cycling

Let it rain, and ride anyway, because sometimes you have to

Sam B

bike2007Catherine Womack made the case here recently for riding in the ride.   She even manages to make riding in summer rain sound fun.

Of course, each person has their own idea of fun. I’ve written about each cyclist having their own limits when it comes to bad weather.  (For example, when commuting, I’ll happily ride home in the rain but I don’t like to ride to work in the rain. I hate arriving all wet and soggy though I’m okay landing at home that way.)  Tracy, on the other hand, when she rides her bike, is an unrepentant fair weather cyclist.

But there’s a good reason for getting used to riding in the rain and deliberately doing it some of the time. What’s the reason? Some time you have to ride in the rain and it’s good to know how to do it and see what your challenges are.

When do you have to ride in the rain?

Here’s four scenarios:

First, you get caught out on a training ride and it starts to rain. It happens.

Second, you’re doing a bike tour and have no other way to get from place a to place b. It’s raining but you have to ride. See my post on the rainy bits of the Bike Rally here.

Third, you’re racing in the rain. You show up and want to go fast but it’s raining. The photo above is me in the Kincardine triathlon, racing in the rain. It was cold and wet.

If you don’t know how to ride in the rain you might be in trouble.

Here’s sad footage of triathletes wiping out in the rain. “When conditions change suddenly in a triathlon then anything can happen. Here is a selection of bike crashes from the 2012 Auckland World Triathlon Grand Final when a torrential downpour made cycling conditions very challenging.”

Fourth, you plan an event, in Cheryl’s case the Farm to Forks Fondo, you register, you pay, you drive there and then the day of, it’s pouring rain. What’s a girl to do? Ride in the rain. She blogs about it here. Cheryl and I are friends and we have the same cycling coach. Today she showed up in different bike shoes. Why? The Fondo shoes were still wet!

Convinced? Here’s some tips from Bicycling about how to ride in the rain. And 10 tips from Active about how to ride in the rain.

I make sure there’s less air in my tires when riding in the rain. It’s nice to have a bit more rubber-road contact. Cornering is definitely not the same. See crash footage above! And allow more time to stop.

My personal challenge is my glasses. You can see from the pic above maybe. I’m not wearing them. It’s pointless. Rain streaming down the glass is worse than no glass at all. Also, running after in wet shorts was no run at all.

Published by Sam B

Philosopher, feminist, parent, and cyclist! Co-founder of Fit Is a Feminist Issue, co-author of Fit at Mid-Life: A Feminist Fitness Journey, published by Greystone Books.

6 thoughts on “Let it rain, and ride anyway, because sometimes you have to”

  1. I love riding bikes but am terrifying of falling so it makes me pretty slow during the triathlons. Oh well, at least I am getting out there.

    1. This will sound like an odd thing to ask, but have you fallen? In a weird way it’s better to fall and realize it’s not so bad. If there are no cars involved you’re not going to hurt yourself that badly. Skin heals. I found I got braver after my first spill.

  2. I had to wear sunglasses because of my contacts. I have to get a pair of clear ones, but I only think of it when it’s raining! My average speed on the fondo was but 23km/h but like I said, I think I get some hardcore cred for doing it soggy! Here’s hoping for mostly dry weather from here on out!!

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