It rained pretty hard overnight and was still raining when I got up this morning. I almost went directly to the bicycling log to enter "no ride - rain". I didn't but only because breakfast seemed more important than updating the log when there would be plenty of time to do that later. There was only going to be one opportunity to start the day, actually START the day with breakfast.
But by 11am it was sunny and getting dry, the temperature was rising to what would be a nice day in September. I checked the various weather sources and decided that we could ride after all.
The most troubling of the weather sources said that despite a clear radar picture that showers could still form during the afternoon even while making such showers a low probability.
We headed out toward the eight lakes. I knew GRider hadn't been out there for a while (she demands LAKES on most rides) and I knew she probably wouldn't have another chance to go there for nearly two weeks after today. I knew where the storms would form if they did form so I kept my head up scanning the sky as we proceeded to the north.
At the turn back point, the point at which we would become too far from home to make it back without getting really uncomfortably wet if it did rain, the sun was out. We rode on.
We made it to the lake but even as we stopped I cautioned that we should not stay long as neither of us liked the looks of what was happening in the sky. As you can see from the photo, the patch of blue is very small, the sun is obscured by the clouds (the picture is grey) and we are too far from home.
As we started to ride for home the GRider announced that she had felt a rain drop. I checked a couple of puddles in the road and saw a few drops hit those bodies of water and then eventually felt a single drop myself. GRider pronounces that she felt 6 or 8 drops.
Regular readers will know that I am highly, highly motivated by rain. At Lake Vadnais we are at least eight and a half miles from home on the absolute most direct route. The other issue with most direct route is that it is far, far from flat. But with raindrops around us it seemed important to get at least several of those miles behind us before the deluge arrived.
We rode pretty hard, particularly for persons of our age group. We were rewarded when the clouds broke and the sun reappeared even if the reward came only after we were within a mile of home.
We rode hard but there is an aftermath of hard physical exertion that always makes it all worth while. As long as what you have done is only hard and not actually outside of your capabilities at least I always find that once having completed the task that an exhilaration quickly appears.
It was a good ride and later on it did actually rain cats and dogs for about 15 minutes. We were inside the house to watch the rain out the windows.
I love my bicycle.
1 comment:
Endorphins.
Nice ride report.
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