Clear Track Ahead

I zoomed past the brass bell toward the corner of the rack! Right across the concrete seam lay a discarded black plastic tire lever, wedged on its curved tip like a raised boom barrier. Wait for a signal crew? Never on my watch! I revved my soft wheels, lowered my front buffer, and drove head-on into the rounded spine. Clack, skate! The lever broke free from the expansion crack, skidding flat across the cement and bumping against a rubber kickstand. My noon express lane through the pedal forest is wide open!