When the rain comes they run and hide their heads.
So after a day like today non-bikers always say something like, “I don’t know how you can stand getting wet all day!” Well fortunately for us we only get wet once so after the first 15 minutes it really doesn’t matter.
Kinda blew the forecast today talking about showers with some clearing in the afternoon and temps in the mid-upper 70’s. We knew we were getting wet because it was raining hard as we left the hotel. I had forgotten Larry Johnson’s wise advice the last time rain really threatened…”It’s not the wet. It’s the cold”. I bought a special Gore-Tex jacket for this trip and haven’t used it yet. Every time the trailer went past us today I wanted to reach out and grab that jacket.
So it was miserable, cold, wet, and dark all day. Fortunately we locked-up with Tony and Wade early on and I decided we needed to stay with them because every evening Tony programs the cue sheet into his Garmin so he’s pretty bullet-proof on the turns. Wade’s 18 year-old eyes and mind back him up with an actual cue sheet checking the street signs. On a day like today with 46 cues it was critical to stay focused. Riding extra useless miles on a long ride is never fun and the cold and rain would have made it even less exciting.
At the first SAG after 25 miles in Canastota we were still under the impression that the weather was going to improve so the strategy was to relax a bit and enjoy the clearing later. The SAG was a soaked little corner of a parking lot offering no protection from the elements or “facilities” (translation: place to do your duty). Gerard mentioned a bakery down the block so we wandered over for hot coffee and delicious homemade donuts. I told the lady it was the “best donut I’d ever tasted”…light and fluffy…perfect even if you’re on a bike ride and I usually don’t even eat donuts.
The Schroeder pace was nice and easy as we concentrated on the route and making sure we were safe. Hurrying wasn’t in anyone’s interest today. The low point for me was a few miles out of the SAG when I began to really feel the cold not only in the usual fingers and toes but also my core. It was borderline and I kept hoping that it might at least warm-up.
Whatever the pain on a long ride I try to deal with it by playing little games. Like, hey, I think the rain might be slowing down or at least the drops are spaced further apart. Or, hey, at least it’s not as windy as when we were riding into
Unless you’re riding with Freddy. I think I’ve referred to Cindy as Chatty Cindy. Freddy is the male version. Who could imagine talking about hypodermic needle manufacturing with a retired lawyer in the middle of a rainstorm, riding a bike, on an 80 mile ride? Well if you’re riding with Freddy you can expect that sort of deep discussion. The guy’s incredible and seems to know a little something about everything. The miles with Freddy are definitely shorter.
The second SAG was worse than the first because we knew we were screwed. Again, the van was in a commercial parking lot with no protection or facilities. Michelle and Alex literally handed us food through the doors and we were off and on the bikes in record time looking for a place to pee down the road.
By now most of us had reached a stalemate with the conditions and were just determined to finish out the miles. Only Fran seemed to still be suffering. The group dynamics helped him keep it together. I never thought I’d be happy to see a Knight’s
Thanks again Tony and Wade. Let’s hope the weather is more cooperative tomorrow but, in any event we’ll be better prepared.
No ratings today because it’s impossible to give it a fair valuation. With better weather we’re guessing that the ratings would be pretty high.
YIKES...this is our last weekend on the road! This must be sort of what it feels like when the Rolling Stones are wrapping up a tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment