A Pleasant Ride in the Rain

Unless you’ve done it, the title “A Pleasant Ride in the Rain” seems to be reserved only for the certifiable lunatics.  Either I’m certifiable or it is entirely possible.  I’ll wager there were 7 guys out this morning who enjoyed the ride even in the rain.

It was dry when I pushed off at 5:20.  The radar had a band of rain close and moving our way, so when I went out the door the fender, a light rain jacket, and water-resistant shoes, & my SPP cap were part of the mix.  It was 60° F so the bib shorts were enough there.  I decided on short fingered gloves.  These decisions are all pretty important, especially in rain.  It is so much easier to lose body heat when it is raining.  My only trouble during the ride was how much heat and sweat the rain jacket holds inside.  I had opted for the light jacket that doesn’t ventilate as well as the better one.

There were sporadic sprinkles until the crew met up at the Rusty Bridge, then a light rain started that remained intermittent through the morning.  The trail was completely wet before we hit the ranger station, so I was careful on the painted surfaces and in the curves.  The rain was just like it was on the Flèche a couple of weeks ago.  All but Clint and I picked up the pace.  They didn’t race, but they had a much quicker pace than we chose to ride.  Clint was on his fixie so we just rode easy as I prompted him to describe his weekend and other parts of what was going on in his life.  We noticed by the bike tracks that the guys in front chose not to ride through Round Bay.  That hill can be pretty slick in the rain.  We met them on the trail as they were on the return leg and we were still headed south.

This was the first time I had ridden in the rain with a billed cap on.  It worked pretty well for me.  The bill of the cap kept a lot of the rain off my glasses (at least the top half) and increased my visibility from what I’m used to in the rain.

Soon I was home.  I thought about riding another 3 miles, but that would mean not seeing Lori before work, and since today is a long day for her I wanted to send her off well.  I’ll have a surprise for her this evening.  It is May Day, after all.

The transition back into the house after a ride in the rain is tricky.  I take as much of the wet gear off out on the front porch as I can without the neighbors calling the police, and then a broom to the front of my legs or a careful tiptoe to the shower is in order to wash off the grit and grime.  It’s not so much that it is wet as it is that all the road debris sticks to the wet legs that is the challenge.  I was surprised when I entered the house.  It felt cold, although the thermometer said it was nearly 10 degrees warmer.  I think the rain was actually warmer than the outside temperature.  Maybe that’s why the rain felt so good.

Yes, it was a pleasant ride in the rain.  It has set the day up right for a pleasant day.  It makes my fortune from last night’s fortune cookie true: “Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life.”

This Ride: 23.4 miles
Month: 23.4 miles
2012: 1621.2 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 15,474.9 miles