(Reposting here from Feb 26 2019 Facebook post).
Thank you, rim.
You were a beautiful looking H Plus Son 32-hole black rim -- quite something to look at in your younger days. Sure you were only aluminum, you did not have the "bling" factor or aerodynamics of carbon, but let's face it, you were perfect for my kind of riding. You got me through Paris-Brest-Paris in 2015 and many rides since. Your braking surface was very well-worn, concave now. It was already clear that you would not be "part of the bike" for PBP 2019 this su
mmer. But you did get one last chance to prove yourself. You helped me roll smoothly through the Tour de Tasmania 200, 300, 400 and 600km rides this week, qualifying me to return to Paris Brest Paris!
When I brought you to Tasmania, I thought we might get in a few more rides after this trip, but alas, some large bump in the night ... a pothole on the road as we descended to Launceston at the end of the 400km ride, left you dimpled and quite severely cracked. You did your best to pretend everything was okay, and I did not even notice until the beginning of the next ride, the 600km. The first time I pulled on the rear brake, I could tell -- your brake track was no longer smooth, but made a loud thwamp noise and disrupted the brakes so badly I could feel the pulsing in my hand through the brake lever. You were mortally wounded. Still you rolled smoothly and held up structurally until the end of the two-day event, you travelled another 600kms, you got to see Tasmania's North, West, and Eastern seacoasts, to climb over 8000 meters, and to cross the central highland twice, all in 39 hours and change.
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