Yesterday the weather was cold with a steady rain and a bit windy, so for the first day in quite a while I didn't ride. This morning when I saw the rain had almost stopped and the wind had backed off, I just had to get out there.
Riding my commuter bike with fenders I can stay fairly dry, and I didn't mind the light drizzle that was coming down. Also, the Mixed Use Trail in my neighborhood was almost deserted, so I decided to ride down the path. Along the way I rode through many puddles of water on the path which looked like small lakes, but they were only and inch or 2 deep, and by slowing down I found that I could get through them with no problem at all.
At around the 10 mile point in the ride I saw yet another puddle crossing the path which looked no different from any of the others, so I figured 'no problem', slowed a bit, and rode right in. WRONG!
The first hint of a problem was the immediate feeling of drag on the bike, and my speed dropping off quickly. 'Oh crap' I thought, 'the water is much deeper here' and without thinking I started to pedal hard, only to find my left foot going into the water at least 2 inches above the ankle. Now there was really nothing else to do except pedal hard or fall off, so I kept going and felt each foot submerge into the freezing water a half dozen times before I reached the other "shore". Damn that water was icy cold! I really wanted to ride more, but I figured the 10 miles back home with soaking feet and pants would have to be enough.
So... a fine ride cut short, and a lesson learned.
