3 flats 1 ride....thank you random stranger

You rock!

It's easy to get disheartened--THREE FLATS!--but you "still managed to throw down a good ride."

I love awesome strangers.

Been there.  Glad you got home OK!

I had almost the opposite experience a few weeks ago.  Some guy and his buddy were stopped on the side of the road.  So I slow down and ask 'need anything?'.  Log story short -- they did, but wouldn't hear of me giving them a tube and a cartridge.  We're deep into an army base with no civilian cars (generally) allowed, so they've got quite a walk ahead of them, and still refuse help.  Weird.  I gave the tube and a cartridge to them and rode off.  I sure hope they used it.

might be time to check on that rim tape....

x2 ... rim tape breaks/edges/peels/etc. are the #1 suspect here, if you haven't already ID'ed what caused all the flats.

I had an almost identical experience a few years ago. My situation was compounded by a cell phone low on juice and my wife who had no idea where I was and couldnt find me. I truly felt screwed. 15 miles from home. No phone. And in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, it was a route frequented by a lot of cyclists. I was actually starting to picture myself taking a long walk home in bike shoes. Some nice guy stopped by with an extra tube and made sure I got on my way.

For this reason, I now carry a good patch kit and 2 or 3 tubes. Funny enough, about a week or two later, I came across some poor soul who needed a tube and I was able to pay it forward. It hasnt happened since.