We Didn’t See this Coming!

It’s Friday!  That means Friendly Fixie Friday Breakfast Ride to Annapolis.  The radar showed a shower pass through our area at about 5:00 am, but it cleared out by 5:30 leaving just a light mist in the air as we pushed off at 5:45 with red tail lights flashing on 8 bikes.  We had a great energy and conversations were steady as we made our way south on the route.  By the time we got to the end of the trail, there were 6 going to Annapolis, with only Bryan leaving his fixie at home.

Jeff and Phil met us at Hard Bean.  We had our usual fare and Myna treated us with apple cake and ice cream.  Even Dan couldn’t finish it all although he gave a valiant effort.

As we pushed off after breakfast, we noted that it seemed darker than usual and there were a few light sprinkles in the air.  I had carried my lightest rain jacket, just in case.  I decided to put it on mainly because it is always very chilly riding from downtown Annapolis to the top of the Naval Academy bridge.  It is not that the air is cold.  It is that the light sweat we generate on the ride to Annapolis has migrated from our bodies to our clothing, and we don’t notice it much while sitting and eating.  When we go back outside, the damp clothing sucks the warmth right out of us.  The Naval Academy Bridge has enough of an incline that we start sweating and warms our core.

The skies remained dark and there were a few light sprinkles as we made our way back onto the trail.  The sprinkles grew in intensity, then suddenly, about the time we entered Severna Park, the rain came down hard.  There were a few flashes of lightning I noted just about a mile from home.  We had expected a clear ride back home, but the weather closed in a lot faster than predicted.  This is a radar grab of what hit us.

None of us saw this coming!

I had scheduled a contractor to meet me at home at 8:00 am this morning.  He was sitting in his vehicle on the street in front of the house as I pulled up.  The look on his face was priceless.  His only comment was, “It’s raining pretty hard, isn’t it?”  Yes it was.  I’m glad it was in the mid 60’s F, so it wasn’t so bad.

This Ride: 26.4 miles
Month: 421.4 miles
2012: 4,781 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 18,634.7 miles