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06-06-01, 10:00 AM
My contrast to Nebill's post.
Yesterday, 6/5/01, about 1 hour before riding home time, the rain started. Rain is just an occupational hazard for us commuters so I just shrugged my shoulders. Down here, rain can be a blessing in the summer because with a wind, the rain makes a normally sweltering ride much more comfortable. I just put the rain covers on my panniers and go. The only real aggrevation with rain is that my shoes get soaked. Luckily, I have an extra pair picked up at a good price on clearance.
The rain was steady, occasionally coming down in brief downpours. Luckily, there was a tail wind. Unluckily, it was making me uncomfortably cold. When I stopped for a red light under an overpass, I whipped out my rain jacket. I had almost taken it out of my kit a couple of times because I really didn't think I would wear it in the summer because it would be too hot. I was VERY glad I had kept it in my bag!
Usually, 3 or so of my last 4 miles home are leisurely miles home on the bike path by the lake. That route requires riding on grass/dirt for short stretches. When wet, it is very hard, dirty riding so I stay on the streets. Very close to my home this route takes me through an area that routinely experiences street flooding with any significant rain. Yesterday's rain was not maximal by local standards, but it was certainly up there. The streets had up to 1 foot of water in some places. Luckily, I know the streets intimately and the water was clear so I forged ahead. In some places I hopped on the sidewalk for short stretches, but where the sidewalks were covered with water, I felt more comfortable on the street. At one point I passed an open manhole where water pressure had pushed the heavy iron cover off and down the street a few feet. Since I was not moving very fast and the water was clear, I could see the manhole well before I got there. A car might not be so lucky. But then the cars I saw were stalled in the deep water.
I rode with headlight and blinkies on the whole way and made it home just fine though I will need to check my bearings this weekend. I learned a couple of things in the process.
1) I will take a different route if it rains that hard again, though I will still ride.
2) Pedaling through the water was not as hard as I thought, however,
3) Panniers make excellent sea anchors.
Oh, did I mention that just before I left work, I found out that this rain was being generated by Tropical Storm Allison which had developed out of nowhere in the Gulf of Mexico south west of New Orleans. When I got home, I thanked my youngest daughter, Allison, for such an interesting ride.
So you see, Rainman is not just a nickname, it is who I am!
Yesterday, 6/5/01, about 1 hour before riding home time, the rain started. Rain is just an occupational hazard for us commuters so I just shrugged my shoulders. Down here, rain can be a blessing in the summer because with a wind, the rain makes a normally sweltering ride much more comfortable. I just put the rain covers on my panniers and go. The only real aggrevation with rain is that my shoes get soaked. Luckily, I have an extra pair picked up at a good price on clearance.
The rain was steady, occasionally coming down in brief downpours. Luckily, there was a tail wind. Unluckily, it was making me uncomfortably cold. When I stopped for a red light under an overpass, I whipped out my rain jacket. I had almost taken it out of my kit a couple of times because I really didn't think I would wear it in the summer because it would be too hot. I was VERY glad I had kept it in my bag!
Usually, 3 or so of my last 4 miles home are leisurely miles home on the bike path by the lake. That route requires riding on grass/dirt for short stretches. When wet, it is very hard, dirty riding so I stay on the streets. Very close to my home this route takes me through an area that routinely experiences street flooding with any significant rain. Yesterday's rain was not maximal by local standards, but it was certainly up there. The streets had up to 1 foot of water in some places. Luckily, I know the streets intimately and the water was clear so I forged ahead. In some places I hopped on the sidewalk for short stretches, but where the sidewalks were covered with water, I felt more comfortable on the street. At one point I passed an open manhole where water pressure had pushed the heavy iron cover off and down the street a few feet. Since I was not moving very fast and the water was clear, I could see the manhole well before I got there. A car might not be so lucky. But then the cars I saw were stalled in the deep water.
I rode with headlight and blinkies on the whole way and made it home just fine though I will need to check my bearings this weekend. I learned a couple of things in the process.
1) I will take a different route if it rains that hard again, though I will still ride.
2) Pedaling through the water was not as hard as I thought, however,
3) Panniers make excellent sea anchors.
Oh, did I mention that just before I left work, I found out that this rain was being generated by Tropical Storm Allison which had developed out of nowhere in the Gulf of Mexico south west of New Orleans. When I got home, I thanked my youngest daughter, Allison, for such an interesting ride.
So you see, Rainman is not just a nickname, it is who I am!