Rainy Day Riding

Rain, rain, go away. I really do understand that we need rain in April. But this past month has been a deluge. I was able to do more riding in January this year than in April. I'm sure my work schedule contributed to that somewhat. But the primary reason is that I've learned to tolerate riding in cold better than in the rain. This year, January was a little warmer than average, and with some sunshine, that yielded some decent riding days.

But April was wet. And May is falling right in line with April. On two consecutive days last week my rain gauge total was 7.25 inches of rain. Less than a week later, I had a 24 hour period that produced 3 inches.

On Sunday my cabin fever had reached its limit. I've been trying to finish up a bike build, a three-speed Schwinn. Waiting on parts. I finally took the time to shellac my cork grips on the Raleigh DL-1. Looking good. But I had to get out for a ride, and it was raining.

I decided that since there wasn't any lightning, the worst thing that was going to happen to me was that I was going to get wet. I don't really have proper rain attire for riding, but decided to cobble something together to get as comfortable as I could, and make a break for it.

The temperature was in the 50s and the rain was light but steady. I wore an old long-sleeve silk Wintersilk® shirt for a base, then my Specialized windproof base layer, then a bike jersey, and shorts. I wore thick ugly wool socks with tennis shoes. Put a paper thin windbreaker on and loaded up my Specialized Sirrus, a hybrid set up with fenders. The Raleigh DL-1 has become my bike of choice for short rides near home, but it is a bad choice for riding in the rain or in wet conditions because of the rod brakes. Even with the Kool Stops salmon brake pads it just doesn't brake well when the rims get wet.

I rode on the Hamel to Staunton trail, a nice flat paved section. I think attitude had a lot to do with it. The rain never bothered me. It was actually refreshing, and I'm hoping that I'll learn to enjoy the occasional rainy ride like I do the occasional cold weather ride. It was a bit windy riding toward the northeast, but I just kept a nice slow, steady pace going and didn't let it get to me.

Much of riding seems to be just that: not letting things get to me. The fenders definitely are a great thing for riding in the wet. I had some concerns about riding with my leather Brooks B-17 saddle, but I know people get them wet all the time and live to tell about it. Since I was sitting on it the whole time, that kept it a bit drier, at least until I packed the bike up to go home.

I didn't actually think about being wet until I was almost done with my ride. I realized then that my arms were soaked through to the skin. But my trunk was still dry, and I felt good, not cold, not hot. It just felt so good to finally get a ride in.

I got 15 miles in. While I really like to do at least 20 miles, and I'm at the time of year where I'd like to be doing some 30+ rides, I recognize the need to stay flexible and get my riding in whenever and however I can. It's better to do a few short rides than none at all.

I felt really good the rest of the day. The rain has been depressing me. I think of the time I want to spend outside, I think of not being able to get our vegetable garden started, and I think about the water seeping into the basement (and the expense we're going to face soon as we've decided to get that fixed).

I gave the Specialized a good bath with some sudsy water and dried it off good when I got home. Wiped down the Raleigh while I had a bucket of warm water handy. The days are getting longer now. Soon I think I'll be getting some late afternoon and evening rides in!