Pedal power

 As my beautiful and oh so patient wife needed Miranda today I manned up and volunteered to cycle to work in torrential rain, after all a bit of the wet stuff never hurt anyone. So as  yours truly bravely waved MBAOSPW and little t goodbye and watched with envy as the heated seats, air con and mobile stereo disappeared into the gloom I mounted my trusty R100 and got nowhere fast. I was on a time limit anyway, the racer was selected mode of transport and the heavyweight red MTB takes at least 2x the effort and 3x the time to get into town, and I had just enough time to get into civilisation, do my spinning training and then go to work. Not with a flat tyre. Never mind, stay calm I have a spare inner tube in the saddle pouch. Triffic, 5 minutes and we are off again. Except the three tyre levers all broke, not good, thoughts back to how reliable my mums cutlery was at getting tyres off rather than these snapped hi tec items littering the floor. Thinks. Have to jog back and get red MTB out of the stable. Times going. I'm going to be late. Inspiration. R200's front wheel is in the stable while the rest of him is in the bike hut being rebuilt. Leave stricken R100 minus front wheel and jog back the 3/4 mile to HQ. Collect wheel. Swear loudly. Pump up tyre on spare wheel. Jog back to R100. Fit front wheel. Swear again. R200 wheel wont fit, or it does but the brakes don't. Front wheel wont turn. Think. Jog back get red MTB out of stable. Times running out. Inspiration. Remove front brake. 15 seconds later off we go. Thinks, as we approach 1st road junction that the stopping power of rear brake in the wet is going to be sorely tested, thankfully no traffic as we fail stop test and trundle on. At roundabout definitely wish had jogged back to get red MTB but survive, as does pedestrian who stepped off pavement with their back to me. Test of nerves as pensioner in Volkswagen prefers my side of the road in the high street as a van is parked her side. I win. Arrive at spinning training very wet half hour late. But alive.