Wet weather riding...riding the ride.

It was definitely raining on the commute home last night....the jeans were quite wet by this point!

I wrote a nice little piece yesterday about riding when the weather shows up.  You might have notice in the photo yesterday morning, there was no real weather.  That changed after I got to work, leaving a very wet ride home from the waist down (I forgot my rain pants)!  I remedied that this morning and even with the steady rain I made it to work 99 percent dry.

Ok....your head and hands might get a bit wet.  Like I said...99% dry!

The real question is why would anyone do this....ride a bike in the rain, when I rode past my perfectly functioning truck as I left the driveway?  In some ways it's just my routine.....wake up, coffee, check some web sites, shower, pack the bike, ride to work.  I really don't watch the weather that closely, because 90 percent of the time you don't really have to in Reno.  And that's what makes the snowy or rainy days fun.  They're different and it makes the commute interesting.

And I guess there's the real answer.....it's FUN!  We all did this when we were little.  Ran around (or rode) when it was raining.  Headed straight for the mud puddles.  We didn't care that we got wet or dirty.  It only takes a second to change into dry close!  So get out there and recapture what you had before you got all serious and didn't want to get wet, dirty, or plan how to have FUN!

So....did you ride?

No pictures today folks.  As everyone probably knows it is dumping rain today (well at least for Reno).  Normally this type of weather totally gets me going for the ride.  I'm sure that makes most people think I'm nuts (and perhaps this is true), but it just takes the "normal" commute and makes it totally interesting to me!  It's not a big deal if you have fenders and a good waterproof jacket.  Besides, who doesn't remember the days when you used to aim for the puddles instead of avoiding them!

To that end....with the xtracycle out of commission I don't have a bike with fenders....

So, today I hoped a ride with wifey in the car (much to my chagrin).  It does have the advantage of being dry and we did manage to hit some puddles due to minor flooding under the bridges.  If fact, it's kind of cool to send that water flying in a car.  It definitely lacks the "stupid smile on your face" fun that riding a bike in the rain gives me, but mostly because you have to deal with traffic.  Anyway, that's my shameful story. 

Hope you had an enjoyable and wet commute!

Riding biycles in the Rain...woohoo!

Did you ride today!?  I love the changing seasons, you just don't know how fun the commute can be until it gets a little interesting weather thrown in.  I've talked about the cool weather and some of the additions I make, but rain is a different story.

Today the cloud cover actually kept temperatures up over night so not all the cool weather gear was necessary.  I opted for a long sleeve shirt over the t-shirt and jeans, but stuck with sandals for foot gear and gloves just weren't needed.  I'm sure many of you opt out of the ride when it rains, but today it was just spitting rain and a rain coat wasn't even necessary.

Fenders are the key!  I know you don't need them very often in Reno, but the other riders I saw out today probably had wet backsides!

Note the spray off the wheel!

Here's a few shots of the roads and even another brave soul (I did see about 6-7 riders on the way in).  Sorry about the fuzzy pics, not sure what's up with that.

I think the fuzzy shots are due to me thinking about slick roads and snapping the pics really quick.

The glow of tail lights in the cloudy morning.

A very fuzzy fellow cyclist. 

That's right...snow on Mt. Rose, time to get the studded tires ready and the skis tuned!

Puddles in the Plaza!

Well, I just wasn't really expecting this mornings ride.  Things were really hectic at work yesterday evening and wifey needed to get home by 5:30 pm.  She's headed out for 60 miles of walking to support breast cancer research and needed to meet up with her ride.  Long story short, I left the xtracycle at work and beat feet for home, planning to ride the mountain bike in the today.  Needless to say, as I walked out the door I was thinking, "It will probably rain tomorrow".

Go figure....

The first part of the ride was just fine.  Some residual puddles from last night, but no worry about getting a stripe up the the back due to water.  And hey, how often do you see puddles in the plaza in Reno?

Just East of Reno in Brodhead park it really started coming down.  You can even see some of the rain drops streaking through the picture!  Against all odds, it continued all the way to work.  Which is where the bicycle with fenders and my rain coat were cozily stored.

The result was some damp cloths (seriously not a big deal).  In fact, for a ride in Reno this was actually pretty darn refreshing!  And the xtracycle makes a great drying rack here in the office.  So if you got caught in the rain, congratulations, we "earned our stripes" today!

(And if you not a rider this means we had a wet / dirty strip up our backs due to the spray off the rear timer.)

Wet and wonderful!

It's not very often that an entire ride in Reno is taken on rain soaked roads/trails.  Today was one of those days.  After the early morning down pour (that apparently hit the hole city) there wasn't a portion of the ride that wasn't nicely soaked!  I know many of you don't ride with fenders and you may have a slightly damp rear end as a result, but you have to admit the change of pace is pretty nice.

Here's the view for those of you who opted out of the "wet" conditions.