on my bike. Huffing and puffing as I pushed my way up hill in one lonely stretch of road, I was busy mentally mapping out in my mind the route I was going to take. With my head down, slowly inching upwards, I thought I saw some brown and metallic on the road barely a foot away. I did not have much time to react.

I was able to barely save the front wheel. The rear wheel was not so lucky. I heard a clanging, followed by an unmistakable hissing noise. I quickly got off and pulled the bike to the sidewalk. Within about thirty seconds, the tire was flat as a pancake.

Realizing I didn’t have many options, I walked back home for three miles, dragging the bike with me. Well, at least I got some exercise done!