Finally got a "Window" where I can get a bike ride in today.10 am and changed- got the bike out of the shed- pumped up the tyres- went to fill up the bottle and back to the bike--Except it was raining a bit. Rained for the next two hours and I mean it chucked it down. Sat in my Ride clothing and watched the recording of the highlights of the TDF and it cleared a bit- Got on the bike- did two miles and turned back. Didn't like the look of the cloud coming over and I was right. Didn't make it home before the Thunderstorm hit and the rain.

Still- I managed to watch the TDF again so some good came out of it'

This is supposed to be summer.



8 PM looks promising.

I used to work in downtown Los Angeles. In the rainy season I'd use our traffic-monitoring cameras to keep track of the weather. One day I rode to the bus between rainstorms. While I was at work more rain passed through, but it had pretty much quit by the time I got onto the bus to go home. We ran through a couple of bands of rain, but where I got off to unlock my bike it was dry. I was thinking "I'm home free! Managed to dodge all the storms!" Then I looked up while riding south to see everything south of me disappearing into grey. I got home looking like the proverbial drowned rat.

I rode between thunderstorm last week and on Monday. Yesterday I rode in a gentle rain, after the thunderstorms went through. This is summer in the Gulf South of the U.S., thunderstorms will be probable until the end of August every day. I'll just ride through rain but, lightning is something else. I won't ride with lightning.

Stapfam, at least your area got rid of the hosepipe bans and the gardens are getting water now. We were headed towards them into late May and then the rains came.............. Some guy named Noah came by looking for a male and a female of each species of animal this morning, too, Hmmm?

Bill

It's been raining here in Texas for the past week, and is forecasted to stay the same through the weekend. I don't care to ride in the rain because of what it does to the bike.

Nothing sucks worse than a cold rain. 15C and rain? There's a limit to HTFU. My limit falls short of that.

I don't mind getting caught out in a warm rain. But lightning will get me under any available shelter faster than an air raid siren would.

Rule #9 (and a bit of #5 wouldn't hurt either)

Not aimed at you JamieElenbaas but,I dearly wish someone would find the idiots that dreamed up the Velomanati Rules and that website and torque their navels down to around 75nM. I never mind someone telling me to harden up or ride regardless. It is the appearance, gear and attitude rules that get my goat. I'll use a wedge seat bag for my tools and spare tube if I want to and damn the colourway of my tape and seat matching something. Rant off. Ride safe and ride lots.

Bill

I've ridden in my share of cold rain. I had a 7.5 mile commute every day, and had no car. I did a lot of experiments in handling rain, and discovered that there is no good way. Oh, some ways are less bad than others. So, the last time I got caught in a rainstorm, I took shelter under a portico.

The main way to handle it is to keep moving. I got caught in a rainstorm on a mountain bike ride one day, and just about froze on the way down the mountain. I had to get off the bike and walk in order to keep hypothermia away.

Rain is really hard on the machinery. Especially on beach bike paths; sand gets picked up by the tires and thrown into everything. I hate that grinding feeling of sand on the chain.

I will say that fenders help a lot.

2001 and I did a metric. 100 miles to get to it and a bit of rain was forecast but it is a ride I enjoy doing but was the first major ride after Prostate Surgery.

Circular route and not only was it raining--We also had a strong wind that always seemed to be in your face. Well prepared with the Goretex waterproof coat but not prepared for the amount of rain or the strength of that wind. I know it was October but the day did start out warm. However the last 5 miles were high up on an exposed moor and the rain was horizontal in the face in the force 8 gale. That last 5 miles finished me. The goretex is waterproof but not warm and water does seep in from the bottom of the jacket in that amount of wind when the legs are going up and down. Not that they were going up and down much as 22/32 at a cadence of around 60 was all I could manage.

Hypothermia came very close and I was glad to see that I was not the only one spilling his coffee through shivering at the End of the ride.

Just roll on summer---But I think we had that for two days in April.

I did a Vancouver to Seattle charity ride last month, and Day One varied between heavy drizzle and driving rain, for all but 5 km of the 120km we rode. I suppose the fact that the ride raised $11 million makes up for the drowned-rattishness of it all.

Things I learned: fenders are Good Things to have in the rain. Helmet cover and rain legs help you feel marginally less miserable, and day-glo yellow shoe covers at least managed to make some people smile.

From an article in the Canadian press today, it looks as though Britain is only a few milimeters away from being washed away completely this year. I suppose it cuts down on hosepipe bans.

I generally don't consider a rain "cold" until it's below 10c / 50f. I've a Marmot Precip jacket that rolls up and fits in the back jersey pocket. So, if it looks like rain I just tuck it in and go. Lightening storms, however, are a different story entirely. Haven't found anything to stick in the back jersey pocket to deal with those.

We've had pretty much everything but rain.

It's clouded over and gotten dark. It's lightning'ed. It's thundered. It's acted like it was going to rain but, other than a few sprinkles it hasn't really rained.

My first 600k attempt this year started on a certain Saturday. The day before was beautiful and in fact, Sunday was beautiful also.

Saturday? Rain, hail, ice and big winds. DNF.

Stapfam.......42.7C/109F Phoenix today.

What's rain?

Rain? not here it is even a little warm, yesterday on my ride it was 96 degrees and got to 102 by mid afternoon--yes a little warm particularly going up the Berkeley hills--No rain for more that 2 or 3 months--after all it is summer!