You've got some good company:

"With 10 miles left in [last Sunday's Leadville, CO 100 mile mountain bike race], Lance Armstrong had a comfortable lead over [defending champ Dave] Wiens when his back tire began to go flat. 'I don’t normally change flats,' Armstrong stated, 'I call the car and they fix it. That’s the way it works in road cycling. I’m just terrible at changing flats.' So Armstrong just pumped some more air into the tire, hoping for the best. For the last mile, his back tire was flat as he slipped and slid across the finish line."

http://www.examiner.com/x-14198-Hidden-Adventures-Examiner~y2009m8d16-Lance-Armstrong-wins-the-Leadville-100-in-Colorado

That is really funny. Looks like the prince is grounded ....

One of my ambitions is to volunteer at a bike shop and be told to fix flat tires for the entire weekend or maybe I need a week... Then maybe I will have the confidence I need to get those flats changed in under 10 mins. Thank goodness for Conte's who changed my flat early in the morning at ITU in June!

i bet greg lemond could change a flat

I've been riding for 4 years or so....and I've never had to change a flat and needing to do so is actually a cause for panic (I got a flat after I pulled the stem out of my tube prior to NE this weekend...that was not fun). Can you really volunteer at bike shops to practice?? I would LOVE to do that!

dios mio, i did the same exact thing right before NE! my flat actually happened when i absent-mindedly tightened that o-ring on the presta valve too tight. price of an education.

One night when you're vegging in front of must-see TV, plop your bike down in your living room and practice: take the tire off, put it back on; take the tire off, put it back on; take the tire off, put it back on. The first time is a disaster; the second time is a little better; by the tenth time in a row you're thinking, "Oh, okay, I know what I'm doing now."

I rode for almost ten years without ever flatting but always did this at least once or twice a year. Then last year when I flatted twice in one race I knew exactly how to handle it.

Heck with that. I am just glad I am better at something involving a bike than Lance Armstrong. This is the now officially the Pinnacle of my cycling career. I think I will just have to retire now.

Suzuki ... you're weird. "by the tenth time" ... I think that this is what they called a compulsive disorder. Admit it. You didn't really stop until the 20th time did you ? You are now on my list as another DCTri chick who is going to become a cat lady.

Tuan- I think I am going to have to make sure when I ride with you again, I stay far enough away, as to not get hit with a fly by bitch slap...lol

That's it Tuan! On the next Sunday ride I'm going to pull some nails out of my bento bag and toss them behind me toward your wheel-sucking being and then point and laugh as you struggle to fix your flat all alone. I'll take a picture of you covered in grease, fumbling with your tire irons, and post it on the Korean mafia blog and we'll all have a giggle at Vietnamese ineptitude.