It’s been raining on and off for the last two days. This afternoon, during a dry spell, I went out for my first bike ride of the year. It was gusty, which is fun, and I decided to do a slightly longer loop than planned. About two thirds into the climbing section of this loop it starts to rain, and then pour. It felt great! That kind of weather really makes you feel alive and aware. I was a little worried when I heard a gust of wind approaching, and I tried to brace myself for a sudden gust as best I could. It never came, though. It was still raining going downhill, and that’s also a bit scary. At one point I was doing 23mph, only because I didn’t dare brake any harder. But I made it down and safely stopped at the stop sign at the bottom. (The bottom of a hill is the worst place for a stop sign I can think of, yet there is one at the bottom of many of the hills around here.) Biking home with the wind at my back was fun, but I took it easy because the road was still very wet. (It had stopped raining at this point.)
I highly recommend riding when it’s raining. I wouldn’t plan on a long way, but a short loop is loads of fun. Drinking hot chocolate in dry clothes after a wet bike ride is one of the best feelings there is.