No Bike Ride Today

Not too many things keep me from taking a bike ride every day. Today’s rain (see photo) will. And I’m writing this post before noon.

That’s how dismal the forecast is. Heavy rain all day with 100 percent chance of getting soaked the minute I go outside. I would be better off riding in the shower.

With the steady rain, gusty winds, standing water, clumps of leaves everywhere, and a temperature around fifty, it’s much worse than a typical fall day in Western Washington.

In fact, I would settle for a two-inch day. This is at least a three- and perhaps a four-inch day.

The reduced visibility means there’s a real danger of too many close calls with unsuspecting motorists. I mean, as a driver, peering out between sweeps of your overworked windshield wipers, would you expect to see some nut on a bike?

A few weeks ago I lost my gaudy yellow nylon helmet cover. The replacement, by Cannonade, actually does a better job keeping out the rain but it’s almost all black. Drivers might not notice what a quality item it is until they are too close.

There’s also the issue of making sure the bike computer keeps working while I’m, essentially, riding under water. Instead of covering the computer with plastic wrap (a tip I received after posting Riding in the Rain last year), I would need to coat the whole bike with the stuff.

I guess that’s enough reasons. Wow, I didn’t realize how easy it is to write myself into skipping a day. One more. There’s always tomorrow.